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Bags, Bling & Black

DEC Pic 4//Kindle the Flame Review

Women from around the world gathered September 26–28 on the Rhema USA campus for Lynette Hagin's 2013 Kindle the Flame® Women's Conference. It was a time of transformation as the Lord sweetly ministered to the women, healing hearts and changing them from the inside out. From fellowshipping with others during luncheons, getting good advice during workshops, and listening to anointed ministers, for three unforgettable days Kindle the Flame 2013 proved to be the best "me" time around.

Carry your candle. Go light your world.

 "When we find out what Christ did for us and what the Word says about us, our perspective changes and faith arises. We need to look through the eyes of God and see ourselves the way He sees us. He sees us through Jesus' blood and stripes. He sees us through the lens of holiness, the lens of purity, the lens of right standing. He sees us accepted. We're brand-new on the inside. We're strengthened by might in the inner man. That's us. That's our reality."
//Sherlyn Smucker

"The world will say it's normal to be full of unforgiveness when you've been hurt. It's normal to be depressed when you've faced a tragedy. It's normal to give up when life gets hard. But we are not normal! We are not common or average! We are supernatural beings serving a supernatural God, and we are equipped with supernatural divine help. God created us to be royalty, and we are not to live 'like mere (unchanged) men' (1 Cor. 3:3 Amplified). God has a plan and purpose for our lives!"
//Brenda Thomas

"It wasn't in Jesus' personal, amazing strength that He took away the sin of the world. It was because He was completely lamb-like (John 1:29). He was submitted to God. And His submission activated raising power—resurrection power—that flowed through Him. What people saw in Jesus from the outside was pure divine strength not mixed with human effort. He wasn't giving bits of Himself to people. He was giving them the life of God. What would you look like if you gave complete access and total permission to God? You'd look like Jesus."
//Patsy Cameneti

The Power of Forgiveness

Forgiveness is a word we can love and hate. We're thankful that God has forgiven us. Scripture says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins" (1 John 1:9). When we ask for forgiveness, God never remembers our wrongdoing again or holds it against us. There's another facet of forgiveness that is more difficult. And that's exercising the same forgiving power toward others.

The reason we often struggle with forgiving others is that it's contrary to our human nature. When somebody hurts us or does something mean to us, our natural tendency is to retaliate. It's much easier to bear a grudge than to pardon someone.

When children get mad at a friend, their mothers may say, "You need to kiss and make up." Although the kids say they're sorry, they sometimes don't mean it. The same thing can happen with adults. We sometimes mouth words of forgiveness without meaning them. We can tell if we've truly forgiven someone when that person's name comes up in conversation. If we start to burn on the inside or start bashing him or her in conversation, we really haven't forgiven.

True forgiveness involves the resolution and healing of our pain, anger, and ill will. The forgiveness Jesus talked about requires a journey of the heart. It's something we can't do in ourselves. It's something God has to help us with.

The object of forgiveness is to cleanse ourselves from the poison of bitterness. It's not denying or excusing sinful behavior. Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. It's a decision we make from our hearts.

Sometimes we shut the hurt, anger, and bitterness we've experienced behind a door, hoping it will go away. But it doesn't. As long as we ignore it, the pain from that situation will continue to hurt. Jesus gave us a key that will remove the hurt, and that key is to forgive. Forgiveness is what allows us to get rid of the junk that has bound us up. And that's when God is then able to restore us.

//Lynette Hagin

"Forgiveness is what allows us to get rid of the junk that has bound us up."