Are You a Giant-Killer?
Most everyone, even people outside of the church, has heard the story of David and Goliath, but of course, as we preachers like to say, “It bears repeating.” It is the story where King Saul and the Israelites are in battle with the Philistines. Twice a day for forty days, Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, comes out and challenges the Israelites to send out a champion of their own to decide the outcome of the battle. King Saul and all the other Israelites are afraid of Goliath. David comes to the battle to bring food for his brothers and obtain a report for his father. David hears about Goliath and the promised reward King Saul has offered to whoever defeats Goliath. David accepts the challenge after convincing King Saul to let him face Goliath.
David, for all intents and purposes, is no match for Goliath. Goliath is nearly ten feet tall and an experienced soldier. He is, after all, the Philistines “champion!” However, David knows “whose he is” and for that matter, “whose” Goliath is not. David faces this giant based on his covenant with Almighty God. David knows that he has God on his side. David is in relationship with God and he remembers all that God has done for him previously. King Saul offers David his armor, but David goes with a sling-shot instead! David defeats Goliath with the slinging of one rock. Of course, Goliath dies by the power of God behind that rock! David faces and defeats his giant. He kills Goliath, cuts off his head and feeds his body to the wild animals! No more twice-a-day taunting by that no-covenant-having devil!
Are you a Giant-Killer? Or do you run and hide every time the giants taunt you? I encourage you to be like David. Face your giant and then kill your giant by the power of Almighty God. Don’t go in your own strength. In your own strength, you’ll be “giant-food.” However, in the power of Almighty God, you can defeat your giants!
Characteristics of a Giant:
- Massive, appears to be larger than life
- Always verbally threatening
- Will always try to talk you out of the blessing through fear and doubt
Characteristics of a Giant-Killer:
- Sees the ultimate goal as greater than the challenge
- Does not listen to the doubting critics
- Builds on past successes
- Convinces others that they will be successful
Want to use this article in your ezine, blog, or website? You have my permission as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Min. Patricia D. Samuels, MA is the founder of Patricia Samuels Ministries, Inc. and the International Association of Proverbs 31 Women. Visit her websites today and be blessed by something you view, read, or hear: http://www.patriciasamuels.org and http://www.iap31w.com.
Getting Results!
You can get the results in life you want by living by faith. No Word of God is void of the power it takes to cause it to come to pass. Stick with God and you will see victory in your life! Here are a few steps to get the results you desire:
1. Find the promise in the Word of God. Faith begins where the Word of God is known. We cannot have faith for things for which we do not have a scriptural back-up. So, our first step is to find a promise in the Word that supports what we want God to do in our lives.
2. Lay hold on it by faith. After you have found your promise, meditate on it. Get it into your heart and speak it out of your mouth. Continue to do this until you see it come to pass! Mark 11:23-24
3. Run the devil off! The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Remind the devil of what is written in the Word. Speak the Word and run the devil off with your sword! Matt. 4:1-11; James 4:7
4. Call in the forces of Heaven. By continuing to speak forth your promises, you give strength to the Heavenly Host to move against the Enemy on your behalf. Keep speaking the Word! Heb. 1:14; Ps. 103:20
5. Praise God for the answer. Praise confuses the Enemy and causes the demonic forces to turn on themselves. It also causes God to live in you, making tremendous spiritual power available to you. Aside from this, God is worthy to be praised. II Chron. 20:21-23; Ps. 22:3
So, get into the Word of God and allow it to work in your life. If you follow these steps consistently, you will get results!
Want to use this article in your ezine, blog, or website? You have my permission as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Min. Patricia D. Samuels, MA is the founder of Patricia Samuels Ministries, Inc. and the International Association of Proverbs 31 Women. Visit her websites today and be blessed by something you view, read, or hear: http://www.patriciasamuels.org and http://www.iap31w.com.
Don’t Take Satan’s Bait!
In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
Don't take the bait!
There are some things we must watch for to keep Satan and the forces of darkness out of our lives. In Mark 4:14-20, we see how the devil works to steal from us:
Mark 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
Mark 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mark 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mark 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
Mark 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
Mark 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Mark 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive [it], and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
In this passage, we see five things that Satan uses against us to destroy us. He uses these things to bait us into his trap:
- Affliction
- Persecution
- Cares of this world
- Deceitfulness of riches
- Lusts of other things
1. Affliction is suffering due to the pressure of circumstances. The Word of God is stronger than any circumstance. We have to learn to separate the pressure from the problem. Jesus has already overcome any problem that we may face. (See John 16:33) The pressure comes when we allow the circumstances to get to us. That’s taking the bait. Don’t do it. Stay with the Word.
2. Persecution comes from being pursued. It means someone is trying to drive you away. Satan is using people to draw your attention to what “they” are doing to you. He wants you to be offended by what “they” are doing to you. That’s taking the bait. Don’t do it. Stay with the Word.
3. The cares of this world come from paying too much attention to all of the stealing, killing and destroying Satan is doing. Those cares cannot overcome the Word unless you let them get on the inside of you and choke out the Word. The media, gossip, etc. delivers the bait. Don’t take it. Stay with the Word.
4. The deceitfulness of riches sneaks in when Christians begin to see money the way the world sees it. The deceitfulness of riches will draw you into a place of trusting money and draw you away from spending time in the Word and in prayer. Don’t take the bait. Stay with the Word.
5. Lusts of other things include anything that brings pressure and unrest through a desire that’s gotten out of hand. It’s often sexual, but not always. It could be a desire to hang with the wrong crowd. It could be a desire to spend money that you don’t have. Whatever it is, it is always something that gratifies the flesh. It creates the atmosphere for covetousness and will even cause you to not want to hear what the Word has to say about it. Don’t take the bait. Stay with the Word.
Jesus wants you to live the abundant life. So, resist the Enemy’s tricks! If you’ve taken Satan’s bait and fallen into a trap, cry out to God to get you out! He will do it!
Want to use this article in your ezine, blog, or website? You have my permission as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Min. Patricia D. Samuels, MA is the founder of Patricia Samuels Ministries, Inc. and the International Association of Proverbs 31 Women. Visit her websites today and be blessed by something you view, read, or hear: http://www.patriciasamuels.org and http://www.iap31w.com.
February Expert Teleseminar: Evangelist and Co-Pastor, Dr. Medina Pullings
Dr. Medina Pullings
Dr. Medina Pullings
“Living The Proverbs 31 Life!”
IAP31W Expert:
Dr. Medina Pullings
Date and time: February 21st at 7pm CST/8pm Eastern
Members-only teleseminar (you will be emailed the conference call number to connect)
Want to join us for this teleseminar? Become a member today!
It’s a Livable Life! Learn how to live the Proverbs 31 Life from one of today’s most quintessential Proverbs 31 Women! Dr. Medina Pullings is an international conference speaker, Pastor, preacher, wife, mother, mentor, entrepreneur, television host, designer, song-writer and teacher whose life is reaching many around the world!
Bio:
Dr. Medina Pullings is the co-founder and co-pastor of the United Nations Church International along with her husband Dr. Orrin K. Pullings, Sr. A native New Yorker, Dr. Medina Pullings is an international conference speaker, preacher and teacher armed with a word of destiny for the nations. With an accurate and authentic prophetic anointing, Dr. Medina Pullings is often called upon to speak a life-changing word to God’s people. Called at the young age of 16, her passion to see God’s Kingdom reign here on earth is demonstrated by her dedication and excellence in ministry. With churches in Richmond, VA and Jamaica, NY, her faith is evidenced by the rapid growth of these ministries. Drawing people as far away as Africa, London and Alaska and 2 ½ hours drive every service, the church in Richmond, VA has become one of central Virginia’s fastest growing ministries.
An extension of Medina Pullings Ministries, she is also the founder of Princess Club. This organization is designed to help young girls; training them to think and act like “Kingdom Ladies.” A woman of uncompromising style, Dr. Medina Pullings is the founder and CEO of Style & Grace a trendy boutique in the exclusive Cary Town of Richmond, VA. Educated at John Jay College, Bethel Bible Institute and F.I. Christian University, Dr. Medina Pullings holds three academic/professional degrees, a Bachelor in Christian Education, Masters in Biblical Counseling and Doctorate in Ministry. She recently received a Doctorate in Divinity from St. Thomas Christian College. She is also the co-host of Faith Charge a weekly television program reaching 140 countries and over 40 million people in the United States. Dr. Medina Pullings is the proud wife of Dr. Orrin K. Pullings, Sr. and proud mother of their four sons and one daughter.
Visit her website: http://www.medinapullings.com/
Setting SMART Goals
We are in the second month of our new year and new decade. This is the time of year when New Year’s Resolutions are often completely forgotten! However, this does not have to be the case for us. When we learn how to set SMART goals, we find that we are well on our way to achieving them.
A SMART goal is one that is the following:
Specific
Measurable
Action-oriented
Realistic
Timely
So, write out your goals and then measure them against this acronym.
Ask yourself, is this goal Specific? The more specific your goal, the more likely you will be to achieve it. For example, having a goal of going on vacation is not as specific as having a goal to go on vacation at Disney World in Orlando, Florida in August.
Next ask yourself, is this goal Measurable? To measure a trip to Disney World, you might first find out how much the entire trip will cost, i.e., travel, hotel, admission. If you are saving for the trip, you would determine how much you would need to save each month for the next six months. As the months progress, you can measure how close you are to reaching your goal by looking at how much you have saved.
The next question: is this goal is Action-oriented? A goal cannot just be a hope or a dream. It has to be something where you can take action. In our Disney World example, you can take action by saving the money for the cost of the trip, scheduling vacation time with your job, buying clothes for the trip, etc. Please note, this aspect of the acronym is something that you will revisit throughout the life of your goal. You will want to continually ask yourself, am I taking action to achieve this goal? If not, you’ve kicked your goal back into being a hope or a dream.
Next ask yourself, is this goal is Realistic? Another way of saying this is whether the goal is attainable. For example, if you live in a country millions of miles away from Orlando, Florida and you are unemployed and you would have to travel hundreds of miles to get to an airport, etc., a Disney World vacation may not be for you at the moment. You may not be able to attain this goal in six months. Of course, faith supersedes natural law, so by all means follow the leading of the Spirit. I am the eternal optimist, but optimism, in my opinion, looks at the circumstances before ignoring them. Do the same with your goals.
Finally, ask yourself, is this goal Timely? You must set a time limit on your goals. Otherwise, they will be too vague and relegated to the hope/dream category. In our example, we’ve set August as our time limit for reaching the Disney Vacation goal. It is a clear target, which brings about the focus needed for reaching the goal. By the way, if you have humongous goals that seem really unattainable, set a target date anyway. You will always need something to aim toward and even if you don’t reach the goal by the target date, you will be very close to reaching it! In our example, let’s say, something comes up and you have to spend some of your vacation savings. Unfortunately, August rolls around and you don’t have all the money. You do, however, have some of the money. So you can just move the target date until you have all of the money. You will notice in August that you are much closer to your Disney Vacation than you were in February.
So, follow these guidelines and set SMART goals. If you do, you will experience lots of success in life!
Want to use this article in your ezine, blog, or website? You have my permission as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Min. Patricia D. Samuels, MA is the founder of Patricia Samuels Ministries, Inc. and the International Association of Proverbs 31 Women. Visit her websites today and be blessed by something you view, read, or hear: http://www.patriciasamuels.org and http://www.iap31w.com.
