What Leaders Can Learn From Abram

I was reading during my quiet time and part of my reading required me to read Genesis 12 & 13. As I started reading, this was dropped in my spirit. I’ll give you the first 4 verses of Chapter 12 and then share what was dropped in my spirit:

Genesis 12:1-4 says this:

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,

From your family

And from your father’s house,

To a land that I will show you.

I will make you a great nation;

I will bless you

And make your name great;

And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

And I will curse him who curses you;

And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Now many times we talk about prosperity, and all that when we read those verses. Let's look at this from a leadership perspective. Abram was called out of his comfort zone (or we could say comfortable place), leaders when they want to be effective, will step out of their comfortable place. Abram had faith in God to obey; leaders step out into the world of the unknown. But a leader that's grounded in Christ can leave a legacy like Abram.

Let’s look deeper into those verses: God said to Abram that He will make him a great nation, bless him and make his name great. Sometimes when God wants to bless you, He has to get you away from your comfortable place like He did with Abram.  Abram had nothing to lose but everything to gain when He stepped out and left his country. Leaders when they’re going for something big, they have nothing to lose going in. I’m sure Abram counted the cost before leaving. They say that leaders aren’t born, and every leader that has left a legacy counted the cost. So I ask every child of God, do you want to be used to the fullest? Count the cost and be open to His Spirit and what He’s trying to say to you. Don’t be alarmed if He pulls you from your surroundings. He has so much for you. I’m willing to believe that every leader can testify to that.

Let’s look down in Chapter 13 (I promise you that I won’t be long). Let’s start at verse 10 when Lot and Abram split up. I want you all to see this.

Verses 10-13:

And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord.

I want to stop here for a minute. As you are walking with the Lord, don’t think that everything that looks good is what is supposed to be in your life. Pray, get alone with God, fast, before making a hasty decision. Leaders carefully count the cost and discern before making decisions that could have an impact that’s either good or bad. Lot lifted his eyes and saw that the land was well watered. And he went for it. Now Abram gave Lot the first choice. That is what you call serving – giving other people a voice. That’s what good leaders do. But I also want to bring out here is the power of choice. We live and die based on choices we make.

Now watch what God does after Lot leaves Abram (starting at verse 14):

And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”

A godly leader always gets alone to let God speak to Him because he knows that God is a leader’s provision. It doesn’t get better than that. In fact, faithfulness to God always brings promotion. Think about it, Abram left his country, and always trusted God as his provider and God elevated Abram – which you’ll find as you read on in Genesis.

But what I wanted to show was that in order to discover that God is not a man that He should lie, that He watches over His Word to perform it; He will fulfill every promise to us, we have to take that step of faith to Him and allow Him to direct our paths and be obedient to Him no matter the cost. That’s how you can be a leader after God’s heart and get this: in the Bible, when Abraham, Isaac & Jacob passed away, you’ll find that people always made reference to the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac or the God of Jacob. They’ll remember you and want to serve the God that you serve.

Blessings.

The Mayne Man

Finding A Wife Is Not Like Shoe Shopping!

Good morning everyone. I asked a fellow author to share what's on her heart and she has message to the Brothers (and I would add the Sisters too). With that, I turn it over to Apostle Melissa "Mimi" Ewell.

Hello Brothers! This one is for you... 

Yes, Proverbs 18:22 says, "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord."

However... Finding a wife is not like shoe shopping! You shouldn't be trying on women, one after another, like you're trying on shoes until you find a pair with the best fit!

It's truly counterproductive to run through all the single women in your church or at your job, trying to figure out which one is Mrs. Right! Not only is it hard on the women to see you jump from one to the other, like they're being tossed in the reject pile, you could very easily gain the reputation of a womanizer or that "desperate" guy. Trust me... Desperation is not a good look on women or men!

To avoid all that drama, it's best to seek God and ask Him to deliver your wife to you! This is one way the word "Find" is defined in the Hebrew. It also means to obtain, to acquire, to receive.

When you consider the love story of men in the Bible, that's the way it happened for Adam, Isaac and Boaz. Instead of searching for a wife, they were all presented with their wives, when their wives were delivered to them! 

In Genesis 2, we see that Adam went to sleep and when God woke him up, Adam was thrilled "find" Eve standing there before him in all her glory! He immediately claimed her as flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone, the woman who would be his wife for life! 

In Genesis 24, Abraham sent his servant Eleazar to find Isaac a wife. Not knowing who exactly to look for, Eleazar prayed and God directed Rebekah straight to him. Which means, Isaac didn't even get to see his bride until Eleazar delivered her to him. 

In Ruth 3, Ruth initially showed up to glean in a field that belonged to Boaz, a distant relative of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Then later, at Naomi's directions, Ruth positioned herself at Boaz's feet so he didn't have to go anywhere to "find" her! Again, she was delivered to him.

With these stories in mind, it may be time to reconsider your "wife-finding" strategy and get acquainted with God's plan to bring love into your life. He knows you best and He's the best one to bring the woman you need to be your wife, best friend and life-long lover! 

If you want God's best, then you have to do things God's way. And that includes letting God do the picking, the finding and the delivering when it comes to favoring you with a wife! 

Makes Sense???

Caregiver Life (Autism Awareness)

In the spirit of Autism Awareness month, I wanted to feature an author who can speak on this very topic. She's a single mother and caregiver of two sons (her youngest suffering from Cerebral Palsy). Her adult brother has severe Autism and Epilepsy. More could be said, so I'll let this author take over. Everybody, show your love to Monique Duell.

My life is anything but ordinary! I am a stay at home, single mom...for now. I have 3 extraordinary children that God has given me stewardship over. I have a funny, smart 17 yr old with ADHD who loves video games, a 14 yr old son with Cerebral Palsy who loves God, singing and macaroni & cheese, and I am caring for my 37 yr old brother who has Autism/Severe Retardation & Epilepsy, who lives in a 24-hr full-time care facility, is mostly non-verbal and doesn't even know what day it is. He makes noises, rocks back and forth and shakes his hands. Welcome to my world! They are all a joy and a handful at the same time. For about four years or so, in addition to raising them, I also had custody of my little sister who was suffering from an autoimmune disease and Ulcerative Colitis. My mother passed away in March of 2006, 2 months after her 52nd birthday, and I refused to allow my siblings to go into the system. No one else in my family came forth to take them in, which is sad because our families are big. It was never a second thought for me. So, here I was, from 2006, until 2011, with a house full of different needs, emotional issues and physical handicaps with NO support or financial assistance from their fathers. No calls, no visits, nothing! My youngest son and my brother requires 24 hour care. My son who has CP is in a wheelchair, can't walk, dress, bathe, brush his teeth or go to the bathroom. Everything I do for myself, I have to do for him-every single day! My brother, however, can do all of that, but like my son, he can't express specific emotions, like pain, sickness or if someone is hurting them, etc. They can express when they're hungry, tired, or scared. Couple that with my brother having seizures, and you have a whole new situation. He has no idea what is happening to him. I’ve been asked, what life is like as a caregiver?

Well, it’s busy, tedious, rewarding, confusing to some, requires faith, patience, a prayer life and a relationship with Jesus Christ! There’s no way that any human could withstand what I have endured in their own strength. You’d be dead, crazy or hospitalized. Since my brother and sister are out of the house, life has calmed down significantly. Before then, I spent at least 4 days a wk at a doctor’s office or a specialist’s office, and that was just for my sister! She was on 15 medications, plus injections and infusions. My son had heel cord surgery to lengthen his tendons due to spasticity. He was casted from hip to feet for 3 mths. We had a special bed and chair delivered to our home for him. After they removed the cast, he had intensive therapy because he had no muscles. It was very painful for him and for me as his mother to watch him go through that. We take too much for granted! I had to baby proof my home for my brother because he would do whatever his mind told him to do. Any little object could attract his curiosity and he’d take it and do God knows what with it. He was very creative. He took my radio apart and put it back together! My brother would just go around the house, searching for something to get into. One day, he took a pencil sharpener that was in my arts and crafts case, and shaved half of his beard with it! He doesn’t like hair on his face or head, and I guess I took too long getting his hair and beard cut. My oldest son was acting out because he was jealous. My time was taken, and he felt left out, and rightfully so. I was just ONE person, trying to hold our family together. I had to find a balance. I learned how to take time with each of them to do things that they enjoyed. There was never a dull moment in our house. Meal time was a chore too. While three of them (my oldest son, brother and sister) could eat whatever I cooked, my youngest needed foods that he could manipulate with his mouth. He doesn’t chew like you or I. He kinda works his mouth until he softens his food, then swallows. He, and my brother eats too fast. I used to have to sit with them and verbally tell them to slow down. Now, I got the look! Then, there were the different attitudes and behaviors I deal with. Having two of them not being able to express normally, I have to watch carefully their body language and what they don’t say. I have to do that with my oldest son. He’s at that age where talking to mommy is awkward. As long as they are fed and entertained, they are good. My brother is so quiet, you wouldn’t even know he’s in the house. He even walks quietly. My youngest son makes lots of noise, all the time. He suffers from echolalia, which means he will repeat a word, phrase, or song over and over again until he gets tired. My son also jumps when certain commercials or jungles come on the radio or TV. I still have let to understand why. The doctors tried to explain it to me, but I can’t explain it to you. Family TV time is difficult because not only do I have to watch what came across the TV, but his echolalia makes it impossible to enjoy our favorite shows. I have to record what I like and watch it when he goes to bed. Bedtime is a challenge too! My brother I used to going to bed at 7 on the dot, and gets real cranky if he doesn’t. My youngest son goes to bed and literally starts screaming and yelling noises, songs, words, etc. til he tires himself out. Now that he is 14, he has discovered his male part, so every night, he attempts to break in his diaper to play with his male part. Sometimes he succeeds because he is soaked in the am. This means that I have to do laundry more than I would normally. I have to stay awake until he falls asleep to make sure that he doesn’t have a bowel movement because he can gotten into his diaper on more than one occasion and, well, you know the rest. I woke up one day mortified! He had feces on the wall, in the bed, on his face, on his head, he had it everywhere. This is the embarrassing part that no one wants to talk about, but if my story helps someone else, to God be the glory. I called his doctor because I was afraid he’d harmed himself by consuming it. I was scared, crying and feared CPS would come in and take him. I have sense then developed a way to secure his clothing to prevent that. He has to wear clothing with drawstrings. He can only manipulate his left hand fully, so this works in our favor. His right hand had surgery to extend it from being bent, by transferring a tendon to it. He still keeps his fist closed until he reaches for something. Every now and then, he has temper tantrums when he can’t have his way or I take too long getting him something. He will either ball up his fist or open handedly slap himself in the face repeatedly while crying or screaming a word or a
phrase. When he or my brother was overstimulated, I would turn on worship music, watch sermons on TBN or the Word Network and pray. It calms them right down and I continue to do this in my home. I’ve taught them how to pray and flow in the Spirit by doing that. We have morning devotions before my sons go to school and when my brother visits, we do it before he leaves. I can only tell you that God kept me and is still keeping me despite the fact that my brother and sister have moved out. I still have two healthy, busy teenagers who keep me on my toes. As I mentioned earlier, financially, my sibling’s father never paid any child support despite me going to court several times. My sister’s father did bring her clothes and money a few times. It was her grandfather who financially helped me get her settled when she came to live with me straight from the hospital after she was released for a life-threatening clot that almost cost my sister her leg. She had nothing but the clothes on her back! My son’s father pays child support erratically. He will work for six mths to a yr, then be unemployed for a yr. Thankfully, my sibling’s receive death benefits from my mom. They are well cared for. My son are well cared for too! I have a support system who makes sure that they don’t want for anything. God is an amazing God! He will provide and help you if you trust Him. I am not a one woman show. There is always an appointment to go to, a service that needs to be rendered for one of them, a meeting or an IEP that needs to be attended and always something to pray for! My life has a whirlwind of ups, downs, struggles and triumphs. I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. I have gained a wealth of knowledge that I now share with others. I have grown as a woman and as a mother. I am closer to God than I’ve ever been and He is rewarding me handsomely for my faithfulness.

These days, things have definitely shifted. I have become an Author. I have two books, currently on Amazon, Google Play, and Ibooks. They are called, “How Do I Handle a Special Needs Child?” and “Handicapped Mom: Lessons I Learned from Cerebral Palsy.” My first book is an inspirational how-to book that deals with overcoming the negative emotions we face as parents, caregivers, and guardians, such as guilt and depression. My latest book is my testimony about some of what you just read, plus more! I promise you that your mouth will drop, tears will fall and your hands will go up! I will never be ordinary. God has made me extraordinary!

Amen!

Monique's books are available on Amazon/Kindle, Google Play Store & Ibooks. Follow her on social media:

Twitter: @moniqueduell

FB:facebook.com/imjusmo

Blessings:

The Mayne Man

Bitter Like Naomi?

This was on my spirit yesterday morning. So many times when we read Ruth, we're focusing on chapter 1 and verse 16; or on Ruth finding Boaz. Rarely do we talk about Naomi, and that's who we're going to talk about today. I believe this is going to set someone free who experienced a loss and is bitter as a result, but as Jessica Reedy said, you must believe it gets better.

In the first chapter of Ruth, we find that Naomi lost her husband to death. A few verses down, she lost her sons.  See, when you're grieving, there's a strong tendency to push people away. That's what Naomi was trying to with her daughter-in-laws. Now, those who have grieved before (or are currently grieving) can testify to what Naomi was doing. I want to encourage those who are grieving (or who need to grieve) to grieve. Granted, I know the loss of my father will come in stages; but anyway, Jesus said blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. 

Part of me wants to jump ahead to say something, but I'll refrain for now. When Naomi was pushing her daughter-in-laws away, Ruth was adamant in staying with Naomi. See, Naomi felt that this was the Lord's doing and that she was being punished. When Ruth & Naomi reached Bethlehem, Naomi wanted to be called Mara - which means bitter. Now I will say what I want to say. I know there are a lot of people who might be grieving (or covering their pain with a smile) either the dead or the living. What am I talking about?

You're grieving the loss of a spouse

You're grieving the breakup of a friendship, relationship, marriage

You're grieving the loss of a child

You're grieving the death of a dream

You're grieving a financial setback, bad investment deal

You're grieving your childhood abuse, the pain you feel you allowed yourself to endure (via domestic abuse)

And for some of you reading, you feel like Naomi and/or walking around with Mara as your nickname (and not realizing it). Believe me, I've walked around with Mara as my nickname so you're not alone. But it's time to get better - in His time. God doesn't want you bitter at the world because of what the enemy has done in your life. The past should not scar your future especially to the point you penalize the future due to your past. God has so much in store for you - the best is yet to come!

Of course, I can't end this blogpost here. There's one more thing that needs to be said: in Ruth 2:20, Naomi declared this to Ruth; "May he (Boaz) be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!" What she's starting to understand is that God never forsakes those He's called. He's called you right where you are. You may feel bitter right now, but you can feel better once you allow the grieving process to run its course. 

Blessings:

The Mayne Man

Dangers of Being a Sole Proprietor

I dedicate this blogpost to those who are authors with a publishing company, but are operating as a sole proprietor.

Now how many of you like a simple life? I'll be honest, I do too. But this is one area that you can not neglect. Let's talk about what a sole proprietor is:

This is where you own a business and you can start it right where you are. You don't have to file any article with your respective state. The only thing you have to file is a DBA (doing business as) with the state. The cost should be less than $50 depending the state. On your taxes, you can just file just file a Schedule C and call it a day. Sounds simple, right? It is.

Now, let's talk about the dangers. 

If you are sued in your business, you have no protection of your business. Whoever is suing you can come after your business assets AND your personal assets. If the business is bankrupt, so are YOU. 

People with a business as a sole proprietor will more & likely stand a greater risk of being audited by the IRS. If you don't have any income for 5 years or if you have losses, it will be treated as a hobby and not a business. If you set up your business as an LLC (a hybrid version of a sole proprietor, where creditors can not come after your personal assets) that's a way around that trap.

Just a little food for thought.

The Mayne Man

Caring For/Loving Someone When They're Hurt (And/Or You're Hurt)

Good evening:

Last night, I was asking God a lot of questions and I continued to ask questions as I woke up this morning. I was silent after my questions, and He spoke to me. I would gain a lesson that I believe will be a blessing to those who may need to read this (but especially the brothers who read this). Now, I will forewarn you that this blog will take a turn near the end, but during my lunch hour, God really broke me off to the point I had to stop typing because this is so real.  This post was inspired by a conversation with a group of brothers I had on a prayer call last week, but also a conversation I had with a sister friend after an author’s meeting.

Let’s just be honest, there are hurt people in the church. And the hurts vary. Men are hurt, women are hurt and children are hurt. But God was talking to me about how to care for/love someone when they’re hurt (or you’re hurt). There are many people who are in this very situation today. It’s not a bad thing at all, and I’ll explain as I go. In fact, this will make you more serious about spiritual warfare, because this war is real (and … well, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself), but seriously, some yokes are going to be broken.

What are hurts that I’m talking about? People of all walks of life have been hurt via a bad relationship, bad marriage, physical/sexual abuse, emotional abuse, death in the family (loss of parent, loss of child), and many others that I probably didn’t mention.

Although I’m giving my perspective, there are many people who can give their spin on this very topic.  You see, sometimes you can tell when a person is hurt by the words they say, their mannerisms, their facial expressions. Now don’t get me wrong, those items mentioned doesn’t qualify that they’re hurt. It could be just part of their personality.  But at the same time, behind a smile and having eyebrows up and feeling like you can take over the world, is a world full of pain and agony. And all it takes is a trigger to turn your picture perfect world upside down.

I'm willing to bet that many of our hurts stem from one of two things: either things we allowed to enter our lives/homes or things that other people brought on us. Either way, it's time to not let these demons of hurt go unchallenged.

Let me now talk about the first thing (things we allowed to entire our lives/homes). I’m going to use myself as an example – so that I’m the only person that’s offended. Let’s see, about 10 years ago, I was talking to someone and she shared a different ideology than I did. I knew this going in and I allowed her access to my life and to my heart. When she decided to end this friendship/relationship, she had my heart in her hands to the point I was thinking about suicide (which is an ugly spirit). So, what do I do – learn from this mistake and grow in the things of God. Sure, what were some other ill effects? Barriers for a long time, and not letting people get too close to me.  I know there are many people reading this who could identify with allowing people or things into our lives/homes that should have never been the case. Don’t beat yourself up. Remember a just man falls seven times and he rises up.  Now that I’ve gone through this, I’m back in the Word, I have my guard up (not to the extent of being mad at the world), but it’s only to not give place to the devil who’s true intent is to take me out (and his intent is to take you out). He can do it if we continue to live life with anger, bitterness and having a chip on our shoulder.

The second thing (things that other people bring on us) is real simple: abuse of any kind, rape, violence, etc. Let me say this upfront, this is not your fault. Now it’s time to do combat especially if you are hurt and have the desire to love someone. The same holds true the other way around. If they have been through and you desire to love them, you need to keep them in prayer, covered and understand this one critical thing (the person you love/care for – especially if they’re heart’s desire is to grow in God first and foremost and to see you grow – is NOT your enemy). The adversary is the real enemy.

As a result of the hurts from either scenario, can cause things to happen that neither of you might not know. When one person is short with you, just vents out of thin air, blames you for everything that happened in the past, it could be real easy to just write them off. But if you know they’re hurt and you’re listening to the spirit of God, you will stay with them no matter what. Why? Because God didn’t forsake us. 

I need to drop this small interlude here so I can talk to the brothers. When we meet a woman who’s been hurt (from the items mentioned earlier or something that’s not mentioned), we need to understand that she’s not our enemy. Sometimes she will not tell you everything about her life (and rightfully so), her past; understand who she is right where she is and just pray for her. That speaks volumes. Make the focus on her and her healing. Brothers, take thought to this. A woman could be hurt because of something we may have said or done. Don’t hide it from her, tell the truth irrespective of the outcome.

For the sisters: when you meet a man who’s been hurt (from the items mentioned earlier or something that’s not mentioned), you need to know that he is not your enemy (especially if he’s covering you, and his heart’s desire is to grow in God – and that’s his first priority). We men have a strong tendency to let pride take over when we have so many hurts in our lives. Just pray for him right where he is. That speaks volumes. 

For all, don’t take their rejection personal especially if they value the friendship/relationship. Using me as an example, if I’m caring for/loving someone who’s hurt, I will pray for her healing, and ask God to change my perspective when she does things that I’m not used to (such as a cold shoulder).  What I understand is this: two people are hurt and are striving to come out of their hurt together. Again, I can speak for me, but I’m probably the king of apologizing for things I say/do and for things I didn’t say/do (knowing full well that I didn’t say/do anything wrong). The key here is for me to seek God (now this is the only time I’ll say it’s good to go to your boxing corner so you can replenish – please go into the corner for that and to spend time with God). And when I’m in my corner, I should be asking God, if it’s something she’s struggling with, I pray that You allow me to see her for who she’s is, a woman of God who is not my enemy. It’s the enemy from her past that’s trying to divide us. If it’s me that’s the problem, help me to be a MAN and tell her that I’m sorry. Knowing that it’s not about to please or keeping the peace, but it’s a matter of knowing that the friendship/relationship is of utmost importance to me and to God.

I also understand that the enemy is striving to run Rothschild over us – especially when we’re in separate corners. That’s when his league of demons will come (and yes, some will come from church folk) along with some ugly spirits. There’s more to be said on that in just a moment.

So, how do you maintain a good (or should I say God) friendship/relationship? I’ll answer that question in just a moment, but let me also say this. The devil is not going to like this one bit. He thrives when we choose to stay hurt. I didn’t say that you had to be healed overnight; for many people, this will be a process as God reveals things to you (one of my dear sister friends said that to me and it blessed me). So to answer the question in summary form, you keep God as the center of your life and trust God as to how you conduct yourself in the friendship/relationship.

One of the greater blessings is when you are caring for/loving someone when both are hurt, is that they can both come out of the hurt cycle together. And the devil can’t stand that! This now brings me to the next topic.

When God connects you to someone and you know that this is a God-friendship/relationship, don’t think that life is going to be rosy. The devil is going to send some people to wreak havoc to break it up. In fact, there will be church folk praying that your friendship/relationship is destroyed because of envy, jealousy, or who knows what. And that’s probably under the guise of “misery loves company.” He’s more effective when you both are in your separate corners of the boxing ring. Now, let’s talk about what you need to watch for to maintain this God-friendship/relationship.

Jonas Clark said this and this is going to shake the foundation for sure. In “How Witchcraft Spirits Attack,” he said this: people who operate in witchcraft are masters as pitting people against one another in order to separate and isolate them. And I believe personally this is happening inside the church. In fact, Jonas expounds by saying this: this spirit will do whatever it takes to control the environment and wants to be the limelight in your life. In fact, a person operating in this spirit wants to talk about them, them, and them. In fact, they signify a bizarre attempt to cut off any other relationships in your life.

This is true fire right there. I have to pause for a moment before I continue.

I know, I was supposed to be talking about caring for/loving someone who's hurt (or you're hurt), but we're talking about the enemy who is wanting us to stay hurt and your loved one to stay hurt. I need to throw one more thing that Jonas Clark said: there are those who act super spiritual, which is a form of witchcraft (I was up all night praying for you, I just couldn't sleep last night; the spirit of God just really impressed on me to call you first thing in the morning, and the list goes on).

OK, I need to take a break! Wow! God is truly ministering to my spirit right now. We must watch for that in the church walls, for they will subtlety cause you to be separated from yourself (which is exactly what happened when Adam ate from the tree; when God said to Adam, where are you, He wanted Adam to locate himself).

Frank Hammond, in Pigs In The Parlor said this when it comes to attacks. Example: suppose a demon spoke to your mind saying "he doesn't love me; she's not praying for you," and you know that's far cry from the truth. You might have to something like this: You are a liar, demon. I reject that thought about my friend. My mind is under the protection of Jesus. I bind you from my thoughts. I command you to leave me alone, in the name of Jesus. This won't be a one-time thing; you will more & likely have to do this constantly until your mind is at peace.

Because many of us are hurt or have been hurt, we have to seek God to see where and how demons have invaded. Don't mull over the past and what has happened. Now, it's time to close the door. And because you have someone in your life that's praying for you, with you and over you, you can really wreak havoc in the enemy's camp.

I still believe this is why the enemy fights to separate two people who God joined together (whether it be friendship or relationship). But when they are together, warring against principalities, the friendship/relationship will blossom, healing will flourish and the devil will no longer have access to their lives anymore.

Blessings.

The Mayne Man

Why Do Authors Need A Bookkeeper?

As an author, I've been able to talk to many authors and consult them on various things. Because many authors have publishing companies, it's imperative that they have a bookkeeper.

I'm sure a lot of you are looking at me strange when I say that. But let's face it, authors write and count money. But if you're good at managing your books and having good records when it's time for taxes, or if you are good at doing your taxes, then you are exempt from this article. 

I write this article for those who are not good at managing your books or you just want to minimize your taxes legally (and lessen the risk of an IRS audit). If this is you, then hiring a bookkeeper is not a bad idea. 

What are some reasons to take on a bookkeeper:

1. Starting a publishing company - unless you have a substantial amount of working capital (money) to where you don't need to apply for a small business loan, then you will need a bookkeeper. He or she will handle your books for a reasonable fee and present you a financial picture via charts, graphs, etc. so when you go to apply for a loan, you will have something to present. 

2. You have been hit with back taxes - a bookkeeper will help you manage your personal and business records so when the IRS wants to see your records, you're empowered to face them and not run from them. 

3. Tax season - the last thing you want to do is to wait till the last minute to go to your bookkeeper with your receipts when it's time to file. You want to be proactive with your taxes and reactive. 

4. Your personal life can get back in order - sometimes your life will come to light when you see the numbers in front of you. 

Hope this helps. It's one thing to make money, it's another thing to keep it!

Stay tuned, and I have one more article next week (right before that April 15th deadline).

The Mayne Man