The Power of YOUR imagination!

Did you know that most of the world’s greatest achievers have one thing in common, and that is that they constantly pictured in their minds what they wanted in life and got it. Their subconscious minds had something to work on, and, as a result, their desires were manifested. All of us are directly or indirectly responsible for almost everything that happens to us. The way we think and feel has an intimate connection with our daily circumstances.

As Christians many of us have been taught so many negative things about ourselves because of sin in our lives that we automatically expect and image the worst because we feel we haven’t lived up to God’s standards for us, and by doing this we create difficulties and limitations in our lives. But we must remember that according to Galatians 2:16 we must, “know that a man is not justified by observing the law, (doing things) but by faith (believing in the power of God alone) in Jesus Christ. So we, have to put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.” This is where GRACE plays a huge part in giving your imagination a big boost of confidence! It is the grace of God that allows us to image an abundant life for ourselves in spite of sin and to actually have the opportunity to live it out!

Too many times we believe that if we just say the right thing, confess the right words around the right religious people that we will receive what we believe. But did you know that what you see counts for more than what you say? The Bible says that you will speak out of the abundance of the heart! What abounds in your heart? What do you imagine for yourself in life? What do you see for your future, your children’s future? That’s what’s in your heart, that’s what you will end up saying and that’s what will end up coming out of your mouth to frame your life!

Think about most accounts of Jesus performing miracles in the Bible, He always asked the person to tell Him specifically what they wanted Him to do for them. For example the blind man who wanted to see, Jesus knew he wanted his sight back, but He asked the man to specifically ask for what he wanted. He did this for a reason-so that the man would identify what he wanted, and so that he would not only speak it but that he would see (imagine) it, thus manifesting it to come to life!

There is a saying that says, “We frame our world by what we say.” Well I believe this saying to be true, but I also believe we frame our world by what we see (imagine) as well. The images that are stimulated by your imagination are the realities of your life, and they will eventually manifest in your life. We’ve got to train the creative side of our minds to picture what God wants, and He wants you to be victorious and to enjoy life. Even when Paul was in prison, he was able to rise above the rats nibbling on his toes by not thinking about them, but by thinking only on things that were good. The power of his imagination enabled him to rejoice in the midst of a bad situation.

So I encourage you today, begin to use your imagination to manifest an abundant life for yourself. Meditate on the word of God day and night; (the word mediate here is the word haguh, and it means to ponder or to imagine) and let it begin to put the proper images of life in your mind. Allow the dynamic duo, THE GRACE OF GOD, AND THE POWER OF YOUR IMAGINATION, to take root and work miracles in your life! According to Psalms 37:4, God wants to give you the desires of your heart; He wants to bless you with those things you see for your life, those things that you hope for and have faith in, those things that you IMAGINE!

Forever In His Grace!

Toinette Neube 

"You are Destined To Reign!"

Have you ever felt that you were someone special; someone called by God to really make a difference in the world; a way maker, an innovator or a pioneer? Well if you have I am here to confirm that you are someone special; yes, that’s right YOU WERE CREATED DESTINED TO REIGN!  

The Bible tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that” we are Masterpieces in the eyes of God; we are His workmanship, created to do good things.” It also says in Psalms 139:14, that “we are fearfully and wonderfully made!” So, if we are God’s Masterpieces and we have been fearfully and wonderfully made by Him, the ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING GOD, then why would anyone think of themselves any less than a perfect piece of God’s handy work! Yup, that’s right all of us, flaws and all, because all of us were created by Him! God made each and everyone of us special and for his purpose. He has provided everyone of us with a gift according to Ephesians 4:7 and according to Romans 12:6. that gift was made unique and special just for you!  

As Christian’s we have been called by God to be a success in life, to enjoy wealth, health and a life of victory. It is not the Lord’s desire that we live a life of defeat, poverty, failure or constant battle with Satan. Too many times as Christians we are so focused on fighting the enemy that we forget to LIVE IN THE VICTORY we have obtained through JESUS CHRIST.  The battle that so many Christians are constantly fighting with satan is a “fixed-fight”, the battle has already been won and there are too many Christian’s still talking about getting ready for battle and have not realized that THE BATTLE HAS ALREADY BEEN WON!

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not trying to say as Christians we will never go through anything in life or that the devil is not out there seeking whom He may devour; but what I am saying is that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are immune to satan’s tactics and devices and we are Destined to Reign in Life. God created us from the very beginning of time to REIGN OVER every creature of the earth, the air and the sea, and satan is no different; He is and will always be a defeated foe to the children of God!

If you are a business man or woman, God wants you to have a prosperous business. If you are a homemaker, you are anointed to bring up wonderful children. If you are a student, God wants you to excel in your academics. Whatever your job in life, you are destined to reign because Jesus is Lord over your life. When you reign in life, you reign over depression, poverty, curses, sickness and disease, and most of all you reign over the devil and ALL his devices.

The power to reign in life does not depend on your family background, your education, how you look or speak or how much money you have in the bank. The power to reign is based solely on your profession and belief in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Romans 5:17 says, “For if by one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the ONE, JEUS CHRIST!” The word “reign” here is the Greek word basileuo, it refers to a kingly judicial rule, and in this context it means to reign in life as a king. That’s right! It is through our faith and belief in Christ and HIS GRACE AND MERCY, that we have been DESTINED TO REIGN AS KINGS AND QUEENS in this present life!

So stop living a defeated life! I realize some of you may be saying, “I know I’m a victor, and I don’t ever give the devil credit in my life; but when you are constantly talking about fighting the devil or talking about how he is attacking you and your family, you may not be giving him credit, but you are giving him a voice and he doesn’t even deserve that! Stop focusing on fighting him and his already defeated tactics all the time; you are depriving yourself of living a life of victory. You can’t focus on fighting a battle and living in victory at the same time. Which one will you choose to give your time and attention to? Let me help you! CHOOSE LIFE and CHOOSE LIFE MORE ABUNDANDLTY, because YOU ARE DESTINED TO REIGN!

Forever In His Grace

Toinette Neube        

The true meaning of "Let a man first examine himself..."

As Christians many of you may have grown up with the traditional 1^st Sunday ritual of taking communion to remember that Christ died for our sins; drinking of red juice or wine to remember that His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins and eating a wafer, or unleavened piece of bread to remind us of His body was beaten so that our bodies may be whole. The ritual of siting the scripture found in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 was also a part of the sacred ritual as well; “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

Through the years Christians have read this scripture and misunderstood it in this manner; they believed that to partake of Holy Communion in an “unworthy manner” meant to take communion while you knowingly sinned over the last month.  

The true meaning of 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 is this; to partake in an “unworthy manner” does not refer to you partaking as an unworthy person, because you have sinned. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, that’s right ALL; and if this scripture is true, then no one would be taking communion.

A lot of church’s teach that there is open sin and hidden sin, or big sin and little sin. Does this sound as ridiculous to you as it does to me? A sin is a sin, there is no little or big, open or hidden in the eyes of God, gluttony is just as bad as adultery, but thank God He died for all of our sins past, present and future, big, little, open, and hidden.

Let’s be real, Christ died for unworthy people, why would He exclude them from His love and grace now? To take unworthily is not about examining yourself for sins and feeling unworthy because of what you have done; stop making this walk of faith about your faith in yourself to do what is right, if we could do what was right we wouldn’t need Him in the first place. It’s about your faith in God and what He has done for you! I am not saying we shouldn’t have a heart of repentance, but this is not the true meaning of this scripture.  

What this verse is really talking about when it says “the manner in which you partake” is in the early church people were failing to discern that the bread which they held in their hands was the body of Christ that was beaten so that their body would be healed. There were believers in those days who were just eating the bread because they were hungry, they weren’t understanding the true meaning and purpose of the ritual, they just ate the bread as a means to a snack, for lack of better terms, or to some, a means to a meal or they weren’t cognizant of the Holy meaning behind what they were doing. The “unworthy” part of the scripture and the “examining of yourself” part, means to make sure you know the reason you are partaking in communion, which is to remember that Christ shed blood for the forgiveness of our sins, and that His body was beaten so that ours may be whole!

So the next time you take communion remember to focus and concentrate on Christ and what He has done for you, take your mind off yourself and your sins, have faith in Christ, and not yourself, and watch your heart began to open up to RECEIVE HIS LOVE AND GRACE more FREELY!

Forever In His Grace!

Toinette Neube

The true meaning of the scripture, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord!

How many times have you heard someone use Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts ", in the context of God not giving them something they desired because He doesn't think like us or vice versa?

The Bible tells us in Psalms 37:4, that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart, and in Psalms 138:8, that He is concerned with the things that concern us. Just knowing these scriptures alone, even though there are plenty more where these come from, should teach us to stay focused on the positive side of every scripture, including this one.

For some strange reason, it seems the majority of the time people use this scripture they are using it in a negative context! They venture off into areas of, what God won’t do for them because He doesn't think like them; which leads them to a state of begging and pleading God to answer a pray, or asking for God to create a clean heart in them so they can think and be like Him. Please don’t misunderstand me, there's nothing wrong with praying for a clean heart, but the Bible tells that when we were saved, we were made right in the eyes of God, thus telling me, that to Him, my heart is now clean! Believing that my heart is clean does not mean I don't or can't sin, (the verb), but it does mean I am not in a state or place of sin (the noun) in the eyes of God any longer, thus telling me, as long as I keep believing in Him, I already have a clean heart in His eyes!

The true meaning of Isaiah 55:8-9 is a picture of GRACE! It is a scripture of God’s forgiveness! The scripture indirectly references how people may not want to forgive or give others grace, but God doesn’t withhold grace or love the way people do. The scripture itself is about how God’s gracious thoughts exceed all human imagination, it was not meant to be used in a negative way, but should be viewed and used in a positive light.

The scripture is an invitation to the thirsty, to the wicked, to the unsaved, that God will provide grace, love & mercy, even to them. It speaks about how His love and grace is mightier than any love or grace we could ever think of or act out! It is not about a shot in the dark “guess work” of, “Lord please let me pray for myself what you desire for me to pray, because I know my ways are not your ways and my thought your thoughts.” This is not to say God doesn’t desire more for us than we sometimes desire for ourselves, and His ways are not higher than ours, but this is not the context in which this scripture was meant to be understood. It’s was meant to be a scripture of GRACE and not a scripture of doubt!

As you continue to take this JOURNEY TO 365 DAYS OF FAVOR, begin to restructure the way you think about and use this scripture and every scripture. The next time you hear someone say, something in the context of, “well I don't want to pray for a car or pray for healing, because it may not be God’s desires or thoughts for me, because God’s ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts”; stop them immediately and tell them that if this matter concerns them, it’s concerns God, regardless of how trivial or even materialist it may seem. God desires nothing but the best for you; and if our prayers and desires are only “shots in the dark” of what He may or may not be thinking for us, then why pray in the first place? Why not just wait for life to happen and see what it will bring our way? As Christians we need to get rid of that “hell, fire and brimstone” way of thinking about God and start believing that God is concerned with our thoughts and desires, and that He is not the author of confusion, especially in our thoughts and prayers. Remember to stay on the positive side of scripture as you read and meditate upon it, and always remember to stay focused on The Love and Grace of God!  

Forever In His Grace!

Toinette Neube