Encouragement

Thought for the week...

Determine

In anything that we do, we must be willing to give it our all. We must be tenacious, giving
heed to the set course of action, and control the tendencies to move from the path
outlined. It is a given that there will be challenges and obstacles that will present
themselves. Situations will arise and attempt to hinder the desired outcome of the task
at hand, but it is important that we understand where the opposition is coming from and
how to handle it. One of the greatest hindrances is procrastination.
 
Procrastination has the ability to derail one’s plans and mindset. It will have you put off
the task for a day, and before you know it, weeks and months have passed by and the
task remains undone. We all, at one time or another, have fallen prey to the spirit of
procrastination, but it is imperative that we recognize it as such and make the decision to
press forward to complete that which we started. In order to do so, we must:

- review the action plan, verifying the steps to be taken;

- resolve ourselves to remain diligent and focused;

- adjust our schedule, taking into consideration situations that may arise;

- bind any outside influences, being careful not to open the door to the adversary;

- dispose of ideologies that don’t pertain to the task;

- resist the tendency to want to please people;

- and most important of all, continue to be led by the Lord, adhering to the wisdom He imparts.

Listen and take heed…

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for
that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger],
seeking someone to seize upon and devour. Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his
onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], knowing that the same
(identical) sufferings are appointed to your brotherhood (the whole body of Christians)
throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8-9 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought for the week...

Strength

‍No one wants to appear fragile, frail, and impotent and/or under pressure to the point
that they are not able to physically and/or spiritually handle the circumstances and
situations that are presented before them.
 
As a believer, or should I say some believers especially dislike appearing as though they
are weak. In and of ourselves, we are not able to endure the attacks/hardships of this
world that we so easily find ourselves faced with. The Word of God tells us that there is
no good thing in our flesh; the Apostle Paul states that the good that he wants to do
he finds himself not doing, and that which he doesn’t want to do he finds himself doing.
Why? Because the sin nature dwells within. It is only when we stop trying to do things in
our own stead that will we realize that the quality/state of being strong lies within our
ability to rely on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. It is only when we
allow the Holy Spirit to be our influence that He will provide us with the aptitude, vigor,
force, courage, power, and authority to remain strong and endure the attacks and
challenges of the adversary. With that being said, let’s willingly admit that we are weak
and surrender that weakness to God, so that we can be empowered to endure and
remain fixed and stable under the onslaught of the adversities presented before us.

Listen and take heed…

My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against
any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power
are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your]
weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought for the week...

Refuge Ii

‍Somehow, we get it twisted; we think that because we’re saved that we’ll never go
through adversities. There’s nowhere in God’s Word that says we won’t go through
adversities. It does say, however, that we are to count it all joy when we go through
divers temptations. And if we are told to count it all joy, then that means that we’re being
provided the assistance needed.

God knows that in our humanness we are not able to stand up under the adversities
and adversarial onslaughts of everyday life. So, He provided the Holy Spirit to help us,
strengthen us, counsel us, standby us, intercede for us, and advocate on our behalf.
Even in midst of the challenging circumstances and situations we face, we can be
aided, if we call upon and receive the assistance that the Holy Spirit provides. It is in the
sanctuary, the Presence of God, that we will be kept, protected, hedged in, hidden,
covered, anchored, harbored, preserved, shielded, and provided asylum. So, the next
time that we are plagued by the adversarial challenges, circumstances and situations,
all we need do is call upon the name of the Lord, run into His Sanctuary and receive the
comfort and respite care that it provides.

Listen and take heed…

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in
right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong. (Proverbs
18:10 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

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Thought for the week...

‍Refuge

‍As long as we have breath in our bodies we will be susceptible to the circumstances
and situations of this world. More than not, it seems as though as soon as we come out
of one situation we are faced with another one, and at times the situation can be so
devastating that we may find ourselves hard pressed to forge ahead.
No matter what we go through, we must not give up hope, but rely on and trust that God
is aware of every scenario that will come up against us. In fact, in the midst of the
situation He is yet protecting us, covering us, hedging us in, and providing us shelter so
that the adversity doesn’t conqueror us. Even when we are in the desert places of our
life, God provides relief for us so that we do not become overly parched by the situation
and brings us up and out, better than when we went in. His promise is true; no weapon
formed against us will prosper. It is imperative that we learn to trust God, retreating to
and abiding in His Presence. It is in His Presence where we’ll find joy and be able to
praise and worship Him in spite of that which we’re going through. So, the next time that
we are faced with adverse situations, we can run into the sanctuary of the Most High
and sing, sing, sing knowing that this too is working toward our good.

Listen and take heed…

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under
the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord,
He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

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Thought for the week...

Confident

Have you ever been so sure of something that you can accomplish it without giving it much thought? Why is that? The more you do something, the more you are able to master the task. Practice makes perfect. Each time you begin that particular task, your mind automatically kicks into gear because it knows the intricate details and it tells your hands what needs to be done.

Well, as a born again believer, we have the full assurance of the Father that His Word is true; and the more we adhere to it (and) do what it says, the more we will increase our belief in Him and the ability of His Word to perform that which He says it will accomplish. Practice makes perfect. With each step we take in being a doer of the Word, adhering to it's principles and precepts, we are exercising our belief in it and learning that we are able to walk by faith. For sure, life is difficult and there are some obstacles that we’ll face that seem impossible to overcome; but when we put our trust in God and the ability of the Holy Spirit to assist us, we’ll be able to move forward even if it’s with shaking knees. And we are able to do so because we have firsthand knowledge, not in our strength, but in the Holy Spirit, that He’ll strengthen us for this task just as He did in other tasks that He helped us with. So, the next time that we are faced with a task and/or situation that seems insurmountable, all we need do is remember that if God allows anything to come before us, He has already given us the victory over it.

Listen and take heed…

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. (Philippians 1:6 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought for the week...

Joy

The longer we live this life, the more we will experience times of sadness, frustration, weariness, tiredness, and a lack of zeal. Some days, it appears as though our zippy do dah has got up and left, and we can find no reasoning behind it's disappearance. We must be mindful that we do not allow a spirit of depression and oppression to settle in, for it will attempt to have us wallow in the land of despair and steadily chip at our knowledge of God’s love.

God is aware of everything that we are going through and His promises remains true. No weapon formed against us will prosper, and if He is for us, then He is more than the world against us. There may be times when we feel like we can’t get a prayer through or (don't) even feel like praying. And there will be times when we don’t feel like reading God’s Word, but we must press through. The adversary is cunning to say the least; he knows every trick there is to weaken us and sabotage our faith. And guess what, he doesn’t care who you are. The greater the work we’re doing for the Lord, the greater the attacks. No matter what we are going through, it is imperative that we remain in relationship with God, expressing our feeling to Him and allowing His loving truth, peace, grace, and tender mercy to reign in us.

Listen and take heed…

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 — AMP)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought for the week...

Thirst II

We’ve all experienced times when we have been so parched that our throats felt as though they were closing and our tongues sticking to the roof our mouth. We do a disservice to our bodies when we allow ourselves to become dehydrated; and, if we don’t take immediate action to rehydrate ourselves, we run the risk of harming our bodies, sometimes beyond repair.

 So in the natural, so in the spirit! We must not allow ourselves to be depleted of our spiritual fluids/nutrients because, eventually, the characteristics and actions of our unregenerate lifestyle will surface. And when that happens, we become weakened and lack the strength or stamina to keep ourselves hedged in from the advances of the adversary. Therefore, it is imperative that we continually seek after God, eating His Word and drinking from His wellspring of life, which supplies us with the appropriate amount of nutrients and fluids to keep us hydrated and protected from being taken hostage by the adversary.

Listen and take heed…

Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation, Since you have [already] tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord. (1 Peter 2:2-3— AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought for the week...

Thirst

When we have been without any fluids for a considerable amount of time, our mouths begin to feel as though they are full of cotton and even our own saliva doesn’t bring any relief. We must remember that if we go without fluids for too long, we become dehydrated and run the risk of our organs being depleted of that which they need to function and eventually shutting down.

So in the natural, so in the spirit! If the born again believer does not remain in close relationship with God, hydrating themselves with the fluids/nutrients of His Word, they run the risk of becoming dehydrated. If we fail to take the necessary steps to keep ourselves hydrated, we will afford the adversary access which he has long been waiting on. With that being said, we must continue to hunger and long for the true and living God, and keep ourselves hydrated with His Word so that we have the needed strength to ward off the advances of the adversary and fulfill that which God has called us to do - live holy and upright and minister to a dying and lost world, one person at a time.

Listen and take heed…

Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born-again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied! (Matthew 5:6— AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

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Thought for the week...

Restore

If you’ve ever watched any of the HGTV programs that work with housing, you’ll see where they will take an old or new house and revise it. In most cases, they’ll tear down the existing structure that is rotted or worn and return it to its original state or better.

Well, Jesus is the chief cornerstone, our architect, and He sees all that has been stained, marred, chipped, worn down, corroded and infected by sin. And, when we surrender our life to Jesus, our conscience will become alive to righteousness. The Holy Spirit will help us, strengthen us, standby us, counsel us, intercede for us and advocate on our behalf. He knows where the cracks and crevices are located in our conscience, where the enemy will attempt to infest our intellect. He knows exactly where to place the supporting beams of God’s Word to keep us. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we continually stay in the presence of God so that we are able to overcome the advances of the adversary, remain spiritually healthy and be the conquerors that God says that we are.

Listen and take heed…

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning [to Me] and resting [in Me] you shall be saved; in quietness and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength. (Isaiah 30:15 — AMPC) 

I am going to bring it recovery and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. (Jeremiah 33:6 — NRSV)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

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Thought for the week...

‍Grace

God’s Righteousness at Christ’s expense is available to everybody. God states in His Word that the wages of sin is death. It also states that He would have all men to be saved and come unto repentance, but there are some who don’t want it. They would rather wallow in the filth and trenches of sin, pleasing their flesh, than receive the free gift of salvation, that which is able to save their soul.

Now before we open our mouth or even think to say why, we must remember that we, prior to accepting Christ as our personal Savior, also dilly-dallied in sin, pleasing our flesh. We didn’t think about or even consider the penalty of sin because we didn’t think that the way we were living was sinful. However, the moment that an individual hears the Word of God—through a friend, TV, church, in passing, or by the nudging of God—their mind/heart becomes open and they can no longer say that they don’t know. God is so awesome that He extends His mercy—compassionate benevolence—to everybody so that they can become a recipient of His favor and goodwill. His loving kindness is beyond measure and affords us the opportunity to be forgiven of our sins and become His child. However, if an individual refuses the free gift of salvation, they will spend eternal damnation with Satan, burning in the lake of fire. Therefore, it behooves each and every person to take advantage of God’s free gift of salvation and be assured that they will spend eternity with Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit.

Listen and take heed…

For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this[salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] (Ephesians 2:8-9 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.