Have you ever encountered situations that seemed impossible to bear? At times we are faced with circumstances that would have us believe that we can’t move forward. To the contrary, God says, “you shall.” You shall move forward. You shall obtain victory. You shall be blessed. You shall... God unequivocally tells us that we shall (will) have something, do something, or gain something. He never denies us access to increase when that increase helps us advance the Kingdom, as we go forth in our individual callings. Instead He said that He is able to provide for us exceeding, abundantly above all that we could ask or think according to the power that works on the inside of us (Eph. 3:20). That power being none other than the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. And we know that in and because of Him we “can” do all things that He ordained for us to do. Thus we are not limited by the things we think about or imagine.

Our ability to conquer and receive the manifestations of the blessing of God is connected to our ability to walk in faith and utilize the spiritual power God has equipped us with in this present day. What does it say about us when we see ourselves being limited, not advancing, and not obtaining increase? I believe the response is that we are often unaware of our spiritual ability to bypass the limitations. According to Genesis 1:26, we were created in the image of God, the One who cannot live in an impoverished state lack. If we fail to reflect the image of God, we reduce our chances of growth. In essence, we also have the ability to prevent our increase.

Although the physical evidence may reveal an inability to obtain victory in some area, faith should push us to our predestinated purpose to conquer and recover. Not one situation should ever separate us from God nor His power. In all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us (Rom 8:37). Indeed, there are moments that we cannot seem to put our hands on “the how” to achieve and advance. God speaks words of power because He understands our innate ability to achieve. God created us to have dominion (Gen 1:28). Thus, there is no good thing that can be withheld from us (Ps 84:11). But, many times we fail to grasp the concepts that allow us to walk in dominion. Our internal thought processes and external behaviors often deny us what God says shall be ours.

Despite how hard a situation may appear, we never have to doubt our ability in Christ to overcome it. The phrase “you shall” implies that you “can’t” be denied. It is an absolute. Abiding and trusting in the word, way and will of God we will inevitably get what is for us. Do not allow the enemy to grant you access to the things God never intended for you, such as impossibilities and limitations. Let Abba Father encourage you to use your faith and heritage to overcome hurdles, break through limitations, and possess what He’s always said shall belong to you.Despite how hard a situation may appear, we never have to doubt our ability in Christ to overcome it. The phrase “you shall” implies that you “can’t” be denied. It is an absolute. Abiding and trusting in the word, way and will of God we will inevitably get

Pastor Anntwanique D. Edwards was born in New Haven, Conn. She eventually moved to Gainesville, Fla. where she earned several degrees at the University of Florida. At the age of 30, she founded Generation, COGIC, which she pastors today. She is a licensed missionary/evangelist in the Church of God in Christ, works as an assistant principal, is a doctoral candidate, and has started an evangelist nonprofit organization, Divine Ministry. She even found time to write her first book, Daddy Where Are You? Edwards recently traveled to Africa, where she had the privilege to minister for several days. For booking or other info, please contact Michelle Durant at (352) 281-5164 or mdurant@divineministry.net

The bible describes a woman who was plagued with an issue of blood (Matt. 9:19-22). For years she was ostracized for the stench she carried. We can presume that many did not understand her season of loneliness or burden. However, the woman did not falter in her faith, she pressed through a crowd to get near Jesus, understanding a touch from Him would alleviate her bondage.

Many people today have issues that have penetrated their hearts. Are you one of them? It is your responsibility to push past your pain to reach Jesus. “Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1). Do not allow yourself to get caught in the sanctified “pity parties” where it appears alright to continue crying about your issues.

The body of Christ has gotten trapped in useless dimensions. Some of us are stuck in an effort to follow our Savior while carrying a bundle of pain. We find ourselves cradling our issues rather than relinquishing them to the one who can make painful experiences the most valuable possessions we ever beheld. Sometimes those we least expect to understand value of possessions can appreciate its worth the most. Luke 7:36-50 describes a sinner woman who observes fellowship between Christ and the Pharisees.

They Didn’t Know the Cost According to them, she could not understand the value of the king who sat at their table, or the cost of the oil she used to anoint His feet. Yet, scripture reveals that this woman who carried a sorrow so heavy that she wept aloud was believed to not understand the value of the king. Although she was in agony over something, this woman somehow identified a need to change her position.

She made a decision to stop looking upon the King. Instead, she came into fellowship with Him. She knew it was time to stop cradling her tears as she followed Him. Today, we find ourselves guilty of being weighted down followers. We know the name of Jesus. We watch others fellowship with God, but somehow we get so entangled with our grief that we fail to release our pain to Him.

The sinner described in the seventh chapter of Luke saw that her pain had another purpose. No longer would it keep her aloof. It had become time that her pain worked on her behalf. She actually used her tears as an expression of praise toward Jesus. Can you imagine using the thing that should have taken you out as the very thing that links you to the true and living God?

This woman found purpose for her pain; it became the tool that launched her into humble servanthood. The sinner’s pain released her to walk in a mission of service unto the King. She washed the feet of Christ with her tears and wiped them with her hair. In humility, she labored at the feet of Christ. Without ceasing, she kissed His feet in meekness and began to anoint them with precious oil. Others could not understand how one of such great sin could come before the Lord Jesus Christ, but God knew the cost of her sacrifice. He knew that her suffering had brought her to new fellowship with Him; to a new dimension. The suffering of a young sinner allowed her to come into the presence of the most high king. She, like the woman with the issue of blood, understood the value of the King. Both women knew they could not walk in sorrow any longer. In humility they sought to reach God despite everything around them. They were both prepared to release the pain, tears, and sorrow that they had carried. Their willingness to fall at the feet of Jesus granted them spiritual release that would change them forever.

To walk in dimensions of power, you must understand the purpose of your pain, be willing to sacrifice issues you have carried for years, and know that fellowship with the most high King will change your life. The last word Jesus spoke to the sinner woman was “Go in peace.” It is time that you fulfilled your God-given assignment in peace. I challenge you to let go of the past. I challenge you to walk into another dimension of ministry by allowing those things that seemed like they would destroy you to become the very things that boost you. Remember that it is the will of God for you to live and not die! It’s time for you to lie at the feet of Jesus — worry-free.

All things cannot remain the same. Although God is indeed constant (Mal 3:6), He changes the way in which He allows us to experience life. To live in a constant moment means life is not continually advancing and you are being stagnated by a breach in the growth process. Seize opportunities as you open yourself up to change. Embrace change as the seed of your future, as the light that says tomorrow is on its way.

If change is inevitable, so is growth. In fact, we ought to wait on and anticipate change for ourselves. Even Job complained about his circumstances and cursed his situation. Job failed to understand why he was faced with different issues when he lived a just life before God. However, after time passed Job began to consider the conditions of life and the necessity for change to occur in this natural process of life. Job pleaded for God to remember him as he waited for his change to come (Job 14:14).

Just as your season will seemingly move from good to bad or easy to difficult without natural cause, the reverse is also true. Your seasons of negativity and overwhelming trials will change to times of praise and deliverance. Trouble and tragedy are not forever. On the same note, the “feel good” season does not last all the time either. Jesus warned that in this life we would have trouble. However, He advised that we be of good cheer, for He had already overcome the world (John 16:33). You can learn to maintain a glorious countenance in ANY season (Rom. 5:3-5). Your blessing lies in the ability to show forth the countenance of God when the odds seem to be stacked against you (Ps. 21:6).

Ask yourself these questions: Am I able to walk in the joy of the Lord at all times, proclaiming victory in the midst of upheaval? Can I accept change as the inevitable and go with His flow, knowing God has everything in control? If your answer is no, I suggest that you meditate on Eccl. 3:1-10 you allow God’s word to encourage you to be still in every season and the changes that occur in your life. Embrace change rather than fear it. Consult God about how to best handle change in your life and await the time of testimony.

Survey Says … Years ago, I conversed with some friends about what tithing from our increase represented to us. As I reflect upon the “revelation” we discussed some years ago, I recall our case study. We wanted to determine where our time went, so we reviewed our daily schedules. Our calculations revealed that we were not as “deep” as we may have seemed.

Through careful, honest examination, we found that many of our days included: TV, traveling, eating spending time with each other, running errands, preparing for school or work, and more. Ironically, those activities were only available to us because of God, but became the practices that inevitably consumed our time. The blessing actually inhibited us from building a closer walk with Christ — in all our knowledge, we were not wise enough to limit time consumption through effective stewardship. We noted that it requires careful planning to ensure a daily tithe of time toward God.

You must make an assessment of what you believe time with God is worth to you. In relationships, we feel bad when our partners or family members do not spend time with us. Children may recognize the importance of their parents’ jobs, but still remain hurt when work comes first. You may be thinking, “I’d like to do that, I’d like to plan a couple of hours for God every day, but I just cannot manage family, work, church obligations … I can hardly breathe as it is, how can I find time in this already-too-short day?”

Brand New Consider time as an increase in your life. The first blessing we all receive each day is our new mercies (Lam. 3:22-23). Are we truly tithing to God, or merely giving money for church growth and tangible increase? A large number of us are giving 10 percent of our salaries, but not 10 percent of our lives. We can tithe our lives — not just our livelihoods — back to God daily through prayer, devotion, worship, praise, serving others, etc.

What is valuable to you brings you joy when you experience the fullness of it. Value time with God, and the time you spend with Him will bring you joy. It will make you feel as if you have been given more time each day to fulfill personal tasks, as if you have reaped time for the hours you have sown into God.

When you fail to tithe time back to Him each day, the cankerworm can easily eat away at the precious moments of your day, causing you to feel fatigued and unfulfilled. God will actually restore time unto you for your faithfulness to Him (Joel 2:25).

Reaping Time Tips

• Take 15 to 30 minutes away from media (TV, DVDs, e-mail, cell phones, etc.) and give that time to God by writing in a prayer journal.

• Consecrate while driving (speak Scriptures aloud, listen to Christian music or audio books).

• Meditate on the Word while jogging, exercising at home or in the gym.

• Pick up the kids from school or daycare and ask how their day was, then follow with practicing a selected weekly family Scripture.

• Study and meditate on the Word and the goodness of the Lord before bed, or when you get up early in the morning.

• Limit the amount of time you spend with negative people. Refrain from gossiping at work; instead use lunch and break times to read the Word, or talk to coworkers about God.

• Create a 30-minute-to-an-hour time frame for your family in which everyone has quiet time and can independently seek God in their own way without interruption from others.

These small elements add up to multiple minutes given to God each day, allowing you to continue daily routines with minimal interference. Also, remember to respect your body, the house o f the Holy Spirit. Eat well-balanced meals (except for fasting periods) in order to remain strengthened and attentive to God during your special time with Him. Prepare your heart, mind, body and spirit for the King of Kings! Devotion to a healthy body requires more work, just as devotion to God requires increased effort. Maximize your time wisely.

The hype in our society dictates that we have a desire to get married, have 2.5 children, a house with a white picket fence and a dog by time we are in our mid-20s. However, that may not be the will of God for each individual. Can you be content not meeting the expectations of society? How much do you want to align with the world? Sometimes our expectations in life, and the goals we set, have not been conditioned by the spirit of God. We get ourselves caught up with making comparisons to our friends or neighbors. In making those comparisons and competing with “the Joneses,’” we are apt to err. Our greatest concern should be with fulfilling the plan of God for our lives.

Both men and women receive pressure from others when they have not fulfilled society’s idea of success. If you have hit a certain age bracket, others begin to get anxious for you. Questions begin to loom about why you may not be married with children, where your career or ministry is headed, you’re your financial status or plans are. The world will cause you to second guess the plan of God and get you caught up in seeking relationships and children that may not be ordained “for such a time as this”.

A greater challenge may be the battle that you face with your own personhood. Your natural senses or physiology crave for external “goodies” that may temporarily fill voids. In this, people seek after unnecessary things or in an untimely manner. These ways are not pleasing to God. Our spiritual hearts ought to cry out for God’s will to be fulfilled in our lives. Therefore, there is a battle of time taking place between two clocks: biology and spiritual destiny.

It is easy for you to waver in your mind between thoughts of marriage and family, financial freedom, corporate success, and becoming a parent, versus being still and awaiting the fulfillment of God’s plan. I suggest that you allow patience to have her perfect work (James 1:4). As you wait on God, you shall receive your reward in due season (Gal 6:9). Do not allow time to trick you out of destiny. Others may see your biological clock ticking, but fail to understand the clock that holds time for your spiritual destiny. If you find yourself fooled by telling time on man’s clock, you may miss the greater blessing that God has in store for you. Keep holding on — Spiritual time always yields the greatest reward (and it can never be read on man-made clocks because God’s time is not our own). God’s thoughts are not the same as our thoughts, neither are our ways His (Is 55:8). However, His thoughts and ways are best and we should acknowledge and submit to them.

Counselors who do not know your spiritual destiny can lead you astray when not tuned in to God’s wisdom for your life. Emotions can even steer you off God’s path. Wait on the Lord and He will renew your biological clock so that it matches where you need to be in Spiritual time. Love God, seek God, praise God, consult God, trust God, and everything you need shall be added to your life (Matt. 6:33).

Have you ever felt as if you have had everything under control, even when everything is alot? Have you ever felt as if an interruption caused you trouble that could not be understood? Despite having to balance many responsibilities, becoming the queen of time management and multitasking, something came in and disrupted your flow! There you were doing all you knew how to do, believing you were in God's hand, managing the winds of life, and BOOM! All of a sudden a variation in the winds arrived and your soul became troubled. What does one do when they seem to be cast down, not destroyed, but definitely in distress? What does one do when they continue trying to manage the cares of this life and something within their spirit does not seem right? Is there an answer that will show us how to regain a place of peace and strength?

David has gone through a similar experience evidenced by this statement: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God" (Ps. 42:11). This scripture provides us wih a reminder that there are times when we may find ourselves troubled within. In fact, this passage of scripture records David repeating the same thoughts to himself as he has already recited in earlier verses. He continues to say, I must still praise God in the time of my trouble. David is actively encouraging himself by speaking to his spirit and declaring that it become subject to the knowledge that our countenance is helped by the presence of God who does not leave us. The enemy desires to steal away our peace. He desires to enhance the feeling of fear and distress within us. But, despite our feelings, we must know that God is everpresent. God affords us the opportunity to know peace when we seem to know nothing else about our situations.

Rather than being confused by the uproar of disturbance within you, I encourage you to trust God's ability to silence all the winds that have brought forth distress. In the second chapter of the book of Ezekiel God moves Ezekiel from his general prostrate position to one of standing tall. Although Ezekiel was known to reverence and trust God, he still needed the spirit to enter him to assist him with standing ready for that which he was about to receive. The Matthew Henry Commentary suggests that "the Spirit sets us upon our feet by inclining our will to our duty, and thereby disposes the understanding to receive the knowledge of it". It could be that the cause of your disturbance may be that you have been unwilling to move forward or unsure of how to handle your next dimension. You may need the Holy Spirit to help you stand tall to accept your God given call. I pray you first humble yourself before God and seek his face. Learn to ignore the winds that come to make you distraught. Forget the varying states of emotional frenzy and believe God has it all under control. Be like David and encourage yourself in the time of distress (I Sam 30:6).

Furthermore, the intake of negative information presented in the media regarding wars and poor economic conditions can begin to take its toll on your faith. You must be mindful that the enemy is the prince of the air and will attempt to use those things which you see and hear to intrude upon your faith in God. You may also be troubled my God's failure to answer you. In all that you do, you may feel alone. On top of all that you may not understand where you are going and others may be speaking against you, but God is your rescue! You may be overwhelmed with duties, surrounded by tragedy, unsure of your economic status, fearful of your calling, and dealing with unwanted isolation. Each may have diminished your capacity to maintain normal balance. New winds have arrived and distorted your routine. Your spirit has become disquieted, but there is ONE answer to the freedom you need. That answer was provided by David in Ps. 42:11 - Hope thou in God and praise him for He is the health of your countenance! Remember that Christian faith is not based on feelings. Instead it is based on faith in the one true and living God. Jesus Christ is prepared to bring you just what you need. Tell your soul, "Shhhh!, Jesus is on the way to deal with the new wind!".

Evangelist Anntwanique D. Edwards, Ed.S. Founder & President of Divine Ministry, Inc. www.divineministry.net Founder of Generation, Church of God in Christ