Who Are The Real Women?

My dear friends, I pray all is well.

Today, I thank God for the real women HE has placed in my life. You see, friends, real women have certain characteristics, they are anointed and gifted women, they are "real" as the word implies.

Senior Pastor Jon Weece of Southland Christian Church had indicated to his congregation that real women have four distinct characteristics:
1) Real Women follow Jesus. These women follow Jesus in their attitude and actions. Real women get other women together in prayer and fellowship. They pray steadfastly, they have faith, and they encourage other women.
Rev. Dr. Cecilia Williams-Bryant had said that God’s women will not substitute conference for action. God’s women must not sanitize sin just to satisfy our own discrepancies; God’s women are resilience, have vision and courage.

My friends, bottom line is that if we are truly God’s women, we must speak what God wants us to speak, we must speak with love, our action must be of love and out of love. We must be sincere in our actions and with our words, and we must encourage and inspire other women instead of trying to bring them down.

2) Real Women are modest. To be modest means that one is free from vanity or conceit. Women who are modest have inside beauty and they are mysterious. Women who are modest know how to evangelize and speak life over others.

My grandmother used to tell me all the time, it does not matter how ugly you are on the outside, what’s important is how beautiful your inside is. When your inside is beautiful it outshines the outside’s ugliness. Rev. Williams-Bryant said a God’s woman who is modest is free from oppression and does not oppress her neighbor and the environment; she practices prophetic intervention. Rev. Williams-Bryant said that prophetic intervention is an at-risk procedure but it will open the gates of heaven. I agree with Rev. Williams-Bryant. It is an at-risk procedure, but I will take that risk over and over and over and I will continue to declare and claim everything in the name of Jesus.

3) Real Women are content. Contented women are not jealous, not competitive, not prone to gossip, not materialistic, don’t hold grudges. Women who are content have a joy in them. Content women will walk away from situations that would cause them to question their integrity and character.
My friends, to be content is to know Thy Word. God's Word should be so planted in our hearts that no man, or woman, will be able to sway or persuade us to do the things of this world that we know are not pleasing in the sight of the Lord.

4) Real Women want to be romanced. Women want to be cuddled, held, kissed, listen to; learn about them from them; a woman’s well-being is fueled by conversation. Amen to this. In fact earlier I thought about the kind of marriage that I will have. My husband-to-be is very busy, he is a very busy fellow and so, since I humble myself as a real woman, I know that there will have to be some time for the two of us, just the two of us, watching a movie, singing together, dancing together, or just simply having chitchats about nothing!

Sisters, are you a real woman? If you are not, then get on board, give up the things of this world, be one with God and start doing what God wants you to do. Be a woman of God and intercede, pray, fast, read the Word, run this race and do not give up, lean unto the Lord for understanding; trust and depend on the Lord in all you say and do; believe in the power of prayer. Real women bring other women to the kingdom of God. Real women are not ashamed to speak of God's goodness and grace and mercy over their lives.

If you have been fence hopping, fence sitting, backsliding, and even just pretending, I pray that you get in agreement with God and become a real woman of God. It is easy to become a woman of God, all it takes is the forgiveness of your sins, and walking in the light, instead of darkness.



God bless,

Therese from Belize

Humble Servant For The Lord

Greetings, my friends, in the name of Jesus!


In Luke 1:48-49, "For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." (KJV) My friends, holy is His name, His precious name, that name of Jesus Christ! I am blessed because God has done great things for me. I am blessed because I know God will continue to do great things for me, and I thank the Lord in advance.

I recall a class by Rev. Maxine Thomas, which was titled, "Series of Fortunate Events". Rev. Thomas directed her class from Luke 1, focusing on the pregnancies of Elizabeth and Mary. Rev. Thomas encouraged women that when we get pregnant in the Spirit, no one can take away that pregnancy. Sometimes we may be afraid to speak about the movement within us, but we must not be afraid because a true woman of God will understand and provide encouragement and support along the way for us. Rev. Thomas encouraged women to look for other women to encourage and inspire because it is just simple that we need to encourage one another. Rev. Thomas said many times we fail to accept another sister's divinity. I had pondered that statement for some time and all I could come up with is jealousy and envy as the root causes for such failure. To confirm my answer of why women do not support other women, I had the pleasure of sitting in on Dr. Ellen Marmon's class, The Hour of Purpose. Dr. Marmon, Assistant Professor of Christian Discipleship at Asbury Theological Seminary, referred us to Genesis 16:1-10 of Sarai and Hagar. Here we see jealousy and envy in its purest form. Dr. Marmon, however, reiterated,urged and encouraged us as women to provide support, commitment, time and energy to other women.

My friends, we see in the Scripture that Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus turned to Elizabeth (who was pregnant with John the Baptist) for support. Elizabeth did not become jealous of Mary when she came to visit her, knowing that Mary was pregnant with the child who would save the world, but instead Elizabeth became filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke life to Mary letting her know that God has blessed her, that is Mary, more than any other woman. Elizabeth was not jealous, in fact, she was happy with her pregnancy (Luke 1:39-45). As women, we must not be jealous of another woman, instead, we must support that woman in her pregnancy; in her divinity. In fact, we can look at Ruth and Naomi, Ruth became pregnant with Boaz's baby and Naomi took over that baby like he was her own (Ruth 4:16); look at Lois and Eunice, Timothy's grandmother and mother (2 Timothy 1:3-7); Martha and Mary (Luke 10); Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna worked together to help Jesus and His apostles (Luke 8). These are women who loved and supported each other because they all had two things in common; one, they were all humble women; and, two, they loved and served God with all their hearts.

My friends, don't you agree it is time for women to support other women? Do not forget that there was a woman who helped you along the way. Be a humble servant, a servant for the Lord.

Be blessed, be forgiving, be prayerful.
Therese from Belize

Being A Humble Servant In Ministry

Greetings, I pray all is well.

I have been working now a couple years to get this ministry off the ground. I am so happy that finally I was able to get the ministry's name registered with the State, and now working on the 501 (c) (3) status! "Sisters On The Road To Freedom, Inc." main goals are providing encouragement and inspiration to women, telling them about God's free gift to us, that is, Salvation.

Luke 1:49, "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name." (KJV) I am only a humble servant girl. I am blessed because God has done great things for me. I am blessed because I know God will continue to do great things for me, and I thank the Lord in advance. As a disciple, I must serve others; serve others by telling them about the good news of Jesus Christ; serve by helping a family in need; serve by giving a stranger an encouraging word of hope; serve by tithing; serve by telling someone about the free gift of salvation; serve by providing fellowship. If we are to be the servants that God wants us to be, we must get out of the comforts of our homes; get out of the comforts of the church walls and serve.

It is an exhilarating experience serving the Lord by serving others. I am very excited about what will be done in this ministry for the Lord.

Be blessed,
Therese from Belize

Be Zealous and...Repent

Greetings, my dear friends, in the name of Jesus!

Oh how marvelous it is that we have a Jesus who looks out for us. He wants us to be on the winning side of life. This is not about monetary and financial prosperity; this is about spiritual prosperity in Christ. How can we get on the winning side of life? Well, John reveals to us that “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." (KJV) That is it right there, "be zealous and repent."

Each day I ask God for forgiveness of my sins, sins of omission and sins of commission because I do not know what tomorrow holds for me. God just may take me away from this earth. We just do not know when it is our time, and that is the reason why John is urging and warning us to be zealous and repent. We must turn our wickedness into goodness, our sorrow into joy, our despair into hope, our crying into laughter, our hatred into love, our hopelessness into faithfulness. This can only happen when we repent. Just as we are zealous in chasing our dreams and achieving educational and social status, so must we be zealous in chasing after our God.

Each day is a new beginning, and we must start taking advantage of God's goodness and mercy. He woke us up today, that means, HE is giving us another chance to get it right with HIM.

Glory!

Be blessed,
Therese from Belize

Salvation By Sacrifice

Greetings, my friends, in the name of Jesus!

David in one of his songs of Psalm tells us, "Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.." (Psalm 107:2, KJV). Today, as I was praising to my favorite song, "Grace", something hit me, I mean head on... salvation by sacrifice! I give God all the glory for sending His only Son, who died for my sins. He was ridiculed, spat on, laughed at, they called him every dirty name that they could have mustered. That's the biggest and most important sacrifice anyone could do for me or for you. Our parents made and still make sacrifices for us each and every day, we do the same for our children, families and friends. However, our sacrifices are so pale to what God has done for us! Do you see yourself sacrificing your life for a stranger? No way, right? First thing we would think about...my kids, my wife, my husband, my parents....they need me. Jesus did not hesitate to think about his parents, his disciples, the believers, the people who loved Him so. He knew that there was a dying and evil world and that people had to be brought back to God's goodness. He knew He had to make this sacrifice.

In Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, he reminded that, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7, KJV). What I know is that I am saved because my Jesus sacrificed His life for me. My friends, do you really understand what it means to have salvation by sacrifice? Salvation by sacrifice provides us with restoration; our honor or worth of is restored. Salvation by sacrifice redeems us. It saves us from our sins, it rescues us, and delivers us from. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (KJV) Salvation by sacrifice, Jesus gave His life for us, restores us to queens and kings that we are; restores us to royalty that we are, and we become joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (KJV)


My friends, let us show Jesus some gratitude for the sacrifice HE made for us (He paid with His life). Let us start testifying about God's mercy and grace, let us reach out to our lost brothers and sisters who need us, let us go to those street corners and express a kind word to a hurt soul. My friends, we are restored, Jesus did it for us, why can't we do a just a little sacrificing for our brothers and sisters?


God bless,
Therese from Belize

How God Uses Others To Help Us On Our Way

My dear friends, greetings, in the name of Jesus!

Today, schools were out in the Commonwealth of Kentucky due to the snow. After preparing some work and doing some writing and reading, I went to checkout the happenings on Jesus Saves Ministries website (www.jesussavesministries.ning.com). Each day I look forward to the discussions and blogs of Rev. Angela Price, the founder of this ministry. She is such an awesome and inspiring woman of God, and I thank God for putting her in my life. I came across one of her blogs from 2010, "Are You in the Bible?" I thought to myself how come I am just know seeing this blog. Rev. Price posed the question to the members: "can you name three black presence in the Bible?" I certainly was unable to do such and felt so ashamed. Whew, I knew then exactly why the Spirit sent me to this blog. I was only able to name one, which was King Solomon's wife because I know in the Song of Solomon 1:5-6, the woman wrote, "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." (KJV)

Rev. Price, through the Holy Spirit, inspired me today to get in God's Word. As I read her note to the ministry's members today, she encouraged, "With schools closed today, and three inches of snow here, I spending extra time today learning about Jesus. Join me." I took up Rev. Price's invitation and joined her. I got in the Word today and oh, what a joy it has been! As believers, we must read, study and mediate morning, noon, and night. In fact, David tells us in his song, Psalm 1 stanzas 2 and 3, "But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (KJV)

Studying God's Word today, I have learned that one, Jesus saves; two, we must mediate day and night in God's Word; three, our delight should be in the law of the Lord; four, that when we do the things that God asks of us (mediate on His Word), whatsoever we do shall prosper! Hallelujah!

I will continue to study and mediate upon the Word of God. That is the only way I can be an effective witness for Christ. I have to know what I read, I have to believe what I read, and I must live what I read.

Be blessed,
Therese from Belize

Change Can Happen

My dear friends, I pray all is well.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! This morning, God’s grace was evident in my life. A situation presented where I could have told someone off, gotten upset with that person, and maybe even used a foul word or two. But glory to God, my mouth was bind up, and the Holy Spirit took control of what words came out of my mouth! It is evident, as experienced by me, that when you are sincere about changing your life (such as your talk and you walk), a change can happen because a prayer changes everything! Change happens when you allow God to be first, plain and simple.

I will forever praise the Lord for HE keeps providing me with His mercy and grace. Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (NIV) The Holy Spirit does show up and show out when we are in submission to God’s will. When we lean on to our own undestanding, that is exactly when we have misunderstandings and arguments, and we have the devil laughing all the way to the bank. When we lean on our own understanding, we put self in the equation and God is left out. When God is left out, we retreat back to the ways of the world. I am better than no man, I am just a sinner saved by God's grace! However, every now and then, God does some amazing things to show us just how much HE loves us, how HE keeps HIS promises to us that HE has set out in HIS Word! Glory to God that HE makes our path straight when we depend on HIM to take control of situations.

Just as David told the Philistines, 1 Samuel 17:47, "...for the battle is the Lord's..." (NIV)

Be blessed,
Therese from Belize

Reflection - "A Soulful Relationship" - Rev. Ronald McFadden

The below was sent to me by one of my sisters. This reflection is certainly food for thought. It has been a blessing to me and I pray, it is a blessing to you.

God bless,
Therese from Belize

A Soulful Relationship
by Reverend Ronald McFadden


If you're not married yet, share this with a friend. If you are married, share it with your spouse or other married couples... and reflect on it.

An African proverb states, "Before you get married, keep both eyes open, and after you marry, close one eye."

Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open, and don't fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults aren't really important..

Once you decide to commit to someone, over time their flaws, vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more obvious.

If you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve, you've got to learn to close one eye and not let every little thing bother you. You and your mate have many different expectations, emotional needs, values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. You are two unique individuals who have decided to share a life together.

Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other? Do you bring out the best of each other?
Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete, compare, and control?
What do you bring to the relationship? Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain?

You can't take someone to the altar to alter him or her. You can't make someone love you or make someone stay. If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life", you won't find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain. Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and selfishness are not the ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting relationship.

Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are the wrong reasons to be in a relationship.

What keeps a relationship strong?

Communication, intimacy, trust, a sense of humor, sharing household tasks, some getaway time without business or children and daily exchanges (a meal, shared activity, a hug, a call, a touch, a note). Leave a nice message on their voicemail or send a nice email. Sharing common goals and interests.

Growth is important. Grow together, not away from each other, giving each other space to grow without feeling insecure. Allow your mate to have outside interest. You can't always be together. Give each other a sense of belonging and assurances of commitment. Don't try to control one another. Learn each other's family situation. Respect his or her parents regardless. Don't put pressure on each other for material goods. Remember for richer or for poorer. If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment, withdrawal, abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and pain replace the passion.

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think." The grass withers, the flowers fades, but the word of God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8 Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight.

Always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary. The difference between 'United' and 'Untied' is where you put the I.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

I Sing Because I Am Happy!

What an awesome God we serve!

On our drive to Eastern Kentucky University today, Sheena made note that I kept replaying and singing out of tune to the BeBe and CeCe Winans' song, "Grace". I said, "Sheena, grace, oh, grace, what would I do without grace, where would I be without grace?" I know she did not truly comprehend what I was relaying to her, but my God knows that it is only HIS grace that has kept me! It was HIS grace that redeemed me. I just had to praise God on my way to EKU today because as I looked at my daughter, I remembered that time when I was not the mother that I was supposed to be. I was up in the club, running the streets of Belize City. I thank God for grace and mercy because as Bebe sings, "mercy helped me see I have been living a lie." Yep, God's mercy, that is, His favor! If God did not favor me, trust me, I would probably still be running in and out of those clubs, yes, even at this supposedly matured age.

My friends, I am not looking back, I am not turning back, but I have not forgotten where I used to be, how I used to be. It is only the grace of God that has me still standing; it is only the grace of God that has me clothed in good faculty; it is only the grace of God that I am alive today; it is only by the grace of God that I am the mother I am today. My friends, I am just keeping it real with you. I know how far God has brought me and that is the reason why I sing the way I do, even if it is off-keyed; why I praise the way I praise; why I pray the way I pray; why I testify the way I testify; why I jump the way I jump! Grace, oh grace!

My God has redeemed me; HE has cleaned me up from the inside to the outside and I am living in submission to His will. Just as David was a man after God's own heart, so am I, a woman after God's own heart! I sing because I am happy; I sing because I am free! And who the Son sets free, is free indeed! This sister is walking on the road to freedom!


John 8:36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (NIV)

Be blessed,
Therese from Belize

Life Is Indeed Great!

To God be the glory!

One of my little brothers at my church always say, "Life is great!" I used to say, men, I wish I could be like him, but now I understand exactly what he means. My friends, life is indeed great! It is great because my God gave me another opportunity today to get it right with HIM; life is indeed great because God extended His mercy and grace today on me. Life is great whenever we live to see another day. Life is indeed great when we get to enter through a door that we thought would never be opened for us to enter. Let us appreciate the life that God has given to us. There are many who did not make it today, many who died without confessing their sins to our Lord; many died just as they were ready to serve the Lord. Life is great for us because we still have breath of life!

My friends, it is important we get it right with Christ...TODAY. Do not delay. James warns us not to boast about tomorrow. We find the apostle warning us in his epistle, Chapter 4:13-15, "Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (NIV) Our lives are indeed like a mist, that is why we must be thankful and grateful each and every day to God. God extends love to His children even though we do not show Him love. I can tell you, life is indeed great! Why? Because I am redeemed, my God has forgiven me of my sins and He has set me free! So yes, who the Son sets free is free indeed!

Life is great! (JaRae West, my young brother at Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church)

Be blessed,
Therese from Belize

Is God Really Listening?

Greetings, my dear friends, in the name of Jesus!

Has it ever happened to you where you just end up at a scripture that you had no idea how you reached there? Well, that happened to me today. I came across the Book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk was a prophet, but oh what a complainer he was. He complained and complained to God about one thing to the other, complained about whined about everyone and everything. How many of us have asked, just as Habakkuk had, "How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?" (Habakkuk 1:2, NIV). My friends, God does listen to us but I have found, from my own personal experiences, that sometimes God just wants me to let HIM be God all by Himself. Sometimes, God just wants me to sit still and let HIM be. Sometimes, God just wants me to praise Him instead of complaining to Him, sometimes He is waiting on my worship instead of my whining. Rev. Richard Gaines of Consolidated Baptist Church, reminded his flock that they must worship when their backs are against the wall. Rev. Gaines said worship is a lifestyle; it is something that you do morning, noon and night, and even in between. One's worship must be consistent and authentic (Rev. Gaines New Year's Service Sermon). God hears His children all the time, but we do not hear God most of the time.

Finally, in Chapter 3, Habakkuk took himself in prayer to the Lord. "LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2, NIV) Believers and non-believers, complainers and whiners, backsliders and fence sitters, one-day Christians and babes-in-Christ, when you are tired of being in Habakkuk's shoes, pray earnestly and without ceasing, praise with all thanksgiving in your heart, pray and praise and let God. God does listen to us, but we do not listen to Him. We are too busy caught up trying to solve problems and deal with situations on our own. Make that change today, and let God. Jesus tells us in the Gospel according to John, Chapter 15:5-8, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." Hallelujah!! Look at the promises that God has given us when we worship Him! Worship Him, praise Him, and pray to Him.

God bless,
Therese from Belize

Exchanging Mockery for Model

My dear friends! Greetings, in the name of Jesus!

So, 2011 is here and many of us have made, once again, "resolutions". Some are preposterous, some are just plain ridiculous, while others are believable, achievable, and sincere. We, and when I used the word, "we", (I am referring to disciples of Christ and the unsaved), throw around the word "resolution" like it is a Frisbee. I went to the Oxford Dictionary to confirm my understanding of the word. According to the Oxford Dictionary, it defines the word resolution (noun) as "a firm decision to do or not to do something."

Resolution - a firm decision to do or not to do something. As I reflect over my life in 2010, I can only come up with one firm decision: 2011, I will be living in submission to God's will. I will be that evangelist, the missionary, the testifier of God's goodness and mercy, but most importantly, I will be that street corner witness for Christ! You see, my friends, as I look back over my life, hallelujah, God has redeemed me, He took me, yes, this wretch like me and HE shaped me, He renewed me, He molded me, and HE chastised me out of love. And because my God has done so much for me, because my God has brought me from darkness into light, I promised God, not man, that I will forever praise HIS name, I will work vigorously and earnestly to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to every and any one, and I am talking about those outside the walls of the church!

My friends, I do not know about you, but I must continue to walk in the path of the Lord. I must continue with all strength and vigor to spread the good news of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Let me tell you something, especially those of you who are still not living in submission of the Lord. You see, in Psalm 1, stanzas 1 through 6, David tells me this:
"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or
stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his
law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of
water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither — whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like
chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand
in the judgment,nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of
the wicked leads to destruction." (NIV)

My friends, I encourage you today, the beginning of 2011, to stop being a mockery, stop being a fool, stop being a follower of idiots and idolaters and adulterers and occults. It is time you begin your walk in submission of God's will. It is time for your breakthrough but you must do as David encourages, that is, meditate on God's Word, day and night! Look at the promise...mediate, delight in the law of the Lord and guess what? Whatever you do will prosper! Glory!!! Remember, the way of the wicked leads to destruction. My friends, 2010 saw enough destruction in your lives, get on track with God and you will see how much you will prosper.

Our God is worthy to be praised! Hallelujah!! Amen.

God bless,
Therese from Belize