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Kim's Kaleidoscope for Singles |
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5/07/2012 The Two Shall Be As One There is unquestionably a large number of single Christian folk still waiting to get married. Many of you may believe that it’s God’s Will for you to continue waiting…absolutely not. It is not God's Will for you to ever be in a position where your needs are not being met. God reveals through the Apostle in Philippians 4:19 that He will meet all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. "All" means ALL. God does not deviate from His Word one bit. He said that He would supply ALL of our needs and that is what He meant. The scripture also says in Genesis 2:18 (NLT), “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” It was God who recognized that men and women ought not to be alone. He set this precedent, not you or me. So if God put this in place, then you ought to know that it's something you can bank on. The idea that God is making you wait year after year for something that is biblically yours already is ludicrous. We must take our Heavenly Father at His word. He said that it’s not good for man to be alone; therefore we must conclude that it is not His will for the woman to be alone either. God created Eve to be a companion and a help mate for Adam; someone with whom he could build a life. We know that our Heavenly Father is consistent in the way that He does things. He does everything flawlessly, in decency and in order. With God, we can see patterns that make sense—patterns that can be followed for thousands of years. For instance, we know that God is a God of love. Love is never stagnant. Love produces and changes things for the better. It is a power that cannot fail; for 1Corinthians 13:8 tells us that love never fails. God decreed that He should have a family, a called-out people who would be His children. He wanted a family He could love. This makes perfect sense. How can you be a God of love without anything on which to bestow that love? So you and me, and all who are born-again of God's spirit, are an intricate and incredibly important part of His plan. God expresses the fullness of His being through His family. We are an expression of His love. That is why it is so awesomely crucial that we represent Christ in all that we do, think, feel, and say. Anything less than that would not express God or His love. Anything less than representing Christ would go against the purpose for which God intended; and therefore be out of harmony and alignment with His Will. It was God's intention all along to design the relationship between man and woman to mirror the family dynamic He created for Himself and His kids. This was the pattern! Man alone cannot meet the needs of a family in a way that is optimum, and woman alone cannot meet the needs of a family in a way that is optimum either. Both are needed, because both are uniquely different and are designed to come together to be one. The man and the woman coming together represents the full expression of God in the family unit. They are to bestow on one another and their children a complete and strong love that is able to withstand the tribulations and temptations of this world. This is not always the case. We have become incredibly complicated individuals, and relationships do not always end up in a place where husbands and wives get to this place in their spiritual walks, but it is important that you understand the standard that God has set. It's not meant to put us into condemnation, but it is meant for us to see and learn the beauty of what God created through the marital union. We should be able to see and articulate God's intention. We should be able to see that through the marital union, He desires that two people strengthen each other's weaknesses and enhance each other's strengths, so that they set a perpetual pattern of giving and receiving through the children they conceive. Our Heavenly Father knew what He was doing. There is absolutely no reason why God would withhold the blessing of a spouse from anyone. He set this standard a long time ago, when He created the first couple. Why would He now withhold such a standard of blessing from You?! He wouldn’t. So what keeps this blessing at bay? The answer is always contained within what the woman or man is not doing or is not willing to do. We certainly live in a different time than Adam and Eve, but God doesn’t change nor does His Word. Sometimes men and women use incorrect standards for judging what is right and pleasing to God when it comes to marriage. If this is true of you, then you owe it to yourself to examine your own spiritual walk with careful scrutiny. You must do the investigative work on yourself to see if your views are lining up with God's standard. If it's not, then you need to pay attention to how and where the spirit is leading you, because he will most certainly lead you to sound doctrine, correction, and reproof. Genesis 2:23-24(NLT) really sets this picture in motion for us. It says "At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." This "oneness" truly allows a person to see the heart of God. It is the vision that allows us to see how important it is to learn to put God first before we partner. It's about having the heart-and-mind-set to understand that a marriage is your personal time to be your absolute best for God, and to express His love to another individual in an intimate and life changing way. Why would God ever deny you something like this? When you ponder His intention for marital unity, you will most definitely come away with the exciting reality that He wants you to partner way more than you want it for yourself. So don't continue to sit idly by wondering what to do next. Get busy by getting yourself prepared spiritually and every other way. Do the things that help you to expand your mind and heart. Continue to pray much, and pay very close attention to where and how the spirit is leading you, because he is helping you develop a broader vision of love, flexibility, and compassion to share oneness with another. ● |
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PREVIOUS TEACHINGS |
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11/28/2011 Knock Until Your Door Opens!
Luke
11:9, NIV; "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10, for
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks,
the door will be opened. Most single women who are in search of a husband have been praying to God for quite a while. After a certain length of time has passed by, their patience wades and so does their persistence. In the parable in Luke 11, Jesus Christ is not instructing us to pray repeatedly for the same things. He is instructing us how to have the patience and persistence to develop our minds, so that our faith is strong. This isn't something that happens overnight. It takes time. Because you see, you have to get to a place where you're not rocked because the person you thought was the right one turns out to be the furthest thing from it. You don't sink in your spiritual efforts because the sistafriend next door who seems to be nowhere near your level of commitment to Godliness has just gotten engaged, meanwhile you are still patiently waiting. When your head and heart are in the right place, this stuff doesn't take you off your mark. While the single, Christian bride is waiting in faith for her future husband, she is suppose to be busy doing the Will of the Father. She is to understand that the people, situations, and circumstances in her life are strategically appointed to lift her higher in the things of God. Sometimes we miss this. We take our lives for granted and we fail to see what God is showing us, because we are so heavily focused on acquiring rather than aspiring to reach the pinnacle of spiritual growth and maturity. When it comes to faith in this area, there's one thing that you MUST bear in mind at all times; it works! Faith produces results. There is no time, ever, in which faith does not yield the results that have been prayed for. In Genesis 12, God made a promise to Abraham, the father of our believing. Verse 2 reads, "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing." Abraham didn't rest on his laurels after he received this promise from God. He understood how monumentally important his relationship with God was, and so he made it his business to listen in for directives. Abraham had to move his family away from the home they knew. God didn't tell him to do these things just for the sake of doing them. These were strategic steps that were necessary to fulfill the promise that Abraham had received. Some biblical scholars tell us that there was a span of 13 years between the time God made this promise in Genesis 12 to the time when Sarah actually became pregnant with Isaac. Abraham didn't know how the promise would be fulfilled; he didn't have all of the specifics, but he trusted that God would make it happen. You have to ask yourself if you are really listening to the Father. Are you considering what may be necessary to receive the promise of a husband? Rest assured that a great deal is required. Your persistence to knock and keep on knocking equates to the reality of consistently and patiently praying, ministering, listening, and moving according to the spirit. It's the solid, locked-down, etched-in-stone habit patterns that you develop as a faithful daughter of the Most High; these will enable you to embrace the results of your fully persuaded faith.
Colossians 1:11 (NLT) We are children of the light, so this automatically entitles us to the inheritance God has made available. Give thanks for your heart's desires, and walk in the authority of claiming that reality in the name of Jesus Christ. But also proceed with due caution that you do not become overly anxious. That can sometimes lead you down the path of confusion. If you don’t keep your emotions in check, the peace of God may become overshadowed by the wrong thing. Knock faithfully and patiently, not allowing yourself to become discouraged as the time passes. Learn to hear God's directives and be willing to move accordingly. Get excited about your relationship with Him. He's the light that ought to burn in your heart. Persevere in the Lord, and ask Him to help you build your faith and strength in the area of matrimony. Learn your lessons well, and in due time the door will open.
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10/10/2011
Make Room for More One thing in life is a guarantee, if you want success you must put forth the work to achieve it; the results you desire are not going to just fall in your lap effortlessly. Here's another critical truth along the same lines, if you’re expecting to receive something new in your life, you must let go of something old. What do I mean by that? Well first, imagine that you are able to hold intangible things like emotions and feelings in your hands. In one hand you’re holding on to memories that keep you in a state of reliving the past, and in the other hand you are clinching hurtful feelings and disappointments from old wounds that should have been healed by now. With both hands full, it’s going to be pretty difficult to receive anything more. Without releasing these emotional heavies, you will not be able to love freely and be unfettered by the past. And what's worse, you will not be able to receive love, so that it gets to the places where sadness and grief still live. Maybe someone you loved passed away, or maybe you were involved with a person who tore your heart apart. Every time you think about the memories, you become depressed, distressed or anxious. Well we are entitled to grieve. God would not want us to skip the grieving process because He instilled those emotions within our human frame. If someone broke your heart, you are going to go through some things before you can get over it, but you can't hold on to the person you were at the time when the situation that caused the grief initially happened. And this is where we get stuck. We become afraid to move forward as a stronger, wiser version of ourselves, because we don't want to endure anything hurtful again. 1John 3:1(NIV) says " How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" Grief, disappointment, loneliness, hurt, these emotions and feelings are meant to transition you into more of the person God intends you to be. Heavenly Father does not orchestrate hurtful situations and circumstances, but He knows that they are a part of the earth experience. You cannot live as a human being and not experience loss, but as children of God, we are supposed to realize that God's love is enough to fill any gap, cover any loss, and lift any burden Even though we cannot literally hold emotions in our hands, we hold on to them internally and refuse to release them. We can become so comfortable that half the time we do not realize we are carrying emotional weight. This is when you have to look honestly at what is happening in your life. Take the emotional weight of loneliness for instance, there are women who have been praying to God to send them a husband for years, but yet, when you take a closer look at their lives, you may not discover any evidence that they are making room to accommodate another person. I'll give you a personal example of what I'm conveying here. After a hard day's work, I would come home and fix myself a sandwich or a bowl of cereal for dinner. I figured "hey it’s just me, I don’t have to cook”. My closets were packed to capacity with my stuff, and every inch of my life was filled with things, situations, and rituals that reminded me constantly that I was single. Rev. Fran so often talks about the Process of Preparation, and the fact that you have to release the things that no longer serve you well in order to gain something more useful. You have to put off in order to put on. So I began to de-clutter—emotionally, physically, and mentally—to make room in my life for the blessing that I was expecting. Details like insignificant habit patterns may seem miniscule, but if you keep the same mindset, you will never condition your mind and heart to make room for what you desire. When our minds are focused on the past, and we become so convinced of who we are at this moment that we cannot see who we can become, we have to take action. And it's true, sometimes we don't know what actions to take, but that is why Heavenly Father has given us a helper. The Holy Spirit will help us; He will lead, guide, and direct us into breaking free. The spirit will help us to be synchronized with God's plan and purpose, but we must make a conscious decision to make room. We must be willing to purge ourselves of old habits that prolong grief, stagnation, and sadness. We must open our hands to release, then the spirit will help us to reach out and grab what we desire.● THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. "Make Room for More" written by Kim TImes-Ayala and Reverend Fran Times-Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2011. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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10/10/2011 Have You
Identified Your Gift? Someone I know recently made the statement that she wanted to turn her life around for the better. She said she knew that she had made a habit of bad behavior and wrong choices, and had neglected and ignored the better part of who she knew herself to be. She was at a crossroads in her life and knew that she had put off doing things Gods way for too long. Obstacles and adversities had chased her down to the point that continuing to hide from God had taken its toll, and it was time to take a different path. Deep down she had amazing qualities and she understood that God expected far more from her than to allow the usual hanging with friends for happy hour, bad language, and boozing to continue. I thought to myself, "this sister is so incredibly courageous and honest." Not only was she confronting the things that were holding her back, but I felt in my heart that she was really coming into her own. Her brutal honesty demonstrated that she is beginning the part of the journey when the Spirit really helps us to understand what the Lord desires of us. As I continued to think about her, I started to reminisce about a pivotal time in my own life. It was when I learned how to just really lay bare before the Father, stripped of all the lies I had been telling myself. During that time, I made the decision to place my agenda on the backburner, and to get serious about the Lord's plan for my life. Even though I wanted to be someone's spouse really bad, I wanted to please Him more, and I made seeking God's face the number one priority in my life. For a while, it seemed that God didn't hear me. I thought that my blatant honesty would prompt Him to open up the heavens and flood my mind and heart with directives. I thought I would have light bulbs going off in my head, and that my journey would begin to take shape in a very literal way, but what I found was that information twinkled in little by little. As I took the initiative to walk by faith, I began to see my purpose unfold. The more I took action, the more clearly I perceived the Father's directives. At first, I didn't know if I was moving in the direction God wanted me to. I remember saying to myself on several occasions, "I have no idea what my gift is. I don't know what to do to bless the body of Christ." Then I read 1Peter 4:10-11(NLT): 10, God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11, Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ." As the body of Christ, we all have special and unique gifts that set us apart from all others. But as women of God in particular, we have gifts that will not only bless the body, but that will minister greatly to our future spouses. God knew from the foundations of the earth that you would choose to serve Him. Ephesians 1:11(NIV) says "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will." So you can be confident that God has placed something within you that is specialized and in conformity with the purpose of His Will, and you should make it your aim and goal to identify the gifts you’ve been given. It's apparent to me now, that during the times in my life where I was complacent, when I allowed my own self-doubt to get in the way, those were the times that I felt like I wasn't going anywhere. So my advice to you is to be anchored in your gifting before you partner. It's time to identify the thing that God has called you to do and to understand how to use it in a way that brings Him glory. One specific detail to remember is that even if it seems small or insignificant to you, don't discount it; it's important to God. Sisters, go in search of the many ways that you can make a difference for the Kingdom. You don't have to know all the details, you just need to move with the intent to be a blessing and to demonstrate God's love. You don’t have to look far, and you don’t necessarily have to look outside of yourself for the answer. Whether you believe it or not, you already possess everything you need to walk in your gifting. So don't delay. Begin to look for those small opportunities to do good, and your gift will beautifully unfold before you. ● THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. "Have You Identified Your Gift? written by Kim TImes-Ayala and Reverend Fran Times-Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2011. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
9/26/2011
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I come before You as Your beloved child, acknowledging that You have all power in Your hands. Father, You know everything there is to know about me; You know everything from my faults and insecurities to my strengths and well intentions. There are times when I think I'm on track and I fall miserably below Your expectations. There are so many things that I do on a daily basis that fall short of Your glory, and I ask for Your forgiveness. Forgive me for all the things I have said, thought, done, and felt that were contrary to Your Word. This world that we live in is filled with every kind of evil, but I am at peace because I know that I am not of this world; I am in You and You are in me. Gracious Father, help me stay within Your divine Will for my life. When my desire to be my best for You is dwindling, remind me that I am righteous and free, and no longer a child of darkness. You have given me everything I need to be all that You have called me to be. I can overcome any and all adversity in life, as long as I hold on to Your unchanging hands. Father, I ask that even when my days are filled with uncertainty and hopelessness, that You help me to be my absolute best for You. Help me to do what is Good in Your sight, that I may be a pleasing vessel to Your Kingdom. Please renew in me continually that right spirit, Father, so that my light shines brightly in these dark and evil times. For I know that the integrity of Your Word lives in me, and when people see me I want them to recognize the love of Christ. Please help me to continue to be what I know I can be. Your Word is seared in my heart; I want to do what the Holy Spirit leads me to do, and not what my flesh desires me to do. My goal and aim in life is to always reflect the love of Jesus Christ, so that others may glorify You. I want to be obedient and faithful to You in everything I do. So please grant me manifold opportunities to do good; and help me to use them to bring honor and glory to Your Kingdom. Thank You for Your love, mercy and grace, in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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9/06/2011
Brenda and Larry have been dating for 2 years. They carried on a long distance relationship for 6 months before Brenda decided to move to Dallas, Texas where Larry lived. He had told her on more than one occasion that he was ready for marriage, and after his assurance that they were heading in that direction, Brenda lined up a job in Dallas and moved in with him. She was a Christian, and although Larry believed in God, he had not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. For Brenda, this was only a little deviation from the script that she felt would fall in line over time. Surely Larry would be captivated by her commitment to God, she thought, and he would naturally want the same spiritual relationship with the Father that she had. Before moving in with Larry, Brenda made it clear that no sex would be involved, and for the first few weeks of their living together, her conviction held up, but she soon gave way to the pressure. Larry tried his best to be respectful of her wishes. After all, she had schooled him numerous times during their daily phone conversations. She explained to him in detail why she had made the decision to remain celibate until marriage. Initially he admired her discipline and thought he could handle abstinence, but once she was there it was a different story. Larry found himself behaving resentfully towards Brenda, holding a grudge for days at a time. After a while, he started to feel bad about his behavior. Since the day she moved in, she had complained that there was no comfortable place for them to sit and have dinner; Larry's signed basketball display was taking up way too much space. So he decided to surprise her with a gesture that would convey how much she meant to him. He came home early from work one day and moved his collection to the basement. When she arrived home the big bulky display cabinet was gone, and a dozen roses sitting on top of a nice new dining room table and chairs was in its place. This, for Brenda, was a sign from God that her decision to move to Dallas had been the right one. Marriage in her mind was only months away and she was sure that in the days to come, Larry would have another surprise for her—one that comes in a small box. Well things didn't progress as she had hoped. As Brenda continued to pressure him, Larry seemed to lose all motivation towards marriage, as a matter of fact, he had soured on the idea entirely. "We should be married by now!" she scolded in argument after argument, but Larry was unmoved. Brenda took her frustration out on Larry, but deep down there was something else going on. She could sense that her relationship with God was not what it once had been, and subsequently, the momentum in her relationship with Larry began to parallel her relationship with God. Everything in her life responded succinctly to her decision to place Heavenly Father in second place. This is the reality that many of us find so difficult to confront, that our lives are very often a mirror image of our spiritual neglect. So many women settle for so little when they could have so much, especially if they only trusted in the promises that are contained in the Word of God. You don't need to feel as though you have to compromise your stand in order to get something, particularly when what you are trying to GET is a blessing from God. Have faith that your desire to please the Father and place Him first will be rewarded in due time. Brenda thought that Larry's self-sacrificing act was proof of his promise, but this was a fantasy. There can be no proof of love where the love of God in Christ does not exist. It's unwise to think that we can define for ourselves (or let another person define for us) what love is, how it behaves and what it does. God has already done that. He has set the benchmark for the true definition of love. And He has told us that love can only be expressed by honoring Him preeminently, because He, Himself, is love. His love is what attracts our perspective partners to us, and His love is what sustains a relationship once it begins. If you are begging, pleading, or trying to pressure a man into marrying you, then you are trying to convince someone of your worth. This is beneath you as a woman of God. The Father has solidified you as a Daughter of the Kingdom. You are a child of the Most High, so if a man can't honor your stand as a Christian—if he can't recognize your value to God as one of His vessels, then that man will never recognize your value as a wife. ● "We Should Be Married by Now!" written by Kim TImes-Ayala and Reverend Fran Times-Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2011. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
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08/29/2011Under Lock and Key
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