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GOD HELP ME
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By Joni Ames
joniames@aol.con
“This wasn’t how I planned things would turn out.”
“This isn’t what I signed up for.”
“I’m too old to achieve my dreams now.”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“God help me. I feel like my life is out of control.”
The enemy of our souls is running rampant right now trying to distract, disrupt, discourage, depress, and destroy Christians. We do not have to accept the lies.
At any moment of our choosing we have the power to say, “This is not how my story is going to continue to play out.” It’s our life. We can get out of the passenger seat and into the driver’s seat and change its direction.
Doing so may make some people mad who are used to using yours up. It may even cause some to accuse you of being crazy. But your own life will finally begin to make sense.
The King James version of Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Other versions end with, “to give you a future and a hope.“
Either way, there you have it. Our God has good plans for us. Not plans to stifle and control us. Not plans to kill the creativity He put inside us. Not plans to help everyone else fulfill their destiny and forsake ours.
We do not have to sit back and let life just “happen to us.” We can happen to life.
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DECREE VICTORY
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It’s time to decree and declare your emancipation. Speak God’s Word over yourself. Stop word cursing yourself by saying things like, “I’ll never…,” “I can’t…”, Etc.
Instead, begin to declare His power over your life. His Word does not return void. (Isaiah 55:11) Speak out loud scriptures like:
“I will live and not die to declare the works of the Lord.” (Psalm 117:18)
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.“ (Philippians 4:13)
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Set Timelines
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Tighten up and give yourself some timelines. Stop pacifying yourself with empty promises of, “Someday… “
God told me one time, “I made Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but I don’t know when this “Someday” thing is. Whatever you put in the pocket of “Someday” will never happen because there is no such day. “
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How did I get here?
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Life sometimes happens to us and sends us reeling in an undesired direction. A job loss, a marriage gone bad, church split, business failure, an illness or accident (yours or a loved one’s), or any variety of such things may occur. We have to step up to the plate and bear the responsibility and set our dreams aside. Sometimes that means putting our life on hold for many years. I get that. And I get that you may be in that spot right now.
It may seem to consume twenty-four hours out of every day, seven days out of every week, twelve months out of every year, year after year.
But, in the midst of it, I’m here to say to you as they say in the movie The Lion King, “Remember who you are.“
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Grab Life By The Tail
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Don’t let life pass you by. Grab it by the tail.
There are always small pockets of time where we can take a deep breath and grab even five minutes to think, and to pray, and to seek God and ourselves for new direction.
One of the best things we can do is to get a pen and paper and write down the desires of our heart in list form. Some may even refer to this as a bucket list. We don’t have to wait until we’re ready to die to write it. We should do it even when we are young. Then we should take each item, one at a time, and work towards it.
Now that I am 64 years old, I realize that I could have done a lot more to prepare for this time of my life when I was younger than what I did. I look back and I can see the mistakes I made and how I let other people order my life around them and helping them to succeed.
Eventually I got burned out on it all. Friends that I put first put me last. Organizations that I served and gave my time to disregarded my needs and were only concerned with their own success.
My life was truly out of control. I had no direction because I was used to everyone else directing it.
My dad was like that too. My mother was a very controlling woman. When she died, he was so confused that he could not even figure out what he wanted to eat for a meal because everything had revolved around her. Every decision had to have her stamp of approval. He actually signed himself into mental health for three days because he did not know how to think for himself.
They told him, “Bill, you are not crazy. You have just been so controlled that you have stuffed down your own likes and dislikes. You just need to ask yourself now what you want.”
In the movie, “Runaway Bride,” The Bride was so consumed with trying to please everyone else that she did not even know what type of eggs she actually liked to eat. I can relate.
Because I went through a divorce when my kids were four and five years old, raising them became my sole responsibility. My entire life (gladly and willingly) revolved around them.
When they were 17 and 18 years old, they both decided to leave home. I was really upset. Everything I did had been planned around them. I called my daughter so much that she finally got frustrated and said to me, “Mother you need to get a life. We were your life and you did a great job but now we are grown up and have our own lives. You need to get a life of your own too.“
That really stung. But the truth set me free.
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“Write the vision and make it plain… “ (Habakkuk 2:2-4)
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I had worked for a company that would go in and help other companies and their employees set their goals. So I grabbed a packet of the materials I still had from that job and I set a few of my own.
I also learned how to do a vision board. That’s where you take pictures of places you want to go, or things you want to do, and put them on a bulletin board where you can constantly see and have that vision in front of you to remind and inspire you toward it.
I then had to work on roping my mind in and rejecting a spirit of depression.
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The Battle of Hopelessness
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When we feel hopeless, we are sometimes debilitated. People may look at us and think we are lazy because they walk into our house and it is in disarray. When you become depressed, it is sometimes hard to get up and walk across the room. It is actually a battle to just exist every day. We have to learn to reset and adjust our mindset.
The more we put our surroundings in order, the more our mind and life will come into order.
Do not just sit there. If you have to work on one room at a time - or maybe even one corner of a room at a time - just do it.
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Play Inspiring Music
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If you play inspirational music, it helps. That doesn’t necessarily mean gospel. You can put on the Beach Boys greatest hits, and the liveliness of it will inspire you to move around. Music is a powerful weapon of warfare against depression. The Psalmist David knew that and played music for King Saul to help him out of his pits of depression.
Worship songs are all the better. The Lord once spoke to me that, “Worship is our warship.”
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Start Eating Right
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Rid your home of foods you should not eat. Buy baby carrots, celery sticks, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, grapes, tuna, diet bread, Atkins protein drinks, and the like. Get weight watchers microwave meals. You can even get Atkins or Weight Watchers pizza or ice cream bars. Just don’t eat five of them in a day!
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Exercise
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One of the best exercises you plans can have is to get a stationary bicycle. That is something you can do even if it is bad weather outside. Place it in your living room in a strategic spot where you can use it even while you watch TV. You will find out that you have exercised more than you thought you could because you will lose track of time as you watch a favorite television program.
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Fill Up On The Word
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We all have access to the Internet these days. You can access the audible Bible and listen to it as you drive or do dishes. Or you can access the teachings of a favorite preacher. I love to listen to Joel Osteen or Joyce Myer or someone like that who is inspirational.
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Change Your Mindset
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We have to change our mindset in order to change our life. Even the Bible tells us that changing our mindset can totally transform us and help us find and walk in His will.
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2b)
We must be in control of our thoughts and rein them in when necessary. “Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5)
We need to keep informed regarding the news of the world, but must not allow ourself to become obsessed with or immersed in it. That in itself can become depressing and even debilitating.
Let’s, instead, set our mind on things above (Colossians 3:2) and adjust our mind in the right direction.
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Remember, it’s your life, so get in the driver’s seat. Head in the direction of the desires God has placed in your heart. Even if it is only one small step at a time.
I pray that these suggestions will help you to hit the reset button and restart your life on a new path of joy and fruitfulness. Therefore, let me pray this prayer from the Scriptures for you…
“Now may the God of Hope FILL you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may ABOUND in hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit.“ (Romans 15:13)
Love and blessings,
Joni
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JONI’s FEB.-JUNE SCHEDULE
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FEBRUARY 2019
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Feb. 1-20: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
Feb. 6 & 13: Los Angeles CA Prophetic Training on Zoom.
Thurs., Feb. 21st, 7:00pm: Atlanta Live TV Broadcast, Atlanta, GA
Feb. 22-23: Conference in Atlanta, GA.
Destiny Yarbrough &
Destiny Media Productions present
The Time Is Now 2019 Conference
Dynamic Entertainment Co
1600 Oakbrook Dr., Ste. 510
Norcross, GA 30093
Registration $25
Fri., Feb. 22nd, 7pm-11pm
Sat., Feb. 23rd, 6pm-10pm
Register today to insure your spot.
Go to www.DaughtersDHM.com
Under donate button pay $25 per person
(Or register at the door.)
Speakers:
Destiny Yarbrough, Host
Apostle B. Dwayne Hardin
Prophet Catherine Sykes
Minister Kay Kent
Author & Prophetic Minister Joni Ames
Sun., Feb. 24th, 10:30 am, Marietta Vineyard, Pastors Ron & Denise Wallace
2060 Lower Roswell Rd., Marietta GA 30068, www.mariettavineyard.org/Service-Times--Location
Feb. 25-28: Open. Contact Joni to schedule
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MARCH 2019
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March 1-8: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
Sat., March 9, 9am: Women of Christian Valor Conference, 96 Products Rd., Marietta, Ohio 45750
Sat., March 9, 6:00pm: VHOP, Valley House of Prayer, Facilitated by Greg Myers, 946 Market St., Parkersburg, WV 26101
Sun., March 10th, 6:00pm: Bethel Ministries, Pastor Jennifer Tuttle-Morris, Willow-Eureka Community Building, 5140 S Pleasants Hwy., Eureka, WV. It’s between Pleasants Power Plant & Belmont WV.
March 11: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
Tues., March 12, 8:30am Central time: Lisa Richards BHam AL Radio Program, at 205-943-9922, to air 3/14 in 8am hour.
March 13-31: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
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APRIL
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April 1-31: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
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MAY
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May 1-31: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
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JUNE
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June 1-22: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
Sun., June 23rd, 11:00am: Vangard Church, Pastors Samuel & Andrea Tyler, 650 W. Blackstock Rd., Spartanburg, SC 29301 (Exit 21b on I-26)
June 24-30: Open. Contact Joni to schedule.
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Joni's Address &
Giving Info
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Please continue to pray for me for travel, health, and finances. If you desire to sow into my life and ministry, you may do so in any of the ways below.
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NON Tax Deductible Gifts
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Send check to:
Joni Ames
P.O. Box 36667
Rock Hill, SC 29732
Or give via the Cash App. (This is immediate and instantly arrives into my account for use.) Try this link:
cash.me/app/NQJQHMB
Note: My giving tag is $joniames
NOTE: If you send via cash app please let me know via email as it doesn't state giver's name or email
Or via Venmo
To: @Joni-Ames
(Venmo and Cash App arrive immediately.)
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JONI’s BOOK
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For those who didn’t already order it, you can order Joni’s book via Amazon, here’s the link:
The Definitive Guide to the Prophetic: God’s Gift for You and the Church order info:
www.amazon.com/dp/1641231505/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_SxE4Ab5A80A50
Please leave a comment once you’ve read it.
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