OTHER NAMES FOR GOD

         ELOHIM......Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1

meaning "God the creator", a reference to God's power and might.

          ADONAI......Malachi 1:6

meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God.

         JEHOVAH--YAHWEH.....Genesis 2:4

a reference to God's divine salvation.

         JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM.......Exodus 31:13

meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier"

          JEHOVAH-ROHI......Psalm 23:1

meaning "The Lord my shepherd"

         JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH.......Ezekiel 48:35

meaning "The Lord who is present"

         JEHOVAH-RAPHA.........Exodus 15:26

meaning "The Lord our healer"

         JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU......Jeremiah 23:6

meaning "The Lord our righteousness"

         JEHOVAH-JIREH.........Genesis 22:13-14

meaning "The Lord will provide"

         JEHOVAH-NISSI.........Exodus 17:15

meaning "The Lord our banner"

         JEHOVAH-SHALOM........Judges 6:24

meaning "The Lord is peace"

         JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH......Isaiah 6:1-3

meaning "The Lord of Hosts"

         JEHOVAH-GMOLAH........Jeremiah 51:6

meaning "The God of Recompense"

         EL-ELYON........Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14

meaning "The most high God

         EL-ROI................Genesis 16:13

meaning "The strong one who sees"

         EL-SHADDAI............Genesis 17:1,Psalm 91:1

meaning "The God of the mountains or God Almighty"

         EL-OLAM...............Isaiah 40:28-31

meaning "The everlasting God"

JEHOVAH NAWKAW....................Ezekiel 7:9

"The Lord who strikes or smites."

GOD IS NOT SURPRISED BY WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH!

In the beginning when God was creating the earth, God made everything and fixed everything in its place. And when he looked at it He saw that everything was good.(Genesis 1:31) He did not put the sun at the bottom, but rather at the top, and when He looked at it He saw that it was good. He did not either give wings to lions neither did he give fish claws! After creation everything was in its place and God looked at it and saw that it was good.

Then came the most interesting moment in creation, when Man was made! In all the other creatures God spoke and they were created, but when it came to man, God made him, in His own image and His own likeness! Then God gave him an assignment. In the discussion of making man, God pointed out, how he was going to make man, why He was going to make him and what will he do. That was enough for God to place man on earth. Genesis 1:26 Then God said let us make man in our own image and in our own likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the see and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.

The words I bolded in italic is an emphasis of the original plan of God to man. What God is expecting from you is dominion over what he has given you.

So, God is not surprised by where you are now and by who you will be. Your future is God’s past. He is not surprised by a promotion you just got at work, neither is he surprised by this new business deal that you got. It is not a surprise to God that you lost your loved one, neither is it a surprise that you had that bad news! A miracle to you is not a surprise to God. He already knew what will happen to your life far back, before you were even born.

Your future is God’s past. You started what He already finished, because his Word says, He makes known the end from the beginning. (Isaiah 46:10) What ever you are going through, is not a surprise to God, don’t think that God will be thinking like “how did you get into this?” or “When did all this start?” or anything like that. He already knew that you are going to pass through what you are going to pass through, he knows how you are going to come out of it, he knows the way out!

Knowing the mind of God!

When you know the mind of God you will be able to know what to do in your life, and you will be able to walk in the right path with God. You will be able to know what you were created for. The mind of God is in Words. It is what he says, and we get it in His Word.

He already planned what you are going to do here on earth, He already knew where you are going to live, far back before you were born. So, He exactly knows what you are supposed to do here on earth.

Surprisingly, things are not going right, the way they were supposed to, because something went wrong somewhere. Someone lost the track and has to get back in line again for life to get in order.

HOW TO BE ON TRACK?

Find back where you got lost.

When you don’t know if you got lost on the way you will keep going on and on. It is until you discover that you were lost on the way that is when you can understand that you need to get back to the right path and go on the journey. Samson got lose at some point in his life and never knew that God had already left him. He continued with his life and until he discovered that the Lord had left it was too late (Judges 16:20)

Don’t wait until its too late, find back where you got lost, and its not too late to start over.

Re-Connect back to the Maker.

Many people are looking for satisfaction in life and they try moving from one job to the other from one landlord to the other, from one business to the other, one relationship to the other, all looking for satisfaction. The are all trying to catch up and get on track! But there is only one solution. And that is, going back to the original plan that God created you for.

Satisfaction comes from doing the right thing at the fright time and in the right place. Only through Jesus we have life abundantly, He came to show us the way back. He is the Way, Truth and Life. By connecting to Him we have all that is needed to do what we were created to do.

Maintain that Connection.

A lamp gives light to a room, but when the oil is finished to the lamp, the light goes off. To maintain the light, it means the lamp has to be refilled with the oil every time so that the lamp keeps on lighting the room.

For you to do exactly what you were created to do, you first have to know what was in God’s mind when he created you. It is only by having a relationship with him that you will be able to know, what was in his mind when He made you. Maintaining a connection with your maker is by having a relationship that is fresh and live.

Have a Great Day!
Email:firmina.matee@gmail.com

DISCOVERING THE THE POWER OF GENEROSITY

Many people wonder what the Bible has to say about generosity. The Bible is clear that God wants his people to be generous.
The more generous you are, the more blessings that God will shower upon you. A generous person is never selfish.An important point to note is that generosity starts with the attitude. The action is the final stage.God cares more about your attitude in giving than  about the actual amount of money that you give.

According to the Bible, God expects his people to be giving to others.It is a culture in God's Kingdom to be generous. In Malachi 3:8-12, the Bible explains that God expects people to give a tithe (10 percent) to God's house. If we will be generous with what we get, then God will be generous with his blessings: Give generously "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will  not have room enough for it." (Malachi 3:10)

Generosity all started with God.

Generosity all started with God, our Father.When He decided to be generous and give out his only begotten Son for us so that we are saved from the bondage of sin.God is generous. He pours rain to the good and the bad,the righteous and the wicked,what a generous God!For us to be generous we have to be connected to where it all started.We need to be connected to God.

You don't need to be rich to be Generous!

Anyone at any level can and has to be generous, as a character of a Child of God.
According to the Bible, generosity is not limited to money. Proverbs 22:9 says that "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." 

Generosity involve money, food,material things, time, ideas, advice, love, happiness, joy, respect or anything else that we have to give. Yes, we give love to others generously, we give happiness to others generously and so on.Jesus generously gave respect to those who were considered unrespectable, such as the woman at the well (John 4:1-26) and Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-9).

Generosity attracts love!

The Bible says that God cares about our attitude in giving. The Bible says in II Corinthians 9:7 that "God loves a cheerful giver," and that
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion." It is our attitude in giving that matters more than the amount that we give. See Luke 21:1-4 for an example of the widow's offering being the most generous gift, even though it was a small offering.

We are all stewards and not owners to what we have.

According to the Bible, all that we have comes from God. That makes us merely stewards, but not owners, of all of our possessions. In I Chronicles 29:14,the Bible says, "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." All that we have belongs to God, so we should give God's money generously in ways that God wants us to give it.

It is more blessed to give than to receive

A blessing is commanded into a life of a person who gives. It does not mean if you don't give you will not be blessed because God pours rain to both! But the blessings of a giver are countless!

Acts 20:35In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

The good thing about generosity..

A generous person is always prosperous

The Bible says that generosity leads to blessing. In Proverbs 11:25, the Bible tells us that "A generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

A generous person attracts God's presence

God draws near to those who are generous, lend freely and act with justice (Psalm 112:5). 

A generous person is never lacking.

If you give generously, then God will pour out more blessings upon you than you even have room for (Malachi 3:10).



Have a Great Day!
Email:firmina.matee@gmail.com

Bishop T. D. Jakes ~ "Sprirtual leader" and "Prophetic voice"

Thomas Dexter Jakes, Sr. commonly known as T.D.Jakes (born June 9, 1957) is the bishop,charismatic leader, visionary, provocative thinker, and entrepreneur who serves as senior pastor of The Potter's House, a global humanitarian organization and 30,000-member mega-church located in Dallas
T. D. Jakes' church services and evangelistic sermons are broadcasted on The Potter's Touch, which airs on several televisions in Canada.
Jakes also hosts an annual revival called "MegaFest" that draws more than 100,000 people, an annual women's conference called "Woman Thou Art Loosed".

                                                             Bishop T.D Jakes

Early life

On June 9, 1957, T.D.Jakes was born in South Charleston, West Virginia to Ernest Jakes, Sr. a janitor and entrepreneur, and Odith, an educator. Even as a child, he was known in his West Virginian neighborhood as "the Bible boy."

He was also told he would never be able to preach because of his "bad" lisp. Shortly after his father's death from kidney failure, Jakes decided to go into ministry.

In 1979, with very little funds of his own and with only ten initial members, he founded Greater Emmanuel Temple of Faith as a storefront church in Montgomery, West Virginia.

Jakes maintained his day job, digging ditches in order to support his ministry until the church was able to support him.

During its first 10 years, the church grew to over 1,000 members. In 1982, Jakes turned to full-time ministry.

By 1990, his church had moved twice, first from Montgomery to the nearby community of Smithers, and from there to his hometown of South Charleston. In 1993, the church moved yet again within the Charleston area, to Cross Lanes; the building having been formerly a bank.

In 1995, when he was 38 years old, Jakes started his television ministry. In 1996, Jakes founded The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, with about 50 families that had relocated with him from his former congregation in Cross Lanes. Jakes purchased the property, which was previously Eagle's Nest Family Church, from W. V. Grant, after Grant was sentenced to 16 months in prison for tax-related crimes.

Marriage and Family

When he was 24 in 1981, he married Serita Ann Jamison. They have five children together (Jermaine, Jamar, Cora, Sarah, and Thomas Jakes, Jr.)

                                                         First Lady Serita Jakes


Jakes is a strong advocate of abstinence and has made appearances on the subject ranging from Good Morning America to Dr. Phil.

On the PBS program African American Lives, Jakes had his DNA analyzed; his Y chromosome showed that he is descended from the Igbo people of Nigeria.

According to his family history, it was also suggested that he is descended from them through his grandmother. He is a second cousin once removed of vocalist Will Wheaton and first cousin twice removed of actor James Wheaton.

 Ministry

Jakes' sermons are broadcasted nationally and internationally over television and satellite television. He has written over 30 books, many of which have been featured on the New York Times best-selling list. Jakes is also a songwriter, a playwright, and performer. He founded the Christian record label Dexterity Sounds as well as a theater and movie production company.

                                             Bishop T.D Jakes preaching at The Potters House.


Jakes' church, The Potter’s House, is active in ministry and outreaches both locally and internationally. The Potter's House sends drugs and alcohol counseling to the inner city, volunteers to the elderly, to prostitutes and victims of domestic violence. Jakes also has a special interest in the continent of Africa, and The Potter's House launched an initiative that brought water wells, medicine, and ministry to thousands of people in and around Nairobi in Kenya.

Jakes hosted several popular national conferences, including "Woman, Thou Art Loosed," "G Unit: ManPower," and "God's Leading Ladies." Recently, Jakes combined those into a single event called "Megafest." Jakes regularly draws capacity crowds at his conferences and ministry events.

Bishop T.D. Jakes and his wife, Serita, pose for a family photo during his 35th Anniversary Celebration of ministry at the AT&T Performing Arts Center/Winspear Opera House on June 8, 2012, in Dallas, Texas.

 The event also marked the couple's 30th wedding anniversary

Awards and accomplishments

Jakes has received numerous honors, including 13 honorary degrees and doctorates. He has also received Grammy and Dove Award nominations for Gospel album "Live at The Potter's House." PBS Religion and Ethics Newsweekly named Jakes among America's "Top 10 Religious Leaders." Time magazine featured Jakes on the cover of its September 17, 2001 issue with the provocative question: "Is This Man the Next Billy Graham?".
Celebrities and Christian leaders honored the black minister as a "spiritual leader" and "prophetic voice."

WORSHIP IS A LIFESTYLE

by Darlene Zschech

We often hear the phrase "Worship is a lifestyle". What does this really mean? It simply means to live a life of love. To love extravagantly. The first commandment, to LOVE the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with your entire mind, means exactly that. You make a heart and mind decision to continually seek first the Kingdom of God, and to OBEY the Spirit of God in your life, as He calls you on to a greater and deeper knowledge of Himself.

Worship requires something of you, and that is OBEDIENCE.
Why do people cringe away from obedience? I believe it is because it requires a response. John 14:12 says, "Whoever has my commands and OBEYS them, he is the one who LOVES me. My Father will love him who LOVES me, and I too will LOVE him and show myself to him."
And verse 23 says, "If anyone LOVES me, he will OBEY my teaching. My Father will LOVE him and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not LOVE me will not OBEY me. These words you hear are not my own, they belong to my Father who sent me." LOVE and OBEDIENCE are tied together.
Every time you open up your heart in obedience to God and worship Him with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, our beautiful Lord responds with His magnificent presence. You need to continually be in the presence of God. Not only on Sundays, in a corporate place of worship, but in that secret place that maybe only you and the Lord will ever know about.

It's in this place of worship that you find yourself needing to respond to the Lord, to whatever He is asking, as WORSHIP PULLS BACK THE LAYERS OF YOUR HEART – TO EXPOSE WHAT'S REALLY THERE.

CONFESS
In Isaiah 6… when Isaiah caught sight of God he was moved to confess his sin.
When your humanness is confronted by the magnificence and holiness of God, you are made SO aware of your need for God’s grace and his cleansing power in your life. If you have unforgiveness, anger, jealousy, bitterness… ask God to forgive you. Romans 12:1 teaches us how to live this life of worship and love.

TRANSPARENCY
Psalm 51 says it so well, that when you are in the presence of the Lord, you become totally transparent and honest and your heart and soul cry out to pray "create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me". Read the Message Bible translation – it will inspire you to greater heights.

CLARITY
As you simply and wholeheartedly LOVE and ADORE your God, you receive revelation and understanding of your kingdom purpose. Romans 8:28 reveals that "… in all things God works for the good of those who LOVE Him, who have been called according to His purpose". Many Christians spend their lifetime frustrated at never knowing their Kingdom purpose. I challenge you to get in the presence of God, have an open heart to hear His voice, for He desires ALL He has planned for you even more than you do!

HUNGER
Another heart response is that your hunger for the things of God, your hunger for His Word and His truth increases. John 7:37! If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scriptures have said, streams of living water will flow from within him. Say YES to the Lord calling you to know Him more through his Word. It is LIFE to your soul.

REST COMES
Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty."
Joy and strength are found in His dwelling place, in His presence. If you feel like you are continually running on empty, then again, you need to respond and obey the Spirit of God and GET IN HIS PRESENCE. If I have learned one thing, it is that we were never meant to live this supernatural call, with purely natural ability. You will not make it… BUT if you take God at His Word, live in His presence, live a life of love, and respond to His voice, you WILL live your entire lifetime growing in the knowledge of Christ, always fresh and strong in the Word, and living a life that people will want to follow.
... And you thought worship was all about songs!

Love,
Darlene.

5 SECRETS TO FINANCIAL FREEDOM.

Financial troubles are a major problem for many families. These financial problems can be addressed and fixed using the five secrets for financial freedom listed below. Money is an integral part of life and should be used to enhance our life experiences, not make them stressful. Before applying these secrets to financial freedom there are a few roles that need to be filled by you or your spouse. These roles are important and their responsibilities are to be respected by the other spouse. These means that you are agreeing to not, put down or ignore the execution of these roles. You agree to respect the decision of the spouse who has taken on the particular responsibility.These are:

Who will handle the money? Write down the skills, talents, and pros and cons of both spouses. Together you must decide who will be responsible for the money handling.
This person will have the responsibility of keeping track of deposits, withdrawals, and keeping the checkbook balanced.

Who will pay the bills? In many families this will be the same person who handles the money. However, I recommend that the opposite spouse takes on the bill paying responsibility. Why? By paying the bills the opposite spouse will see where the money is going and how much is going where.
In this way each spouse will be consistently reminded of the bills that need to be paid and can use this information to decide whether a purchase is truly necessary.

Set a budget and stick to it! Decide together what is important and where your family's money should go. Remember to add in savings and charitable donations. Live within or under your means and you will soon discover financial freedom for your family.

Secret One to Financial Freedom "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Psalms 24:1
Recognizing that nothing is really ours, it all belongs to God. There is nothing that we can take with us when our lives end, just like we are born with nothing. By keeping in mind that "our money" is not ours you will find yourself and your family making better decisions.

By knowing that this is God's money, a weight will be lifted off your shoulders.And even when you don't have it in your hand you know you will have it because you are connected to the source,you are connected to the owner,God.

Secret Two to Financial Freedom Accept where you are at financially, and spend accordingly. It has taken many families, years to get into the debt that they have and those debts will not disappear over night. You must accept the truth about your financial level and from that setw a budget and spend accordingly.
Decide today to live within your means, even if that means eating out less and not buying the newest fashions. Never charge another item again, you now rule your finances, instead of your finances ruling you.

So how will your family have fun without eating out? Visit local museums and zoos on their free days or just go to the park and have an old fashion picnic, so as to lower your spending.

Secret Three to Financial Freedom.
Pay your Tithe regularly.
 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10

Pay your tithes and you will be blessed. The key to step three is paying your tithes regularly. Tithing is investing in the kingdom of God. and where your investment is your heart is. when you give tithe you connect your heart to God, who is the source of everything you need.If you are a christian step three is not an option is a must, and a principal to financial health.

Secret Four to Financial Freedom
Save, save, save. Every finance guru, every finance book, will all tell you the same thing. As well the bible speaks about saving.(Provebs 6:6-8.....go to the ant...it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest)

You must save for the future. Even if all you can save at first is 50shs, that is 50shs is more than you would have saved. At the very minimum your savings should be in a savings account earning interest, however there are other safe ways to increase your savings at a higher interest rate. If you do not trust yourself or your spouse to not spend the savings be sure to invest the savings into an account that cannot be accessed early.
When setting your budget, budget in 1-10% of your earnings. Start at the 1% if you must, but the goal is to be saving 10% of your income within the first year of your financial freedom plan.

Secret Five to financial Freedom
Invest.invest, invest.Learn to invest at the small things,and later on bigger ones. An investment is your money working for you, not you working for your money.

It can be a short term investment or a long term investment.Money invested is not money wasted, its return might not be seen quickly but it is there and in time you will eat its fruits!In Eccl 11:6 we are told; Sow your seed in he morning, and at the evening let not your hand be idle, for you do not know which will succed,whether this or thst, or both will do equally well.

Decide today to not be a slave to your finances!



Email:firmina.matee@gmail.com

Hearing and Listening! Many Relationships fall apart because they HEAR but don't LISTEN.

Many people assume that listening and hearing are one and the same. However, there is a big difference between the two.
Unless they were born deaf or became deaf at some point in life, many people have no problems of hearing words being said.
Unfortunately, the ability to hear doesn't guarantee understanding of what is being heard(listening).


Many marriages fall apart as both husband and wife simply don't communicate effectively. While they hear each other talk, they lack comprehension in what is spoken(listening). Family communication skills are often lacking in many marriages.

Listening requires an active approach to ANY conversation.


Hearing is only done by the ears as sound waves hit the cochlea that translates sound into nerve impulses that the brain can process in accordance with language skills.


Listening, however, requires concentration on what is spoken.

The brain needs to be engaged in the act of listening, otherwise the sound it receives makes no more sense than the traffic noise!


Good communication requires the ability to hear along with the skill to pay attention so that words make sense.

Communication is built on three premises. First comes the hearing where I suppose everyone does!
Then comes the ability to listen. This requires more use of the mind to be able to process information. This skill is absolutely necessary and especially in marriage, for without it many relationships end up broken.
Fewer people posses this ability as they never learned the skill to listen properly. Lastly comes the mind itself.

Hearing and listening can't work if someone speaks a language that the recipient doesn't know.
Many people listen quite well, but heavy accents and words being spoken too rapidly cuts down on the communication.
In the later case, the problem is not so easy to resolve. No one has the time or inclination to learn language ever spoken or would sit patiently listening to a speaker that slurs words to incomprehension.

Fortunately, listening can be improved in a  relationship  through  simple techniques:

•  PAY ATTENTION.

Distractions make listening difficult. Children running about, the television and stereo blaring or the sight of a gorgeous girl all draw attention away from any conversation.

•  LISTEN WITH AN OPEN MIND.

The fact is that biases and personalities clash from time to time. Everyone sees the world in a different way. A conversation can't get very far if one or two of the participants insist on basing their talk on their personal arguments.So for a communication to be complete one has to have an open mind to be able to listen to what the other is saying.

• SHOW THAT YOU'RE LISTENING

 Use your own body language and gestures to convey your attention.

~Nod occasionally.
~Smile and use other facial expressions.
~Note your posture and make sure it is open and inviting.
~Encourage your partner to continue with small verbal comments like yes, and uh huh.

• PROVIDE FEEDBACK

Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what you hear. As a listener, your role is to understand what is being said. This may require you to reflect what is being said and ask questions.

• Reflect what has been said by paraphrasing. "What I'm hearing is." and "Sounds like you are saying." are great ways to reflect back.
• Ask questions to clarify certain points. "What do you mean when you say." "Is this what you mean?"
• Summarize the speaker's comments periodically.

For a health relationship learn to be a good listerner not only a hearer!



Have a Great Day!

Minna Matee(Firmina)
Email: firmina.matee@gmail.com

SMITH WIGGLESWORTH ~ "Man of Faith"

 

Personal life.

Smith Wigglesworth was born in 1859 to a very poor family. His father did manual labor, for very little pay. Smith himself went to work at the age of six to help with the family income. At six he was pulling turnips and at seven he was working in a woolen mill twelve hours a day. His parents did not know God, but Smith hungered in his heart to know Him. Even as a youngster he would pray in the fields. His grandmother was the critical Christian in his life. She was a Weslyan Methodist and would take Smith to meetings with her. At one of these meetings there was a song being sung about Jesus as the lamb and Smith came into the realization of God's love for him and his decision to believe Christ for his salvation was decided that day. He was immediately filled with the desire to evangelize and led his own mother to Christ.

                                                      Smith Wigglesworth


Smith has various church experiences as he was growing up. He first went to an Episcopal church and then at thirteen a Weslyan Methodist church. When he was sixteen he became involved in the Salvation Army. He felt deeply called to fast and pray for lost souls. He saw many people come to Christ. At seventeen a mentor shared with him about water baptism and he decided to be baptized. The Salvation Army was experiencing a tremendous level of the power of God in those days. He describes meetings where "many would be prostrated under the power of the Spirit, sometimes for as long as twenty-four hours at a time." They would pray and fast and cry out for the salvation of fifty or a hundred people for the week and they would see what they had prayed for.

At eighteen Smith left the factory and became a plumber. He moved to Liverpool when he was twenty and continued to work during the day and minister during his free time. He felt called to minister to young people and brought them to meetings. These were destitute and ragged children, whom he would often feed and care for. Hundreds were saved. Smith was often asked to speak in Salvation meetings and he would break down and weep under the power of God. Many would come to repentance in those meetings through this untrained man. At twenty-three he returned back Bradford and continued his work with the Salvation Army.

Marriage life

In Bradford Smith met Mary Jane Featherstone, known as Polly, the daughter of a temperance lecturer. She left home and went to Bradford to take a servants job. One night she was drawn to a Salvation Army meeting. She listened to the woman evangelist, Gipsy Tillie Smith, and gave her heart to Christ. Smith was in that meeting and saw her heart for God. Polly became an enthusiastic Salvationsist and was granted a commission by General Booth. They developed a friendship, but Polly went to Scotland to help with a new Salvationsist work. She eventually moved back to Bradford and married Smith, who was very much in love with her. They were blessed with Alice, Seth, Harold, Ernest & George.

                                           Smith Wigglesworth's family in about 1900.

The couple worked together to evangelize the lost. They opened a small church in a poor part of town. Polly would preach and Smith would make the altar calls. For a season, however, Smith became so busy with his plumbing work that his evangelistic fervor began to wane. Polly continued on, bringing Smith to conviction. One day while Smith was working in the town of Leeds he heard of a divine healing meeting. He shared with Polly about it. She needed healing and so they went to a meeting, and Polly was healed.

His Ministry
Smith struggled with the reality of healing, while being ill himself. He decided to give up the medicine that he was taking and trust God. He was healed. They had five children, a girl and four boys. One morning two of the boys were sick. The power of God came and they prayed for the boys and they were instantly healed. Smith struggled with the idea that God would use him to heal the sick in general. He would gather up a group of people and drive them to get prayer in Leeds. The leaders of the meeting were going to a convention and left Smith in charge. He was horrified. How could he lead a meeting about divine healing? He tried to pass it off to someone else but could not. Finally he led the meeting and several people were healed. That was it. From then on Smith began to pray for people for healing.

Smith had another leap to make. He had heard about the Pentecostals who were being baptized in the Holy Spirit. He went to meetings and was so hungry for God he created a disturbance and church members asked him to stop. He went to prayer and prayed for four days. Finally he was getting ready to head home and the vicar's wife prayed for him and he fell under the power of God and spoke in tongues. Everything changed after that. He would walk by people and they would come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be saved. He began to see miracles and healings and the glory of God would fall when he prayed and preached.

Smith had to respond to the many calls that came in and gave up his business for the ministry. Polly unexpectedly died in 1913, and this was a real blow to Smith. He prayed for her and commanded that death release her. She did arise but said "Smith - the Lord wants me." His heartbroken response was "If the Lord wants you, I will not hold you". She had been his light and joy for all the years of their marriage, and he grieved deeply over the loss. After his wife was buried he went to her grave, feeling like he wanted to die. When God told him to get up and go Smith told him only if you "give to me a double portion of the Spirit – my wife’s and my own – I would go and preach the Gospel. God was gracious to me and answered my request.” His daughter Alice and son-in-law James Salter began to travel with him to handle his affairs.

Raising the Dead!

Smith would pray and the blind would see, and the deaf were healed, people came out of wheelchairs, and cancers were destroyed.
One remarkable story is when He prayed for a woman in a hospital. While he and a friend were praying she died. He took her out of the bed stood her against the wall and said "in the name of Jesus I rebuke this death". Her whole body began to tremble. The he said "in the name of Jesus walk", and she walked. Everywhere he would go he would teach and then show the power of God. He began to receive requests from all over the world. He taught in Europe, Asia, New Zealand and many other areas. When the crowds became very large he began a "wholesale healing". He would have everyone who needed healing lay hands on themselves and then he would pray. Hundreds would be healed at one time.

Smith has written several books including the Secret of his power, a powerful book telling Smith's walk with God.

Over Smith's ministry it was confirmed that 14 people were raised from the dead.
Thousands were saved and healed and he impacted whole continents for Christ. Smith died on March 12, 1947 at the funeral of his dear friend Wilf Richardson.
His ministry was based on four principles:
" First, read the Word of God. Second, consume the Word of God until it consumes you. Third believe the Word of God. Fourth, act on the Word."



Have a Great Day!

Minna Matee
Email: firmina.matee@gmail.com

The Price of a Decision..

A decision is a conclusion reached within you or with someone else after making choices among several alternatives. When a decision is reached it is the final point of a matter. And what follows is the action, of implementing the choices made.

Every day we make decisions in our daily lives, regarding different matters. Even to get out of your bed today after waking up, you made a decision otherwise you would have remained in your bed even if you are not sleeping. You made a decision doing the job you are doing now, you made a decision opening a business you are doing today, you made a decision choosing a friend you have today. And many more you can mention. So, in everything, we make decisions.

It’s only one thing that we never make a decision upon unless you are not normal. And that is breathing. You don’t decide to breathe, you just breathe, because you must breathe, for you to live!

And as it is very important to make decisions, it is also very important to be careful when making those decisions because, every decision made there is a price to for it.

The value of the price differs from one decision to another. If today you decide that you want to be someone in a doctor, then there is a price you are supposed to pay, and the price is to study science subjects related to medical issues. You can not make a decision to be a doctor and you go and study banking and finance! But if you want to become a banker, then you can study banking and finance. If you made a decision to get married to the person you are married to now, there is a price you have to pay for that. If you want to become one of the biggest business men in the country, to do business internationally and so on, then there has to be a price to pay.

Every decision we make in life, there is a price we pay for that decision. For that reason we need to be careful when making decisions.

There are few things that are very important to take note before making any decision.

Don’t make decisions when you are angry.

Many decisions made when you are angry, end up to be destructive. Anger makes you decide things on a negative way, towards revenge.

Making decisions when you are angry will make you regret later after the anger is over. And you will have to suffer the consequences. Whereas if you would have waited to make that decision when you are not angry, it would not lead you to regret.

Don’t make decisions when you’re overjoyed.

It shows that promises made when one is overjoyed are in a very small percent fulfilled. Over joy make someone do anything without thinking what the consequences are. When you are overwhelmed with happiness, don’t make decisions. Otherwise you should be very careful if it is really necessary to do it at that time.

Don’t make decisions due to external pressure.

When you make a decision because those around you are pressurizing you, be assured that when it comes to paying the price of that decision, they will be there too, then do it. But if you know that you are going to pay the price alone, don’t make that decision. Because there is a price for every decision made.

Dont make decisions when you are tied.
When you are tied you mind is also tied.And a decison made out of there will be as a result of being tied.You will make that decision, so that to let go of the disturbance and rest, but after you've rested and refreshed, you will come to realise that the decision made was wrong, and it was a result of tiedness. Remember Esau in the bible (Genesis 25:31-35) He sold his birthright because he was tied and hungry. Don't make decisions when you are tid and hungry.

Therefore, before making any decisions contact God. We learn from David in the Bible. Before he made a decision to go for any battle, he would enquire of the Lord. And when the Lord answered them and told them to go, they would go and win the battle. (2Samwel 5:17-19)
Relax when making decisions, especially those which will change you life.Some decisions made can not be reversed, you will bear the concenquenses.

As Christians, any decisions we make should be in line with the Word of God. Any decision made outside the Word of God, will result to destruction, though in the at first sight it will look pleasant (Proverbs 14:12)


Have a great Day!

Minna (Firmina)
Email:firmina.matee@gmail.com