Everyday my mind is wrapped around a mirage of prayer requests, burdens, thoughts, and sighs. My spirit is so heavy for parents right now. Everyone I know is facing some sort of hardship with a child or loved one. Whether it's divorce, suicide, depression, or discouragement satan is busy. Satan is in the play offs and some of us aren't playing defense. Were so offensive minded we forget that prayer, support groups, and the Bible are our weapons of destruction. I have a friend who is going through a bitter divorce. She's afraid and emotionally wounded through the ordeal and so is her 10 year old daughter. She's worried that the ex husbands girlfriend is going to steal her daughters love and affection from her as her mother. Right then, I heard lies, fear, and false accusations (satanic strong holds). As Christians we have to be spiritually aware of our opponent. We can't contend with satan he's too evil for that. But we can take authority over him and his imps if we choose to speak the word out loud, pray, and call on other believers to pray for us. Isolation is the first tactic of trickery, we duck and cover in our homes thinking were the only ones who could possibly be going through this. Or we allow guilt and shame to tie us up. I say today, if you or anyone around you is experiencing immense warfare-send out a war cry!!!!!!!! 1. SOS Jesus 2. Recite scriptures out loud 3. Remind Satan who has already won the battle 4. Pray without ceasing 5. Call on trustworthy Christians who will pray boldly on your behalf 6. Keep Moving 7. Do what you don't feel like doing 8. Trust and Obey the still small voice inside not the loud angry voice 9. Blast your favorite Praise and Worship (the devil hates this 10. Serve someone else in need.

Train up a Child

I know it's been a while but I'm back and hopefully on a more consistent basis. My heart is drawn to a place where I feel every parent, guardian, loved one, care giver, teacher, leader, etc should be. I was told once by a Principal of a title one school that all kids are at risk. I believe it is so. Today I heard two stories of women I care about who have some tough issues to face with their kids. One 9 year old son told his Mom he didn't want to pray nor did he believe in God anymore. The other shared that her 11 year old daughter made a noose to hang herself. Totally heart broken and mortified my heart was so heavy, then I thought about my own kids. Have I done a good job in raising them? Have I loved them properly? And do they know and love the Lord for themselves? I can't answer these questions only God can. All I can say is today we have a charge against us as parents to raise our children in the admonition of the Lord. We can't control their decisions or choose the path they will take. The word says "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it" Proverbs 22:6 As leaders over our children, all we can do is train them in the way, the truth, and the Life.......Jesus. That's all we have against the wiles of the world. We can pray over them without ceasing, we can love them, and hope for the best. Today I admonish everyone to lead your kids in the everlasting way of the Lord. That's the only chance our kids have at thriving in a dark world.

Digs, Offenses, Filters, and Fears

Hey Y'all, I've missed this! I'm not sure if short quotes on twitter has replaced my need to blog but I'm back. Allow me to reintroduce myself-my name Dona and I talk too much!

I totally get it now, my flesh isn't drawn to the usual suspecting sins that our society labels the dark sin. My flesh seeks this awful silent deadly fire throwing sin called "talking too much". I have an issue with allowing the Holy Spirit to have complete control and reign over me. Funny how I ridicule my own Mother for saying the first thing that pops into her mind yet I do the same thing and wonder why had to wake me up at 3am so God could warn me.

Last Saturday, I sent a good friend of mine an email. In my email I politely told her how busy she wasn't to prioritize her life on a particular situation and that she and her siblings were selfish. Not in those words but basically I read her rights. Thinking to myself "Self, good job-she will get the hint" my intentions, motives, reasoning, and confrontation was totally satanic.

After digs, offenses, filters, and fears I realized that my email was lead by flesh not the spirit. What kind of friend tells her prayer partner off in an email while she's already fragile? Me! Behind this one friend I realized how my husband must feel after I do the same to him.

When God gifts us with the ability to communicate with others especially love, hope, joy, encouragement, and the precious gospel; it's our duty to not get disqualified by the onset of misguided intentions, unwanted advice, left over anger, critical spirits, and self righteous banter. If it weren't for a hurt friend who cared enough about me to tell me the truth about me in love, I wouldn't have seen the real me. A hot messy mess. But thanks be to a God who can get a message out of the mess.

I'm excited to see how God will shock me and my life as he carefully, skillfully, meticulously, lovingly, and powerfully bridles this horrible weapon I call my tongue. This is a minute by minute play by play. I can't even begin to understand the severity or consequences of taming this tongue. I'm afraid I won't succeed and that I've already caused so much damage with my mouth that I can't even move forward. What now? Where do I go from here when there are so many causalities and collateral damage? In the words of my sister who is on a long road trip home "I can't look back, I can't look in the rear view mirror". All I can do is allow myself to be available while Jesus pulls back my curtains-he has to win!

Shipwrecked

All of us have heard of the tragic story of this capsized Ship Contra Concordia Last week in the news. My sister is the one who urged me to read up on the details of this awful human made catastrophe over near Rome. What appeared to be the beginning of a wonderful and luxurious vacation, ended in being some families worst nightmare.

Couldn't catch my breath as I read things like "having dinner with a blonde" "deviated from the original course" "too close to shore" "wanting to show off and pull the foghorn"..................are we talking about a Captain of Cruise liner or my 21 year old nephew? Not sure? Let's examine the facts. We all have been or will be shipwrecked spiritually one day in our journey to wholeness. The truth of the matter is our choices can put lives in harms way and cost us major collateral damage in the long run.

I may not be in charge of 4,000 lives but God did put me in charge of a household. There is a husband and children involved and when my ship(spiritual life) cap sizes, their lives are at stake. Every time I deviate from Gods will or plan for my life-it can cost others around me pain and suffering. Any time I choose to glorify myself and exalt my own needs it robs God of his Praise and honor. And any time I get to close to sin or pretend I'm in a gray area that's safe-I flirt with danger.

This man made human error, errors we all make through our unchecked pride, ego, and unwise decision making. Yes we can sigh a sigh of relief because our yucky self stuff isn't on CNN but at the end of the day, stepping outside of the will of God looks like a huge ship sinking in the ocean and human lives at risk.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Womens Conference

Women of Favor Presents
"A Season of Refreshing"
Women's Conference January 6 @ 7:30pm/ January 7 @ 10am
at The South Natomas Community Center
2921 Truxel Road
Sacramento, Ca 95814
To register now go to btfministries.net or email btfministries@earthlink.net 281)288-5291

Please join Special guest Speakers Pastor Elvira Craig and Clerenda McGrady and your host Dona Jackson

Award and Reward

Today I was ready to walk away from entire family. Yes, even the littlest cute one. They had discovered the right nerve to hit when I told them we would not be getting a dog. Barely wanting to clean up behind themselves I rejected the thought of getting another being to clean up and take care of. I'm knowing that when their at school and work, guess who would get left to care for another small being. So clearly my family in their jokingly ungrateful banter decided that they would gladly choose the dog over me.

I knew they were joking and clearly wanted to prove a point for a puppy, but it hurt me very badly and I couldn't help but to get frustrated. Feeling totally unappreciated like most Moms do from time to time-I shut down. I finished dinner and then politely retreated to my prayer closet to vent to Jesus and my winter coats.

It hit me like a ton of bricks as I sat asking God could I beat them into Easter; "There is no award ceremony on Earth for Gods servants, our greatest rewards will be given in heaven". What a shift in my mind, I can't work for these people-they will suck the goodness out of me if I let them. I have to work as though I am working for the Lord-period! My work and service has to be heaven focused and not earth focused. Hard as it sounds I have to remind myself that God does so many wonderful things for us and probably feels the same when we don't give him the glory for it. So why should I get a moment to throw a fit if God doesn't do that with us his selfish creation?

I serve in honor of God, whom I can't out give, out love, or out serve.

Strong holds!

I had to share excerpts from "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. This is my second time reading this anointed piece of work, that I couldn't keep it to myself.

-A stronghold is anything we hold onto or holds onto us; strongholds are like concrete fortresses we've constructed around our lives block by block, ordinarily over the course of years. We create them for protection and comfort sometimes unknowingly. Eventually we stop controlling them and they control us.

-Satanic strongholds require divine (Godly) demolition. Discipline and determination are often important factors in opening your life to the supernatural power of God, but only he can provide the divine dynamite needed to destroy a stronghold.

-In ancient Corinth every greek city had a stronghold, a fortress on top of the highest peak in the vicinity a place of hiding for the governors of the cities in time of insecurity or war.

-An important part of learning to live in victory has been discerning the heart rumblings of insecurity. Learn to dramatically increase your prayer life and time in Gods word during times when your security is threatened.

-The devil can't exploit your insecurity and bluff your strongholds when your clinging to God. Do not make excuses for pulling down your strongholds, satan persists where a stronghold exists. He will supply an endless list of rationalizations for the things we do and refuse to do.

-Every stronghold is related to something we have exalted to a higher position than God in our lives (ex. control, Husbands or kids).

-Every stronghold pretends to bring something we feel we must have: aid, comfort, the relief of stress, or protection.

-Humble hearts are always ready to break free, the proud are never free!

-Satan wants us to either worship him or anything other than God. God created us to worship we will worship something.

-Strongholds affect the behaviors of a believer. Satan can't enter a believer but he can persuade or lead us to do things.

-In order to come against satans lies and tactics we must know the word of God well. Training our minds with the truth of God. Victorious lives flow from victorious thoughts. Thinking victorious thoughts comes from setting our focus on a victorious God.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor. 10:3-5