“And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21). 

It’s important to heed warnings from God. It’s like driving your car down the road, seeing a sign that says “Detour,” “One Way,” “Curve Ahead,” and heeding the signs to avoid getting into an unsafe situation. It’s the same in our walk with God. 

God sends signs and warnings along our path in life as well. If you will heed the warnings, you will be able to safely remain on course. Always follow peace in your heart and you will be going in the right direction. 

Always listen to God—obey the leading of His Holy Spirit. Only God can be counted on to never fail you. If you have failed to heed a warning or several from God, there is still hope. Take time to read 1 John 1:9. 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

When trouble starts in life, too often people listen to the wrong people—the naysayers. Don’t listen to the “What if’s” from other people. Keep your trust in God, your focus on Him, and seek the LORD for His direction…even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Don’t react—stay calm—stay in peace—and wait on the Lord. Trust Him! 

“As for you, be calm and cool and steady” (1 Timothy 4:5). 

With God, all things are possible. In 2012, the LORD allowed me to see the stop sign above on the corner of Vail Avenue and Randolph Road in Charlotte. It was in a time of great need–my husband was in the hospital at Mercy. God raised him from death, healed him from two strokes, and walked with us through his two open heart surgeries. God was faithful then and He is still faithful today. If you need encouragement, take time to read A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat) …available on Amazon, www.starministriesinc.com, xulon.com and other book distributors. It will give you increased faith to believe God for anything. Make sure to pray the confession prayer inside the book. Always read God’s Word…abide In Christ through prayer and study. It will change your life forever. 

God bless you and stop worrying. God is in control. I don’t know what you’re walking through, but God is with you. He is full of mercy and grace and brings justice to all. The Blood of Jesus covers you–the Blood answers from the Mercy Seat in Heaven–as believers in Christ, we are seated with Him in heavenly places–and we win in the Courts of Heaven. 

HIS LOVE and mine, 

Deborah Starczewski 

BOOKS FOR ENCOURAGEMENT

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed And Know  Your Purpose)…a great in-depth book on God’s plan for your life and moving forward after heart-wrenching experiences. You can move from drama to destiny by turning to Jesus. A great read for couples and those seeking to get married. 

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the amazing ways the LORD led will keep you turning the pages and give you a glimpse of the amazing love of Father God. A must read for all. A modern day resurrection story. 

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)…a must read for all.

David’s own family didn’t see him coming. They didn’t think or ponder that he was even in the lineup to be king. But God…saw David in the fields, tending the sheep, worshiping the Lord God Himself, and He saw a heart that was after Him.

While it is easy to get preoccupied with the world’s mess down here, you better stay focused on Jesus and on souls. I am telling you…Jesus is coming back soon. The revival fires are coming! There are people in the fields that are in need of Jesus. The fields are ripe with harvest.…souls. That will put your feet to dancing….worshiping before the Lord. 

It is easy to get focused on the vision for our lives to the place that we miss the process totally. It’s easy to get caught up in the world system and live beneath God’s supernatural plan for our lives. 

God wants us to grow into the likeness and maturity of Jesus. He wants us to do like Andrew did in the Bible (Andrew means bringer…he was always bringing people to Jesus)…to bring as many converts to Him as possible, and to speak life for transformation of the nations and to the people we meet everywhere we go in life. He wants us to use our God-given authority to bring about transformation in our sphere of influence. 

We are called into fellowship with God. We get to spend time with Him, and His Holy Spirit lives inside of us and can rest upon us. 

Everything we could ever want out of life flows from from this one privilege that King David understood better than most New Testament believers. David referred to it as the one thing: 

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. (Psalm 27:4 KJV).

One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple. (Psalm 27:4 NIV)

We must learn to welcome and host the Holy Presence of God…if we want to see and experience revival fires, a returning to God as a nation. Repentance is key. We must seek God with all of our heart, mind and soul as believers…watching for His return…and occupying till He comes. 

Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The Kingdom is not separate from His Presence. This command by Jesus is to simplify and prioritize our lives down to this one thing which is evidenced by right living and winning souls. 

As yourself these questions:

Am I surrendered to the Holy Spirit? 

Do I try to run everything and want control?

Has the Presence of the Lord changed my heart attitudes to line up with Jesus?

Does His Holy Presence affect the vision and focus of my life personally?

Am I fully submitted to God so that I obey immediately?

Do I have any feelings against anyone that is clearly against God’s Holy Word?

Ask the LORD what it is that He wants you to do next. It may be to invite someone else to preach/teach/minister at your church—so GOD HIMSELF can usher in revival. Sometimes God uses the most least likely candidates — like you read above—about David. 

“Whatever He says to you, do it? (John 2:5). 

Remember this: God spoke the worlds into being. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host” (Psalm 33:6; Genesis 1:3-24). 

Use your words wisely. Speak life. Connect with other believers who are on fire for God—and fan the flame in those whose flame has been reduced to a flicker. People are hurting and need encouragement. Someone is about to give up that needs you to give them hope. 

Take time to spend in God’s Presence and devour His Word. When we are so full of God that we want what He wants, we move to obedience immediately. 

We have the most amazing privilege of carrying God’s presence. Let’s bring Heaven to earth…together….knowing we are called by God into divine purpose. 

We must live for more…more of God…a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. In Acts 4, Peter joins many others in prayer and prays for more—more boldness. God wants us to be empowered by His Holy Presence so that we can snatch souls from the realms of darkness. 

“Lord, let your people live in overflow!” In Jesus’ name! Lord, heal every heart, dry every tear, and bring healing and salvation to every household.” 

HIS LOVE and mine, 

Deborah  Starczewski

www.starministriesinc.com

Deborah’s books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Day At The Mercy Seat)…

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)

As I listened quietly to the soft rain that was falling outside the bedroom window, I heard the Father speaking softly to me. He said, “One day soon, all the world will see.” I reflected over the past few weeks, the goodness of God, and how the Holy Spirit of God reveals all hidden truth and shows us things to come. I reflected on the course of events over the past six weeks and how the mercy and grace of God are overwhelming, and how God positions people around us to give us comfort, encouragement, and support. 

As I lay there with tears of joy running down my cheeks, I sensed the sweet presence of Jesus. I heard the Father speaking to me about how Mary, the mother of Jesus, wept at the feet of Jesus as he gave his life on the Cross. Then there was Mary, the follower of Jesus, who knelt at the feet of Jesus, holding onto every word He spoke with an intentional and listening heart. It was as if I were watching the crucifixion in my mind and I could see the women weeping and kneeling beneath the feet of Jesus at the Cross. Then I saw the empty tomb. Then I began to think about what it is going to be like when Jesus comes back for us. 

The Bible says, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25). Matthew 27:56 (Mary, the wife of Cleophas, the mother of James and Joseph). They were also the first witnesses of the resurrection. 

There are several women who accompany Jesus to the cross and tomb. These are the ones who didn’t abandon Jesus when trouble arose. The multitudes who were singing praises a week earlier had deserted Him, but not these women. While it may be hard to determine who all was there, because they were all named Mary, one thing is for sure…they were there for Jesus. 

The Bible says, “Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for His needs” (Matthew 27:55).  These women had been with Christ throughout His ministry, and had followed Him to the cross to encourage Him through this hard time. Can you imagine the comfort Jesus must have felt to look down and see all those sweet ministering women, that have been faithful over the years, there lamenting and mourning His death?

Are we that type of encouragement to those hurting around us? Do we walk through the valley and deep waters with someone, or do we bail when the waters start rising and the fires of trouble start burning? God wants us to stand by each other, encourage each other, and pray for one another. You never know what it means to someone who is hurting or walking through a hard time, for you to show up to be a support and encouragement. 

If you have ever sat beside the bed of a loved one, waiting to hear them speak after surgery, you will know and understand what I mean. If you have ever sat in a hospital waiting room for what seems like endless hours…waiting for the surgeon to come out and tell you everything is ok, you will better understand. Whether you are waiting at the feet of a child in a hospital bed, beside your husband or wife, or a friend or family member, you understand the emotions that come with it. Waiting for someone to come out of surgery can seem like eternity. 

While we are waiting for Jesus’ return, He wants us to be present. Any of us can be too busy being an activist….always doing and never present. It would be like having a meal with a person who is always on their phone talking with someone else. While many things are good, the one thing Jesus seeks above all else is time spent listening to Him, “sitting at His feet.” That is where peace is found…the only place of spiritual rest. If we want to experience spiritual rest, we must be willing to shift our priorities to Jesus. Instead of trying to follow the Holy Spirit, we must surrender to Him. 

Let’s look at Mary of Bethany….she is one of the most beautiful characters in all of Scripture. We can learn valuable lessons from studying her life. Mary was the sister of Martha, and her brother was Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. We see Mary three different times in the Bible. The incident that happened in the home of her sister Martha (Luke 10:38-42), where Jesus, and the disciples who traveled with him, were being entertained. Martha was distressed and “distracted with much serving” and frustrated that her sister wasn’t helping that she actually rebuked Jesus, accusing Him of not caring that Mary sat at His feet while she did all the work. 

Pay attention to Jesus’ first response that gives us valuable insight into the life of Mary at Bethany. Jesus commended her “for choosing the better.” This simply meant that Mary’s desire to be near the Lord and hang onto His every word was far more beneficial than running herself into a frenzy preparing and planning for an event….a meal. Jesus also said that choosing the better thing, learning of the Lord, would not be taken from Mary. 

“Choosing the better” also meant that those whose priority in life is Christ, the knowledge of Him, and the nearness of Him have chosen what will last for all eternity…..such as the “gold, silver and costly stones” referred to in 1 Corinthians 3:11-12. We learn that those who are distracted with the cares of life, the mundane preparations and planning and earthly, are building upon the foundation of Christ with “wood, hay, and straw,” materials which will not stand the fires that come to us in times of testing, nor will they be remembered in eternity. The insight we gain into Martha’s heart when she rebukes Jesus is that she was consumed with making everything perfect and was so distracted that she forgot and lost sight of whom she was speaking to…who was in her presence. 

We can also observe from Mary’s silence in another incident, a lack of concern for herself, and from defending herself. She was fully consumed with Jesus. When we focus on Jesus, He becomes our greatest passion, adoration takes over the heart, and our tendency in life to self-absorption fades away. 

Mary listened while Martha labored. Martha was distracted by plans and preparations (Luke 19:40a…..while Mary was focused on the Person of Jesus Christ…only one thing is needed (Luke 10:42a). Jesus puts a person’s allegiance to following Him higher than any other human responsibility. 

We can learn the valuable lesson of taking comfort in Jesus in the second incident where Mary and Martha appear in John 11, with the raising of their brother Lazarus from the dead. When Mary hears that Jesus has come and is calling for her, she immediately leaves the group of people who came to mourn, and rushes to meet Jesus. So great is Mary’s love of Jesus and her desire to please Him, that she leaves her home and all those who had come to comfort her, to place herself in the arms of her Beloved Jesus…the greatest Comforter mankind has ever known. 

Jesus sees her sorrow and weeps alongside her…even though He knows her brother will be restored to her momentarily. When we choose to place our lives in the loving nail-scarred hands of Jesus, we find the greatest comfort, peace, and security. We learn the truth of Psalm 30:5b: “Weeping may endure for a night, buy joy comes in the morning.” 

The third and final time we see Mary of Bethany is days before the crucifixion. (See Matthew 26:1-6, Mark 14:3-9, John 12:1-8). We see Martha busy again…with another meal prepared at the home of Simon the leper, and Martha serving while the resurrected Lazarus reclined at the table with Jesus and the disciples. 

This is where Mary broke an alabaster jar, poured the expensive perfume on Jesus’ head and feet, and wiped them with her hair. We learn that in spite of criticism from some of the disciples, Mary said nothing. She allowed Jesus to defend her. Jesus said her beautiful and unselfish act of service with the perfume she had kept for His burial would be remembered forever. 

Mary knew the time of Jesus’ death was near, a fact that the disciples had missed in spite of Jesus’ clear and concise declaration of the truth. While Mary was content with listening to the Lord and meditating on His Words, the disciples were busy bickering about who would be the greatest among themselves in the kingdom. They missed the important truth Jesus was teaching them (Mark 9:30-35) because they were focused on self, rewards, competition, status and their reputation among men. 

God has preferences on the way people respond to Him and worship Him. All forms of worship are NOT equal in God’s eyes. In the case of Jesus, putting on a great dinner for the Master doesn’t compare to listening to Him and obeying Him. 

Mary’s priority was Jesus…sitting at His feet, learning from Him and holding onto His every Word. She had a passion for Christ, a settled confidence and conviction in her Lord….in such great measure that she was not compelled to defend herself in the face of criticism. 

Mary did not give what was of little to no sacrifice. Her worship was personal and costly. Instead of waiting till He was gone to show her devotion, she poured out a year’s worth of work on her Savior’s head and feet. This was an act of pure love. You see, she had been listening. All that time at Christ’s feet, holding onto every word, did not go to waste.  She knew what Jesus was about to face…that He must die. She knew the turmoil that He had predicted. Oh, what passion and great love she had for Jesus. She wasn’t thinking of the cost; she didn’t care what people might say. She didn’t care about how it looked. She was concerned with one thing, and one thing alone—Jesus Christ. 

Like Mary, who knew what Jesus must face, how He went to the Cross for all mankind; we must know that one day soon, all the world will see…Jesus coming back again. 

If we make sitting at the feet of Jesus our priority, we can experience, like Mary, the passion for Christ, the depth of understanding, and have complete faith in His plan for our lives. May we be passionate people of God with contagious faith, whole-hearted devotion, and a zealous fervor to show God our love…and to shine the light of God to the world. 

Deborah Starczewski 

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)….move from drama to destiny, pain to purpose, a mess to a message…trials to triumph through turning to Jesus Christ.

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)….the miraculous stories will keep you turning the pages…and give you faith to believe God for anything.

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (Will America Turn Back To God?)…a must read for all.

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors.