9-23-20 P.[J]. U.S.H. Pursuing Justice Until Something Happens- for those who may be just joining us we have been exploring the spoken word the Lord gave to me in the aforementioned statement P.[J]. U.S.H. I was asking God to speak to me and tell me what should we do in regard to clearing my name. Have you tried different things trying to make things happen only to discover it was not what God designed, it was what you designed. We can never get anywhere or accomplish anything if we don’t start and end with God. He is the only way to a divine expected end. Now we have covered the P, J, and the U, let’s move onto the S.

S, which stands for the word Something(s) means some undetermined or specified thing. I was talking to my husband and he reminded me that it’s not just a singular thing we are looking for but it was many things we were expecting God for. Let me tell you when he said that, something on the inside of me lit up and I felt the presence of the Lord. See God does not want us to limit Him. He wants us to ask big and expect great things from Him. Much like Elijah and the widow, 1 Kings 17:8-9, “v8: Then the word of the Lord came to him saying, v9: Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” Sometimes God uses unusual circumstances to test a person’s faith. He told Elijah to go to an unlikely place-Zarephath, the very center of Baal worship and the home of Queen Jezebel (16:31 17:9) ….at an unlikely time…. when the king of Israel (Ahab) was hunting him with the intent to kill him. Then the Lord sent him to an unlikely person-a poor Gentile widow from a Baal-worshiping nation. In addition to testing Elijah’s faith, the circumstances provided an opportunity for God to demonstrate His power and His compassion to those outsides of Israel (Luke 4:25,26). Stay with me this is just the backdrop, often God will have you do some strange things and make some strange moves. If the Lord were to tell you to go to a place where someone is trying to kill you and dwell there, your first thought would probably go like this, you would have thought, I must have heard wrong. You would doubt what you heard because your flesh would be warring inside with the spirit. Remember right before your until moment God always gives instructions or directions, now let’s push our way through this word.

My thought was to start in a different way but God had another plan in mind. I want to remind you that something means, some undetermined or specified thing. Now in order to do something justice, I must speak on the H for Happens which means: To occur by chance. 2. to take place. 3. chance, now let’s wrap this thing up.

Acts 3:1-10-A Lame man Healed: here’s our working word-Expect to Receive: The power of expectation jumps out Acts 3. Here we learn about a man who was lame since birth. He was brought to the Temple daily to beg for alms. On this particular any, he encountered Peter and John, who had come to the Temple during the prayer hour. I have heard a lot of sermons preached saying that what happened next was dependent upon Peter and John, who saw the man and said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (verse6).

Now, I know that power is in the name of Jesus, but notice it did not activate itself. The miracle the lame man received we dependent upon what he did one verse earlier, in Acts 3:5: He looked at Peter and James, “I don’t think. I don’t believe. I expect. I will receive something from these men of God.”. He got even more than what he expected, too. He got a miracle. He got healed!

The expectation is the breeding ground for miracles.

Your greatest miracles are not behind you. So don’t look back–look ahead. Understand that something is going to happen that you have not seen. God may have done great things for you, but that is not all He’s got. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to get up on your tiptoes with a spirit of expectation.

No matter how devastating your field may be, no matter how big the failure, no matter how ark and bleak the hallway, no matter how great the pressure, no matter how empty the flour and oil bin may be, no matter how challenging the transition, you’ve got to believe that God saves the best for now. That’s the power of expectation.

You serve a God that is greater than your faith. You serve a God that is greater than your prayer life. “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name.” For God to forget you, He would have to be unrighteous, and that is in possible. It is impossible for God to forget what He promised you. And so, the only question is, Are You Expecting?

Final thought: God is a just God and He is an on-time God. Elijah and the widow, Elijah obeyed God and she learned to expect more from God. The widow had to be where she was because God had already told Elijah He commanded a widow to provide for him. She had common. the expectation given her circumstances, she expected to eat and die, she and her son. The lame man did not know what was going to happen but he looked on the men of God and expected something to happen. I stop by to tell you to change your point of focus. Your level of expectations. God is in the blessing business and I expect Him to full fill His word to me. He told me He was going to fully exonerate me. He said He was going to clear my name and anything less than that would be unacceptable. We are coming to the end of 2020. To the end of a Pandemic, to the end of a Demigod era and I don’t know about you but what I do know is that my 2020 view is still intact. I am believing God for nothing less than best. Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens of Shedding to Become One Ministry

9-21-20: P.U.S.H-Pursuing [Justice] Until Something Happens-We have now covered the P for pursue and [J] for Justice, now we are going to talk about the letter U for Until which is defined as, up to the time of or up to the time that. To the point or degree that something happens or occurs.

I want to focus on the meaning up to the time that or the point or degree that something happens. God is an awesome. He will never take you to a door that He will not take you through. I have been in thought lately asking God to open my eyes so that I may see. I don’t want to miss anything He would have for me to do or say in this season.

Thought: instruction or direction always follow or proceed the word until.

God will have you do something with an expected end in mind. Much like the children of Israel in Joshua 6:1-20-Picture if you will in verse 8-10 the parade: out in front were the soldiers, followed by the seven priest with the rams’ horns, followed by the ark of the Covenant-God in the midst of His people-followed by more soldiers. The city was only about half a mile around, so the trip would not have taken very long. Let’s pause here, God is about to move in a miraculous way and all He needs is a half mile to do it. Think about that, it took years to build this city. Materials traveled miles, days and weeks just to get there. It took the blood sweat and tears of countless souls to construct this city not to mention those who lost their lives in the process and God will, in a matter of a few days’ undo what more than likely took years to build, is there anything too hard for God? No, God can do exceedingly and abundantly above anything we could ask for.

Remember instruction or direction always come before until.

God gave Joshua instructions for the people and he even gave him a certain time in which to do it. Has God ever promised you something? Has ever told you that He was going to move within a certain time? Let’s go back to Joshua 6:3 God told Joshua “You shall march around the city, all you men of war you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priest shall blow the trumpets. It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout then (Note-there is that then again know this when God says then a shift is about happen). Then the wall of the city will fall down flat. What I like about these instructions is that God left no detail out. Joshua could move forward with confidence because, even before the fighting began, God promised, I have given Jericho into your hand.

Side bar: God told Joshua in the beginning that the battle had already been won. He told him the steps your taking is only a formality. Body of Christ, it’s a fixed fight. I know it looks like you are defeated. I know it feels like it’s more than you can handle. You are thinking you’ve taken all you can take and have gone as far as you can go, but I hear the Holy Spirit say hold on, don’t give up you’re at the finish line. Know this right before the until, you will find yourself getting impatient but don’t because you’re in the in between place. This is the place God is doing the most work in you and for you.


Let’s jump down to Joshua 6:10-11, Joshua did not tell the Israelites how many times they had to circle the city or precisely what would happen when their days of marching were done. The people received instructions one day at a time, and they obeyed one day, one step at a time. They did not shout until Joshua said shout. Don’t move until God say move, don’t speak until God say speak. Don’t do anything without God.

Catch that, many of you have been waiting for you until moment and you’re wondering why is it taking so long and when is it going to happen? I can identify with that, being wrongfully accused and falsely imprisoned. I’ve often asked God the same questions. I wondered when will you deliver me? When will you set me free? Waiting on the until part was by far the hardest part of our journey. I have discovered that by doing the Lords work even in the between God is yet moving on my behalf.

Let’s wrap this up, when the children of Israel in Joshua 6:20 shouted it was either a war cry, see 1 Sam. 17:20, or a shout of celebration over the victory they were about to experience (1 Sam. 4:5,6). Whatever it was God was moving. He gave a specified time, instructions and details. They were standing in the core of them until and all they had to do was obey. Brothers and sisters wherever you find yourself just know you’re until is just a praise away. God is in the business of restoration. He has not marked you out of His plan and His purpose just because you have been ripped, torn or broken by failure. He promises to restore to you the years that the swarming locust have eaten. You may have messed up. You may have made a mistake. Maybe you made a bad business decision or wrong call. You may think your failure will prevent you from uncovering your hidden potential and value. I want to tell you today your failure is not final. You can be healed and restored through the power of Jesus Christ. God can still use you and you are leaping into your already done place. Trust God and then start rejoicing for I declare this is your hour of deliverance in Jesus name Amen….Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens of Shedding to Be Come One Ministries, Be Blessed.

9-17-20 P.U.S.H. -Pursuing [Justice]Until Something Happens-When we were last together we dealt with the P for Pursue and we discovered that when God has established something in your life and on your behalf no man can stop the hand of God. God’s word will never return back to him void, Amen.

[J] is not in the spelling of the word push but the Lord gave me that word and therefore it must be included in the spelling. The J stands for Justice, this word means: 1. the administration of what is just (as by assigning merited rewards or punishment) 2. Judge 3.: the administration of law 4. Fairness also: Righteousness

The Lord God has truly been opening my eyes to His perfect will. Justice is a word we have seen in the news and heard in many conversations. For years’ various groups have chanted the words No Justice, No Peace. These words have been echoed through history and they represent the cry of agony as it relates to injustice within world. Most recently we have heard the cry in the Black Lives Matter movement. Everybody has an opinion about Specifying a specific life verses another. Let me be clear all lives matter, but in this moment in time we must speak about the systematic destruction of Black lives and more to the point the unjust treatment black human beings have had to endure, much like our brother Paul.

The first meaning in the dictionary for Justice is the administration of what is just. In other words, what is right, what is fair or righteous. To wrongfully convict a person is far from just. To form an opinion of something or someone without all the facts or evidence is wrong and unfair, not to mention unjust.

In Acts 21-28 chapter, we find that Paul is doing the will of God. We also see here that Paul in the 21 chapter is being warned not to go to Jerusalem. Paul knew God had a purpose for him and he had to go through Jerusalem if for no other reason than to hear the prophetic word of God spoken through the prophet Agabus. Agabus tells Paul as he takes his belt and bound his own hands and his own feet,”Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'”. Now imagine if you will that you have just been told that if you go out of town you will be put in to bondage. I recall that before I was wrongfully accused and falsely imprisoned the Lord showed me a place that had several buildings on the ground. I saw a bunch of women and I thought it was a school or something. I saw this place that I am in right now and God told me and showed me that He was going to allow me to go to place. Just like Paul He never told me I was not going to go neither did He tell me He would change His mind. What God did tell me was to trust him. He said He would deliver me and He would exonerate me. So like Paul, who had to go through Jerusalem and Jesus who must need go through Samaria, I too had to go through Vandalia. Brothers and sisters hear me well on the other side of through is a blessing with your name on it, Praise God!

Further in Acts we see Paul being falsely accused, arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin Court. We see no justice, we people who only want to destroy him simply because they do not understand the call on his life. Ever been there when it seems like the very people who should be for you end up being against you? We talk about what is fair, what is just, what is righteous. There is nothing just in railroading someone, there is nothing righteous in slandering someone’s name and there is nothing right about destroying the character of the innocent. When God is fighting your battles you always win, why? because it’s a fixed fight.

Here is Justice, God told Paul that he must bear witness of Him in Rome, therefore no storm would prevent that divine appointment from taking place. God promised Paul that everyone would be saved. God’s word is true and Isaiah 55:11 tells us that Gods word will never return back to Him void but it will accomplish everything He sent forth to do. God said they would not perish, and just like they did not perish neither will you. Gods said you will make it. You will overcome, you will be victorious. For greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. He said that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. He said that if He be for you who can be against you. Justice is the Righteousness of God. No man can stop the hand of God, for mercy and grace are the game changers. The truth is, God is the great counselor. He is the lily in the valley. He is the bright morning star, He is a way maker, a miracle worker and a promise keeper. Everything God promised you and me shall come to pass in Jesus name you don’t have to wait you can shout right now for it’s already done.

Family of God you ain’t seen nothing yet. What God has for you it is for you, nothing and no one can block your blessing. You might have to weather some storms. You might have to endure some suffering but I am mindful that weeping may endure for a night but joy comes I the morning. This is a good place to declare in Jesus name, it’s morning time. Get up and rejoice, for the very thing the devil meant to harm you, God is going to turn around for your good. God is about to administer some just, He is about to administer some fairness for the Glory of the Lord has come into the room.

8-28-20: PUSH- Pursuing [Justice] Until Something Happens: I am mindful of the Israelites in the book of Joshua. God encouraged the children of Israel. He wanted them to know that it was time to enter their promised land, the same land He promised Moses He would give to them.

Abraham was called by God to live in the land of Canaan, but Joshua was called to possess the land. [Side bar- you have to know when and what God has called you to and more importantly what He called you to do]. Joshua took this seriously. When God is moving or when He is speaking, you don’t have time to play around or to procrastinate. Body of Christ we must be ever ready to move quickly. Joshua understood this principle so well that at the end of his life he was afforded the title “servant of the Lord” Joshua 24:29-an honor accorded only a few in the history of Israel. He knew the value in going after what’s yours. He also learned that with God there will always be endless possibilities. Because he believed God, he pursued everything God told him to do.

The P in PUSH stands for the word Pursuing, this word means, to follow in order to overtake or overcome: Chase. To seek to accomplish <~a course> To engage in <~a career>.

The children of Israel only had the word of God, first through Moses and now through Joshua. God made them a promise and we know God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). The word speaks of faith when you look at one of the meanings, to follow in order to overtake or overcome. It speaks of obedience and the rewards we will receive when we are in the will of God. God spoke through His servant Moses as he leads the children of Israel out of bondage headed toward the promise land. Reflecting on the events listed in Joshua we see that Yahweh is a promise-keeping God. More precisely, the Book of Joshua provides an official account of how God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and Moses to give His people a land. Has God ever promised you anything? God promised me something, He said that I would be exonerated and that I would be restored back to my family and you know what, I believe God and I a pursuing my deliverance.

Now in Joshua chapters 3 and 4, we see here God is using this as another teaching moment to show the children of Israel how to depend on Him. In chapter 3:2-4, The people of Israel needed God’s direction because they had not passed this way before. It was direction He would provide as they followed the ark. Now in verse 2, the officers went through the camp and they commanded. the people, saying “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then- [side bar] tell somebody/yourself [then]-you shall set out from your place-note: wherever you are, whatever situation you may find yourself, that’s your (place) get up shake the dust off your feet and start moving. Faith without works is dead. The remainder of the verse says, set from your place and go after it.”. Pursue your deliverance, pursue your breakthrough, pursue your God give promise and go after it. Don’t stop until you over take it……I am not going to stop PUSHING until I am FREE! Remember while you are pursuing to overtake your breakthrough, God has already assigned workmanship to bear the weight and to carry the load. (verse 3:15-17). The priest bared the weight of the ark of the covenant and crossed over before the people. The priest bearing the ark came to the water’s edge and stepped forward, obeying Joshua’s command. It was just a step, but the waters parted and all Israel crossed over on dry ground. Catch that in the spirit, God allowed someone else’s feet to get wet, someone else’s shoulders and back to bear the weight so that you could walk through on dry ground and not get dirty, not be bogged down in the muck and debris of life and people. Now that is something to praise the Lord for, like the three Hebrew boys they went into the furnace and when they came out they did not smell like what they had been through. Hear me well God is doing something so big that He is going to blow your mind. Child of God you won’t come out the way you went in. You won’t smell like what you’ve been through and you won’t look like the struggle. This is truly your season and I don’t know about you but I am ready to walk into my promise land. Pursuing Justice is hard work but with God all things are possible and I will not stop until I get it.

Chapter 4 of Joshua, we see that the workmanship that God assigned in the form of priest stood in the midst of the Jordan still bearing the ark of the covenant on their shoulders until everything was finished that the Lord had commanded Joshua. They did not move until everyone of the children of Israel crossed over. Beloved all is not lost; you have not missed it. God held everything up just to bless you. He allowed the impossible to become possible. He took a people who was beaten down, discouraged and broken and made them whole. He took a people who did not realize their worth and delivered them. He sat them smack dab in the middle of their promise land, isn’t God good. He will do for you what others won’t do. In the midst of great adversity and uncertainty God used what was right in the midst of them to bless them. God used Moses and Joshua and just like He used them to lead His people out of bondage and into their promise land so shall He use you or others to aid you and assist you in your breakthrough. We declare that you shall be set free from every weight that has held you down. We come against every lie spoken against you and to you. We come against every soulful and procrastinating spirit. We speak life into your future, into your dreams, into your level next. We declare that you will pursue everything that God has revealed unto you. We say to your spirit man be free.

Be Blessed Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens-Shedding to Become One Ministries

8-15-20: How Can I Overcome Temptation: Part Five-My fifth suggestion for overcoming temptation is to remove any means of sin far from you. The writer of Proverbs was constantly giving this kind of advice to his son and to his readers. For example, Proverbs 4:14-15 says, “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it turn away from it and pass on.” the apostle Paul put this in New Testament terms when he told the Romans, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for flesh, to fulfill its list” ( Roman 13:14).

Instead of setting ourselves up for failure, we should get rid of the things in our lives that cause us to be defeated. When you remove sin far from you, you’ll be amazed at how much more victorious you will be. Proverbs 13:20 says, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.”. If you have friends who drag you down into sin every time you see them, perhaps you need a new set of friends. Ask yourself: Are the people I’m hanging out with moving me toward God or are they pulling me away from Him?

We must resolve to live on the high road. Every Christian has a choice to make. The high road is the uncompromising walk with God that doesn’t count any cost too high if it will lead to God that ultimate blessing on our lives. The low road is the path of convience and compromise. If we’ve slipped into tolerance of sin, we’ve gradually gotten on the low road. If we’re continually yielding to temptation, we’re on the low road. Mbit the word of God gives us the information w need to get back onto the high road where the Lord wants us. If we obey His Word, we can experience victory over temptation. We can live on a higher plane.

Dr. David Marty Lloyd-Jones wrote-“There are certain things in this life that are patently opposed to God and His righteousness. There is no question about that at all. We know they are bad we know they are harmful we know they are sinful…To hunger and thirst after righteousness means avoiding such things just as we would avoid the plaque itself…But it does not stop at that…If we are truly hungering and thirsting after righteousness, we shall avoid even those things that tend to dull or take the edge off our spiritual appetite. There are so many things that are quite harmless in themselves, and which are perfectly legitimate, yet if we find ourselves spending much of our time with them and we begin to desire spending less time with the things of God, then we must avoid them. This argument is simple common sense.

The sixth and final suggestion on: How To Overcome Temptation-is to refocus your thoughts and affections. The way for us to deal with temptation is not for us to grit our teeth and make up our minds that we will not do a certain thing. The key is to fill our minds with other things. Instead of simply resisting, refocus your thoughts. Note to Remember:

Every temptation comes to us via our thoughts.-Erwin Lutzer

The mind of man is the battleground on which every moral and spiritual battle is fought.-J. Oswald Sanders

Our defeat or victory begins with what we think, and if we guard our thoughts we shall not have much trouble anywhere else along the line.-Vance Havner

In his book The Obedience Option, David Hegg tells of time he was talking to a young man who claimed he couldn’t stop his pattern of sleeping with different women. The young man knew it was wrong, but he also claimed that his sexual lust was inevitable. That justified it in his mind. He even pointed out that God had created him with very strong desires and urges.

After listening to this explanation, Hegg interrupted the fellow and said, “Suppose that I came into your room and caught you and your girlfriend as you were just starting this “inevitable” process. Suppose I took out ten one-hundred-dollar bills, and told you that they were yours if you [stopped]. What would you do?

When them young man quickly said he’d rather have the cash, Hegg asked, “So what happened to the irresistible force of lust?”. Then Hegg concluded, “We both realized a very simple truth: one passion may seem irresistible until a greater passion comes along……If we take this principle into the arena of righteous living, it comes out like this: The only way to overcome a passion for sin is with an overwhelming passion for righteousness. This s overwhelming passion for righteousness is actually a mindset that the Bible calls faith. Here is a helpful definition of this kind of overwhelming faith: Faith is a life-dominating conviction that all God has for me through obedience is better by far than anything Satan can offer me through selfishness and sin.”

The Bible frequently draws lessons for us from the animal world, and here is a lesson we can learn from the dog. Always look to the Master’s face. The Bible says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).

We don’t have to be victimized by temptation. Our Almighty God has given us a Book filled with ammunition to ward off the attacks of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Let’s be doers of the word and not hearers only. The Bible was given to us for holiness and righteousness. Learn to hide God’s Word in your heart that you may not sin against Him.

Declaration: Father God thank you for all that do and have done. Lord I glorify you for moving in this space of grace. Father I welcome you and your word I my life. I speak that I am the righteousness of God and my soul, mind and body belong to the Lord. I declare that nothing shall come neigh my dwelling and I will walk in the authority of God. I will live the Word of God, for “greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world.”

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens-Shedding To Become One Ministry.

8-12-20: How Can I Overcome Temptation-Pt two of “The Third Technique.”. We also have to learn to retreat from certain things that Satan throws out like bait, trying to lure us into sin. There is a time to resist and a time to retreat. Mark Twain once said: “There are several good protections against temptations, but the surest is cowardice.”. Now, I am pretty sure I would’nt use that word but the sentiment is correct. The Word of God tells us to run away from certain kinds of temptation rather than stand toe to toe to fight them. For example, the Bible tells us, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). An idol is anything that comes between you and God. Anything of value to you could be an idol. When you begin to realize that something is taking the place of God in your life, you don’t need sit and ponder it. You don’t need to write a thesis or call a meeting about it. You need to flee, to turn to Christ as absolute Lord over every affection in your life.

Then word tempt(vb) 1: To entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain. 2: Provoke<~ fate> 3: To risk danger of 4: To induce to do something: incite – The word

Temptation means 1: the act of tempting: the state of being tempted 2: something that tempts.

8-12-20: Part Four of-How Can I Overcome Temptation-Sexual Temptation-The Bible also commands, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). In 2 Timothy 2:22, we’re told: “Flee also youthful lusts but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace.”. Peter also tells us to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11).

Sexual temptation is a demonic trump card there’s something unique and terrible about its power. The devil uses it for those in ministry, marriage, and those maturing. But the Old Testament example of Joseph, when he fled from the sexual advances of his master’s wife, teachers us the value of running away from sin and temptation.

We have got know when to hold them and when to fold them. We must learn when we are in over our heads. The devil again never tries new tricks he always come with the same tricks but presented in a different way.

Hear me well when it comes to dangerous temptation, take the exit ramp. Flee. Abstain. As much as possible, reduce your exposure to danger zones.

the Bible also commands us to flee from greed. Paul wrote, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things” (1 Timothy 6:10-11). All kinds of evil proceed from the mouth of materialism. Don’t let greed get its hooks into your life or the lives of your children. And when you flee temptation, don’t leave a forwarding address. You decide this day that as for you and your household, your going to serve the Lord. Our words have power, we must open our mouths and declare the victory over our seed in Jesus name Amen.

Prayer of Declaration: Father God we believe that we are the head and not the tail. We believe that you died on the cross for our sins. We believe that we are the righteousness of God. We believe that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. We walk in the a surety that what God has for us is for us. Lord God we stand on your word, we stand on your promises. We speak over ourselves and declare that we receive everything that you have for us. We receive our miracles, breakthrough, financial blessings, healing, increase, favor, ridiculous favor, grace love, hope and joy. Today we have what You say we have. We can do what You say we can do. We are who You say we are and we renounce, fear, deceit, lies, soul ties and all manner of things that have blocked us and has caused us to miss it . We say right now It’s Already Done in Jesus name Amen.

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens of Shedding To Become One Ministries

8-8-20: Part Three How Can I Overcome Temptation? (James 4:7-8: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” This is another two-fold command. As we draw near to God and resist the devil, we can have victory over the temptation. Jesus resisted the devil by quoting memorized Scripture, and that’s our strongest offensive weapon–the double-edged sword of the Spirit.

We must understand the this battle was already defeated on Golgotha Hill. It was waged and won. The enemy never comes up with new tactics, he uses the same ones and just like lambs lead to slaughter, we willing believe his lies. There is nothing that can happen to us that together with the help of God we can not conquer. My brothers and sisters this is a fixed fight. Have you ever been in situation where you found yourself going around in circles? What do I mean by that, well I’m glad you asked. Often we keep leaving the door cracked for the adversary. Let me make it plain, if you are tempted by porn and you keep falling, it could be you need to stop surfing the internet. Stop downloading explicit images and stop looking, reading or listening to things that tempt you in that area. Creflo Dollar said in one of his messages and I whole hardly agree: “What you expose yourself to is what you will think on and what you think on is what triggers your emotions/feelings and what you feel, in that what you have nurtured that will you act on.” Understand that if you say no immediately and follow it up with the word of God you can’t help but to be victorious. Gods word is true and it never fails. Gods word has and will stand the test of time. Although Paul was referencing an ailment/possibly a sickness I. the body, perhaps an eye. The verse still speaks true that even when we can’t God can. 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He said me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”. Know that there is powers in the word of the most high God.

I encourage you to find a set of Bible verses that speak to your points of vulnerability, your area of trouble. Memorize them, meditate on them, and keep them unsheathed for ready use. Turn to God’s Word. Show him what the Bible says. Get him to act upon it and to believe it. As far as God is concerned, you are already delivered, set free and made whole.

Declaration Of Prayer: Father God I speak over myself and declare that I am the head and not the tail. I am above and not beneath. I plead the blood over myself. I thank you now for keeping me when I could not keep myself. I stand on your Word and I stand on your promises. I walk in the knowledge that you have made the devil my foot stool. I celebrate you God and I rejoice that it is already been sone and the victory is already won. We praise your Holy name for we know that He that the Son set free is free indeed in Jesus name Amen.

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens of: Shedding Off To Become One Ministries.

7-31-20: Part Two(How Can I Overcome Temptation)? “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13, NIV). Second Suggestion: Request help in advance of temptation. Jesus Himself taught us to pray the Lords Prayer. During our devotional times we need to ask God to prepare us for victory over the temptation that will surely come our way. This is a spiritual discipline we can develop in our lives to get us through a time of testing.

When we think of the intensity of sin and the relentless onslaught of temptation, we sometimes want to say, “Wow”! Although human beings have faced temptation since the days of Adam and Eve, sin has never been as accessible as now. Evil has never been as user friendly. Our technologies, mixed with the sinful tendencies of our fallen nature and intensified by Satan, have put a capital T in Temptation. Sometimes we wonder whether we can stand against it or whether we’ll be swept away like straw huts carried off by a tsunami.

There once was a little boy standing in front of an apple stand at a grocery store. Spying him, the owner came out and said, “What are you doing, son? Trying to steal one of my apples? “No,” said the boy, “I’m trying not to.”

Oh, how we identify with that boy! Temptation is common to all of us, and no temptation has assaulted us but those that are common to everyone. Our journey is an ongoing, active walk of faith. We must contend with the word of God as our weapon.

When I served as youth pastor years ago, I often found myself telling the young people, particularly the teenagers, “Don’t wait until you’re in the back seat of a car to decide your views about premarital sex. You’d better be clear and establish your convictions and principles before you get into a situation where compromise is possible. Decide in advance what you. believe and who’s you are as it relates to the things of life, and ask God to give you victory over temptations before it comes.”

The great Bible teacher of yesteryear, Dr. R.A. Torrey, said, “The reason why many fail in the battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came……….Anticipate your battles, fight them on your knees before temptation comes, speak the word of God over yourself and the situation. Take authority in the name of Jesus Christ. Declare that you are the head and not the tail, above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13 NKJV). Knowing this that no weapon formed against you shall prosper for you will always have victory, in Jesus name.”

Something amazing happens when you truly realize, deep down, that you are saved utterly and forever by simple grace through faith, and that your works and worthiness have nothing to do with it. Really knowing this frees you from that tired, old ministry of condemnation and deadly baggage that comes with it: guilt, insecurity, dread, anxiety, and fear of every kind. If and when you fall, get up and shake yourself and turn to the one and only true living Saviour. He is the only one who can help you successfully contend with temptation.

Prophetic Word: What you are going through is only temporary. You have been through too much and your wondering when you will see your prayers come to pass. I heard themLord say, it is through your worship that you will be set free. I dare you to get up right where you are and begin to worship the Lord. The moment you let go , watch God step in and lift the yoke of bondage off your shoulders. I hear submit, surrender and see change come. You have been in denial, held hostage by emotional strongholds, anger, depression, discouragement, low self-esteem among many other thing. But there is good news, I hear the moment the spirit gets right the physical will follow. Your breakthrough is directly connected to your belief in God. You have been on the fence too long I hear choose you this day whom you will serve. The part in from of you is clear and I see blessings on blessings. I see opportunities coming to you and a turn around as it relates to a loan comes to you, were there was a no I hear yes. I see you stepping into newness. Pay attention to your bank statement, for there is an error on that part that if not detected will cost you q lot of money. Be Blessed.

Prayer of Declaration: Jesus, because of you, I no longer live under the yoke of bondage, guilt and shame. I will not allow the accuser operate his ministry of condemnation in my heart and mind, for I am more than a conquer in Jesus Name.

I declare that I reject the enemy’s ministry of condemnation that steals my peace, robs my joy, and drains my confidence before you. Your word tells me that you are married to the back slider. I live today and everyday under Your Spirit’s ministry of righteousness, life and liberty.

I an saved forever by grace through faith. My relationship with You is founded upon a new and better covenant of grace. I cast my care upon You Father, every temptation, every worry, everything and anything that tries to come between our relationship, I cast down and I trust You Lord, the keeper of my soul in Jesus name Amen,

Prophetess/Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

7-27-20: (Part one of six): Thought-“How Can I Overcome Temptation?” – The key verse on this subject from Paul’s writings is found in 1 Corinthians 10:13, which perhaps you’ve already memorized. If not, I encourage you to do so now: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

First Corinthians 10:13 is comforting because it let’s us know of the common experience not temptation. the Living Bible puts it: “Remember this–the wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you.” Most of us are not surprised to hear of others falling to temptation, but we’re often surprised when we face it ourselves. Yet temptation is inevitable. No one escape it. “You will be temped,” wrote author John White. “The kinds of temptation may change: Candies for kids, sensuality for the young, riches for the middle-aged, and power for the aging….You will be tempted ferociously at times of crisis….. As long as you life e you will be tempted.” Know this your in good company. Countless others have felt the pull of temptation that tugs at you. Someone around You is struggling with the same pressures you feel though, like you, he or she may think they are the only one facing their particular issues. No matter what temptations plague you, they’re common to us all.

Even the saints of Scripture struggle mightily with the allurements of sin. Look through your Old Testament and you’ll read about Noah’s drunkenness, Abraham’s deception, Moses’ temper, Elijah’s murmuring, Davids immorality, and Jonah’s rebellious spirit. If you turn the page to the New Testament you’ll see Peter’s denial , Timothy’s anxiety, and Paul’s arguing with Barnabas. Every soul who has walked on earth has been tempted.

Remember that temptation never comes from God it’s God who provides the way of escape. James 1:13 say, “Let on one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” It’s the devil who tempts us to evil. He is called “The tempter” in Matthew 4:3 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5.

If you’ve been a Christian for long, the tempter is no stranger to you. He roars like a lion, seeking those to devour, and I’m sure he has passed your way more than once, But according to 1 Corinthians 10:13, our faithful God won’t allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. He may test us but never tempt us. Remember, temptation is not based upon what we think we can handle but upon what God knows we can handle.

If you read 2 Corinthians 1:8_10, If you read this passage carefully, you will see that Paul uses all three tenses of the word deliver. God has delivered us, He is delivering us, and He will yet deliver us. In other words, no matter what situation I’m in, God is there with me. He knows my limitations. He has, can, and will deliver me. Large testing means a large capacity for victory. He knows what each of us is able to endure. There are many uncertainties in the moment of temptation, but there is one uncertainty we can take off the table: God will provide a way of escape. 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul adds these reassuring words: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful He can not deny Himself.”

So if you hear someone say, “I was overcome by temptation it was more than I could stand,” don’t believe it. God will not allow things to go beyond His controls what enters our lives, knowing the limits of what we can bear.

He also gives us a certain escape from temptation. Reviewing 1 Corinthians 10:13 again, we notice God will provide a way of escape, always, every time, in every test, trail, or temptation. Know this the moment the test begins, them way out is available. He doesn’t wait to see how we are doing He provides the means of escape at the outset.

The Greek word Paul used for escape has the connotation of a narrow passage out of a treacherous canyon. In a very real sense, Jesus Himself is that way of escape. He said in John 14:6, “I am the way.”. We may not have sufficient power to resist temptation, but He does.

First, we must recognize the possibility of temptation. Expect it. The verse just before 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (verse 12). We can’t assume we’re beyond temptation’s reach. We’re vulnerable every minute so we have to remain diligent all the time. Elijah faced his worst defeat right after his greatest victory, which occurred when he called fire down from heaven on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18-19). King David was at the height of his career when he fell into moral sin (2 Samuel 11). Jesus said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. (Matthew 26:41).

Prayer Of Declaration: Heavenly Father, what an amazing thing it is to know that Jesus took my sin and my sinfulness upon Himself and gave me His perfect, flawless righteousness. Help me, by your grace, become continually more aware and conscious of this anstonishing truth in the deepest recesses of my heart and mind.

Father God I declare that I’ve exchanged my sinfulness to His righteousness. That you love and your will for me has given me the power to look temptation in the face and know that the power within me is greater than the test. I walk in the victory of knowing I am more than a conquer in Christ Jesus. Lord God I stand on your word, Amen.

Be Blessed Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

7-17-20: God is all knowing and He is good and merciful. We are the workmanship of the most high God and nothing we do once we have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, could separate us from the love of God.

Conduct-when your desire is to conduct yourself in a way that pleases God: We can see the evidence for the validity of salvation in our efforts to conduct ourselves in a Godly manner. According to 1 John 3:9, “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” The point is repeated in 1John 5:18: “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”

These verses have puzzled Christians as much as any in the New Testament. If we’re not careful, we might interpret them to teach that anyone who is born of God never sins. That would conflict with other passages in the Bible that describe us as fallible and often failing. The only sinlessly perfect person to walk on earth was Jesus Himself. According to James 3:2, “We all stumble in many things.” Did you get that, we all miss it no exception to the rule.

What, then, did John mean to say in these verses? In using the word sin in the passages above, I believe he was talking about ongoing rebellion against the law of God. In 1 John 3:4, he said, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness.” John was concerned about ongoing conscious and intentional violations of God’s law. He was talking about a lifestyle of rebellion. Each day we all son, omitting things we should do and committing things that we should not do and displaying wrong attitudes. We sin in word, in deed, and in our disposition. Does that mean we no longer are saved? No, not at all. But if we are truly saved, we will grieve over our sins, confess them, and seek God’s grace to do better.

When we sin and become aware of our sin, we come to the throne of grace in confession, asking God to forgive us as we forsake sin. John himself made this clear when he wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His truth in not in us…..And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” ( 1 John 1:8-2:1).

In 1 John 3:9, the word for sin is a present active infinitive and it describes a continuous action. John is not saying that whoever sins once is not born of God. That would disqualify all of us. It would certainly disqualify me. But John is saying, in effect, “Whoever keeps on willingly sinning, violating God’s law with stubborn disregard and ongoing wickedness, cannot have assurance of salvation.”

When we are born of God, we have God’s seed in use and we inherit His nature, which is in direct conflict with all sin. With His seed and nature within us, we will never become comfortable with sinning. In fact, our lives will increasingly reflect character, integrity, and holiness, for the nature of Jesus Christ will be growing within us. We can learn to overcome temptation and have greater strength and victory as time goes by. After many years in ministry it seems to me that many people who struggle with the assurance of their salvation fear that they have offended God by committing some sin for which He has not forgiven them. Despite confession and repentance, they still worry about whether they are saved. As I close, I am reminded of a story that world renowned author Max Lucado wrote about bing dropped by his insurance company because he had one too many speeding tickets plus a fender bender. One day Mr. Lucado received a letter in the mail. informing him to seek coverage elsewhere. As he reflected on how he wasn’t good enough for his insurance company, the spiritual tie-in was odvious.

“Many people fear receiving such a letter,”. Lucado wrote. “Some worry they already have.” Lucado imagined a piece of correspondence from the Pearly Gates Underwriting Division: Dear Mrs. Smith, I’m writing in response to this mornings request for forgiveness. I’m sorry to inform you that you have reached your quota of sins. Our records show that, since employing our services, you have erred seven times in the area of greed, and your prayer life is substandard when compared to others of like age circumstances. Further review reveals that your understanding of doctrine is in the lower 20th Percentile and have excessive tendencies to gossip. Because of your sins you you are a high-risk candidate for heaven. You understand that grace has its limits. Jesus sends his regrets and kindest regards and hopes that you find some other form of coverage.

We read that with a smile, but it reflects how some people interpret their relationship with the Lord. No, my friends, you and I don’t have to worry about the extent of God’s forgiveness or His ability to keep you safely in His hands. Jesus said “My sheep know my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” ( John 10:27-28).

His grace is inexhaustible and His salvation is irreversible. Make sure you have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then trust Him with your eternal future. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never drop you or turn His back to your need. Hear that, God will always meet you need and provide a way, after all He is a way maker. Nothing can separate you from His love, and of that you can be fully persuaded. His word will never return to Him void, (Isaiah 53:11). God can not lie, (Numbers 23:19). Trust God now and forever….He is the Great I AM!

Prayer of Declaration: God, I am so grateful for the gift of relationship with you. It is almost too much for me to grasp. Forgive me when I slip back into approaching see the second email pt 1

Pt 2- Prayer Of Declaration continued pick up right after approaching-You transactionally, rather than relationally. I am so thankful that You are the kind of Father who wants to know me and abide with me, and You do not seek my performance, but rather my faith and love.

I love You, Heavenly Father. I love being in relationship with You. And,your unconditional, irrevocable love and acceptance have freed me to let my light shine before others so they can see my good works/conduct and glorify You Lord. I will not insult or demean Your grace by trying to buy your favor or blessing. As Romans 8:32 says You have already lavishly given me Your Son, “how will You not also, along with Him, graciously give me all things?” AMEN.

Prophetic Word: The Lord God said it’s already done and completed. The path has already been cleared on your behalf. Look and see the Lord moving the mountains and molehills out of your way. The key has already been given to unlock the doors of bondage. Master Key, I see and hear Master Key, this key will give you the reversal to your circumstances. I hear time is speeding up, yes I know that may sound strange but time is in a hurry to get to the place of deliverance. I hear three loud claps and suddenly I felt and saw breakthrough. No you have not missed and deeds won’t get you there God is taking you to your place of transition. In hear the debt has been forgiven. Orange juice is going to mean something, I see the health improving. Don’t worry about the weight I see it coming off and a change in your body comes. I hear someone asking God to make it plain. The move is necessary and it is going to be vital. Wondering on whether or not to enter into this new career move I hear proceed, move forward you blessing and your financial relief comes in the change of careers. Wait don’t do the medical procedure right now I hear now is not the time. I keep hearing shut your mouth, don’t he so quick to speak your mind hold your peace and see God work it out. I see something happen in government that is going to cause a major shift in our society. I hear pray and believe, just then I heard what sounded like bells ringing. The fall brings a shift that will yield much fruit in the Spirit. Sell now you will understand it later. I see something from the back coming forward. Trust God like never before, I see miracles upon miracles. A total turnaround has come. I hear have a made up mind, just then I heard don’t sell you stock/investments things are getting ready to turn. Peace be unto you and your household,

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

7-12-20: Ask Big” For it was I, the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.”

Believers who have not renewed their minds to the reality of God’s abundant grade come to Him with low expectations and small requests. There is a reason for this.

Their concept of God’s character and disposition has been warped by religion. Their understanding of how wonderful our Father is, has been corrupted by a lying enemy. Satan used to stand before God and accuse people and accuses God.

The terms and promises of the New Covenant literally sound too good to be true, so we’re susceptible to the lie that they aren’t true. This, in turn, produces a puny prayer life that doesn’t ever seem to move very much heaven to earth. Not surprisingly, coming to God half-convinced that He isn’t good, and that you don’t really qualify for help, answers, or favor is not a prescription for moving mountains.

Yet, God wants us to ask big. He needs us to ask bodily and ambitiously because of the things He wants to do on the earth through us. He has chosen to partner with us in extending His Kingdom and seeing His will done.

Jesus repeatedly, gave us what is, in essence, a blank check: “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14 NASB).

Charles Spurgeon once pointed out that we are essentially insulting our great God by asking small. He wrote: “When we pray, we are standing in the palace on the glittering floor of the great King’s own reception room. Shall we come there with stunted requests and narrow faith? Nay, it becomes not a King to be giving away pennies He distributes broad portions of gold. Ask for great things in Jesus name and see won’t He open the windows of heaven and pour out so many blessing that you have not room enough to receive them. For you are before the throne of grace and at the throne of grace all things are possible.

Prayer Of Declaration: Father God, I come before a great God on a great throne, who has never failed me yet, asking great things. I will not insult Your grace by approaching You as if You are not utterly mighty, good, and generous. I come ready to partner with You in seeing Your will done on earth just as it is in heaven. By Your Spirit, inform and guide my asking!

I declare that the Lord my God rescued me from the domain of darkness and gave me a forever home in the kingdom of His dear Son. I will not insult my great King asking small. I open my mouth wide and declare your word concerning me and as You fill it with good things I praise your name. I partner with my King in accomplishing great things in this world….Amen

Prophetic Word: I hear the Lord say keep the faith and don’t give for what you are going through is only a test. The struggle is almost over, I hear you are at the turning point. Something is about to happen. You’ve been waiting and dealing with so much and you were just about to give up and throw in the towel, but I hear hold on your breakthrough has come. Dry ypoir weeping eyes get up and shake yourself change is knocking at the door. You are on your way to coming out of this test and I won’t take it back. I hear and see victory. I hear and feel a praise greater than you have heard before coming out of your belly. You who have been stuck in the middle feeling like God forgot about you and like He is not listening to your prayers hear me well. What God has for you it is for you and can’t nobody stop the hand of God. The Lord has released your miracle. I hear Him saying He is opening your eyes so you can see that you are not alone, that you have never been alone. He is with you even now, stop doubting and start trusting God. Restoration has come and I hear take back what the devil stole from you and what you willing gave. This is your opportunity to stand on the promises of God. Don’t worry about how you will pay your car note and your mortgage. I see the bill being paid in full. I hear fresh fruit, eat fresh fruit. These headaches that you have been having are leaving even as you read this word. Don’t take any trips right now and no it has nothing good with civid19. I hear traveling is not for you right now. I hear a tropical storm coming and this storm being catastrophic and many lives being lost. Be still and see the salvation of the Lord God. I see someone going to the dentist and that visit is going to bring you a blessing. Pay attention to your dreams/daydreams because the Lord is speaking to you through your dreams. I hear sow a seed and bless someone who is need and see God triple the seed you sow. I hear just as sure as you have been thinking about painting, sow the seed and watch God reveal His hand and bless you over and beyond in Jesus name be blessed,

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

7-5-20: Self-Disqualifying-So, friends, we can now–without hesitation–walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.”. Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is His body. So let’s do it–full of belief, confident we’re presentable inside and out. (Hebrew 10:19-22 MSG).

As we have seen, confident expectancy before God is a major key to receiving from him in prayer. However, for most believers, their approach to God’s throne to ask for help or favor is encumbered by dozens of disqualifying thoughts: 1) I’ve sinned. 2) I haven’t done enough. 3) I haven’t followed through on that commitment. 4) I haven’t had a quiet time in weeks. 5) I screamed at my kids. Other people get answers because they are better Christian.

Amid this routine hailstorm of self-accusation and self-condemnation, many believers give up on even making a request of God. They tell themselves they need to get their act together and become a little more “deserving” first, then they”all petition God for help.

Those who do manage to make it to God’s throne slink in sheepishly, laden with guilt and wrapped in a paralyzing sense of unworthiness. So, when their prayers prove to be ineffective, they’re not at all surprised.

This pattern lies at the root of the exhortation in Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV) to “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues [or forces] of life.” It is vital to protect and maintain your heart confidence because it is the key to your capacity to receiver from God.

When convicted of sin: confess it (see 1 John 1:9), count it as convered and paid for by the blood of Jesus, then mentally reassert your legal standing as righteous before God. It’s helpful to continually renew your mind to the wonderful truth of Christ’s finished work on the cross. Why?

Because through that work, you qualify. In Christ, you qualify for bold, confident access, connection, favor, blessing, and help in time of need.

Prayer Of Declaration: Father, I rejoice and feel overwhelming gratitude that my access to You is not linked to my personal qualifications. I declare that Jesus has cleared the way for me by the blood of His sacrifice, acting as my Priest before You. My pathway into Your presence is His broken body and shed blood. I come to You today in Jesus’s perfest qualifications. I guard my heart against voices and messages that would move me back into thinking that my access to Your face and Your hand of blessing is in any way rooted in my own performance. I stand in Jesus’ performance. Be blessed

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

7-3-20: How To Be Victorious over worry”So my counsel is: Don’t worry about things-food, drink, and clothes. For you already have life and a body–and they are far more important than what to eat or wear. Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat–they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food–for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Will all your worries add a single moment to your life? An why worry about your clothes? Look at the field lilies! They don’t worry…So don’t worry… So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care o your tomorrow too. Live one any t. time.”Jesus, in Matthew 6:25-34-(The Living Bible).

If I could sit down and talk with the one who worries all the time, I would direct them to the passage of Scripture I’m recommending to you. It’s a passage that has helped me whenever I’ve been in the grip of anxiety. It’s a portion of Scripture from the Sermon on the Mount, and it serves as the definitive prescription of Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, for our worry, anxiety, and for our daily walk of faith.

The dictionary defines worry as “a set of thoughts that causes us to feel troubled or uneasy, distressed, anxious, or apprehensive.” A host of sagas have provided more vivid definitions. Most of these are proverbs that have been around and are variously attributed to different people but all of of them reveal a different aspect of our anxious thoughts.

*Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.

*Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.

*Worry is misuse of your God-given imagination.

Much of our worry concerns the future. When we worry, we’re often fretting about something we can do nothing about. How does the Bible define worry? The Greek word that is translated worry in Matthew 6 is merimnao, and it comes from two smaller terms: merzio, which means “to divide” and nous which means “mind.” The idea is “being drawn or pulled in different directions, being torn apart.

Worry can choke the Word of God in our lives and render us unfruitful. It can tear our thoughts apart and make us double-minded doubters. That’s why in Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry…So why do you worry…..? Do not worry….Do not worry.”

When we define worry as we’ve done, we can better understand it. In Matthew 6:25-32, Jesus shared several things He wanted His listeners to realize. He taught them, for example, that worry is inconsistent.

A pastor was on a long haul flight when the voice of the captain came across the speakers. “Ladies and gentleman please fasten your seat belts. I’m asking the flight attendants to be seated and we’re suspending beverage service because we’re expecting turbulence ahead.”

Turbulence is what they got. Within minutes, the plane was trembling, then quaking from the storm. Cracks of thunder could be heard above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and the plan was like a cork tossed around on a heavenly ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air the next, it dropped as if about to crash. The pastor was as terrified as the other passengers. Only one person seemed perfectly calm, a little girl, her feet tucked beneath her as she curled up reading a book amid the mayhem. Sometimes she closed her eyes as if napping.

Gradually the plane escaped the storm and finally flew peacefully on to its destination. While waiting to disembark, the pastor couldn’t help asking the girl why she had not worried. “My daddy’s the pilot,” she said “and he’s taking me home. I didn’t worry because I knew he was in the cockpit.”

In the midst of the storm, we need to look up and notice that the cockpit is occupied. God is at the controls. We can rest secure in Him as He takes us home. Though our world is suffering turbulence occurs in our life lives, we know the pilot. Isaiah 26:3 is a prayer for us to echo: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Declaration: You above and not beneath. you are the head and not the tail. All things are working for you good. Your best days is yet to come in Jesus name amen.

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

7-1-20: Abundant Mercy, Overflowing Grace-“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness, his mercies afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT).

The 19th-century preacher Thomas We Witt Talmage said, “The grace of God is abundant. It is for all lands, for all ages, for all conditions. It seems to undergird everything. Pardon for the worst sin, comfort for the sharpest suffering, brightest light for the thickest darkness.”

It’s true. God’s grace is truly abundant. He has more of it than we can possibly ever utilize. And we find His reservoirs of mercy topped off brand new each morning as well. God’s love never fails.

God’s mercies and patience are inexhaustible. No matter how much we draw upon them throughout the day through our mistakes, frailties, and fleshly outbursts, each new morning we wake up to find God’s mercy replenished to overflowing.

Even so, it is easy for us to slip into the same scarcity mentality shared by most people in the world. The fact is, scarcity may be a reality for people who have no covenant with the Creator of the universe, but is not our reality.

His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godlinesm(2 Peter 1:3 NASB).

He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3 NASB).

He has equipped you in every good thing to do His will (Hebrews 13:21 NASB).

He is an every and everything Father. Scarcity is a lie of the enemy: an illusion, particularly where God’s mercy and grace are concerned.

Prayer Of Declaration: Gracious God, I thank You for the overwhelming abundance of Your grace. I purpose today and every day to have an abundance mentality where all of Your goodness is concerned. I will access Your faithfulness!

I declare that Your divine power has granted to me everything pertaining to life and godliness. You have blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. You are abundantly equipped men in every good thing to do your will! Be blessed

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

6-29-20: This word is about God’s Unspeakable Power-“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT).

Have you ever asked God for more spiritual power? If you did, did you truly expect to receive it? And if so, did you expect to receive a little or a lot?

Ponder for a moment the mind-blowing implications of today’s Scripture.

Buried deep in the truth-rich recesses of Ephesians’ extraordinary first chapter, those two verses speak of “the incredible greatness of God’s power for us,” and then they directly equate that power with the immense force that brought about Jesus’ resurrection and enthroned Him at God’s right hand.

Oh, what enormous power was required to loose the bonds of death that held our Lord and savior Jesus in their grasp. If ever death wanted to hold onto a person, it was the one who truthfully declared, “I am the way, the truth and the life”( read John 14:6).

Look closely at those verses one more time. Who is this astonishing power directed towards? It is”for us who believe him.” This power is not reserved for those who have earned it through good behavior and extra good works. It was not set aside as a special reward for an elite class of super-Christians.

No, simple belief is the only stated qualification here. As with almost every other blessing and benefit in God’s remarkable kingdom of grace, childlike acceptance is the key to everything. “Do not be afraid only believe,” Jesus told the heartbroken Jairus who had heard that his little daughter had died (Mark 5:36 NKJV).

That remains Is request of us today. Unimaginable heavenly power is waiting to be deployed in you and for you only believe and you shall receive.

Prayer Of Declaration: Heavenly Father, just as Paul prayed for the Ephesians to have a fuller understanding of Your power, I ask this for myself today. Open the eyes of my understanding. Increase my faith. I choose, as an act of my will, to simply believe You today. Oh Father, how incredibly great is Your power in me and for me!

I declare that the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at Your right hand in the heavenly realms is now flowing through me to advance Your Kingdom and to accomplish everything that concerns me. I believe! humbly submitted

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

6-28-20: Righteousness and Restitution- Zacchaeus joyously welcomed Jesus and was amazed over his gracious visit to his home. Zacchaeus stood in front of the lord and said, “Half of all that I own I will give to the poor. And Lord if I have cheated anyone, I promise to pay back four times as much a I stole”. Luke 19:8 TPT

Renewing our minds to the truth that in Christ we are wholly and completely made righteous with His righteousness is a process that takes time. We don’t unlearn a lifetime of religious condemnation, fear, and shame overnight.

Along the way on that journey, many believers encounter a question: What about those who have been harmed by my past sin? What of those I have wronged in the past? We wonder, To be truly forgiven and put in right-standing with God, isn’t it necessary for me to go and try to make right those wrongs?

Of course, there are past actions that injured others for which no restitution is humanly possible. What’s done can’t ever be undone. However, certain other kinds of actions, such as defrauding someone of money, can possibly be made right. The fact is, both categories of sin were placed upon Jesus on the cross the guilt and shame associated with it were wholly and fully borne by Him. As far as our right-standing with God is concerned, there can be no difference between the two.

However, our intimate fellowship with God may very well produced in us a desire to make restitution where restitution is possible. The perfect biblical example of this is Zacchaeous. The corrupt tax collector had defrauded many people of money. However, it’s vital to note that Jesus did not make restitution a condition of fellowship with Him. Jesus did not say, “You’ve cheated people. If you’ll go make that right, then I’ll come to your house and dine with you”.

No, Zacchaeus’s desire to make restitution emerged organically and spontaneously in his heart after being accepted a d embraced by Jesus.

Intimacy with God–which is only possible when we embrace the truth that we the complete righteousness of Jesus–will always produce godly desires (like the desire to make restitution) that we should act upon. But we must be on guard against stepping over into works by viewing those acts as a condition of fellowship or acceptance, rather than as an outgrowth of the acceptance we already have. For we know that we can not deed our way to salvation. We must take on the whole armor of Christ so that we may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take our stand fully clothed in the things of God.

Like everything else in the realm of God’s grace, we operate from what Jesus has already accomplished.

Prayer Of Declaration: Father God you Lord declared me righteous the instant I surrendered my life to Christ and accepted His sacrifice on my behalf. Thank you!
Jesus, I thank You didn’t leave me as I was. I’ve learned at being in Your presence changes me, filling me with the desire and power to change from the inside out. I declare that my connection to God through Jesus produces godly desires within me, and that I’m acting upon those desires. I’m quick to respond to promptings from Your Spirit. And when Your Spirit prompts me to make restitution, seek forgiveness, or seek reconciliation, I’m quick to do so. Be Blessed

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

6-26-20: Praise God I am glad that trouble don’t last always and I feel the presence of the Lord moving rich now. it’s time to have a whatever it takes mind set.

Prophetic Word of God: I hear press on through, God is calling for a made up mind. The season we are in is the season of coming out and I don’t know about you but I have decided to do the perfect will of the Lord and I will not take down. Know this what the devil meant for your bad God is going to turn it around for your good. We are overcoming this tragedy and we are going to live and not die. I hear the gap is being bridged from country to country. The laws even as I write this are word being governed by the word of God. I see families coming back together and back to God. I see broken souls being made whole. I hear troubled minds being consumed with the peace of God. For I hear we are not cursed we are blessed. The Lord has great things in store for us, trust the lord God right know in this moment. All things will be made clear and the strategies of heaven will sit at every table. Only believe, began to give God glory even now. Speak it in the atmosphere even now, declare over your household it is well. Speak the word of God, say the name of Jesus, for we are the head and not the tail. We are above and not. beneath. stand steadfast and be unmovable. The Lord will take care of us and stop every enemy for we are the righteousness of God in Jesus name.

Beware of Resisting Gods Call: The lord God has a call on all of our lives. Almost always the call is different for each and everyone of us. What the Lord call you to and from will be different from what He calls someone else to and from. We must not get caught up in comparing ourselves with no one else. Neither can we back out of what the Lord has called us to do. Yes I know we come up with many reasons why we can’t or why we don’t qualify. Moses thought he was not qualified to do Gods will in Exodus 3:11 13 Moses asked the question “who am I” and when that was not an opposition he then said “I don’t know your name”. Much like Moses we sometimes feel like no one will believe us or follow us. Moses felt like he did not know how to speak well and finally he asked God to send someone else. Does that sound familiar? Have you ever looked at your life and thought you were not good enough or you were not smart enough? Perhaps you were like Gideon in Judges 6:15, “I’m a nobody” or maybe you thought you would run just like Saul in 1 Samuel 10:22. I would encourage you to remember everything Good made was good and very good. When God is leading you, failure is not an opposition. Age is not a factor and neither is race, Solomon in 1 Kings 3:17 and Jeremiah 1:6 both thought they were too young when in fact they were just right for the task. I could go on and on and still the answer would be the same we do not belong to ourselves we belong to the Lord.

When I was placed in this prison and left to my own devises I asked God why and when, when was he going to deliver me from this bondaged? I was told by the Chaplin here that the Lord God wanted to use me to reach some of the ladies here. Now I would be lying if I told you I accepted the word she gave me. I did everything but accept it. I denied it, I rejected it, I became angry and doubtful. Closed my mind and did my leveled best to ignore what the set woman of God spoke into my life. I thought no one would listen to me, no one would believe me. I was a afraid and the truth be told would have ran if running was an opposition. One day while sitting in TCU: (Medical ward) I finally came to myself and stopped running away from God and a started running to him. The Lord reminded me of His word in Isaiah 6:8 when Isaiah said ” Here I am Lord! Send me” or when Mary the mother of Jesus Christ said in (Luke 1:38). “I am the Lord’s slave, may it be done to me according to your word”. The season we are in now is, be it unto me lord according to your word, like Mary said. The word of God must go out and it is up to us the chosen, the Holy ecclesia to declare the coming of the Lord. The lord God is calling people from all walks of life. Salvation is for those who believe and the promises of the Lord is to those who have been saved, who have answered the call. Let me ask you the question, have you answered the call? Have you surrendered to the perfect will of God? Have you decided to do the will of God? There is nothing like the mercy and grace of God. Favor ain’t fair but one thing I do know it’s always on time. Trust the word of God for during this season know that you have been called for such a time as this. meditate on this Hearing is Following: “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow.” NASB- Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27). Please notice that the Lord didn’t say, “My sheep ought to follow Me.” He didn’t say “My sheep should strive to hear My voice and, if they know what’s good for them, they will do their best to follow Me”.

The point is, Jesus’ words are not a command to be obeyed. They re not an exhortation to be heeded. He simply made three statements of fact: 1. My sheep hear My voice. 2. I know them. 3. They follow Me. Notice the additional comforting promise in that same John 10 passage: “A stranger they will not follow.”. Hearing and following Jesus isn’t a burden to try to bear it is a promise to receive.

He knows you. You hear Him. You follow Him. Be at peace!

Prayer of Declaration: Oh, Good Shepherd, I thank You that my spirit hears Your voice and responds to it. The ears of my heart are attuned to Your voice. I receive guidance, instruction and direction from you and I will listen and follow you amen.

Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

6-25-20: The Opposite of Fear-1 John 4:18 ESV-There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said at his inauguration, during the depths of America’s Great Depression. The concept he was trying to convey has meaning for us today in areas far beyond the realms of economics or government. His point was that fear is often its own self-fulfilling prophecy.

Fearnisna spiritual force that can actually attract the very things it dreads. In a sense, it is the opposite of faith. Faith is positive expectancy of good from God. Fear is negative expectancy. As such, it shuts down your capacity to receive from God. It makes you second guess the word of God and pulls you into a state of being that is anything but victorious. What a hellish prison it is to live in fear bound by what it’s instead of what is. At a spiritual level, fear paralyzes and prevents you from fulfilling God’s unique, amazing destiny for you.

As anyone who has battled it can tell you, fear dosen’t respond to reason. You can’t simply tell a fear-filled person to just stop being fearful. Providing facts and arguments is futile. A spiritual condition can’t be fixed by feeding the mind. It can only be eradicated by a Spirit encounter with love personified.

This is why Paul prayed for his friends at Ephesus, “That you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV).

The more you immerse yourself and anchor your heart in the truth of Jesus’ boundless, unconditional love for you, the less fear plays a part in your life.

Prayer Of Declaration: Dear God, by Your Spirit, grace me with a fresh revelation of your love for me. I come into agreement with Paul’s Ephesians 3 prayer. Let the knowledge of your boundless, unconditional love for me drive any and all remnants of fear from my soul-filling me with the fullness of you. I declare that I am rooted and grounded in Your love. I immerse myself and anchor my heart in the truth of Jesus’ unconditional love for me. I expect only good, not evil, joy not despair and beauty for ashes. You, the God of the universe, have placed Your covenant love upon me. I am encircled with the strong, loving arms of my perfect never changing, all knowing heavenly Father. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom and what shall I fear?

Prophetic Word Of God: seven, seven, seven that is what I hear as I type this word the number seven. The Lord God is moving in the number seven. I hear God say the way/your next move is already prepared. To you who have been stuck in between two opinions I hear move forward. The project that you have been debating on whether or not to do I hear the Lord God say do it. Your next move comes from seven different directions/seven different people and seven breakthroughs. Open your mouth an declare your seed blessed and saved. stop wondering mid your son will be safe. Speak over his life and speak the word of God. God’s word will never return to him void. It will always accomplish what it was sent out to do. I hear the promotion is yours and relief comes to the overall budget. I know this sounds strange but to whom this applies you will recognize what I am about to say, stop throwing you mail in the endless pile on the table, open the mail what you need is in the Pile on the table. I hear enough to meet the need and then some in Jesus name.

Be Blessed Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens

6-24-20: I just want to first say thank you to each and everyone of you who have been faithful to the website and who have been faithful in passing the links on to your friends and family even to your friendenemy. I have Been off the air due to the fact that the state of emergency that the President and the Governor declared forced the clothing factory I work at (Missouri Vocational Enterprise, otherwise known as MVE) to mandate overtime. We were forced to work ten hour days and work six days a week. Know because of the Covid19 virus and the fact that one of my roommates tested positive for the virus I along with my entire room is now on quarantine and the factory is closed done because some of the staff tested positive. So, I look at this as a good thing because it has Freed up some of my time to do what I love and that us doing the will of God.

Thought for the day: The Healing-Forgiveness Connection-Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your heart? Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or ‘Stand up an walk? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.”. Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” Matthew 9:4-6 NLT

A small but significant percentage of Christians struggle into receive and accept God’s forgiveness. For whatever reason, they think what they have done is too awful or their sins are too numerous. They know that God can and does forgive others but that somehow they are beyond the reach of His mercy. But this not the norm. Most believers have little trouble accepting that God is able to forgive them of their sins, and that He has indeed done so. However, many of these same Chriatians struggle to really believe that God will heal them. They will tell you that God can and does heal people, but they can muster no confidence that He will heal them.

Perhaps you as among them. If so, consider the story of the paralyzed man whose friends lowered him through a roof to hear Jesus speak. When was the last time you did whatever it took to hear God or read his word? As the Scripture reference reveals, Jesus first told the man that his sins were forgiven. This offended many religious leaders in the crowd, and Jesus knew it.

The Savior asked the leaders, “Which its easier: forgiving sin or healing a broken body? Jesus’ question carried two implications: .First, anyone with the God-given authority to raise up a lame man also has the authority to forgive sin and second, that ain and sickness are linked. That is to say, sickness came into the world as a result o sin. The world’s sickness problem is rooted in the world’s sin problem.

The clear and vital message for us is that Jesus dealt with both sin and sickness on the cross. Our sins were laid upon Him ( read Isaiah 53:4), He became a curse for us ( read Galatians 3:13), and by His strips we are healed ( read 1 Peter 2:24).

Thus, healing is just as much a part of the atonement as is forgiveness of sin. A clear conscience and sound body belong to you. For God, one is no harder than the other.
Prayer of Declaration: Father God, I accept and rejoice that forgiveness and healing were both abundantly provided through Jesus’ extraordinary sacrifice on the cross, ” no greater lo e than a man who would lay down His life for a friend”. Because of this, I know I am never beyond the reach of Your mercy or healing power. With the Psalmist I declare, “Bless You, Lord! I will forget none of your benefits. You have pardoned all my sins. You have healed all my diseases.”. It is no harder for You to heal me than it is for You to heal me than it is for You to forgive me. Jesus made provision for both in His sacrificial death and resurrection. Therefore I will walk in the knowledge of knowing that I am more than a conquer in Jesus Name Amen and Thank You!

Prophetic Word: What God has for you it is for you and what the devil meant for your bad God has already turned around for your good. This time that we are currently in is the now season. I hear the Lord God say now you shall see my hand working things out for your good. The no’s are turning into yes and where you have been blocked I see the way being made clear. I hear Stop running away from what the is right in front of you. The blessing you have been looking for is looking right at you. Check the mail breakthrough is coming and your way out is at hand. I see the burden of financial strain being lifted.

Be blessed Pastor Judy and Karl Pickens