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Greetings in Jesus’ Name,

I shared the following Bible study via conference call with a group of friends and would like to share it with you. As you know, Jesus was, and still is, the greatest Salesman in the world. The points that are covered in this study came from a book that I had to read as a prerequisite for my second home-based business, a consultant for Ethnic Expressions. The author of “The Greatest Salesman In The World” is Og Mandino, an inspirational writer. After I read the book, I realized that the points that the President of Ethnic Expressions wants us to focus on, so that our sales approach will become more effective, are the same points that Jesus wants us to focus on so that we will be able to spread His Gospel more fervently and effectively. I am sure that as you go through this study that you will agree with me. I pray that you will be blessed and will realize what you will need to do to perfect your walk with the Lord.

The Greatest Salesman In The World

1. Today I Begin A New Life –
Today I am born anew and my birthplace is a vineyard where there is fruit for all. I will
pluck grapes of wisdom from the tallest and fullest vines in the vineyard. I will savor the taste
of grapes from these vines and will swallow the seed of success buried in each. New life
will sprout within me. Failure will no longer be my payment for struggle.

2. I will Greet This Day With Love In My Heart –
This is the greatest secret of success in all ventures. Only the unseen power of love can open the
hearts of men. I will make love my greatest weapon and none on whom I call can defend against
against its force.

3. I will Persist Until I Succeed –
I wasn’t delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins. The prizes of
life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning; and it is not given to me to know how
many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal. Failure I may still encounter at the
thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I turn the corner. I will persist; I will win.

4. I Am Nature’s Greatest Miracle –
Since the beginning of time, never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my
ears, my hands, my hair, my mouth. None that came before, none that live today and none that
come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. I am a unique creature.

5. I Will Live This Day As If It Is My Last –
I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s
aches of the heart, for why should I throw good after bad? This day is all I have, and these hours
are now my eternity. I will make every hour count and each minute I will trade only for
something of value. If this is not my last day, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.

6. Today I Will Be Master of My Emotions –
It is one of nature’s tricks, little understood, that each day I awaken with moods that have changed from yesterday. Yesterday’s joy will become today’s sadness; yet today’s sadness will grow into tomorrow’s joy. Each day when I awaken, I will follow this plan of battle before I am captured by the forces of sadness, self-pity and failure:

*If I feel depressed, I will sing; if I feel sad, I will laugh.
*If I feel ill, I will double my labor; if I feel fear, I will plunge ahead.
*If I feel inferior, I will wear new garments; if I feel uncertain, I will raise my voice.
*If I feel poverty, I will think of wealth to come; if I feel incompetent, I will remember
past successes; if I feel insignificant, I will remember my goals.

7. I will Laugh At The World –
No living creature can laugh except man. I will smile and my digestion will improve. I will chuckle and my burdens will be lightened. I will laugh and my life will be lengthened for this is the secret of long life and now it is mine. And most of all, I will laugh at myself, for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously. Never will I fall into this trap of the mind. Four words I will train myself to say until they become a habit so strong that immediately they will appear in my mind whenever good humor threatens to depart from me: “This, too, shall pass.”

8. I will Multiply My Value A Hundredfold –
I am liken to a grain of wheat with one difference. To grow and multiply, it is necessary to plant the wheat grain in the darkness of the earth, and my failures, my despairs, my ignorance and my inabilities are the darkness in which I shall be planted in order to ripen. Now, like the wheat grain which will sprout and blossom only if it is nurtured with rain and sun and warm winds, I too must nurture my body and mind to fulfill my dreams. I will set goals for the day, the week, the month, the year and my life. I will consider my best performance of the past and multiply it a hundredfold.

9. I will Act Now –
My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible. All are of no value unless they are followed by action. I will not avoid the tasks of today and charge them to tomorrow for I know that tomorrow never comes. I will repeat these words, “I will act now,” again and again each hour, each day, every day, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing and the actions which follow become as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every act necessary for my success.

10. I will Pray For Guidance –
Who of so little faith that in a moment of great disaster or heartbreak has not called to his God? My life need not be filled with religion in order for me to recognize this greatest mystery of nature. All creatures that walk the earth, including man, possess the instinct to cry for help. The guidance I seek may come, or the guidance I seek may not come, but are not both of these an answer? Are not our cries a form of prayer? Henceforth I will pray, but my cries for help will only be cries for guidance.

Be Blessed!

Sis. Shirley

Hello There!

I woke up this morning with this song on my heart and of course I have to share it to be a blessing to all of you!!! Sometimes when I wake up earlier then I had planned with a song or verse on my mind and I just can’t seem to go back to sleep…I know this is God’s way of telling me he wants my time and attention.  I got up and just started praising and thanking him for the blessing he has given me over this past year and for things to come.  I prayed over the many things going on in my life right now and I thought about the words to this song and what I felt God was saying to me.

God opens doors when you Let Go and Let Him step in!!!  Over the last few weeks this has been something I have been walking in faith about and the further I go the more He just keeps confirming with me that He is still there and still stepping in for me!!!

Here are some of my favorite verses for your devotion today…

Prov. 3:5-6………… Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not to my own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight. (Declare this word with truth and understanding that He will do what he promised!)

Hebrews 11:6………… And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Be Divine,

Latonia F.

He Wants It All by Forever Jones

I am not even sure where to begin with the topic of Encouraging Yourself, but there are times in your life when you just need to do it!!!

When there are many people around you, but you feel alone, you need to know how to encourage yourself. When you have an idea that is not the traditional way of doing things or the way people think will work, encourage yourself.  Sometimes God puts us by ourselves or cuts us off from everyone else so we can stop all the noise and hear him…and especially in those times you must encourage yourself. You are not always going to have support around encouraging you and motivating you throughout all aspects of your life or maybe you never had support at all…don’t give up the fight, encourage yourself.

I own a business and everyday is another day I have to encourage myself because of the decisions that have to be made, the possibility of failing, the voices questioning how does this business make any money, and so on and so on…you’ve got to know how to encourage yourself in every circumstance.

As believers we can stand on God’s word believing for God’s best for our lives, but sometimes you will be in a place that makes it hard to pray, hard to praise, hard to move forward positively. I want to encourage the hearts of all of you reading this blog.  I don’t know what you may be going through or why this word of “Encouraging Yourself” has been on my heart to share, but I want to let you know, I’ve been there.

Many of us have been in a place where we feel downright like giving up and maybe we want to be alone, but this is a place we can not dwell in!!! The reason we must continually encourage ourselves and believe in God’s promises for us is so that when we fall into these times, we can pull ourselves back up.  When we encourage ourselves we can find our strength to move forward through fellowship, praise, prayer, and His word.

Open Your Heart…

When we open ourselves for encouragement we can reach out to others for help just by attending your local church, calling a friend, or reaching out to ministry leaders.  This is why it’s important to have fellowship in your life, so that when the times get hard, you have people that will be concerned about you and can reach out to you, but you first have to encourage yourself before you can get to a place that people can reach you. This is also why it is important to have bible memorization because if you have the word in your heart, you can carry it with you, and you can always have it on your tongue to speak and encourage yourself…always!!!

Find out what activities you do in your spiritually life that really make a difference in the way you feel.  Is it hanging out with friends, talking on the phone, personal praise and worship at home or driving in the car, attending church services for wisdom from ministry leaders, referencing your favorite scriptures throughout the day, what is it?  If you are going through a time right now that you need to pull yourself out from, start here by going over all the activities just mentioned until you have touched the one that makes a difference for YOU!

Here are some verses right now that you can put on your heart:

1 John 4:4………..Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world. (Enlarge God’s territory! He is Greater than your fears, Greater than your circumstance, Greater than your failures, and Greater than the enemy himself!!!)

Prov. 3:5-6………… Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not to my own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight. (Declare this word with truth and understanding that He will do what he promised!)

Hebrews 11:6………… And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

There are so many more verses you can read, say, and pray until they are fixed upon your heart.  Unlock God’s word and let them be your sword and armor during the times when you need to encourage yourself!!! I was just surfing the internet and came across this website that list some more verses you can look over: http://www.prayingscriptures.com/faithconfessions.shtml.

For your Praise & Worship, please visit the DivineEndings.com Praise and Worship page to hear a variety of songs that can minister to your heart. This song list is always available to you, so if you have no music at home, come visit the website. While you’re here, this is one song I have always turned to when I am at my road’s end earnestly seeking Him and His wisdom for steps in my life.  I want to know what His will is for me and His plan for me…I’m after his heart.  This song is straight forward and deep, and I LOVE IT!

Favorite One, by Misty Edwards

…and here’s one to help you keep up the fight!!! Be strong in the Lord! God Bless!!!

Can’t Give Up Now, by Mary Mary

Greetings in the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Here is a lesson that I know will bless you in so many ways.  It helps us to visualize how Jesus truly is our Protector and Shield.  This perspective is simple but profound at the same time.

-Sis. Shirley

When you picture a magnificent flying bird, it is usually not a chicken that comes to mind.  I’ve never seen a chicken portrayed in flight – many eagles, but no chickens.  We quote the scripture from Isaiah 40:31 that talks about being borne up on the wings of eagles or with wings like eagles.  There is a difference, however, between being on His wings and being under His wings.

This promise in Psalm 91 is not elaborating on the flying wing but on the sheltering wing.  One indicates strength and accomplishment (flying; on), while the other denotes protection and familiarity (sheltering; under).  When you imagine the warmth of a nest and the security of being under the wings of the nurturing love of a mother hen with chicks, it paints a vivid picture of the sheltering wing of God’s protection that the psalmist refers to in this passage.

Is everyone protected under the wings?  Notice that it says, “He will cover you with His pinions, or feathers, and under His wings you may seek refuge (NASB).  Again, it’s up to us to make that decision!  We can seek refuge under His wings, if we choose to!

Scripture shows the maternal hovering side to God’s protection.  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem … how often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”  (Matthew 23:37)

Notice the contrast between God’s willingness and our unwillingness:  His wanting and our not willing to … His would against our would not.  What an amazing analogy to show us that He offers protection that we don’t accept!

It is interesting that Jesus uses the correlation of maternal love to demonstrate His attachment to us.  There is certain fierceness to motherly love we cannot overlook.  God is deeply committed to us – yet at the same time, we can reject His outstretched arms if we so choose.  It is available, but not automatic.  God does not run here and here, trying to cover us.  He said, “I have made protection possible.  You run to Me!”  And when we do run to Him in faith, the enemy then has to go through God to get to us!  What a comforting thought.

This protection is not automatic.  So here are some questions for you to think about:

1.         How do we put this promise to work?

a.         We run to God with our mouths.

2.         Since we can’t physically run to God, how do we do it?

a.         We run to God with our hearts (understand the analogy to the animal kingdom).

3.         How can we put this promise into practice in our lives?

a.         We run to God with our faith – like those little chicks go running back to those

feathers!



Greetings Everyone,

I hope this message finds you well.  This lesson was discussed on a Bible Study conference call in April.  I would like to share it with everyone because we never know how God is going to use us or to which lengths.  We all know we have to be ready in season and out of season; so while you are going through your trials and tribulations, remember that God is shaping you to carry out His Will at the same time that He is shaping, molding and purging you.

To God be the glory,

Sis. Shirley

“Don’t Abort The Baby!”

When God gives us a vision or an assignment, He has already planted the seed that will eventually give birth to a specific gift or talent.  We have to fast and pray for guidance and wisdom so that we can fulfill this assignment or vision with excellence.  Sometimes people ask, “How can I identify the gift or talent that God has placed in me so that I will know what to look for or what to nurture?”  The gift or talent that God places in us is what is embedded in our hearts to perform – our passion – so that we can glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.

Only God knows when “our baby” is ready to be delivered.  At the same time, we have to be ready and willing to give birth at the appropriate time.  Many people recognize their gifts or talents, they are taught the Word and go through a period of preparation in order to fulfill their assignment or vision.  Yet they can’t identify the “birthing signs” because they are not consulting with God to find out if they are ready to walk in their purpose right now or even ask Him where it is that they need to be so that they can let go of their own effort to struggle and allow God to prepare them.  We have to realize that God doesn’t impart His Word to us to have it grow and mature and then lose the baby before it can be delivered.  “Don’t abort the baby!”

When God prepares us with the necessary tools -- when He shapes and molds us to His likeness, when He sharpens the fruit of the Spirit and attributes of Jesus Christ – to me, His greatest tool is His “Word” because It is the double-edged sword that cuts away what should not be in us with one side of His Word and refines those things that need to remain in us with the other side of His Word.  Sometimes it hurts to have the familiar cut away and realize that we have to take on the unfamiliar so that we can grow.  “Don’t abort the baby!”

When it seems like God is taking so long in sending us out to spread the Word, start that ministry that is in our hearts, give us a business that will help spread the Word through the anointing that He places over our lives and the products/services that we offer, we have to hold on and remember it’s all in His Time and in His Way and not the other way around.  Sometimes we get anxious, if it looks like we are not working up to God’s expectations.  There are times when we lose patience, wondering why it’s taking God so long to open that door.  Every single thing that we have been called to do for God has to be done according to His Plan and when He says it’s time.  The Bible repeatedly teaches that blessings bring with them the responsibility to employ them in God’s service.  The more blessings and resources we are given, greater is our responsibility to use them wisely.  Much will be expected of those who have been given much.   “Don’t abort the baby!”

Our “baby” can come in different forms; such as one -- Your position in life; two -- Your assignment for work; or three -- the Word given to you to encourage others.

1.   Your Position in Life:

We are to live contentedly for the Lord in whatever economic, social and religious station in life God has placed us.  It could be our marriage, children, job and church that could be very trying from time to time.  But God doesn’t make mistakes.  He knows the end from the beginning and as the Word says, “He doesn’t give us more than we can bear.”  1 Corinthians 7:17,20; 10:13.

2.  Your Assignment for Work:

Those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  The measure of faith is the power given by God to each believer to fulfill various ministries in the church.  Since the power comes from God, there can be no basis for a superior attitude or self-righteousness.  The word “gifts” in the Greek language is:  “charismata.”  This refers to special gifts of grace – freely given by God to His people to meet the needs of the body.  There are many members and each has a different function; but all are needed for the health of the body.  The emphasis is on unity within diversity.  1 Peter 4:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Romans 12:3-8

3.  The Word to Encourage:

Preaching the Gospel – being prepared in and out of season.  We never know what people are dealing with when we have conversations, unless we are given an opportunity to share our testimony about where God brought us from, the gifts that He has instilled in us that helps us to hold onto His unchanging Hand, or be prompted by the Holy Spirit to share a word of encouragement.  We are all saved to become beacons of light for Christ; and if we give up on ourselves or go ahead of Christ, our lights will be ineffective.  2 Corinthians 10:13-18

I say all that to say this:  no matter what assignment, vision or Word that God gives to us, we have to learn to trust Him every step of the way.  We never know when He will open that door that will bring a breakthrough and take our assignment to the next level.  Along the way, we have to remind ourselves that it isn’t about us – we should never feel that we are not capable of fulfilling any responsibility that is given to us, as long as we keep God and His vision at the forefront of our minds. Possibilities are in each one of us to have the power to become.  We were created to become praisers for God, Disciples of Christ.  God is taking us from “ordinary” to “extraordinary.”  David and Peter are just 2 good examples of God’s servants not aborting their baby.  Even though they struggled from time to time throughout their lives, despite their shortcomings and God’s chastening, they loved God so much that they continued to serve Him and God was able to use them mightily.   When God gives you the green light, go after your assignment or vision with tenacity and perseverance.  We were chosen because God knew He could trust us, so “don’t abort the baby.”

Song To Share: