Do you listen to God when He talks to you? Sometimes when we hear God, but it’s not what we expected or what we want to hear, we tend to not listen to it or say that it can’t be from God. But I encourage you not to look at it like that. When God speaks to us, it’s for a reason. When we listen to God it shows that we believe Him and His Word. God does not want to hurt us or make us suffer. He DOES want our faith to grow, and if we have no challenges there will be no spiritual growth.

My challenge to you is to think on the promises that God put in your heart. Check your faith. Are you living in faith or living in fear?

Proverbs 1:33 “But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”

Charletta Adams is a writer and Professional Life Coach. You can check out the rest of her blogs at www.charlettaadams.blogspot.com

I’m currently studying the book of James and this verse keeps coming to my mind. 2012 has a lot of trials for me and people close to me. There have been times when I wanted to give up on every single promise that God has put in my heart. It gets so discouraging sometimes when you’re praying, believing, crying and doing everything that you’re supposed to do, and you still haven’t reached your destiny yet. Every day that it doesn’t come you get more and more anxious.

I’m here to tell you. Please do not give up! All of these tests and trials and tribulations are doing such amazing and wonderful things to you, inside and out. Even if you don’t see it at this moment, your aha moment will come. There have been so many moments when I look back on things that I either wanted so badly, and I didn’t get it. I ended up getting something better! I still struggle with patience and waiting for all of my promises. But now I praise God for his timing and I pray for grace to accept His timing. Waiting is not always easy or fun but if you notice, the verse says “when he stood the test” not “if”. The tests are coming! How you react will determine the outcome.

Charletta Adams is a Writer, Speaker and Professional Life Coach. You can check out the rest of her blogs at www.charlettaadams.blogspot.com

OK, I have been fairly quiet about the new show on TLC called, “The Sisterhood.” For those who have not heard about it, it is a reality show that follows Christian women who are 1st Ladies of their churches. Being that the show is on TLC and not TBN, you can imagine that the focus of the show is not on evangelism. I have been quiet about it because I wanted to hear what others had to say first and I also wanted to watch a few episodes of it before I come to any decision on how I feel about such a show and how the families are portrayed. I must say, my first reaction was not as hostile or judgmental as others, judging from the tweets I have read. Donnie McClurkin tweeted, “Why do we support such things like TLC’s “SISTERHOOD” showing the underbelly of 1st ladies, hurting the church image, giving God a bad name?” My answer to that is, when did we as the Kingdom of God become God’s PR firm? I know we must be a good example of Christians in our daily lives and seek to bring glory to God but at the same time, a person being transparent isn’t blasphemy. I think the real issue is people who say they are Christians and live one way in public, yet live another way in private. We don’t have to worry about “The Sisterhood” giving God a bad name; we Christians have been doing that for years. When we have scandals of pastors being pedophiles or having extra marital affairs, televangelists misusing donated funds or deceiving “faith-healers,” we profane the name of the Lord. This show showing bad tempered women who may be lacking in evangelistic skills is not high on my “panic button” list. Why not the outrage when the poor are fleeced by shady shepherds? Why no petition against pedophiles and whoremongers on TV and in Gospel music? I have learned much from the short time this reality show has been on the air. I’ve learned that when God allows a mirror to be placed in the face of the religious, instead of a reflection we prefer a masterpiece painting.

NAMI | The Sandy Hook Elementary School Tragedy; NAMI Statement Includes Trauma Resources.

The holidays are here once again! This is my favorite time of the year (and not just because my birthday is coming) :)  I love everything that the holidays are supposed to be. The family time, cooking, shopping, baking, even the decorating! The past few years have been difficult for me at this time of year, being single and not always having the spirit. I did things for my kids and with my friends, but it wasn’t the same as when I was married. I think about the holidays when I was growing up and I have such great memories! I grew up in upstate NY and to say it was cold is an understatement! We had snowdrifts up to my waist. But as a kid of course I didn’t care about the cold. In fact I loved it!(unless I had to shovel…lol) My brother and I would stay outside as long as possible, making snow angels, attempting to build a snow forte, snow ball fights, and sledding. Frozen feet, and hands, didn’t make a bit of difference as long as we were having fun. It was so great! My mom and grandma would make all this awesome food from scratch and spent days in the kitchen getting ready. My mom would save bread forever for her homemade stuffing and I used to think she was so weird!!
My parents also loved to decorate! Now I don’t mean Clarke Griswold decorating, but there were a lot of lights! As another season comes, I will try to make amazing memories for my children. I hope that when they grow up, they know that Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are not just about getting gifts, black Friday shopping, and eating until we can’t move. I want them to know that it’s about giving as well. She would also volunteer at shelters and food kitchens. I didn’t appreciate her sacrifice then, but I do now, and I try to instill it in my kids as well. Jesus Christ came to serve. Mark 10:45(NKJV) says For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Giving thanks to God every single day for all that we have and all that we’ve been through is very important to me. Giving our time, talent, and treasure is not just a statement. It’s a reality for us. Giving to people less fortunate than us is something that you can’t put a price on. Let’s all remember that serving is not just about once a year, but all year long.

Charletta Adams is a life coach and public speaker. Her blog is regularly on www.thegodlife.net and www.charlettaadams.blogspot.com

Last night I took my final exam for Algebra class. Unfortunately, I failed. I only got 66% correct. It’s sad because I thought I did a good job. I remembered every equation I needed to know to get the work done yet I still failed the test. Have you been there? I’m sure we all have been there on an academic level but let’s talk about the spiritual level. A test comes into your life and you go into it thinking you are prepared for what is to come and when you get to the end you are surprised to find that you failed the test.

My problem with my Algebra was not paying attention to detail. I missed a decimal here or an integer there and failure followed. If we fail to pay attention to the details in our life we may find ourselves failing test after test. For example, a man with an addiction, when faced with temptation, can fall if he doesn’t pay attention to the little details of his personal character that causes him to find himself in the wrong places to be tempted. We all have the potential to fall into sin but we also have the potential to see and correct the flaws that are in us so we can circumvent the action of sin. Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28, “You have heard that it was said to the people in the old days, ‘You shall not commit adultery’. But I say to you that every man who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her – in his heart.” In other words the flaw in character is made plain once the thought enters the mind.

The challenge is to take that thought captive and expel it once it is recognized. Many would let the thought linger and treat it as a small thing or no big deal. However, Song of Solomon 2:15 teaches us that it is the “little foxes” who spoil the vine. You may ask yourself, “How can I pass the course?” It’s simple. Faith: Faith in Jesus that He is the Only Begotten Son of God; faith in the forgiveness of God through the Sons shed blood, and the realization that the course is not over and you can still pass. This walk is a process and the blood of Jesus has given us grace to carry us through as the Holy Spirit works on us. Now let me go back to the test I spoke about in the beginning. The funny thing about that test that I failed is, I actually passed the course! The failure wasn’t enough to destroy my hopes of passing the class itself. Just because you failed the test does not mean that it is over for you. It does not mean that you are automatically going to hell. In fact, when you repent of your sin, God is faithful to forgive you and your overall grade is changed. Did you make a mistake yesterday? There’s good news; God has allowed you to see a new day. Allowing you to right the wrongs, repent and move on. In other words, you may have failed the test but there is still time to pass the course.

Pastor Gilyard

Darrell Gilyard, a registered sex offender was allowed to return to the pulpit at a Jacksonville Church.  Gilyard plead guilty to molesting underage girls at Shiloh Baptist church in 2009.  The church he currently ministers in (Christ Tabernacle M.B. Church) has been barred from allowing children to attend their services.  His new position has drawn protests from the New Black Panther Party and some area pastors.

Is this right?  Should a man who has done such thing be permitted to lead a congregation?  I understand God is a God of second chances but is this going to far?

Report: Church banned children from services after registered sex offender returned to the pulpit.

Big Daddy Weave – Redeemed

Our video of the week is Big Daddy Weave, Redeemed.  This song is the number one Christian Song in America according to Billboard.  This is a beautiful song that we hope will brighten your day!