June Newsletter: Follow His Footsteps... June 01 2017

Our June Newsletter

Happy June and Happy Father's Day from God-Driven-Designs! Aside from Father's Day, we're celebrating summer at the end of the month and we pray traveling grace and mercies as people take their summer breaks and vacations.  We rebuke the demons of sudden demonic attacks.

In this month's issue we cover:

Our June Message: Follow His Footsteps; Our June Prayer; Pentecost Sunday Video with Joel Scriptures

Music Moments: Bonafide Praisers: This House;  Temple of Deliverance Women's Choir: Breakthrough

Music Spotlight: Dad/Daughter Acapella Version of Hillsong: What a Beautiful Name

Need a Word? Bishop TD Jakes:  Eccles 7:9 God Wants You to be Stable, Consistent, Not Moved 

Upcoming Events: Rod Parsley's Dominion Camp Meeting;  TD Jakes's Megafest

News: Father and Son Get College Diplomas Together; Kids Discuss Father's Day: Fatherless to "Fatherfull"

LOL: 25 Gifts Not to Get Dad This Father's Day

Let's do this...

 

OUR JUNE MESSAGE 

Follow His Footsteps...

   

Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9

In the Bible, Jesus had to teach the disciples about who He was and what He stood for. He had to take these men how to become fishers of men, but also how to love and how to use His Words and make them manifest. He also had to teach them about love and the power of God's Words. Remember, the disciples didn't grow up with Bibles. Jesus was the Living Word which became flesh and dwelt among them. They had to learn a lot about their emotions. Look at Simon Peter who cut the soldier's ear off in a rage? What about Peter who was afraid when he started to fall in the water or doubting Thomas who had to touch Jesus's wounds after he arose from the dead. As we grow in Christ, we have to manage our emotions as we draw away from the flesh and grow closer to Christ in our love walk because Christ wants us to walk in love. 

 

 

Don't be angry with your mouth

Let's look at anger. Anger can take you into situations you can't get out of. Sometimes we lash out in frustration or we just let loose and say whatever we want but the Word says to slander no one. Anger can be deeply rooted and cause bitterness and depression leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death. Sometimes we're too confrontational or we internalize and we don't have healthy exchanges because we can't be understood. We're living in a world where the devil is doing all he can to make people feel like they don't matter. The devil is making people lash out in anger over the loss of jobs, loss of livelihood, and not being able to make ends meet. We have to be polite on the job and then we take it out on people we love at home making everyone miserable because we're so frustrated. 

When Jesus taught His disciples, the goal was to get them to become more Christ-like, not world-like, as the church (bride) has to be ready for the bridegroom (Jesus) to return. The Bible also wants the husband to love a wife and for families to love one another and for us all to get along, but therein lies the problem. How do we love like Christ in a world that is inciting violence at every angle?

TD Jakes had a very good sermon on anger that we've included in our newsletter. Remember, the devil wants us to stay in the flesh, tied up in emotions, frustrated, angry, and fighting. Why? If we're caught up in the flesh, we can't walk in the Spirit. If you put your hands on any situation in the flesh, God won't touch it because, in order to do things by faith, we can't have our hands on it but have to wait on God. So it's submission to God in a world that despises us, but know Beloved, that the world despised Jesus, and remember, Jesus already overcame the world. In these last days of "rumors of wars," we have to stand firm on God's Word, walk in love, and follow Jesus's footsteps. 

In this world, there are demons assigned to pushing your buttons. Want to see how fast it can happen? Let someone call your child a name. Let someone bump your car in traffic. Let the cable go out. The devil knows how to set you off. He'll catch you when you're tired, exhausted, no money, no food, nothing on TV, etc. Because we are being tested and challenged, it's more important now to learn how to manage our emotions and stay aligned with God in our love walk.

6/9/17 Incident that coincides with this message: Man provokes others at Starbucks taunting them with "Shut up, slave!" 

 

 

Managing attacks from the enemy

Think about a fender bender at a stop light. Someone bumps you. You get out, they get out, they start yelling, so you start yelling. Instead of mirroring Christ, you are mirroring the other person. We're entering a season where you won't be provoked to violence, it will just happen. That's why you have to be on guard. This type of enemy is "You looked at me the wrong way," or "You didn't acknowledge me." So here are a few ways to help you with managing attacks from the enemy...

• Read your Bible: Read the book of Joel about the days cloaked in darkness. the judgment of the people and the nations, and the purification and restoration of God's people. These passages may be precursors to Revelation and may help you understand the time we're in and why it's so important to not let the devil catch you off guard with your emotions/anger in these last days. Keep your peace. We've included a Pentecost video clip below with passages from Acts and Joel.
• Mirror Jesus, not man: This is big because when you are faced with confrontation, the enemy's goal is to get you to lash out and walk in the flesh, to mirror them, but our Father is God, not the devil, so stay in the spirit and mirror God/Jesus. Stand firm, but know you might have to walk away. Remember: The devil's goal is to get you to react through offenses to your emotions so you can war in the flesh so you then can't hear from God. 
• Remember we're in the world, not of the world: One area that can be very frustrating and TD Jakes points this out in his anger message, is that physical rage, verbal rage, and emotional rage are very damaging and can come about over frustrations from lack of jobs, lack of housing, and not being able to provide for your family or make life better. That's what the devil wants you to see. Keep in mind, we don't look with our physical eyes, so don't go by what you see. The devil is trying to lure people with lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The devil wants you to see people around you enjoying themselves while you struggle. This leads to anger, resentment, bitterness, hostility, fighting, and violence, and it's a lie and trick of the enemy.
• Watch your emotions: Remember, the devil wants you frustrated in the flesh. He is a very cunning serpent and will try to elicit feelings of violence, envy, strife, jealousy, etc. He will use whatever he can to try to incite violence and cause you to walk in the flesh. Don't war in the flesh. These are end times and we're battling principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  But don't be afraid. Jesus already overcame the world and we're covered in the blood of Jesus.
• Don't be caught off-guard: If you were never taught how to communicate and express your feelings in an open way, it's worth learning about now. Sometimes people fly off the handle because their parents were that way. They may have only heard yelling growing up. Look for classes on anger management and controlling your temper - and your tongue. Remember, the devil wants you to fly off the handle. He wants you to react emotionally, but we don't war in the flesh. The Bible says, "Not by might, nor by strength, but by God's Spirit," and "Our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds." Instead of using your hands for weapons, use God's Word and speak into the atmosphere what you need. Speak over your finances. Speak healing when you feel a sickness coming on. Speak life into your atmosphere. Pray for your enemies. Love one another as Jesus taught us.
• Be angry and sin not: Even if the other person is angry and cursing, don't retaliate and do the same thing, but walk away. God wants to use us to build people up, not tear them down. The Bible says the tongue is a two-edged sword. That's why we have to be careful what we say because life and death is in the power of the tongue. We shouldn't let the sun go down while we're angry. Our words are powerful.
• Control your tongue: To be more Christ-like, we have to control the tongue. The tongue is called an unruly member. Jesus came to the world not to judge, but to lift up the lost, the hurting, and the wounded. That's why whether you had a father figure in your life or you never saw your father, it's so important to embrace God as your father and follow Him through Jesus and His teachings. God gives us grace for every situation and a window or way out, so ask God for help and He will always make the way. 

 

 

 

Maybe you didn't grow up with positive encouragement. Maybe you were never taught to say a kind word, but you could tell someone off in a second. It takes time to learn a better way to communicate. Maybe you miss the times when you were younger and you could just hop on that bike and be carefree like Jake in the opening story. Maybe you never had those moments and every day was a living hell and your childhood was a nightmare. That's why it's important to turn to God and ask Jesus to help you to deal with your emotions, to help you open up, and to help you heal emotionally so you can communicate and express your emotions in a healthy way that mirrors Christ, not man.

 

I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war. Psalm 120:7

There are people who have been angry for years, holding grudges, having an attitude everywhere they go. Don't be quick in your spirit to get revenge or vent to tell people like it is. You might not even have all the facts! When you cast your cares upon the Lord, He sustains you. It's very hard to let go of anger when you're heart is tied up in it. That's why the Word reads that we shouldn't let the sun go down on our anger.  Maybe you are angry because someone crushed your spirit or hurt you deeply, but you have to let go of the anger and the pain to stop the hurting. Emotions are hard to understand and even harder to manage if you've never been taught.  Remember, Jesus said we can be angry, but sin not. To help with your emotions, give it to God. Take Jesus to the place where you need the most help or feel the most insecure.

Look at the Bible story of how Lazarus died. Jesus let him die, so he could raise him up. In the interim, when Mary and Martha finally reached Jesus, they were angry, upset and hurt because they thought Jesus had let them down. Sometimes we just want to be heard. Sometimes we just want to be loved or we want to know that someone is there for us because of who we are and not because the person wants something from us. That's why it's important to invite Jesus to the place in your heart where it hurts the most.  

In this world, as more people are trying to incite violence, pray and ask God in Jesus's name to help you deal with your emotions and any anger issues, to heal hurt feelings, and to bring your emotions into check so you can learn how to communicate effectively and have the right people in your life that love you and care about you. God said, "Behold I do a new thing, now it springs forth. Do you perceive it not?" If you are tired of the same old hurts, tired of anger and pain, or if your heart is hurting from how people have mistreated you, turn it over to God and take Jesus there in prayer. You can follow Jesus's footsteps and have more love in your life and a better future, and you can overcome the attacks of the enemy and walk in love. 

 

 

 

  

Our June Prayer

Father God, in the name of Jesus, Lord we praise your Holy Name because we know our steps are ordered by you. Lord, we thank you for each and every opportunity you give us to learn from you and to grow in you so we can be more Christ-like. Please help us in the areas where we need it so we can be stronger and not walking in the flesh. We don't fear the wrath of man because we are covered in the blood of Jesus and we cancel the tricks and sabotaging attacks of the enemy. Guide us and lead us so we can be empty vessels for you to use for your purpose, will, and glory. We give you the glory because we know it's already done! Thank you for healing our marriages, bringing healing to our families, bringing healing to our jobs, to our hearts, and to every area of our lives.

Lord, we pray over our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, towns, our nation, and our planet. Father, we pray for areas that are suffering from severe famine. Lord, please send relief efforts to these areas. We pray for areas where there are severe floods and ask for you to stop the waters and we ask for your mercy. There are so many people who are not prepared to handle flood waters and evacuations, but we know we have an advocate in you. You said all we have to do is ask. We also pray for healing in our streets and healing where there is such a divide and discord with our nation. We trust you and praise you for help from on high. No harm shall come near our dwelling places and no evil shall befall us. Cancel every assignment of the enemy, we are covered in the blood of Jesus. We rebuke every demonic attack and every sudden demonic attack. We rest in your promises and we give you the glory, in Jesus's mighty name, amen.  

 

 

 

The Prayer of Salvation

If you haven't said the Prayer of Salvation, now's the perfect time: Father God in the name of Jesus, Lord, I ask forgiveness of my sins. Please come into my heart. I turn my back on sin and I make you my Lord and Savior. I want to follow you for the rest of my life. Please give me eternal life through you in Jesus name, amen. 

Rededication to Christ Prayer

If you need to rededicate your life to Christ because you feel like you've been sinning or haven't been living right, pray: Father God in the name of Jesus, I ask forgiveness of my sins and I turn my back on sin. Please help me to overcome ---- and I want to lead a better life through you. I decree and declare this day I have overcome ---- and I have the victory in Jesus name, amen. 

Stay in God's shadow, stay away from sin and temptation, keep reading your Bible and keep seeking God first. 

Be ye doers of the Word... We pray this message blesses you today! 

 

 

 

 

MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: DAD AND DAUGHTER ACAPELLA

This 14-year-old Jess Cass, is well-known for her acapella rendition of Oceans. Here she is with her dad as she sings What a Beautiful Name by Hillsong acapella... She says about the song, "I never claim to be a perfect singer, but just use my voice to give Glory to God." We know her future is brightly blessed!

 

 

NEWS

 

 

 

 

NEWS:  FATHERLESS TO FATHERFULL

These awesome kids share the good news about their story. God bless these precious babies and all kids that were adopted or were in foster care. We pray they find good homes and loving families. 

 

 

OUR LOL MOMENT

 

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