Triumphant Victorious Reminders

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm." ~ Psalm 37:7, 8 ~ The stress of lack; along with the stress of abundance, it's different yet the same. I have heard from multi-millionaires, "The more you have the more you have to lose." And I have heard from the impoverished, "If I only I had one thing to call my own." The middle class says, "It's not about the money, however, money would make it a lot easier." "I wish my hair were curly." "I wish my hair were straight." "I wish I was shorter." "I wish I were taller." "If I only looked like..." "If only my husband would do..." "If only my wife would do..." &q

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon." ~ Isaiah 55:7 NKJV ~ "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." ~ John 10:10 NKJV ~ Salvation versus destruction. Rescued versus forsaken. Freedom versus bondage. Restored versus neglected. Refreshed versus worn out. Power versus powerless. Righteousness versus unrighteousness. Clean versus unclean. Health versus sickness and disease. Wealth versus poverty. These eternal attributes are from within by the Holy Spirit of God and are to be revealed outwardly. We do not have to work to attain these attributes. They are given to us on the inside. They are not outward experiences manifesting on the

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works." ~ Psalm 145:5 ~ I remember the day I looked up when everything around me seemed to be caving into the 'pit of ruin'. Why did I look up? I could hear in my 'spirit' "Look up". As I looked up, I took notice with great purpose how amazingly vast the blue sky was. I was overwhelmed by the great length and width of 'eternalness'. Then I heard in my 'spirit' what I know were the words of the Lord, "The sky is as the train of My majestic robe. That is how big I Am. Even the heavens do not contain me. Why do you try?" I have told this testimony and have written this many times. However, today I am reminded that in the midst of great difficulty, nail clenching pain of not wanting to let go of something, the great difficulty of loss whether it be of a person, a

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" ~ Romans 8:31 ~ I imagine walking through a vast field of golden wheat. It seems the field of wheat could go on for eternity. Imagining myself running through the wheat my arms look as though I am ready to fly as my fingers effortlessly glide through the wheat. The 'tickly' feeling against my fingertips and in between my fingers cause me to feel so alive. That feeling of being like a child; there is a freedom of the dance. There is a freedom of His joy no matter what is going on around us. There is a freedom of the praise to God. In this moment with the faith of a child, I know without a doubt how Awesomely vast God is and what I know what is impossible in my own ability, is not impossible to Him. "For with Him all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26). The fa

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Criswell "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! For the Lord is good, His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations!" ~ Psalm 100 ~ "The Power of the Praise To You God" Written By: Teresa Stevens Criswell "The power of the praise to You God raises me above the storms of life. The power of the praise to You God reveal Your indescribable, overwhelming peace when all seems overwhelmingly chaotic. The pow

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Criswell "...But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me..." ~ Micah 7 ~ "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God." ~ Psalm 20:7 ~ Reading Micah and knowing the demise of the day during that time, it is a reflection of the world we live in right now. However, with the demise there was a promise to come of restoration. It is truly a reminder that nothing is new under the sun (As Solomon has said). Many right now at this very moment like then, could not trust or even have confidence in the leaders of their country, could not trust or have confidence in their businesses, their careers, their jobs, their spouses, friends and even family. The list goes on. I don't know who it is that needs to hear this 'word&#

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Criswell "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me." ~ Psalm 51:10 ~ "...Obedience is far better than sacrifice..." ~ I Samuel 15:22 ~ "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." ~ James 2:26 ~ Why is it 'easier said than done'? I know to do good; but many times I just don't. For instance, my favorite chocolate chip cookies are "Famous Amos" Cookies. They're crunchy, small and fun to eat. I know if I eat too many of them, I'll gain weight, yet I eat them anyway. As I get frustrated with weight gain, I have to look upon what I have been eating. As I do this, I need to change my desire to eat and go in a different direction or just by default I'll grow in areas where quite frankly, I just don't need growth. With that thought, have you noticed how easy it is to gain weight? Many of

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything." ~ I John 3:18-20 ~ I am enamored by the love of God shown through the letters of the Apostle John. It is assumed that the Gospel of John, as well as First, Second and Third John were written by him because of the similar styles of writing. He addresses the people in his writings as 'children'. You can almost hear his loving voice through his writings that he had an endearing love for God that was transferred over to the people. He writes and encourages the people to not only with our words but with our actions reveal the truth that God so graciously has placed within us because o

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "So the Word (Jesus) became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father." ~ John 1:14 ~ "My Jesus, My Savior, Lord there is none like you..." This song has been 'playing' in my heart and mind today. Mmmmmm!!! The delicious reminder of who He is in my life. Wow! The most famous One, wants to be with us and love us and be loved by us. I am reminded of Pastor Stephen Behrman who has been teaching on being impressed by God. I think about some of the famous people in the earth today. Their names and faces plastered on billboards and movie posters. They are all over the internet, yet their fame and who they are does not make an impact on my life in a way that I see myself even more precious and like a rare, priceless treasure. Actually, it can have the opposite effect

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "Obey God because you are His children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing evil; you didn't know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God - who chose you to be His children - is holy. For He Himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy." ~ I Peter 1:14-16 ~ Two nights ago, I was talking to a friend on the phone. She was deeply frustrated with herself and those of us who call ourselves Christians or Christ followers. She has been a Christ follower now for almost two years. I learned in our conversation that she had lived in a Buddhist monastary for about 5 years. She told me that looking back she knows that Jesus is the only way and by His Holy Spirit is what leads us into all Truth and reveals Truth which is Jesus Christ. She also said when she was in the new age movement and Buddhism she knows now that she was being led by

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "You can make many plans, but the Lord's purpose will prevail." ~ Proverbs 19:21 ~ I remember when I was in my twenties I had all these plans; unknowingly these were plans to destroy my life. However, I truly thought those plans were cool and I knew that I had experienced life to its fullest. It only revealed true ignorance. Looking back it also amazes me that I felt I only needed God when I was in trouble. My dad said to me many times when I would talk to him on the phone, "Teresa, please don't place God on the 'shelf of your life'." When I was in the midst of that lifestyle what my dad said didn't register nor did I feel like I was doing such a thing. I was going to church on most Sunday's and hey it was like I was saying, "You saw that God, I went to church today. Another 'tally mark' for me." I shake my head in disbelief only because

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep." ~ Psalm 92:5 ~ When we see and feel the sand beneath our feet and between our toes it really doesn't go through our mind how each grain of sand is different. Imagine yourself placing your hands in the sand. Squat down and let the sand get in between your fingers. Grab a handful of sand and let it slowly run off your fingers like the sands in an hourglass. Closely look at every tiny grain of sand. What a discovery - they are all different - each grain significantly different. Pondering such a significant difference with each grain of sand; is a reflection of many things around us, including who we are. Each one of us has a significantly different fingerprint, footprint, and ear print. The DNA fingerprint within a cell of our body which is the 'blueprint' of who we are is different (Unless an identical twin). Even o

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Criswell "Though good advice lies deep with a person's heart, the wise will draw it out." ~ Proverbs 20:5 ~ A thought provoking moment occurred in the midnight hour as I tried to fall asleep. The provoking thought? "Nothing ever gets accomplished by good intentions alone. Actions are the fulfillment of that good intention." As I was laying my head down to sleep last night I saw these words running through my mind, "A good intention of encouraging someone, still does not encourage until the intention becomes an action." It led me to think of the great intentions that I want to do for the Lord. Sadly, many of those intentions have stayed within the 'Container of our Heart'. Reflecting on Proverbs 20:5 who is the wisest of all? God. That good advice or that good intention deep within our heart, when we cling to and within the Wisest One, God will draw it out of us; it w

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." ~ Psalm 46:10 ~ It is as though the sunset paints an amber, pink sky, as I imagine sinking my feet into the wet sand as the tide rolls in and rolls back out. Watching the amazing effects of the wind as the beautiful, curly waves roll in. Standing still, mesmerized by the horizon that seems to go on for eternity. The wind softly carressing my hair as I raise my arms to the sky to feel the breeze embrace me from every side. Tilting my head back and closing my eyes imagining Almighty God blowing His merciful kisses upon me. As I imagine the thoughts of God's glorious creation revealing His glorious love and majesty, I am reminded of the verse, "Be still and know that I Am God." I ask the Lord, "Father, this is so used as a cliche. I don't know the true meaning of thi

TRIUMPHANT VICTORIOUS REMINDERS Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Stevens Criswell "..Jesus replied, " If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water ..." ~ John 4:1-38 ~ New Living Translation God's glorious love showered upon her like a morning rain. Refreshment came over her in every sense. God's love had nothing to do with what she did or how she did it. His vast, glorious love had nothing to do with her status in society; it was simply because of God's glorious, great love. I am overwhelmed by images of streams flowing upon the rocks, splashing against boulders, and watching the little fish as it seemed they were playfully jumping through the consistent rushing waters to get a little closer to God. It is as though I can hear the rushing waters splash up against each other as a huge clap. The joyful sound is crisp and the volume so high with great commotion as the waters and the roc

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has saved you from your enemies." ~ Psalm 107:1-2 ~ New Living Translation Literally experiencing the presence of God in such a tangible way on Sunday was so powerful. The church I am a part of is Worship Life Church ( http://www.myheartofworship.com/ ). We were worshipping the Lord and the following writing started coming up from within my spirit and I had to write it down. It was so powerful and mighty. It was as though all of creation were rebuking many of us who say, "I am redeemed." It was so powerful and such a powerful reminder. I was reminded in that time as though I was at the feet of the King of kings. This question was asked, "Are you redeemed?" And I said, "Yes". I heard this response, "Then why aren't you

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell "'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'" ~ Jeremiah 33:3 ~ Do you ever try to help someone, yet they don't seem to want the help? They come to you saying they need your help, they are even willing to receive provision for it. However, beyond that, it's a constant, one-sided 'I'm in need' relationship. It seems as though everything is fine, then suddenly they call you on the phone and there they go again. You start to feel like you are being taken advantage of. How do you know when to say, "Yes" and when to say, "Enough"? The most difficult part? You know you are led to help them, however the life tends to get sucked right out of you, when around these type of people. I am finding that these are opportunities that we get to rely on God. These people unknowingly drive us to a place if we allow

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High." ~ Psalm 9:2 ~ I'm being reminded of what I need to be reminded of today. I was truly fighting the warfare this morning as I was praising God. I was doing so because I could feel a cloud of depression and the anxiety of the things that needed to be done try to annihilate me. I literally shook my head as though I had been hit in the head physically. I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. As I did so, I heard like I always do when that cloud of anxiety tries to come over me; I heard the words, "Praise Me right now." Immediately on purpose even though I didn't feel like it at all, I started to praise the Lord. Again, I was reminded of the verse of the day on KLOVE radio. The verse of the day was on yesterday's program, "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell "...The father instantly replied, "I do believe; but help me with my unbelief..." ~ Mark 9 ~ If that isn't a 'wishy-washy' statement, I don't know what is. However, I catch myself saying the same thing today. "I do believe; but help me with my unbelief." Unbelief. The opposite of belief. This is so logical; yet I struggle with believing in the Lord today. I don't struggle with believing who He is. I struggle with believing in Him for situations in my life. Writing such things is difficult; yet it is true. As I read Mark 9:14-29 I was reminded of what the anecdote is to unbelief. The anecdote is prayer and fasting. I remember reading Mark 9 many times over and had always thought that it was the "kind" of demon possession that this boy dealt with that could only be cast out by prayer and fasting. However, when I read the passages again, I re

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell "Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence." ~ Psalm 21:6 ~ (NIV) A chapter closes as another chapter opens in the book of life. A life ends as another life begins. A day lingers as another day passes by so fast. One side of the world is greeted by the sun as the other side of the world is greeted by the moon. As one person embraces, another pulls away. A wave of the hand is a greeting as another wave of the hand says goodbye. Two hearts become one in marriage as another marriage finds that one heart become two that are broken. One person finds himself being promoted as another person finds himself without a job. One person finds herself carressing her son's hair as he falls asleep as another mom holds onto the pillow her son once laid on as he is away defending the country He grew to love. Another couple young and vibrant, their whole lives

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer." ~ Psalm 19:14 ~ NKJV Clearing her throat, she admitted in a low whisper filled with remorse, "We went all the way." As she said those words I could hear her choking back the tears filled with guilt and shame. I was so sad for her. After she had admitted this she knew for sure I would be upset with her; but was surprised when the only thing I could do was cry with her. Her walk with the Lord has regressed and she was on the 'slippery slope long enough that she finally slipped'. I asked her in love, "Can you pinpoint the moment you were seduced away from God?" She thought for a moment and then she said with a knowing, "Yes. It was when I looked to my ex-boyfriend for my fulfillment instead of God." On the phone with this girl who I love as

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell "But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.'" ~ Deuteronomy 3:28 ~ NKJV "Encouragement can be a cause of great wealth. Discouragement can be a cause of great poverty." I heard those words in my spirit this morning. It was like hearing a proverb when I read Deuteronomy 3:28. Have you ever been encouraged by many people and then there is that one person who discourages you (not constructive criticism, just plain discouragement), what usually happens? I know with me one discouraging word (If I allow it) tends to overshadow all the other encouraging words that I have heard throughout the day. I ask the Lord, "Why do we allow discouragement to overrule encouragement?" Guess what word I heard loud and clear? 'Pride'. Can you believe that? Pride? "Lo

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." ~ II Chronicles 7:14 ~ Do you hear their voices? It is as the sound of a heartbeat. It is a constant sound. Do you hear their voices? Their voices are as one as they shout, "Do not forget!" "Do not forget!" Do you hear their voices? "Forget not His voice. You have turned your hearts away." "Did we die in vain? We sacrificed our time with our families and our children for the future. You are that future. That future was meant to continue. It was not meant for you to hoard and to toss away. "They have sent their fathers, their mothers. They have sent their sons, their daughters. They have sent their brothers, their sisters. They have sent their grandchildren. Do you hear their cries in the midst of the bloodshed. They died for your fre

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell ~ The Book of Second Peter ~ (New Living Translation) I noticed a staircase of significance this morning. My husband and I were reading Second Peter together this morning. As we 'saw' this staircase, we also realized there is a firm foundation to the staircase of significance. The Foundation: Coming to Know Jesus Christ, our God and Lord. His divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! When we continued to read what that power does as He gives it to us. He gives us His rich and wonderful promises. This promise allows us to escape the degenerate morality all around us by evil desires and share something with Him. Share what? In His divine nature. First Stair: Applying these promises from Jesus will produce a life of moral excellence. Second Stair: A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Third Stair: Knowing

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell "If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God and carefully obey them, then the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will be above only and not beneath." ~ Deuteronomy 28:13 ~ God gives and takes away. What is your belief when you hear that? My former belief was that it is God who at any moment can give you good and then take it away. Thankfully, this belief has changed. I have to believe that this belief was wrong. The more I read about the character of God, I am reminded that God is The Replacer of the evil, The Redeemer of what seemed lost forever. God is the Restorer and the Rebuilder of those things that have been ruined. I love the churches that I have been able to fellowship with from Michigan to Iowa to Texas. In Michigan it is where I first learned about confessing the Word of God. I learned not to confess what I was going through at that moment, but confessing wh