LAM Newsletter, April 2002

Are You Sure You Know What You Are Asking?

One day while driving to work, I asked God to do something for me. I have been going through cleansing and healing for some time now and have seen tremendous change in my life. My husband comments continually how much I've changed and that it has been great living with me. I can even see it in myself. I have more peace, and joy, I know who I am in Christ. But I also know I have a long way to go with becoming healed and purged from deeper things within me. I liken my life as an onion. So far God has cut away each layer from the outside in, but I also see in my spirit that we are at the CORE of the onion; the part where it's all tight and hard to peel apart without cutting into other layers. This is where God has been working in my life. I know it too! So one day I asked God, "God, could you please get the rest of the stuff out of me now." He responded with, "Are you sure you know what you are asking?" I said, "Yes, I really do. I know that it'll be hard, it'll hurt, at times I won't know what's going on. But yes, I want all the rest of the junk out because I know what the end result will be."

That was that. I didn't hear another word. I just went on my way as usual, even forgetting what I had just prayed. Well, not until things began happening in my life that disrupted how things were. Things I didn't understand. Feelings I had from when I was 15 years old. Health issues were coming up that I had when I was young. New health things began manifesting in my life that is bizarre and strange to me. Then I remembered my prayer. God was answering it. Then I had a peace and joy in my heart even though the times were getting hard and difficult to go through. I knew "this too will pass" as God is purging from me things that He has not yet revealed to me. I'm not afraid of these manifestations like I would have been when I went through them years ago. He's surfacing things I had gone through so one by one they are faced, dealt with and purged. I've always said over and over, "Things have to manifest before they can be purged." In other words, the same way they went in is the same way they have to come out.

I spoke with a lady recently who said; "Can't I just say I forgive everyone?" She called it a blanket prayer. And that's exactly what it was. She thought that by saying it once and for all she was done with forgiveness, but she hadn't even begun! All she really did was bury the unforgiveness deeper It was covered all right but was keeping it buried in her. She hoped the pain would go away - but of course it didn't. I told her the same thing I just told myself, "The way it went in is the same way it has to come out, one at a time!"

I'm not through it yet; I'm smack dab in the middle of God doing something in my life and I know it. My job is to believe and rest in Him, trust what He is doing, not to fear it, but welcome it because of the result it will bring in doing so. I can kick and scream, question God, be in fear, but why if it's what I asked Him for in the first place.

I wonder how many of you out there has asked God for something but when He tried to deliver it to you began getting confused, doubting His love, fearing, complaining, grumbling, well you get the picture.

I would hear people say, "Be careful what you pray for, you just may get it." Well, isn't that why we prayed it so we would get it? What is the use of praying if we don't expect to receive our answers? When I pray for something it's because I want to become healed, or become a better person, or develop a greater walk with Him. But sometimes the cost of that prayer is self-sacrifice and I don't think that's a price too many want to pay. Right now I'm paying the price through my body manifesting all kinds of uncomfortable things right now. But I can tell you one thing; God has not left me. He has never forsaken me. He is with me stronger when I don't feel Him more than when I do feel Him.

During all this He's teaching me to latch on to Him and Him alone. And it's working regardless of my feelings or circumstances. Regardless if I'm healed or not. Now I'm sensing Him every moment, even when things aren't going so good. He is ever present because I know without any doubt or wavering that His Love is perfect toward me. There is no fear in love, perfect love casts out all fear (and anything else that is in me that doesn't belong). So as my manifestations or even circumstances around me get really strange, I remain in His love. How much easier it is to do that than to become fearful. We compound the inevitable with fear - cause fear has torment. We then get confused at God cause we don't understand what's happening. Remove the fear and you'll SEE what's happening. If it's going to happen to me any way, might as well enjoy the ride! God doesn't do anything halfway and I want Him to complete in me what He has started, don't you?

The rest of this article reflects many of the things God is doing with me right now because of what I asked Him for. So with that in mind, here goes.

IT'S ALL IN GOD'S TIMING!

Has anyone ever said, "When am I going to get my breakthrough?" or "why can't I change?" or "When will I get a husband?" or "When will I be healed?" I know I've had my share of questions. But who are we asking when we say these things anyway?

We are asking God. The one and only one who can truly deliver. But I have finally got it through my thick head that God has a perfect timing WHEN it will come. And nothing that I do or say will change that timing. I can get to what He has in store for me kicking and screaming, in fear, impatience, anger, doubt and worry, and confused or I can get there in peace. It is clear that nothing can stop God from doing things in our lives, if He so desires. There is a balanced side to this too because it is clear that WE can prevent God from moving in our lives. In Isaiah 59 1:2 and Jeremiah 5:25 say that our sins and iniquities can prevent things from happening in our lives. But in this article I'm talking to individuals who have done all they know to do (confessed sins and iniquities) and yet still haven't received their breakthrough.

Each time we ask a question like those I mentioned, I can tell you it always, always, always comes with some kind of struggle within. Some kind of frustration, worry, anxiety and fear. I discovered something that I think might help.

Let's say that someone wanted to get married. They have been thinking about it, wanting it, praying for it, letting others know that's what they want. Now let's say that God's timing is that they will find a mate in 3 years. This person can be frustrated, pushy, and angry, trying to meet someone, taking every step to find a mate, and being miserable and confused. But when that 3rd year came, they were blessed with a mate. This person could have enjoyed 3 years of single life, could have invested in others, could have gotten closer to the Lord, but instead they were consumed with finding a mate that robbed them from any blessing they could have gotten during that three year time frame. And, what this person manifested were sins and iniquities along the way that they had to keep confessing and receiving forgiveness for. If they remained in peace and faith, they would have enjoyed the trip! Now they've come to their 3rd year exhausted. It may be that God comes in the 12th hour of the 3rd year - that means "at the very last minute" and I believe it's because of all our grumbling and complaining. See the Israelites were going to the Promised Land and took a long time getting there because God didn't think they were ready. They did eventually get there, but their own sins and iniquities delayed the trip. I believe God knew it was going to take them 40 years because He knew ahead of time what their heart condition was even though that trip should have only taken 11 days! He knows us and so He knows when He will bring our breakthrough through to us.

We need to begin to live right where we are, in the moment we have. But if you are anything like I was, this came very hard. I wanted to MAKE things happen. I wanted to help God bring forth what I wanted, but I know why He doesn't allow our help. It's because He wants us to completely rely on Him and His provision alone. He doesn't want us to think WE DID anything to bring to pass what he already had planned for our lives. It tends to give us a "big head" and get spiritually puffed up, if you know what I mean. Remember in the Bible the story of the soldiers that went to fight their enemy but their hands were full? And not with a weapon either! God made sure that their victory wasn't from anything they did, but their victory came when they trusted God and God alone.

I recall when I would get my breakthrough in an area; I would try to think what I did that brought it about. I would think that perhaps I prayed that morning or I gave something to someone, or I acted right, or something that brought about that blessing. I wanted to "learn the formula" to use for other breakthroughs. But truthfully, there is no formula. No one knows God's timing and why He does things the way He does. Our job is to BELIEVE. (John 6:28-29) Trust that He is well aware of our situation and our times are in His hands. (Psalms 31:14-15)

What I'm saying is that God has a good plan for each of our lives and has special things already in mind for us to have, even has a the time and date! Manipulation, crying about it, trying to control everything will not bring it any faster. Once I started learning to be content with where I was, enjoying the glory I was in at that moment, I began seeing breakthrough after breakthrough because I was learning to be content and happy in every moment. Just as Paul said in Philippines 4:12 I know how to be content when things are abounding and when things are not. During this time it gave me opportunity to get to know God and His love in a deeper way for me. I was getting to know me better and love me correctly. I was conducting seminars to help others get to know God. Then one day, there it was, my breakthrough. I asked for it some time ago, believed God heard me the first time, and now I "patiently wait (endure)" until He brought it to pass.

God knows us through and through. He knows what we will do and when we will do it, that is why He knows how long it will take us to get to the place He can bless us with the answer. Much of the waiting is because God is waiting on us to make the right decisions in response to things happening. It's a testing time RIGHT before the breakthrough. We think nothing is happening because we don't "feel" anything or "see" anything but this is the most important part of ANY breakthrough. We are being tested to see if we trust Him in ALL things. Trust Him in all steps that lead to the end result. He wants us to be content and at peace before we get the answer just the same as when we get the answer. We might as well get with the program and just settle down in our lives and find the trust we need to let God be God. BUT, here's the big "BUT". We can only truly trust God when we truly know God. (To know someone is to become intimately acquainted with them.) We have to receive from Him His unconditional love for ourselves. Oh, we can see He loves us, He loves others, but to receive it unto ourselves is another thing all together. You don't know how many people say they love God but their lives are a mess! These two things cannot be so at the same time. If the person's life is a mess, they aren't receiving the Love of God; it's as simple as that. Then you ask, "How do I receive the Love of God?" I really can't tell you that, but I can tell you whom to ask. Ask God to show you how to receive His love. I say that I can't tell you that because He shows His love to each of us uniquely and where we are with what we need. The bible says that we have not because we ask not. He will respond to this request. He may show you things that have to be faced and dealt with along the way too, but that's because for His love to penetrate some of the things in the way have to go! Remember that nothing can separate us from the Love of God, Nothing! But what happens is that our own thinking makes it SEEM like His love isn't coming through, but it is and has been all along. It's like when we get saved. We are saved and we have eternal life in Heaven, but do we have it right now? No. We have to wait for it to manifest in our lives in the end and God has the exact appointed time for each of us. Same with anything else He wants to give us.

How can we stay in peace? By receiving God's Love through and through so we can trust Him through and through. When we trust Him thoroughly, we won't even ask any of these questions, we won't be in fear, we won't be worried or frustrated, we won't be judgmental or critical, we'll simply believe and wait upon Him to bring it.

Now for the flip side of all this. Yes, we have to wait on God but there is sometimes something He wants us to do. I had an issue come up at work that had been nagging at me for some time. I thought it was the devil, but it was God prompting me to go talk to this person. To speak the truth and share what was on my heart. For 5 months I kept pushing that down saying things like, "I don't want to offend her" or "Who am I to say anything?" and so on. But after 5 months it kept on and I was still miserable. I prayed, I cast out devils, I confessed any sin I could think of but that nagging feeling was still there. I had no peace in this area. So, one morning without THINKING myself out of it, I just went in and talked to her. Much to my surprise, she received my words graciously and was thankful I spoke to her. She did ask one thing, why did it take me so long to talk to her?

See if I would have been obedient to God, this would have resolved a long time ago. But here's our dilemma. We don't always know when it's God telling us to do something or when it is our own flesh? So we end up doing something that God told us not to THINKING it was God but in reality it wasn't. How do we know? Oh, we know when we do the thing and realize later it was the wrong thing. Don't we want to prevent the wrong thing from happening in the first place? I believe I have figured out, for me anyway, how to know when it IS God and when it isn't. If I go to God and confess any sin, forgive and receive forgiveness, and then wait on God YET the thing keeps on me, then I know to move. However, if God gives me a peace about the situation, even if things still aren't resolved, then I wait on Him to resolve it and keep my hands off. I found that in those situations someone else confronts or deals with the situation so I didn't have to. This is the toughest part of being a Christian I think because we all want to do what God wants us to do but sometimes we don't know what it is all the time. We all want a plan laid out in front of us. We want him to SPEAK to us verbally. But that's not now it goes. Otherwise we wouldn't need any faith. I found that when I think I heard from God and move forward, He WILL stop me if I moved incorrectly.

Getting to KNOW God intimately will help eliminate the need to KNOW when our breakthrough will come. We will simply STAND and TRUST and enjoy every minute of our lives as we WAIT for that breakthrough. Actually my friend, THIS is the breakthrough when you can wait patiently in trust.

INsight on Disease:

FOOD

No, food isn't a disease but to me it was a problem. We can get addicted to it, we use it to help us find comfort, we use it during religious ceremonies, we use it as an excuse to get people together, some of us have allowed food to control us. During this time of God dealing with issues in my life, Food has been one of them, so you're getting a Revelation "hot off the press".

I have gone through so much in deciding what is right and wrong for me to eat. I have those in ministry telling me one thing and I have health advocates telling me another. I tried both but both ways still was so confusing, it still wasn't settled in my heart and I still had a problem in that area. So one day I said to God, "Let me ask YOU what YOU think about all this." So that morning I opened up my bible to Romans 14.

I want to take you on a little bible study; the same one God took me on that day and I believe you too will be helped in this area if you've had problems like me.

Romans 14:1 (Amplified bible) "As for the man who is a weak, welcome him, but not to criticize his opinions. For one man believes he may eat anything while a weaker one limits his eating to herbs (vegetables.)" Boy this one really made me stop and think. I didn't want to be known as weak because I have a ministry and need to be strong. Then it hit me; "In my weakness HE is strong." It's a blessing to be in this state because God will complete where I lack. And I definitely want God in everything I do. The bible says, "without Him we can do nothing." I need Him and want Him in all things, so this is a good place to start. Then I read the next verse. "Let not him who eats look down on or despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains criticize and pass judgment on him who eats: for God has welcomed and accepted him." I began shouting for joy when I read this, as this was one of the factors that lead to my finding peace in this area of my life. Whether I choose to eat meat or not, doesn't hinder God from moving in my life or loving me as someone who can eat anything, we are received in God the SAME!!! You don't know how this freed me. Both are acceptable to God.

Then it goes on to talk about why judge each other in these areas, we are to accept and receive everyone just as God has for each of us. (Romans 14:10). Then the next freeing passage is Romans 14:14. Whatever I think is unclean is unclean. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks is unclean; it is what I think is unclean. To me this is a personal thing between God and us and that's exactly what this chapter is trying to get at. Because even though food has to be addressed, that isn't what life is all about! Romans 14:17 says, "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink but Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost. But let's not stop there but go on to the next verse, "He who serves Christ in this way (Kingdom living) is acceptable and pleasing to God and is approved by men." It's not what goes into the mouth; it's what really comes out of the heart. I remember when someone came to Jesus and said that the people aren't washing their hands before they eat. Jesus replied, "It's not what goes into the mouth that is unclean but what comes out." This is the same context we are talking about in this chapter. But look how many people have made LAWS regarding food. To eat or not to eat, that is the question. So let's answer that question right now once and for all. Romans 14:22-23 says it all, "But anyone who doubts (goes against his conscience) about eating it then eats it stands condemned before God because he is not being true to his convictions, for anything that is done without faith is sin." So, to eat or not to eat is between YOU and GOD alone! We aren't even to tell others what to eat, how do we know what their heart is between them and God? That's where the truth lies, not in what we eat but where is our heart WHEN we eat? This same principle holds true in every other area of lives. What is our heart condition IN that circumstance, what are we acting like WHILE waiting for our breakthrough. That's where the test is. Not before or after but during the waiting part.

I have seen tremendous change in the way I eat. It's no longer an ISSUE every time I open my mouth. I'm finding that faith is exercised when I eat. I'm even reaping the benefits of losing weight! See FOOD isn't our weight problems or our addiction problems, it's our HEART condition that is the problem. In the area of food, if I eat something in fear - saying something like, "I shouldn't be eating this" as I shove it in my mouth, that is SIN. And medically proven, if we eat with that state of mind our bodies cannot absorb the foods properly which causes all kinds of weight and health issues. So now when I decide to eat something like that, I on purpose say, "I will not fear but only believe." I eat it in faith and the affects of the food that use to cause me problems, no longer do.

My prayers are different before I eat now. I don't pray only to bless the food, I pray that I eat in faith.

PERSONAL REVELATION

Why am I feeling like this?

For the past three months or so I have been "under" something. Of course I knew it was God doing a work but I still wanted to know what He was doing. I felt a pressing against my mind, my head, to the point I had pains in my head. I was tired and felt lazy.

One evening while talking to a friend of mine on the phone, it was discovered. I told her my symptoms; I knew it had to be something spiritual but couldn't put my finger on it. As I bounced things off of her she told me that when she "feels" pressure or heaviness about her, that it was because of a decision she had to make. I thought for a minute and realized I had been planning to take a trip and ever since I decided to go that's when the pressure began. Well I was totally set free in moments because it wasn't a decision I had to make; it was a decision I made that God wanted me to change. I had no idea that's what it was, not until I shared my burden with my friend. So right then I said, "I'm not going." Within seconds, and I mean seconds, all heaviness had lifted, my joy was returned, my head stopped hurting, all pressure was gone! Instantaneously! It's interesting because the trip was to a Christian Seminar I knew would be a blessing, but for some reason it wasn't right for me to go. I knew I'd go sometime, but not at THIS time. I realized that even though we decide to do GODLY things, it might not be for US at that moment. We need to follow after the leading of the Holy Spirit and in my case he had to get my attention cause I wasn't hearing Him. I just thought I was supposed to go because it was a Christian thing to do.

Well the next day was a workday. I went to work as usual, feeling so much lighter inside my spirit and at peace and discovered by the end of the day that I had been more productive at work than I had been in a long long time. It's been a few weeks now, and I'm still as productive and enjoying my life!

So, being set free at that moment, also gave me a Holy Ghost boldness to confront, make decisions on things needing to have decisions made. Something else that had been going on in my life was that I had found myself complaining, grumbling, and talking about something I was going through, and had been for five months. I won't go into details about it, (I talked about it some in the previous article), but what happened was, I was "fearing" confronting someone with the truth. I didn't think it was my job to do it, but 5 months later, the same message was being sent to my brain. I thought I needed to listen. So I did. I spoke to this woman and she was so open and understanding and did what I suggested. For 5 months I endured this thing and all I had to do was obey God. See I thought I was obeying God by trying to ignore it, but each day the more I tried the more I cried out to God and complained. I kept asking God to change the situation, do something! But nothing ever happened. Because the truth was He wanted me to confront the person. God gave me the grace and compassion when I did finally speak to her, and what a change it has made. She had no idea that she was doing this thing and immediately stopped!

See I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but after I confronted her I was so at peace. The grumbling and mumbling stopped. And during this time, I had become very agitated by the people who were around me day in and day out. I didn't' understand. I even asked God one day, "Why am I so irritated by people around me, I've never been this irritated before?" Well after I confronted this person and told her a truth, the Lord told me, "It's because you didn't take care of the first thing I told you so all the other things began building up". But now that I did take care of that first one, the others aren't even an issue any longer!

TOM's TIDbits

YOU SAID!

This one phrase Tom and I laugh about even now, but when I was learning this revelation it wasn't very funny. Let me explain. Everything that Tom says to me, I make it to be a "law". If he waivers from it, I would get upset. One day he told me he was going to bring home a pizza. I was so ready for that pizza that by the time he got home, it was Chinese food. I was SOOO disappointed and was mumbling under my breath about him. But because I do practice what I preach and talking under my breath is a no no, I decided to talk to him about this. I told him I was upset in the fact that HE SAID he was bringing home a pizza and didn't. He said to me, "I didn't think it was a law, I simply wanted to eat something else." But I had made a law out of his words.

How many times do we say to people, "but you said"? I think we should turn that "but you said" to the word of God and begin believing it more than the words of others. Yes, we need to have truth in our words and walk with integrity, but people are human and don't always come through. But the Word of God always comes through.

Now that Tom and I have a grasp on this "you said" stuff and not keep each other BOUND to that any longer - we have been experiencing more joy and peace between us. Yes, we do do the things that we commit to to each other, but we no longer make a law out of every idle conversation we have. When he told me he was going to get a pizza, he just threw it out there that he would pick up dinner. I put it in my head that it was a pizza and only a pizza!

I've become more flexible in this now. And much to my surprise it has been exciting. Because now when things aren't what I think they should be, I enjoy the thing better than if I got what I wanted.

Needless to say, life is becoming very colorful.

GOD IS NOT IN A HURRY!

Then why are we? Everything we do is fast - well for some of us. The question is that if God is not in a hurry then whose characteristics are we taking on? You got it, the Devil's. He is always in a hurry. He even tries to go before God to mess up your blessings before you get them. He knows what God has in store for you. For example if He is sending you a spouse, the enemy will try to send you a counterfeit to destroy what God has planned for you. He's counting on the fact that you will be deceived by your own desire and ruin God's plans.

Another area is in resting. God even rested on the 7th day after all his work. I don't think we do that. Some of us go to church that day, but come home and work, work, work. I'm not saying not to do that because we do have so much we want to accomplish at times and one day a week is never long enough. But we have to take time to rest. There is a physical and spiritual reason for it. Cause if our physical is OUT OF WHACK our spiritual will be too because we'll be too tired and sick to be used of God.

Just this last weekend I finally got this revelation about rest. I had been running a hundred miles a minute from 5:30 a.m. - the moment I woke up - until that evening. The next day, which was Sunday, I woke up the same time with so many plans. I ran out of steam at 10:30 a.m. and couldn't even go to church! I sat on the couch and said to my husband Tom, "I'm exhausted". He suggested I go take a nap. I said, "never!" See I don't take naps and haven't since I was a child and even then I didn't, I faked it! Though by about 10:45 am. I was still sitting on the couch in a daze. I don't' recall feeling like that before. Then I decided to try the nap thing. I lay down until 2:00 p.m.! I woke up so refreshed, and was able to do a couple of little things around the house before nightfall. I said to Tom, "Wow, that was great, why didn't I think of that before?" Well, there is a reason for napping and resting. It allows our bodies to get the strength it needs to get ready for another week. And what's interesting is that the following week was great - I felt good - and got a lot more accomplished during that one week than I had in a long time. One of the accomplishments was in finishing this month's Newsletter. I believe for a fact that nap gave me what was needed to equip me to write the newsletter and many other things I needed to do. Believe me, I needed all the rest I could get because that week was a doozie!

What has resting have to do with not being in a hurry? Allot. We don't rest because we want to accomplish all our stuff. I'm learning that by resting at least one day a week, makes no difference what day, just pick one to rest on, it will prepare us for the things we have to face the next week. We may have to confront people; we may have a new circumstance come up in our lives and without that added rest may make wrong decisions.

Let me share this with you. It doesn't mean you can't WORK or do anything at all on that day. But rest during that day and even during the tasks before you. That nap I took was only 3 hours long (which was a long nap for me) but then I did get up and had the strength to complete some of the tasks I wanted to complete. It's not a sin to do things on your day of rest as long as during that day you find time to rest! Don't get back under any laws, but you need to obey the law of your body needing rest. We are wearing ourselves out and by the time we retire, we'll be too tired to enjoy it! Remember the revelation I shared earlier about Food? Same scripture applies. If you DO anything on a day you BELIEVE (think) you shouldn't then don't, otherwise it is not done in faith and IS sin.

A Friend I've Never Met!

I have been so blessed with this ministry to meet so many wonderful people over the Internet. People I may never see in person, but have become dear friends with. You, who are reading this article, may be one who I've been corresponding with, it's people like you who cause me to want to go on!

This article is about someone specific that I have met not too long ago. We began corresponding about some things, and it was so wonderful, because one of the topics we were corresponding about we both had different opinions about. The nice thing about it is that we didn't judge or condemn or criticize each other's view, we shared our views and now both have left it up to God. We have since been corresponding about many other things.

Just recently I'd been going through some changes in my life, as you well know, and during that time we were corresponding. My life is pretty much an open book when I email people and I share personal things as I go along. This particular person read between the lines and asked. "Are you OK?" (See we are beginning to work on a book together and so we will be in contact more often than normal.) But this is what I wrote back:

Hello there: I've not been on line for a few days. And yes, I'm in the process of working on my newsletter. Pray for me as I've got the "lazies" in finishing it. Love ya. Linda

Her response was:

"I'll do more than pray. You don't have the "lazies" you've got fear. Let me tell you something, my friend. My life has radically; significantly changed because of the truth you bring. I'm still battling everything in the world but I am so filled with joy now that I couldn't even express it. When you write your newsletter, know that there are so many people just like me that need the truth you share. With every word you write you set people free. Don't let the devil steal that from you, from us, from God. Don't let him tell you that nobody is affected. I'm affected, we're affected, God is touched and His heart sings because you care enough to share the truth. I know what sharing the truth means. It often comes with criticism, the devil beating on you, rejection, and you name it. But what you do, what you share SAVES LIVES. Get that, Linda; you don't give people fun facts. You give them a truth, God's truth that saves their bodies, their souls, their minds, and their spirits. Do you realize how much God trusts you to entrust you with such truth? Sit down now. Don't get emotional, get courage. Take in the Spirit of God and ask Him to write His truth. Thank Him for trusting you. Thank Him for setting so many of us free. Then write His truth knowing how privileged you are to be a messenger of His truth. Go write the best newsletter you ever wrote. Now, go, set the captives free in the name of Jesus. As Kozak would say, "Who loves you, baby?" We all do!"

I was so blessed by her encouragement and truthfulness. I, too, need to be fanned from time to time and I'm so glad she felt free to share the truth with me. I received it with gladness and have been blessed from it. Jesus said, "Here in ye know that ye are my disciples IF ye have love one for another." I believe my sister expressed love toward me, and I believe the reason she felt she could be honest is because she has felt love back from me! I believe that people can't truly be honest with each other when there is a lack of love. The reason I didn't confront that lady in my earlier article was because I had fear. I didn't know her, I didn't know how she was going to react, we didn't have a close personal relationship where I had learned to trust her, that's why it was HARD. When we are in a loving relationship with people we know it's easy to tell the truth!

Don't think for one minute that because I teach and help people I am free from things in this world. I'm not. I have the same circumstances that some of you have, I have the same things to face and confront as some of you have. And from time to time I need someone's shoulder to cry on, someone to pray for me too. I thank those of you who are praying for me and this ministry. I pray you continue to pray for the outpouring of the spirit to touch more lives. I pray also that all of you take what God is doing in your lives and be a blessing to others by simply walking in the truths you have learned.

A LAM Meeting!

This month I held a meeting at a friend's house that I've known for about 20 years. I had another close friend with me as well, along with a new friend I just met the previous month. The meeting was a small group but it didn't matter, we continued with the meeting as planned.

Not really knowing what God was going to do, I began the teaching. As we progressed and began having small discussions, we began focusing on my friend, the one who was holding the meeting. And before we knew it, she was being set free from something she had been going through and never even knew she had a problem in. She commented that she was glad the group was small because God knew she needed a breakthrough. We were all blessed and learned so much that day.

The next day I wanted to talk with her to see how she was doing. I called her home and her husband answered. He said this to me, "She is a changed woman, can you come back every week?" I was so blessed and I know he is too. The next day my friend wrote this to me:

"I have been set soooo freeeee that I'm just bursting with JOY!!!! God ALWAYS knows who should be at these meetings, so my waiting until the last minute to commit more to come worked for "the good"!

See my friend is in ministry too and was hoping to be a blessing to those in her home. However, she had procrastinated in inviting people so those that came were those I invited. As it turned out, we became a blessing to her and she was so delighted on how God did it. I'm looking forward to great things from her!

Scripture of the Month

Exodus 14:13-15

It is a long passage so I suggest you read it for yourself, but here is the gleanings in a nut shell. Don't worry about the things of the past, those things have no power over you. Wait on God and His salvation and in the meantime quit crying and complaining, but keep your eyes ahead and GO FORWARD!

In other words, GO FORWARD. Leaving everything behind and pressing on.

Are LAM Seminars coming your way?

I am in the process of scheduling the 2002 Seminar and meeting dates. If you would like to have one in your area, please let me know and I'll see if it can be arranged. The seminars can last from 4 hours to 8 hours. If I travel in from a distance, the 8 hours or 2-day seminars are best. LAM's headquarters is in California.

Meetings Scheduled so far:

Sacramento - May 25th
Pioneer - June 1st

Please call at (530) 620-2712 for more information on these seminars or to plan one in your area.

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