Triumphant Victorious Reminders

"Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." ~ II Timothy 2:21 ~ "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13 ~ I organized my food pantry, swept the floor and tossed the 'science projects' that were hidden in corners of the pantry. It is truly mind boggling how the mentality of "I'll do it later" soon accumulates to unrecognizable food. It's disgusting, isn't it? As I finished the organizing of the food pantry, I decided to take on the refrigerator. **Sigh** I threw a few more 'science projects' into the trash can. I proceeded to pull out the drawers and had difficulty pulling the bottom drawer as I had to angle it to pull it out. In that moment I had a passing thought in which I knew it was going to be almost impossible to place the drawer back on the track. Successfully however, I

A Triumphant Victorious Reminder of why we are here! The King of Kings! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUQYJ77qa50&feature=player_embedded

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." ~ Psalm 18:2, NKJV ~ Purposefully I went on a walk this evening. Each intentional footstep was with great effort. Suddenly, I became enthralled by the vibrant blue sky and the thick, puffy white clouds that moved so gracefully above me! Enamored by the ray's of the sun that shone through as the warm rays surrounded me as a beautiful embrace. The embrace captivated me with the beauty that surrounded me especially as the beauty intensified when listening to my favorite song by Rich Mullins' titled, My Deliverer . I was moved to tears as this song played numerous times as I walked. The one line that moved me was 'Jesus listened to the song that the captive children used to sing They were singin' My Deliverer is coming -

Purposefully I went on a walk this evening. Each intentional footstep was with great effort. Suddenly, I became enthralled by the vibrant blue sky and the thick, puffy white clouds that moved so gracefully above me! Enamored by the ray's of the sun that shone through as the warm rays surrounded me as a beautiful embrace. The embrace captivated me with the beauty that surrounded me especially as the beauty intensified when listening to my favorite song by Rich Mullins' titled, My Deliverer . I was moved to tears as this song played numerous times as I walked. The one line that moved me was 'Jesus listened to the song that the captive children used to sing They were singin' My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by My Deliverer is coming - my Deliverer is standing by Through a dry and thirsty land, water from the Kenyon heights Pours itself out of Lake Sangra's broken heart There in the Sahara winds Jesus heard the whole world cry For the healing that

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Will evildoers never learn - those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the Lord? There they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous. You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their Refuge..." ~ Psalm 14 ~ When I fret Lord, do I foolishly, yet unintentionally say there is no God? Is my fretting mind revealed by my mouth and actions that say, "Almighty God is unable to overcome?" Will my unwavering, doubtful evil flesh ever learn? Will I be seduced away into a state of double mindedness, divided in the mind, overwhelmed with dread? Yet You Lo

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Criswell "And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" ~ Romans 10:15 NKJV ~ Lord, I have taken my feet for granted. Your Word says that beautiful are the feet who preach the gospel of peace, bringing and revealing the glad tidings of good, wholesome, righteous things of You! When pain annihilates my feet, I immediately attempt to massage and console my feet. The pain usually reveals that I have not taken care of my feet as I must. I am reminded that I allow my feet to take me places with no purpose. Yet, my feet have a purpose, to take me where You want me to go...not where I only desire to go. This leads me to ask myself, "Are my feet leading me to people where my arms can be extended to give of my time? To give an embrace? Are my feet leading my mouth to s

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified ." ~ Isaiah 61:3 ~ "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work ." ~ II Timothy 2:20-21 ~ She briskly walked. The focused intensity was set as stone upon her glistening face. Headphones in her ears. What filled her ears? What filled her thoughts? Lord, are they overwhelming beautiful thoughts of hope in and with You? Are they thoughts of overwhelming 'to do lists' for the next few years?

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea." ~ Jesus Christ, Matthew 18:6 ~ I can't get the images out of my mind. I am haunted by the innocent faces of little girls younger than my own daughter; sold as sex slaves. I begin to weep as I type, shaking my head pleading with myself not to be a voice that becomes willingly silent...if I choose to silence my voice when able to speak up and speak out then I am just as guilty as the perpetrators. When I see unrighteous acts being done, how can I stand by, raise my eyebrows, shake my head and then go on as if it isn't happening? O God! I feel this overwhelming nauseous knot in my stomach. To know that families in many third world countries are selling their children to pay a debt. Many times the paren

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." ~ I Peter 5:7 NKJV ~ Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. ~ Hebrews 10:35 NKJV ~ I heard a great phrase a few weeks ago from my pastor's wife. With great exhortation she proclaimed, "We must become 'professional care-slingers'!" I laughed in hilarious agreement. I thought, "What a great visual." Of course, the more I think of it, that scripture, "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" truly comes to life. Not only does it come to life; but it is a beautiful reminder of how we are called to live an abundant life revealing Jesus Christ and His victorious freedom that is provided when we abide in and obey Him. Notice that when we cast our cares upon Him, we know something...We know that He cares for us. I am reminded yet again, that 'knowing'

"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" ~ Micah 6:8 ~ We met together for a bi-weekly prayer fellowship. As usual, it is so awesome! I love my sweet sister's, Jeanne~Mari (From South Africa), Mollie and Rachel who meets with us once a month. We shared with each other some things where God has been correcting us as He reveals His everlasting love that is so lavishly shed upon us. Needless to say, one of the ladies shared an awesome story of her daughter. The one sentence that arrested me were these words, "She told her friend who was mad at her: "If you don't tell me how you feel or how you feel I wronged you, how will I know? I won't get upset, I will only look at it as an 'opportunity to grow'." Haahaahaa! Wow! I still remember sitting in my chair, stunned with the Wisdom of God that flowed from the mouth of this sweet daughter.

Yesterday, I finally received my Copyright 'Certificate of Registration'. Yes! I received it for the first book that I wrote titled, "God Is Enthralled By Your Beauty" Finally Looking Into The Mirror He Sees You In. The book was written in 2004, and completed in 2007. I'm so excited! I know to many it does not seem like a 'big deal'...but it was for me! I'm smiling so BIG, I could 'pee' my pants...heehee! I apologize for the unprofessional excitement, but, o well, I'm plain excited!!! The amazing part of this waiting process for the Copyright Registration Certificate is first of all, it normally should only take at the most 6 to 8 weeks to receive. Of course, with life...things, circumstances, growth takes place and then that thought of, "Wait! I haven't received my certificate yet" would come and go. It seemed that every time I would try to correspond with someone, there was either "no answer" or "no

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Criswell God Your Holiness is revealed as we declare Your Glory! The heavens declare Your glory! The mountains declare Your vast Majesty! The creatures below the sea declare Your amazing Beauty! The billowing waves and seas that crash against the mighty boulders of the shores reveal their great awe as they run to You! Your glory reveals a glimpse of You Holy God! The Seraphim, the many Seraph angels declare You are Holy! They cry one to another as they fly, with two of their six wings! Wow! You are Mighty God! You are more than worthy to be praised! Praise and Glory to Your Holy Name! Your Holy Name shakes the massive, mighty door posts of heaven! The door posts are not what we imagine...but door post are as deep below the foundation as they are above! Your Spirit is revealed as Holy Spirit. Not just any spirit...but You sent Your Holy Spirit and have placed Your Holy Spirit on the inside of those who

"I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth; and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." ~ II Timothy 4:1-5 ~ II Timothy 4 was one of the many verses that were reflected on Sunday as we met as a corporate body led by the Holy Spirit through Pastor Kimberly Behrman. The title of the message, "A Judas Kiss...The Betrayal of the Truth" . This message stirred me. I was stirred to seek His face to reveal my heart. I was led to this place of re

As some of you may know I have been reflecting on things from the past year. I love journaling and blogging and beautifully pondering and seeing the wondrous things that God has done and is continuing to do! I don't understand why I'm reflecting back so much, but what I do know is that I am being reminded of how Great our God is, was and is to come! Posted April 9, 2009... Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit By: Teresa Criswell "...The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what He requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." ~ Micah 6:8 ~ I was pulling the weeds today. The roots were stubborn as I tried to pull them from below the surface. The root itself was twice as long if not more than the actual weed. I was reminded of sin that is deeply rooted in my heart. From the surface it doesn't look that bad. Yet deep down it has festered, taken root and is so hard to pull up as it is entangled w

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell I have been reflecting back on some of my writings from last year. This was the first post written for Triumphant Victorious Reminders. The following was written on March 20, 2009. I am amazed how God had been teaching me the power of praising Him, even before I came under the ministry of Worship Life. The writing revealed as i humbled myself by praising Him; His great power was revealed as He lifted me up and out and into His glorious restoration! Hallelujah! "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be continually in my mouth." ~Psalm 34:1~ I ask myself the following questions: When I woke up this morning, did I intentionally think on the Lord? Or, did I unintentionally think of the concerns of my day? When my feet hit the ground, did I run to praise the Lord? Or did I immediately "praise" the world's problems? Have you heard this well-known cliche? "T

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Criswell Today, I had an agenda...not one of those planned agendas were accomplished. I wanted to see my friend today, I was even on my way to her house, when I felt this tug in my spirit to turn around; I have learned to listen to that inner voice of the Holy Spirit, speaking to my spirit. When I came home, I was drawn to get done what I had kept telling myself I would get done 'tomorrow'. Of course telling myself 'tomorrow' has totaled to over 365 'tomorrows'. Yes. I had been ignoring, procrastinating some things that needed to get done for the past year; and finally it was like a loud whisper...sit down and get it done today! The short version is that I have been in the process of editing my book before it goes to be re-printed. Well, for what should have been 3 to 4 weeks, turned into three years when it came to receiving my copyright certificate. It seemed that when I would call

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Stevens Criswell I was reflecting back to the last entry of the year from 2009...thus another reminder: "And when they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison charging the jailer to keep them safely. He, having receiving so strict a charge, put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's shackles were unfastened."... ~ Acts 16 (Excerpt from Acts 16:23-26) ~ A fellow blogger wrote on his post, "...I sat, rather laid, much of today just in this coffin of depression, self-worthlessness, and soaking up the cloudy skies even though the sun was quite brilliant

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Stevens Criswell The Book of Ruth I am so excited I can't even 'type' straight. Where do I begin? Ok...I have been slowly reading a fabulous book by Francine Rivers called, "Redeeming Love". This book is based on the Book of the Bible; Hosea. In the book there was a reference made to the Book of Ruth, based on the name Mara. I felt the Holy Spirit challenge me to put the book down and study the Book of Ruth. As I started to read the Book of Ruth, there was the name I had been curious about. The name was Mara. Naomi after arriving back into her homeland of Bethlehem, the people with great excitement greet her asking her if she is Naomi. She says, "Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almgihty has afflicted me?

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written By: Teresa Criswell Isaiah 61 The many in need, the impoverished, to the ones who had everything and now have nothing. The many who wail with great sorrow as they experience the pain of their unimaginable grief. The ones who have lost a loved one; a husband, a wife, a mother, a father, grandparent, an uncle or aunt, a child, a friend. Some have lost their whole family in one moment; like a puff of smoke, a blade of grass being cut down. There are those who are sick in their minds; stuck in a prison of despair and unending torment. As I think upon these people, I am reminded this beautiful Saturday of how God sent His only Son Jesus. Jesus came to first do the Will of His Father which was to preach good tidings to the meek; to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to comfort all that mourn, and to give those that mourn beauty for ashes, th

Triumphant Victorious Reminders Inspired by the Holy Spirit Written by: Teresa Stevens Criswell "If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. God's ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother's womb." ~ Ecclesiastes 11:4 & 5 ~ Definition of wind: A current of air, especially a natural one that moves along or parallel to the ground, moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure. The manifestations of the wind; isn't it amazing? It is impossible to see with our 'naked' eye what wind actually looks like, however, we can see the bending effects of the wind. We can also see from which direction the wind blows, by the objects that sway. Speaking of swaying...Have you ever felt as though you could have been swept away by the force of the wind? This is what happened to me today. I walked out of a calm place into the outdoors. Not only did my hair s