Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

What does it mean to fear God?  What does that even look like to you?  Could it mean to tremble every time you sin?  Could it mean shaking when His name is spoken aloud?  Or could it possibly mean reading His Word and then doing His Word, according to His word.  Examine the scriptures for yourself and let them reveal His truth.  The word fear is written in the NKJV bible 367 times and of those 367 times, 118 times are associated in direct fear of the Lord.

I’m not sharing this because I have arrived in any way shape or form understanding the fear of the Lord, but because I believe it has been misunderstood therefore ignored I am beginning to research the teaching myself.  If I could, I would take out the 51 times in the NKJV scriptures that said, "Do not fear."  It would make my goal easier if the Bible did not appear to contradict itself.  Do not fear, then fear, sounds like a contradiction to the word.  We must distinguish between the two fears.  "Do not fear" means "do not fear for I am with you" as it is written in Isaiah 41:10 NIV.  Hebrews 11:7 NIV says, "By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household.  By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith".  The fear of the Lord actually saved mankind; the whole human race was saved because Noah took God at His word.  God said build an ark and Noah grabbed the nails and went to the wood pile.  Noah not only built an ark but he and his whole household entered the ark when God told them to. Allow me to take a little liberty with the word of God for a moment. I can see in my mind the day Noah began to build, with every coat of pitch and with every piece of wood the Nay Sayers were on the scene mocking the very thing God had willed Noah to do. For 120 years Noah stayed the course and remained faithful to the word which was spoken to him. Why? I believe it was because Noah had a reverent fear of the Lord.  He believed what God said, and acted on what he believed. Would your life look different if you read the scriptures with the fear of the Lord, if you believed what you read?   Noah obeyed God longer than most of us live it took him 120 years to build the ark, 120 years of faithfulness, 120 years of people laughing at him, 120 years of hard work and dedication, 120 years of consistency. Wow! It’s hard for some of you to be consistent in going to church, tithing, or reading your bible. Noah was repetitious with believing no matter how long the rain held back Noah moved forward.  Noah lived expecting the word of God to come to pass.

 I know when this story is told Noah is the one we recognize and we should recognize Noah, but let’s not forget about the other seven people who built right along with him. God spoke to Noah but Noah passed down the vision and the other seven seen what God showed Noah and began to build as well. Readers, I know many of you have received a word from the Lord and because you fear the Nay Sayers more than you fear God you remain stagnant, complacent, and unfulfilled in your lives. God spoke to Noah, Noah passed the vision on it witness to the others and an ark was built, a generation was saved, and the Lord was pleased.  Habakkuk 2:1-3 “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”  

The word of God said, “I will stand”, not moan, groan, complain, sleep or whine, but stand. Habakkuk positioned himself in the best position to receive God’s message. I challenge you today to get the vision, write it down and position yourself to receive the power to complete what God has called you to do. Ephesians 2:10,” For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.  Mankind was saved because Noah feared God.  Whose life could be changed because you chose to fear the Lord and obey. Choices are for the Living

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10  

Do what He has called you to do and build your ark.

Michele Davenport
For prayer request or questions about my column you can email me at my new email address fbmin02@gmail.com

To order my books or listen to my teachings by audio go to fbministrie

Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living    

Reduction…..

Wake up, eyes lifted, ears aroused by the noise of living a life of existence.  Rush around preparing for your day, gathering your thoughts and reducing them to your surroundings.  Reducing, is what we have become masters at, reducing the hunger pains of another person whether it’s food or love.  Reducing the homeless to the selected few you observe a holding a sign. Reducing the imprisoned to an outreach program or by defining the imprisoned; to only the ones who are locked behind bars. We have become reduction experts. We reduce the millions who die every day; due to lack of clean water, nutrition, medicine, and preventable vaccines. How do we reduce them, by letting our minds slumber, the part of our mind that should be awake and respond has become reduced, the faces of the dying has been tucked away in a bed covered with complacency.  Self is in the forefront of everything we do.  Reducing the people who have a need to our limited resources, to what only we can believe for. I wonder what difference we would make in the world around us if we really believed what we prayed. We have even reduced our prayers according to our limited understanding; because we don’t fully understand how our prayers could work we don’t pray with the authority given to us through Jesus. Have we allowed our faith to be reduced to the size less than a mustard seed?  Reducing your giving according to your bank account, instead of what God can supply. Have we become the kind of givers who give only what we obtain in the natural?  That is what the world does should we not be different than the world?   We have become reduction experts; just ask us we will tell you how to do it.

Have we reduced our compassion for others down to what we are comfortable feeling? Are you guilty of reducing your life to your own existence, your own survival, and your own needs? Have we reduced ourselves down to nothing but a mere memory of what was supposed to be?  Something interesting happens when reduction continues, soon nothing but a vapor appears. Choices are for the living, chose to refuse to live a life of reduction allow God to increase you in every area where you slumber.

Revelation 3:2-3, “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”

John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Living a life awake…….Michele Davenport

For prayer or questions about today’s message email me at my new email fbmin02@gmail.com to listen to my teachings on audio or to order my books go to fbministries.com

Choices are for the Living

From my Heart to Yours

I have given you love and forgiveness, through my grace,

All that I ask is you seek my face,

Remember me when the times get rough,

Be secure in knowing that I am enough,

When my Son rises in the righteous ones, the healing in

Their wings has begun,

You are being strengthened with every passing day,

The bridge between us is our escape,

Built in an arch that covers our sin,

From the flowing waters where you have been,

Cast in the sea without a thought,

My Son has been given; your sins have been bought,

He paid the price, the final cost,

He saved your soul from being lost,

Now I live in you, and you live in me,

This is my creation, the way I created you to be,

Ephesians 1:7-8

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

Now lets look at the word redemption, apotutrosis:  ransom in full, something to loosen (Strong's #629 Gk.)

God paid the price for us with His Son’s blood.  God has already loosed us from the hold of the enemy.   Why do we keep trying to repay a debt that is paid in full?  Would you send a payment on a bill you did not owe? God’s grace is sufficient; it is our lack of understanding that keeps us from all that God has to offer.

What debt are you always trying to pay?  Why do you feel the need to pay it?

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Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living August 29

Acts 3:1-8,  “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.  Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John.  Then Peter said, “Look at us!”  So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.  Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.  He jumped to his feet and began to walk.  Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

A couple of things went through my mind as I read this passage such as; why didn’t anyone ever take this man inside the beautiful he was on their way, he was on their way to their prayer group, he was on their way to their worship, and to their God. If this would have happen in this day and time it wouldn’t have cost them any extra gas money. No, they placed him outside the gate; given it was the busiest entrance where he would make the most money, but really his needs far outweighed silver and gold. The passage says the cripple, lame man was put outside the gate every day, EVERY DAY he was there to get just enough to get by on; the word never says he had enough from yesterday to skip a day, No! He was taken there every day to receive just enough to survive another day. Readers, I see this all the time sitting in the pews at church, people who come every Sunday just to get enough to get by on until next Sunday.  They don’t open their bibles during the week, you won’t catch them praying to God during the next six days, No! They are living on just enough to get by on they have resorted to a, “just enough mentality way of living.”  People who have anorexia take one bite just enough to get by on, not enough to be nourished just enough to survive and for many not even enough to survive. There is anorexia Christians who just feed on just enough of the word to get by on.  Accept another coin in bucket and expect to be in the same place tomorrow.

 I talk to people everyday who are living in their past excepting just enough healing to get through another day, not enough to be whole, not enough to be restored, just enough to get by on. There are alcoholics out there drinking just enough not enough to die, just enough to wish they would, just enough to remain what they have become.  How many of you are settling for just enough in your marriages?  You say things like, well my marriage isn’t perfect but no one else’s is either. Just accept another coin dropped into your bucket go ahead sit outside the Gate called beautiful and settle for just enough love to get by on, not enough to thrive, not enough to mentor anyone else’s marriage, just enough to stay together..   How many of my Readers have settled on substantial relationships with their parents? You are still wounded from your childhood walking around with just enough forgiveness to stand to be around them on for the Holidays. Go ahead, do it, accept another coin and soon enough you’ll have just enough to get by on another day. Listen, why are you settling for just enough when Jesus came to give you more than enough? How many times are you going to let the silver and gold drop in the bucket before your enter in to the Gate called beautiful? How long are you going to let your life represent the lame? Many of you are lying outside the gate of God’s provision. We serve a God who is more than enough yet many of us live with just enough mentalities.  Joseph Prince said, “God has more supply than we make demand of.”  It’s selfish to only want enough to get by on, but not enough to help anyone else.   Do you know what you would have to offer others if you would walk in more than enough love, forgiveness, joy, healing, restoration, reconciliation, hope, patience, and kindness?  Do not set up your tent outside the Gate called Beautiful depending on someone else for your relationship with your God, go in, walk the walk of faith believing your Father in Heaven will meet you at the altar, be healed, restored, and renewed by His presence. Choices are for the Living.

Living inside the Gate called beautiful…..If you want to check out the video I made to go along with this teaching go to my face-book page at Michele Davenport or my ministry face-book page Faith Builders Ministries, Inc.

For prayer or comments please email me at fbmin02@gmail.com

To order my book, “Ripened on the Vine,” is a true story about my life or you can listen to my teaching by going to fbministries.com

Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

Ignorance is running rampant in the body of Christ.  I believe many of Christians have patterned themselves after the world.  What is the typical pattern of the world?  Get up, get dressed, get a bite to eat, get coffee, and get going.  There is not enough desire to get Jesus.  The pattern of this world, and many Christians who live in it, just do not make Jesus a priority in their lives.  I watched an Oprah show several years ago.  A man came on her show to reveal the truth about why men act the way they act when it came to dating.  He deflated all the myths of the social scene by letting the women ask him questions as he openly and honestly answered them and who better to do this than a man who proclaimed to be womanizer at one time in his life.  One of the ladies from the audience asked "at the end of the date why do men say they will call you but never do?"   Another lady asked, “Why is it after dating a man for three years he is still not ready for a commitment?”  "How come my boyfriend never takes me out in public?" Several more questions were asked, but they all received the same answer, plain and simple -- the men aren’t into you that much.  Readers, Can I say here lies the problem with some of us, we are just not into Jesus that much not unless we need something. Isn’t that how some men act towards women or women act towards men?  Have we become God-izers? We turn to God only if we want something.  Joshua 7: 10, “The Lord said to Joshua, Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?”  He was on his face because he had lost a sure win do to sin in the camp.  Achan had sinned he kept some of the devoted things after God had told him not to. Achan had stolen and lied and God needed Joshua to stand up and deal with it instead of tearing his clothes face down in the dirt whining.   Readers, “Stand up” and do the work the Lord has told you to do if there is sin in the camp deal with.  Stop making excuses, stop tearing your clothes and throwing dirt in your face begging God to help you. Stop being drug around like a rag doll, pick yourself up and stand naked before your God and let Him clothe you with His Glory, wisdom, mercy and love. God’s answer is to stand when you have done all you can do, stand according to Ephesians 6:13-14.  
Colossians 2:15, “and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”  I would like for us to pay close attention to the word “spoiled” This word is taken from the Greek word apekdusamenos, and it is referring to the act of stripping off your garments down to bare nakedness.  The Holy Spirit is saying I have stripped the principalities and powers of Satan down to nakedness there is nothing hidden in the darkness; all his tricks can be seen.  What is not hidden is revealed and what is revealed can be conquered. Bear in mind being in the dark activates all your other senses, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. 

There will be times when you are in a war that you may feel like you’re in darkness, but that’s when you’ll be able to smell the frank sense of victory, taste the myrrh of forgiveness, hear the sounds of the trumpet blow, and feel the presence of Jesus.  Remember you are not alone even if the darkness tries to hold you captive; it’s in that moment when the light invades the darkness you’ll realize Jesus was standing beside you all along. Are you a God-izer? Are you into Him enough to get the sin out of your camp and stand? Choices are for living - smell the victory

Michele Davenport

For prayer or questions please feel free to email me at my new address fbmin02@gmail.com

To order my book “Ripened on the Vine”, a true story about my one girls journey to find Vertical Faith in the midst of abuse. 

Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

Joshua 2:1, “Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land, “he said, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rehab and stayed there.”

Readers, as I read through the scripture I thought to myself, Wow! I noticed the word “then” Then Joshua sent two spies over.  The word “then” lead me to ask what happen before,  then Moses took his last breath, God told Joshua, “now then you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan into the land I am about to give you.”  God went on to tell them every place they placed their foot was theirs, no one will be able to stand against them as He was with Moses He was with them. God furthermore said, “I will never leave you or forsake you be strong and courageous, because you will lead the people to inherit the land I swore to the generations before them.” In addition God told them not to let the law depart from their mouth; meditate on it day and night, so they would be careful to do everything that is written. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Don’t be afraid for I the Lord God I am with you wherever you go. So Joshua went through the camp commanding the people to get their supplies ready three days from now we are going to take the land.  Joshua 1:10, “Then they answered Joshua, Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.”

To be transparent Readers, I don’t understand why Joshua waited three days to cross over when God clearing said get ready and go. God went into great detail in how He was going to be with them, but yet they still waited three days until they could receive their, THEN moment.  Has God spoken a “then” moment into your life but you still find yourself standing on the wrong side of the Jordan?  What is holding you back? I noticed the spies were sent to a prostitute house where they stayed; listen Readers, you don’t want to miss the lesson flowing in between the pages of God’s miraculous Word.  The first lesson way was; the spies had to believe what God had said to them to actually go to the walls of Jericho and the prostitute Rahab, had to not let her past mistakes keep her from future blessings. God had a new script for her with new lines to recite.  She helped the spies and in turn she was written into the hall of faith book, Hebrews 11:31.  In one act of faith she became a part of the genealogy of Jesus written in Matthew 1:5.  After reading this chapter I quickly figured out fear and lack of faith keep most people on the wrong side of the Jordan. In order to get to the promise land folks we have to cross over the Jordan. Readers, don’t allow your THEN moment to become a never moment by the choices you make.  I remember a moment when we were in the military right before we received our first orders to California, God spoke a then time in my life. God said many things but after those things were said He said, “Then when you get to California there will be a mother figure waiting for you, she will comfort you and become your friend while you are stationed there without your mother.  Listen Readers, when we arrived there my spiritual antenna was on high alert. I think it was about the third or fourth day we were in our apartment as I was walking down the side walk I met my older neighbor her name was Joni.  I told her the word I had received and it witness to her spirit, her and my mom had two things in common their names and me. God was absolutely right she was all He said she would be and more. I could have missed my then moment had I not believed God and been aware of His word coming to pass.  I was expecting her.   Choices are for the Living

Living in my promise land

Michele Davenport

For prayer you can reach me at fbmin02@gmail.com

To order my books, “Ripened on the Vine,” a true story about my life, or “From My Heart To Yours Daily Devotional,” go to fbministries.com

Choices re for the Living

Choices are for the Living

Did God really say is the question of the twenty first century population?  I have never in my life heard so many doubts and confusion about what the word of God says.  It seems to me people have taken the bible and rewrote the passages to describe what they are comfortable reading what they are comfortable doing instead of reading the infallible word of God. The question I have been ask more times than any other question isn’t how do we know if there is a God, what is the trinity, is speaking in tongues for today, or even does God still heal?   No, the question I am asked most frequently is “how do we know the bible is the infallible word of God because men wrote it? I believe God spoke it man wrote it.

Genesis 3:1- , “Now the serpent was craftier than any other wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the women, “Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”? From the very moment those words were introduced to the human vocabulary until now we have been asking the same question, “Did God really say?” It never seizes to amaze me the people who insist on asking this question without ever reading the Bible.  So many opinions without the knowledge to back what they claim to believe. The main reason people dispute the bible is over selfish desires let me explain, let’s say someone who wants to watch “R” rated movies, view pornography, or get drunk they will say things like well it doesn’t say anything about it in the BIBLE. My answer to that is what about Philippians 4:8, “Finally, (in Greek means most importantly) brothers most importantly, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy think about such things.”  Here is your leaning post, every time you don’t know if something is right to do or say lean upon Philippians 4:8 weigh your decision against the Apostle Paul’s words. Paul was warning us about protecting our minds.    I’ve also heard people say things like, “I don’t believe the bible.” The first question I tend to ask is, “Have you read the Bible?” Not to my surprise, 99.9 percent say, “No, not the entire bible, for goodness sakes not many blood bought proclaimed Christians have read the entire bible, yet they are among the ones who voice their opinions the loudest at times.” Readers, how can we make an informed decision without all the facts? How can we say things like, “Did God really say,” without knowing what He said? It sounds ludicrous but it happens all the time. You want to know what the bible says about healing, read your bible.  If you want to know what the bible says about speaking in your prayer language, read your bible.  If you want to know about heaven, read your bible. I challenge anyone who has been mislead, or mis-fed the word of God to pick up their bible and read it in its entirety. Then fall on your knees and pray to God to reveal His truth, not your mamma’s truth not your daddy’s, not your grandma’s truth, not even the church you attend truth, but God’s truth then and only then can you make an educated decision on what you believed. I can tell you this much believing in God and His word is a faith walk not everyone will believe, not everyone will discover the truth on their journey, some will find bits and pieces, while others will find exactly what they set out to find. Philip Yancey, a well known New York best seller author, set out to prove the bible wrong only to end up proving it to be authentic.  He decided to taste for himself if the word of God was good.  Did God really say?  Find out read your bible.

Choices are for the Living… Michele Davenport

Reading the bible like I believe it

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choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

1 Samuel 22:1-5 says, “David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam.  When his brother and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.  All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader.  About four hundred men were with him.  From where David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God’s will do for me?”  So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in a stronghold.  But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold.  Go into the land of Judah.”  So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

David left Gath which in Hebrew means, “weeping,” and escaped to the cave Adullam.  David is in despair he has been hunted like an animal he hides in caves and dens of the earth. David is in God’s waiting room, but while David is in the waiting room of God he is gathering his mighty men.  God is preparing him for a victory, Oh, Readers; it might look like David is a coward running from pillar to post but God is preparing him for mighty works.  David has been rejected and on the run everywhere he turns he ends up in the mouth on the earth or in the belly of a cave he cannot find solace. Saul is a type and shadow; a reflection if you will, of Satan the enemy, as Saul hunts down David, Satan hunts us down. Remember the scripture in 1Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walking about, and seeking whom he may devour.”  I believe David’s soul was living among lions.  There were three classes of men who followed David that day; men who were distress, men who were in debt, and men who were living in discontentment.  First I would like to address those who were in distress.  They were persecuted and oppressed by Saul.  If you are feeling the whiplash of discrimination in our world today, the unfairness of your life at times then you would fit into this group of people. The only answer to their distress is to call on the name of Jesus, but how many can be brutally honest with themselves and admit you are calling loudly on many things but the name of Jesus is but a whisper.  You have called on the banker, the physicians, the psychiatrist, the circumstance, or maybe you have called on the name of Jim Beam or Budweiser, if that’s not your deal then perhaps you have called on the name of marijuana, or pain killers, sleeping pills, or xanax to wipe your mind free from the roaring lion’s voice. Readers, there is only one voice that can drown out the voice of the devourer and that is the voice of Jesus. Don’t allow the imitators of peace to call on your name anymore, start calling on the name of Jesus. The second class of men who followed David was the men in debt.  In the day David was living, debt was a type of cancer a man could lose his property and be sold into slavery. Many of you today feel exactly  like one of those men, you feel like you have been sold into a market whose only interested is your demise, you work to make ends meet, but end up stretching the ends only to fall short of meeting. You have become a slave to this world trying to pay a debt you cannot pay, because God has already paid the finale cost. Oh Readers, you stretch one end while the other shrinks back, you try and try but never feel like you are free from the sin of this world, but I have good news for you today Jesus already paid the price, He already paid the ransom so you could live among the free. Quit trying to pay back a debt that has already been paid. We are talking about something far more important than money here; we are talking about the acceptance of Jesus as your Savoir.  UN- handcuff yourself from this world and live among the living.  Now, the last group of men who followed David was the discontented, they were bitter of soul.  Life will make you bitter if you fail to see the small hand in the cloud.  There are so many of God’s people living in discontentment, protesting one thing after another never really being satisfied with the moment. You are on a scavenger hunt every place you go you don’t enjoy, because your mind is already on the next place. Your focus is on the gathering and not on the experience. Your soul is feeding off discontentment and starving to death. You feed yourself one crumb of hope but a handful of frustration. Until you can get to a place where the journey is as important as destination then you will live a life in discontentment. Choices are for the living.   Did you notice in 1Samuel 22:1 “David left Gath, which remember in Hebrew means; weeping.  David left a place of weeping to enter into the land of Judah which in Hebrew means praising.  Readers, many of you are in between the pillar and post you have one foot in Gath weeping while the other foot is in Judah, praising.  “But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold.  Go into the land of Judah.” 1 Samuel 22:5 many of you have let your situation put you in a stronghold, you are weeping and crying out to every name but the name of Jesus; you are either distress, in debt, or discontent. There is a time to stay, but there is also a time to flee.  Go into the land of Judah praising the name of Jesus lifted him high above your circumstance and believe in the flight. God is calling you to another land pick up your tent pegs and move.  Choices are for the living…

If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savoir please pray this prayer.

Lord, please forgive me of my sins, I recognize the need for you in my life. I am confessing with my mouth and believing in my heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead. Amen (Romans 10:9)   Now find yourself a bible believing church and get involved.

Hanging a red cord out my window so others can be saved….Michele Davenport

For prayer or questions please feel free to email me at fbministries@comcast.net

For more of my teachings on audio or to order my books you can go to fbministries.com

choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

1 Samuel 10:20-22, “When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.  Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was chosen.  Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.  So they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”  And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”

The first king was chosen by casting lots, flat stones carried by the high priest.  This might sound like Saul was chosen merely by happenstance but on the contrary, the Lord himself had instructed the Israelites to make the lots to determine decisions, so therefore God was taking the decisions out of their hands and putting in His own hand. What was really fascinating to me Readers, when I read the story in 1 Samuel 10:1, “Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you leader over his inheritance?”  Then Samuel went on to say in verse 2 thru 7, “When you leave me today you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin.  They will say to you, ‘The donkey you set out to look for has been found.  And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you.  He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?” Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor.  Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there.  One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine.  They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.  After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.  As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.  The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.  Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.”

Wow! Readers, how many of you heard the Lord calling you to do something powerful in His name?  He has sent sign after sign like he did for Saul a goat, bread, wine, prophets and even a band.  The Lord has told you where to go and what to do. He has anointed you King over that assignment, but where can you be found? Is it among the baggage?  You see Saul knew he had already been selected to be the king but when they called for him he was hiding among the baggage.

photo credit - rachellegardner.blogspot.com

Readers, can I be so bold to suggest that many of you are hiding behind the baggage of your past; your past mistakes, past failures, past hurts, and present fear.  God has already called you my friend according to Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” Samuel said, once these signs have been filled, do whatever your hands find to do because God is with you. Have you been hearing harps and flutes?  Samuel gave Saul many signs, what sign has God given you?

 I wonder how many times we have missed being an answer to someone else’s prayer due to our own insecurities coupled with excuses.  Did you notice God knew exactly where Saul was when someone asked in 1 Samuel 10:22, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” You might be hiding from everyone else but you are not hidden from God. Once Saul came out, faced his fear he was generously accepted. What are you waiting for; today is the youngest you will ever be, today is the day to obey. Stop hiding behind the baggage of your past, you are so much more than what you were before Christ because you are a new creation, created to do good works prepared in advance for you to do.
Choices are for the living…Live among the baggage or step out and move on.

Today is the day to obey.

Stepping out and moving on.

Michele Davenport

For questions or prayers please email me at my new email address fbmin02@gmail.com

To order my book, “Ripened on the Vine” a story of survival and God’s grace or to listen to my teachings on audio visit our web page at  www.fbministries.com

choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

Romans 8:6-8, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind in the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it desires not to submit to God’s law, indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

While I was preparing my fermented salsa this morning a thought came to my mind, the thought was this; as I was chopping the vegetables for the salsa I noticed I was being very careful not to put any questionable pieces in the jar because I didn’t want a few bad vegetables to ruin the whole batch which takes a couple of days of sitting on the counter to even ferment enough to be eaten. Fermenting makes the food easier to digest and the nutrients easier to assimilate.  Most of the digestion is done for you.  Fermenting also holds onto the enzymes and vitamins and other nutrients that get destroyed by processing the food.  The nutritional value of your food gain more nutrients by fermenting.  I started to think about the fermenting process and the benefits from this process.

Fermenting makes our food easier to digest and the nutrients easier to assimilate.  The word of God helps us digest life, as we live it. Everything we need to know, all the spiritual vitamins we need to nourish our bodies is found in the written Word of God, but we have one small problem many of us don’t want to digest the word of God because our minds are set on the flesh.  We over process our lives; by feeding our flesh the desires of our hearts and not the desires of God’s heart.  Spiritually we take a beating that came from our own hand, we love to swallow what taste good in the spiritual, but what about the scriptures that call us to feed the poor?  Did you know there are over 2000 scripture in the bible on the poor?  We skim through those like they don’t apply to us, like God is talking directly to the poor not to the people who could help them.  I think we have been spiritually over processed, as Christian a lot of our nutrients have been depleted our enzymes are out of balance we need a spiritual cleanse.  In addition the public is having a hard time digesting Christians because we have too many toxins floating around in our lives. Now, I know I’m getting a few of you all riled up  because you think I’m saying we have to be perfect to be of any use, but not all, we just need to be who we say we are. The word of God says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “We become a new creation in Christ when we are born again the old things have vanished and the new things have come.”  You can’t expect to watch pornography and then minister to a man who has an addition to pornography.  The same way you can’t expect to be at war with your spouse and then try to mentor someone on how to have a great marriage. I could no longer be obese and tell you how to lose weight than someone who is a practicing a drug addict could tell me how to become drug free. Hypocrite; is what people call this kind of behavior. For some of us we have allowed ourselves to be over processed, with the hormone induced, chemical manufactured, corn fed chickens of this world. Let’s eat the Word of God organically, be mindful of what we are allowing in our temples because what we put in us will eventually come out. Dr. Newell once said, “To hope to do better is fail to see yourself in Christ.” He also said, “To be disappointed with yourself means you believed in yourself.” Let’s see ourselves through God’s eyes and put our trust and faith in Him alone then and only then can we expect fermentation to happen.          Choices are for the Living

My food is to do the will of the Father

Michele Davenport

For prayer or praise report please email me at my new email address fbmin02@gamil.com

To order my book, “Ripened on the Vine,” or to listen to my teachings go to fbministries.com

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choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living

2 Corinthians 5:11-14 (Message Bible), “That keeps us vigilant, you can be sure.  It’s no light thing to know that we’ll all one day stand in the place of Judgment.  That’s why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God.  God alone knows how well we do this, but I hope you realize how much and how deeply we care. We’re not saying this to make ourselves look good to you.  We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that we’re on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are. If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you.  Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes.  His love has the first and last word in everything we do.”

Wow! Readers, What an awesome statement of truth; “If I acted crazy I did it for God, if I acted overly serious I did it for you.  Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes.”  I do believe this is what we need in the body of Christ, a move of extreme love, a crazy kind of love that moves us to be as serious about death as we are about life.  We spend much time preparing to live, planning, doing, and going, but what about death?  I  can hear some of you now getting all theological on me,” Michele you know as believers we really don’t ever die.” What I mean about death is the transition from this life to the next. Do we really care about the people who might not be going vertical?  Love must compel us it must move us to extremes.  When was the last time you told someone about Christ that was not already attending church?  When was the last time you acted crazy for your God? I don’t mean straight jacket crazy I mean out of your comfort level crazy. What might be crazy for me might not be crazy for you.  For an example I just finished teaching a bible study, “Outlive your Life,” by Max Lucado, the main focused was on the footprints we’re  leaving behind, and doing all things unto God. The point of our life is to point to His.  One of the examples in the book was; go to your local laundry mat and pay for people’s laundry, and fellowship with those we call strangers but whom the Lord calls His children. The mission is called, “Laundry Love.” “If I acted crazy, I did it for God.”  Church, isn’t it time we get a little crazy for Christ? Isn’t it time we get serious about Heaven?  You might be saying I am serious about heaven.  I have been serving God most of my life.  I mean get serious about other people going to heaven.  I mean letting Christ’s love move you to extremes.   

photo credit storypoint.info

Some of you are waiting on a word from God before you step a foot in the Jordan. Joshua 3:8 "When you reach the edge of the waters, "GO" and stand in the river." According to the NKJV God has told you 1487 times to "GO"!! What are you waiting on? When you start to "GO" the waters will stand in a heap. You don’t think this was crazy?  It was the rainy season, the Jordan was swelled high above the normal river size, but the priest obeyed. As they stuck one foot in the water the water stood up on its head. Wow!  What a great example of what God will do if we will pick up the ark of the covenant, which represented God’s presence and ,”GO”.  Love crazy for God, get serious about Vertical faith, and let Christ’s love move you to the extremes. Choices are for the living.

Michele Davenport

Dipping my toe in the Jordan expecting a miracle.

For prayer or praise reports please email me at my new email fbmin02@gmail.com

To order my book, “Ripened on the Vine,” true stories of my life or to listen to my teaching on, “Vertical Faith,” go to our web page www.fbministries.com

Choices are for the Living

Choices are for the Living    

John 12:24, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

photo credit - iknow2.net

Readers, as I was dead heading my flowers the other morning and a thought passed through my mind, the thought was in order for new flowers to bloom I had to remove the dead ones.  Most of you know about sowing and reaping, you plant a sunflower seed, and you reap sunflowers.  You plant daisies, you will reap daisies, but have you ever stopped and thought about the dead heading process?  The reason you dead head your flowers is to extend the bloom time. Dead heading is a removal of spent flowers before they have a chance to set seeds and distract the plants energy away from producing flowers.  It’s interesting because the goal of all flowering plants is to produce seeds for the next generation of plants.  Delaying the dead heading of your garden will only prolong the production of flowers and beauty in your garden for the next generation.  When you detach dead flowers you are encouraging new growth.  You are essentially encouraging the plant to send up another supply of healthy flowers.  How many of my Readers would be satisfied with one harvest of flowers when you could have several?  All you need to do is take the time to dead head your garden.  Well, this brings me to my point, some of you have allowed a seed to be planted,  you have allowed the seed to be watered, and you have experienced a small harvest, but God wants you to continue to experience the harvest.  Let me explain, I know some of my Readers have had great victories in your life, you have been healed of diseases.  You have had a great financial breakthrough in your businesses and home.  You have broken through the barriers of depression, loneliness and self absorb attitudes only to find yourself right back in the same place.  Why? I believe it’s because you refused to dead head your harvest, you refused to pull off what is dying so the new could sprout.  You continually speak dying words, dying thoughts, you have allowed your words to occupy your garden for too long.  Where you once spoke life, you now speak death.  Where you once filled your mind with thoughts of your Lord and Savior, you now replaced your thoughts with yourself.  Where you once put your faith in your God you are now trying to obtain confidence through your bank account, job, marriage, your right standing in your community has become more valuable than your right standing with God.  Remember the goal of all flowering plants is to produce seeds for the next generation of plants. What kind of seeds are you producing for the next generation?    Do you constantly need council, approval, and pampering because of your past?  Because you won’t let God deliver you; dead head you.  Readers, many of us need to spend sometime at the throne of our hearts dead heading what is clearly dead so God can allow new growth for the next generation.  What are we leaving behind? Choices are for the Living

Dead heading my garden one flower at a time expecting new growth 

Faith Builders Ministries

Michele Davenport

For prayer or questions please contact me at my new email address fbmin02@gmail.com

To order my books, “Ripened on the Vine,” a true account of my life, living among the dead. “From My Heart to Yours Devotional,” poetry book with scriptures and the study of some Hebrew and Greek words. Go to our web page  www.fbministries.com

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The Three Most Influential Women in My Life and the gifts they left behind

1 Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms."

The first gift from the most influential women in my life was a quilt which belonged to my mother, whom I lost December 12, 2007 she will be the number one Influential women in my life.  She was my best friend, my cheerleader, and my greatest fan.  My mother was not your typical mother, she endured many loses, disappointments, and heartaches, which eventually led her to a heroin addiction.   My mother suffered at the hands of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco for one third of her life.  The quilt represents restoration, reconciliation and reconstruction which were the patches God used to stitch us back together as mother and daughter.  Through God’s love I was made whole.  Through His forgiveness, I was empowered to forgive, through His example I was able to follow, through His compassion I was able to walk in her footsteps if only for a moment I understood the pain she endured.  The lesson in the quilt for me is our lives are but a patchwork of moments that we endure, enjoy, and experience on various levels.  Those moments in our lives create our quilt the same patches that had caused us pain are the same patches God uses to cover us in His love and mercy. Every quilt has a story to tell. Some quilts are in the early stages of becoming a quilt you can’t in actuality cover with them, although they offer only a few patches to warm your feet, what patches they have, they offer believing one day to extend enough to cover. Other quilts just crossed over the finish line, the last stitch has been sown the last patch has been put in place, and they are ready to extend their life’s experiences to help you.  At first their quilt stays in their closet but as life goes on they find themselves gravitating to the quilt so others can be ministered to through their experiences. One day they look up and realize someone sitting in their house covered in their quilt while sipping on a cup of coffee, the healing begins as they share their life about their God.

photo credit - filminthefridge.com

 Then there are the quilts that are tattered and torn sown with years of wisdom.  Oh sure, when you cover yourself with them they have holes and the breeze seeps in but the warmth of their lives keeps you content with its ability to comfort you.  You are so consumed with their stories of long ago, about how their God brought them through you forget about the holes, you stop feeling the breeze, your mind has gone to a place of peace as your body responds to the warmth of His presence. Every quilt has a story will you tell yours?

The next gift from one of the most influential women in my life is a rolling pin, which was given to me by my grandmother whom I also lost in 1998.  She also taught me many lessons throughout my walk; one of the lessons was how to sit quietly before God, not asking for nothing just listening to His voice.  Another lesson she etched deeply in my mind was; patience is a virtue, which we are not born with.   Patience comes through our trials. 

My grandmother showed me how to roll my cares upon Jesus so when I use the rolling pin I always remember what my grandmother taught me, sit quietly before your God, be patient in your sitting, and roll your cares upon Him. 

The last gift is an apron, which brings me to the third and final influential women in my life to this date, my Aunt Linda.  My Aunt Linda has also in turn taught me many values on my road to wisdom and she is still teaching me.  Several times while growing up I had the opportunity to be a witness, to observe her while she mothered her children, while she served her husband, and her church.  I watched her relentlessly work through the day and night contending to others, being a witness, praying, teaching, loving, and giving without taking inventory of her.  My Aunt is a servant first, she does not require being served she finds her true joy in living the life of a servant that’s where she is most comfortable, and in that very place is where she made the most incredible impact on my journey.  As I watched her I experienced the heart of God. I learned the art of being a mother, a friend, and a true lover of the Word of God.  I learned about people, and the desire to be loved with action, not with action words. 

photo credit - mdstrength.com

 As I wear the apron I pray her mantle falls upon me. I pray I would put others first, learn the beauty of a servant’s heart, and the joy of making a difference in the lives of others each day I live.    

Thank you for allowing me to share my family with you.  I hope in some small way I have represented them in such a manner that even from Heaven they have made a difference in your life.   I pray that you will find three of the most influential people in your life and share with them how they have written on the slate of who you have become.

Choices are for the Living

Listen Readers, I had an awesome opportunity to serve in my community and I wanted to share my amazing experience with you. I went to the Shepherd’s Staff Food Pantry located at 1311 Sanders in Harrisonville and helped distribute over 15,000 pounds of food to over 300 families it was truly a blessing to work a long side of these wonderful people who were accurately living it out for the Glory of God, they are living God’s Word not just discussing it.

 If you live in Cass County and are interested in volunteering for this worthy cause please contact Delbert (816-769-4988) at Shepherd’s Food Pantry they need volunteers every Friday from 2-6pm. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)  Choices are for the Living…Make a difference, volunteer. Any and all donations are welcomed….   
Casting my net for Jesus

Michele Davenport

If you have questions or comments please contact me at my new email address fbmin02@gmail.com

To read my testimony, “Ripened on the Vine,” go to www.fbministires.com