It is time for the church to arise and turn back to God in unified prayer and fasting. Always remember, if God can save you, He can save anybody. He saved Saul of Tarsus and changed his name from Saul to Paul. “Paul” means “a little man” and that was a constant reminder to him that he had to rely on God, not himself. He was equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It takes no more grace to save a Saul of Tarsus, who was persecuting Christians, than to convert you or me. 

If God could save Saul, who was persecuting Christians, He can save anyone. Saul was confronted by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, and realized what he had been doing was wrong. His encounter with Christ brought conviction in his heart and it led to conversion. After he was converted, Paul experienced communion, consecration (being set apart totally to God), and was commissioned by Jesus as an apostle to preach the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul had been blind, but when He met the light—the Son of God, he experienced a heart change. 

We must choose to turn to God, rely on His strength, and take back our land. We must stand upon God’s Word for the lost. That is the heart of God. We have the same resurrection power within us (as believers) that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. 

When we fully come to know God, we live in a state of amazement and awe through every day. We have divine appointments on a daily basis, we see God’s hand in details, and we sense His presence. God is waiting on us to be a people who will be fully committed to Him. He desires to show Himself strong on our behalf. 

When we are committed and get to know the Lord, we begin to hear His voice and we know it. We hear Him in small details and we watch life unfold just as He has spoken. We live in such a state of time that we must hear God and know His voice. Whether we believe it or not, there is a war raging between good and evil. Let us pray together for revival in our own hearts and for this nation. Get back to prayer in individual homes, altars—and may it spread throughout the communities. We must fully commit to God in every area. 

The Bible says, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chron. 16:9, NIV). The King James Version says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew him-self strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” 

In 1 Samuel 30, after David and all his men came back to Ziglag—they all wept till they had no strength left. The men that were with David blamed him and wanted to stone their own leader. But David chose to encourage himself in the Lord. He worshipped and then cried out to God in prayer. God spoke specific instructions to David—and he obeyed God. David recovered all and then helped those who stayed behind. Take time to study 1 Samuel chapter 30 and pray. 

We learn a highly valuable lesson in this chapter. It’s time to understand the steps that David took–and do them as a nation.  Stop allowing the enemy to destroy within. Satan sits back and laughs—because he has got people turning on one another. Choose to be the change in every situation. Go out of your way to be kind to people. Don’t fall for the enemy’s trap of isolation and shutting down communication. 

God have mercy on this nation. We decree light, blind eyes opened, and a nation that turns back to God as a people. May the fire of the Holy Spirit set your heart ablaze for souls and give you a greater desire to obey God fully. Pray for the President of the United States. Pray for all leaders and choose to bless one another in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! He is coming back! 

God bless you!

Deborah 

(Excerpt from THE MIDNIGHT HOUR: Will America Turn Back To God?….available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.xulonpress.com/bookstore, and other distributors. See www.starministriesinc.com for other books by Dr. Deborah Starczewski) 

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

God’s Priceless Treasure (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)….a modern, up-to-date resurrection story. This book will give you hope and faith to believe God for anything. 

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

There are seasons in life, and changes in life that are inevitable. Learn to move forward in faith through everything–looking to Jesus. If you are struggling with being in a desert situation or wilderness, fear of the future, sorrow over the past, abandonment from a spouse or parent, a broken heart, or struggling with life changes due to health issues, may God encourage you through His Word and through people who love you. 

There are times in life when everyone struggles with discouragement and despair. David is a great example of a man who struggled with real life emotions that come to all. It is comforting to know that he lived a long time ago and wrote down his emotions for us today in the Psalms. 

Take time to record your thoughts and prayers, and the answers from God in a journal. It will help you to remember the goodness and faithfulness of God. 

We have all walked through something that was painful. Take time to read my first book GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)…published by Charisma/Creation House Press in 2011. It’s available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, www.starministriesinc.com and other distributors. 

I pray God encourages you and fills your heart with hope and love—fully knowing He has a plan and purpose for your life—and it is good.

God bless you!

Deborah 

BOOKS BY DR. DEBORAH STARCZEWSKI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)….real life stories of overcoming, turning your mess into a message, drama to destiny, and trials to triumph through turning to Jesus Christ.

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…you will be in awe at how the Holy Spirit weaves the stories of our son’s first open-heart surgery, my father’s passing from cancer, and my husband’s story of God’s resurrection power, healing from two strokes, two open-heart surgeries, and 25 days in Mercy Hospital. This book will give you hope 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. 

Stand firm in Christ. Scripture: Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15

It’s Christmas time, but no time to compromise. It’s really Christmas 365 days a year to the believer. We have the gift of Jesus and the power of standing on His Word. We must stay in peace to keep our walk with the Lord pure and holy. And learn to stand in agreement with GOD in prayer. We must heed the warnings of God however He sends them…through a check in our spirit, an uneasiness or burden we sense, a dream, vision, through His Word, or voice. Never ignore the warnings and promptings from God. Keep your heart pure and your feet shod with the gospel of peace at all times so you can hear the Voice of God. 

When was the last time you heard a message about feet? You might be reminded of the time in Scripture when Jesus washed the feet of His own disciples. Some of you might think of walking on sand in the heat of the day and coming in to a refreshing bath. Some of you might be thinking about coming in from a ski trip out in the snow—with your feet by a fire and a cup of hot chocolate.

The Apostle Paul did not avoid the subject of feet. He made feet a focal point of one of his most powerful messages. We must learn to stay in peace…with our feet shod with the gospel of peace, at all times. We must not allow the wind and waves of life to get inside us…no matter what we are facing in life. No matter what battle is raging, what attack has happened, or what you are seeing all around you, don’t allow the raging seas to get inside your heart. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus and don’t allow the enemy to abort God’s plan for your life. Look at what Scripture says about standing firm. 

You can read about it in Ephesians 6:10-18—about the armor of God. Let’s take a closer look.

The Bile says it four times in four verses (verses 11-14 NIV), Paul declares that the armor’s purpose is to help us “stand,” “stand against the devil’s schemes,” “stand [our] ground,” and “stand firm.” Armor would be incomplete without shoes. Paul identified this as “the preparation of the gospel of peace” (verse 15). Paul knew that we would need to be equipped and have a firm foundation in Christ to face opposition. And you get rest assured, if you are still breathing, you will face opposition. 

The Roman soldier’s sandals had a long spike at the heel of the shoe. The purpose was to allow the warrior to plant his feet firmly in the ground when an opponent approached. The soldier would have an obvious advantage with his feet secured in the ground. He would be able to stand in the face of opposition and not be moved. This part of his uniform enabled him to keep his footing even in the face of the enemy and danger. 

That is precisely what our Father God wants for every one of His children today: the ability to stand firm in the face of troubles and opposition. This is possible when we plant our feet on a firm foundation—the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ—the Solid Rock on which we stand. That’s what happens when we are in a life or death situation, we can cry out to God for help. We know WHO to turn to when problems arise because we know WHO we are IN CHRIST and we belong to HIM. We must learn to live by faith. 

Ask yourself this question: “Is my faith well grounded?” 

With the evil that has escalated across America and the unrest across the nations, it is imperative that we are secure in Christ and learn to stand firm in Him. We are also to be identified by the fruit of our lives—the way we act. (See Luke 6:44 and Matthew 7:16). The Holy Spirit has graciously given us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23). When we are faced with extreme adverse circumstances, any of us can act inappropriately. Often times our fruit can be anger, conflict, sorrow, defensiveness, harshness, impatience, and even rudeness. We could say it may be anything but self-control. Oh, and let’s not get in the seat of judgment and pretend to know how it feels to walk through a crisis of one sort or another. You really don’t know how you would respond or react till you walk in the same situation. So ZIP IT now….God doesn’t call us to be jury and judge. We are called to pray for one another. 

We also must not pretend the enemy does not exist…like an unwise person who walks up on a python and thinks it is okay to play with it. We are not called to ignore the enemy or his tactics. We must know that the deceiver can use our wounds from the past, agreements we have made, weaknesses in our flesh, and the lies we have believed of the enemy to keep us locked in a negative cycle of sinful behavior and wrong choices. 

I can assure you that if you have any knowledge of God at all, when faced with a crisis, most people will call upon God. Even America called on God in prayer right after September 11th…and churches were filled to overflow for about three weeks. Then life went back to what the world thought was normal. But it is anything but normal. 

We must seek godly counsel and wisdom, along with prayer and ministry to find lasting help. For immediate help, prayer is the first thing we must do. No matter if you personally believe it or not, Satan is real and so are his evil tactics. He uses a hierarchy of fallen angels for his evil purposes because he doesn’t have the authority, power, and abilities of God. Satan is not omnipresent. And don’t think Christians cannot be harassed, oppressed, or afflicted. If you think that way—you are already deceived. 

The enemy comes like a roaring lion—seeking those he may devour. So what can we do when it is obvious that we are being attacked? What can we do when we are acting out in ways that are not in our character as a born-again believer of Jesus Christ? Get on our knees in prayer—cry out to God for help.

Pray Psalm 91 and Psalm 59. Say them out loud. The spoken Word of God cannot return void. What else can we do? Put on the armor of God. (See Ephesians 6:11-18) The shield of faith, the helmet of salvation that guards our mind, will and emotions, shoes of peace, and the belt of truth are defensive weapons. The Word of God is an offensive weapon. We need to stay close to God…read His Word and study the Bible on a daily basis. Our other offensive weapon is prayer. Choose to cultivate a life of prayer that goes far beyond praying over meals and crying out to God only in a crisis. Talk to God all day long. When you wake up in the night time, tell the LORD that you love Him. Talk to Him throughout your day. Each day of life is a gift from our Father God. 

The Bible and prayer will do more to help show the true fruit of who we are than anything else we can do in this life. We must ask God to help us cast aside any of the rotten fruit of Satan and enjoy the precious fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Choose to enjoy Christmas—365 days a year. Choose to enjoy family and friends. Make wise choices and stand firm—planted on the solid Rock—Jesus Christ. 

#Christmas365 #telltheworldaboutJesus #AbidingInChrist 

(Excerpts from all three books…) 

Stand strong in the Lord,

Merry Christmas,

Deborah Starczewski 

BOOKS BY DEBORAH STARCZEWSKSI

GOD’S PRICELESS TREASURE (How To Overcome Challenges, Be Transformed and Know Your Purpose)…learn to move from drama to destiny. Learn that you can make right choices and change your life through turning to Jesus Christ. You can overcome the pain of divorce, heartache and loss. Learn to triumph through trials and tribulation by turning to Jesus.

A LEAP OF FAITH (25 Days At The Mercy Seat)…the full account of God raising my husband from death, healing him from two strokes, and the walk through two open-heart surgeries. Read the amazing ways the Holy Spirit led us—through our son’s first open-heart surgery….and through the loss of a loved one—my daddy. The amazing ways God led us will encourage you and give you hope to believe God for yourself, for your loved ones and for the world around you. 

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.