I was out running errands today and I drove by the Islamic Center of Tennessee in Antioch, TN. I feel much like I do when I drive by the Palm reading place… compelled to pray. I don’t hate the people who come here. On the contrary, I love them. I want them all the meet Christ and find true love, joy, peace and freedom!
Islamic Center of Tennessee in Antioch, TN
Muslims around the world are saying that Jesus is appearing to them in dreams and visions and they are converting to Christianity. Christ brings true love, peace and joy. I am praying today that the people who enter this Islamic Center who are truly seeking God, that they will seek there and be unfulfilled until they find Christ.
The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. We all can’t go to the Middle East and frankly, we don’t need to because the religion of Islam has come to us. We don’t fight this with flesh and blood but this is a spiritual battle and it will be won in the spirit as we pray. Pray with me that people seeking God as they enter this Islamic Center will be dissatisfied until they meet the one true God, Jesus Christ. He truly is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man goes to Father God but through Christ. (John 14:60)
God, use me to love people to Christ. Let me speak the words of Christ and may the power of God transform lives in the Kingdom of God. Lift the veil of deception and let the Truth of the Gospel of Christ be heard, understood and received but Muslims seeking God. ~Amen
Praying several scriptures over my own life today. I am amazed that as long as I have walked with Christ and as much scripture that I have memorized and continue to pour into my life…even doing my best to live a life of “praying continually”, I STILL HAVE TO WRESTLE WITH MY FLESH and make it SUBMIT to God’s WORD!
Skinny pics on my fridge… for inspiration and not condemnation!
Several years ago (probably 10 years ago now!) I had some pictures on my refrigerator of various things I had done in years past. A precious friend of mine was at my house one day, stopped to look at those pictures and I haven’t forgotten what she said.
“Wow, you look so good in this picture. You were so skinny. Vanessa, you have just GOT to get back to this weight.”
I’m not sure why loving friends think statements like that are “encouraging” or somehow they will be the poke or prod that will cause you to take whatever drastic measures necessary to get back to their subjective idea of an “ideal” weight. Instead of inspiring me, it was yet another knife in the heart of my own struggle and it became words that would wound me as the enemy would bring them to my mind repeatedly through the years.
I am so happy to say that though I still have to work on my personal health/wellness and have embraced the fact that I will probably always be working to lose weight, I decided all those years ago… in the midst of hurtful words from people who love me… that I would LIVE and LIVE my life FULLY. Just as I am.TODAY. I don’t have many pictures from my life from the age of about 26 – 30ish. I didn’t like what I looked like and so I did my best to stay away from the lens of a camera. I miss the memories of those years. I wish I could have embraced my life for what it was… for WHO I WAS… and just lived life fully, with abandon, but I didn’t. I let the words of other people wound me. I let the expectations (real or perceived) of others keep me down. WORDS and THOUGHTS were my biggest enemy. PRAISE GOD! for victory over the lie of the enemy.
I choose to live my life fully and “cast down” every thought that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. What I know to be true is that I am loved by God. God is not waiting for me to be perfect before He LOVES me. He just loves me and says, “I’ll walk this road with you and help you be the BEST Vanessa that you can be… that’s how I planned it and I’m going to walk with you and make sure my plans and purposes are fulfilled BECAUSE you are praying “Father, YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done” and I will answer your prayer!”
Me today… and I truly LOVE who GOD has created me to be! *Christmas 2012*
The more we pray in the spirit, the stronger the Holy Spirit is inside of us. The less we pray, the stronger the FLESH (wrong thoughts) is and our little spirit is crying out for strength… pray in the spirit and let the HOLY SPIRIT be strong in you. I am reminding myself of this today because I feel like I have been under attack in my mind the last few days. Even in the midst of VERY GOOD things, the enemy can get us distracted. As Christians, the easiest way to get distracted from God’s plan, which is BEST, is to stop when things are simply GOOD. Keep pressing on…. the BEST is God’s plan. Don’t get distracted by the good… keep pressing on for GOD’S BEST! Don’t let the enemy defeat you in your mind. Cast down the lie and embrace the TRUTH!
God… let this scripture consume me and fill me today.
2 CORINTHIANS 10: 1-
10 By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
7 You are judging by appearances.[a] If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ, they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.
I drive by this Psychic Reading place almost every day. At night, this sign is lit up and I wonder how many people driving down Old Hickory Blvd who are lost, their life spinning out of control, are drawn into this place in their search for Truth and something greater than their own strength.
Power of Prayer
Not even a mile down the road is the church that I attend, Christ Church Nashville. We hear stories of people driving down Old Hickory Blvd and feeling compelled to come into the church where they can find God’s true salvation, divine healing, deliverance and supernatural strength for living .
The spirit world is the same — there is the REAL Holy Spirit with supernatural power of God and then there is a counterfeit through evil spirits that ultimately leads to death. God warns us not to seek the counterfeits (psychics, horoscopes, astrology,hypnosis,se’ances, divination, card reading,etc. ) but to SEEK HIM and HE will show you his will through the infilling and leading of the HOLY SPIRIT.
We must RENOUNCE any activity or group that denies Christ or offers guidance through any source other than the absolute authority of the Bible, the Word of God. In Leviticus 20:6, it says ” As for the person who turns to mediums and spiritists… I will also set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.” In Corinthians 4:2, Paul says they “renounced” the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the TRUTH commending to every man’s conscience in the sight of God”.
Renouncing means to “speak off one’s self” or it can be translated to “command away”, to take strong VERBAL action to REJECT, CUT OFF, TOTALLY DISOWN and/or BREAK ALL LEGAL RIGHT of something.
Today I simply share with you the general prayer I say when I drive by this place:
I RENOUNCE YOU, PSYCHIC READINGS and FALSE GUIDANCE. I BREAK YOU OFF IN JESUS NAME. Let this business close and the life of the ones who own and work at this business be saved through Christ, the LIVING Truth and let those who seek TRUTH here continue to seek the TRUTH until they find JESUS!
We must renounce any activity or group that denies Christ or offers guidance through any other way that the guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT through the authority of the Bible, the Word of God.
If you have participated in any of these activities and you would like to be free from them, simply pray to Christ and renounce your involvement in these things. Ask God to bring to mind anything and everything that you have done knowingly or unknowingly that involves occult, cult or non-Christian practices and allow GOD to set you FREE by renouncing them and submitting your life to the LORDSHIP of Jesus Christ!
I don’t know Ashley Judd personally. Though she is a very well-known actress & humanitarian as well as being a part of the famous country music “Judds” family, around Nashville, many people here simply speak of her as someone they went to school or church with when they were growing up. I can’t explain to you fully why I am compelled to pray for her today but know that my prayers for her are sincere, wrapped in love, mercy, grace and many tears. She is deeply loved by God and my prayers for her today are simply that God’s will and desires for her be fulfilled.
Ashley Judd on a humanitarian visit in Africa. This woman has a HUGE heart to help people.
God, you are the one who shined a light on Ashley so that my heart would be moved with compassion to pray for her. I can’t even express all that is inside me as I am starting to pray for her. I feel your love for her and your deep desire to reveal the TRUTH of Christ to her. She is so smart and is a sincere seeker of the Truth. I pray that she doesn’t stop searching until she finds The Truth.
John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
And as she searches for the Truth, send kind, merciful, loving witnesses of Christ along her path. Show her signs and wonders that will reinforce your greatness and sovereignty as God. Speak to her in dreams. Reveal yourself to her as only you know best to do. You see behind the physical person and see the heart.. you see her spirit that is truly searching for you. In Jer. 29:13 your WORD says “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”I believe that Ashley is seeking you…let the day come quickly that she finds you and finds the divine REST for her soul and PURPOSE for her PASSION in life.
Ashley and Pastor Dan on a movie set in the Nashville area in the fall of 2012.
Your will be done in Ashley Judd’s life. Her story is just beginning!
Thank you Jesus for your love for this precious woman and your relentless desire for her to know you more fully.
