What if? by Encouraging Touch. A little inspiration.

> What if I closed my eyes and seen
> the sky as a white canvass waiting for the imagination of my
> soul to freely paint the beauty of creation?
>
> I would paint the strength of the sun, the power of the
> moon, the silence of the air.  I would paint the sound
> of the humming bird, the whistle of the wind.  I would
> paint the laughter of a little child's first tickle; the
> excitement of their first Christmas, and the blush of their
> first kiss.  I would paint the melody of a jazz
> midnight breeze,  I would paint the fragrance of an
> everlasting love, I would paint the joy of the morning, I
> would paint the gentleness of a peacock's 
> feather,  I would paint the conversations of the
> clouds, I would paint the newness of  a day and the
> possibilities of tomorrow.  I would paint the cure for
> cancer, the secret of youth.  I would paint the end to
> war, the awareness of peace.  I would paint the
> determination of the spirit; I would paint the Wisdom of
> Solomon.  I would paint the twinkle of an eye, the pose
> of confidence, the heart of appreciation.
>
> I would paint the breath of the creator; the unseen hand of
> creation. I would paint the beauty of the beholder, the
> softness of his touch, the radiance of His being.
>
> Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
> "Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire,
> and Bless those you love for a life time" 
>   www.encouragingtouch.com 

He is the God of Hope

Hello,

It's been a while and I miss you all. I pray all is well with each of you.  This past Saturday, I was asking the Lord for a scripture to encourage members on Sunday, but I believe He gave me a scripture to encourage all of his children. Romans 15:13 (ESV) May the God of hope fill you with ALL joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.  As I read it over and over again, I began to be strengthened in my inner man with the strength and boldness of the Lord!  I was drawn to the word hope in the beginning and the end of this passage. Hope in this passage means "to anticipate, usually with pleasure." Many times the enemy tries to steal your anticipation, so he can paralyze our determination.  You must have a foretaste of the goodness of the Almighty God in the wait. You must be able to realize in advance that He is not a man that He should lie, nor the son of man that He should repent. If God said it, you have to be determined to believe that He will do it, and know it will be good. I'm here to tell you that you have to be determined to keep believing; determined in the process of the promise. The shadow of Hope has to be the rear-guard of your life because hopelessness, doubt, and discouragement will try it's best to sneak up on you and kill the dream, purpose, or promise that you've held on to thus far. You have to be stubborn, and you may even have to stand toe to toe with hopelessness, doubt, discouragement, and whatever else that comes to steal your promise and say "I WILL CONTINUE TO HOPE AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS." You might even have to wrestle like Jacob did! Sometimes, I just have to tell the devil two simple words "SHUT UP" because he does not have permission to speak to my promise!  I remember seeing the discouragement and hopelessness in my husband's eyes after standing, hoping, and pursuing his promise over ten years to become a fireman; he received rejection letter after rejection letter. Can you imagine how many of those he received in ten years from almost every county you can think of. I remember he came to me and said, "Tiffany, if God is saying this is not what He has for me, then I will let it go; I'm tired."  I was glad he said the word "if" and that he did not say "I'm done." God can work with an 'if" when we surrender to His will in the times of uncertainty. So we prayed and asked God should we let it go- we felt like He said, "hold on." I'm not sure how long after that, but it was not too long before my husband received his letter to the Richmond Fire Academy. What would have happened if he would have gave in to the scheme of hopelessness and gave up on this dream.  The promise might be right around the corner and the enemy will tell you to turn around while he steals the promise, and not to mention the years or time you stood believing.

The scripture mentioned two Kingdom tools to abiding in Hope: All Joy and Peace.  Wow- not partial joy and peace; not even ninety-five percent. He said, "ALL!"  He is all sufficient! He is full completion! He is the Great I am; our ALL in ALL. I can stay right there for a minute because He is not only ALL, but He is El Shaddai, our more than enough! That means even though hope is your rear guard, we are also covered on every side.

Lastly, it states by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in Hope.  He is such an amazing Father. He is saying not by our power, nor our might, but by His Spirit! In our weakness, He is strong! We are never alone; never forsaken. Now, remember the beginning of the verse stated, may the God of Hope… Do you get it? His Spirit of Hope will be your rear guard, your side and front guard.  He will protect everything that He himself has promised. He will fill you with ALL His joy and peace to help you remain present in the promise; always seeing it right before you with much anticipation. You do not have to be depressed or discouraged in the wait. You get to have ALL JOY AND PEACE IN THE JOURNEY!

As I'm typing, listening to my worship, my fingers are typing a sweet worship of truth that I pray resound in the ears of your spirit and soul.

Be Ye Determined and Encouraged.  The God of Hope will not fail you.

 

 

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

In ward focus, Forward Movement!

 

Today, I arrived to the gym excited about what I was going to accomplish today, so that I can share it with you. Well, I got there and realized I forgot my head phones and was not going to be able to listen to my worship or get my praise on. I was bummed and really did not feel like working out, but I thought about how well I slept last night, I thought about my quest for becoming more healthy, and I thought about my commitment to myself to try to work out when I can.  I made up in my mind that I was going to still work out. Again, it was hard, but I kept my inner focus. I realized that there comes a time that we must do the work in spite of! There are going to be times we do not have our music, friends, family, and whatever we feel we need to pump us up, encourage us, and/or give us wisdom that directs us.

I thought about something else today, my husband loves to work out and he is always telling me to work out and eat right, but I use to be so frustrated with him. The reason being is because I felt like he was not trying to help me. We would go to the gym and he would do his own thing and not try to motivate me, give me a workout plan, and when I finished he never said good job sweetie. Now, I know my hubby loves me and he is there with me, but I felt as if I could not do this without him doing these things. I started to think about God, He is Omni present, but there are times we feel distant from Him, times we question, "Why are you not helping me?" "Why are you not giving me a plan or direction?" "Do not just bring me into a situation and leave me." God just like my husband is there! He will never leave us or forsake us, but what my hubby was trying to say is "baby, it is time to do the work." It is time to take a hold of what you want and it is going to take more than me telling you that you can do it! You must believe you can.  If something went wrong with me in that gym my husband would be right there! He showed me a while back how to use the equipment, so now I have to do the work. God has given us the necessary tools to do the work!  It might be hard, but you can love! Each of us have a different routine when we work out? You might have to start with the treadmill of forgiveness, you might be one that has to stand tall and step up on that beast ( stair master) and ask for forgiveness; burning away that pride. You might even have to shoulder the weights of obedience!  I am not sure where you are at; it does not matter where you start, but what matters is that you start!

Faith without works is dead – Inner focus produces forward movement! # Persistence & Progress.

 

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

Compelled by Love Week- " It is not always easy, but it will be worth it"

Today, I went to the gym, put the song "The more the seek you" by Kari Jobe, and decided to do 20 minutes on the stair master ( it is a beast). Now, let me tell you that I damaged my Achilles tendon in September and ended up in a medical boot in October for several months. So, I am just now starting back up in the gym and getting on the stair master seemed to be a not so good idea. I was listening to my worship and 5 minutes had passed, and it seemed as if I would not even last one minute longer. It was hard and my legs were hurting. I said to myself, "as soon as this beautiful song end I am going to get off this thing and I am going to do something else," but when the song stopped at around 6 1/2 minutes in I felt prompted to put on this song by Isaac Carree, " In the middle."  It is an upbeat praise song that reminds you no matter what you are going through praise God in the middle of it. Well, all of a sudden I started praising Him and made it through that song, which ended around 13 minutes in. I said, "I will just go to 15 minutes" and would be proud that I made it that far. I do not know why, but I repeated that song and felt like I could do it. Guess what? I completed my goal of 20 minutes, not only that I did not have it on manual (slow pace), I had the nerve to have it on the aerobic setting. I got off that thing feeling like I conquered the world.

 

Now, you might say what does this have to do with Love. Remember, yesterday I posted that Love is a muscle that must be exercised. Sometimes when we choose to love after we have been hurt and our heart have been damaged it is so hard to attain the goal to Love! You ask yourself, " can I really do this?" In the beginning you might say, "man I have done my part and it is enough," so you began to slow down or maybe you decide to give up all together. It seems impossible, but with God nothing is impossible. The thing I love is that when I started it was my worship and my desire to be one with Him that caused me to not even care about the pain in the first place. I was caught up in worship! My focus was on Him when I got on that darn machine, but I am not going to fake the funk, once I was going for 6 minutes the reality of what it cost once I started the process of working out feels as if it is not worth it! We have an inner strength that I can not really explain. When we do not even realize that with every step of courage we take to exercise even when we do not want to, when it hurts, and when it seems impossible is strengthening our core. You get it? With every act big or small towards your goal to love is strengthening your core. You do not always see immediate results, but you are building your muscles and burning away a lot of access fat that is weighing you down.

 

So you can do it! Ask God to help you Love like you have never been hurt before! I worked out today as if I never hurt my ankle. Yes, it might hurt in the beginning, but if you can praise your way pass the pain you can reach the goal to Love. It is not easy, but it is worth it. Find the courage and strength to Love today! You will be amazed at what else you can do! I started with the stair master today, but I did not stop there.

 

Be Encouraged.  "It is not always easy, but it will be worth it"

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

Compelled by Love week! 6/1/2014

LOVE IS A MUSCLE THAT NEEDS TO BE EXERCISED, SO LETS GET TO WORK! IT WILL BE THE BEST WORK OUT YOU EVER HAD AND YOU WILL BECOME STRONGER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE. A INNER IMAGE WORTH HAVING! ~Tiffany James

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

2014 - It's time for the Idols to come down & the truth of GOD to rise up!

 

You know every year I post a word to encourage and prepare for the next year. The last few days I've been before the Lord not to get a word, but just to be in His presence.  There was something different about my time with Him because in seeking Him and just desiring to be in His presence, feel His touch, seek His face, Love on Him and be loved by Him- He gave me a word.  Now, I'm not saying this word is for everyone but I believe it's for someone.

If you've been in church long enough or even lived long enough there are beliefs that you pick up and began to shape your life around those beliefs.  If you grew up in church or not, you still have some sort of philosophy that you live by based off what you've learned from your experiences.   One day after spending time with God, I grabbed a pen and this is what came to my spirit, "Religion makes you reluctant to the Holy Spirit." Now this shocked me because I cringe at the spirit of religion, but without questioning God I immediately wrote down, "Remove the residue of religion and impart in me the revelation of relationship with you."   One simple definition of religion:  is a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects. 

I began to ask the Lord to remove any personal religion (set of beliefs) that I've created or picked up that others have also believed and now it's keeping me from experiencing the fullness of relationship with Him.  Now I'm going to let that meditate for a minute before I release the word of encouragement for 2014. 

I recently heard this minister say, "The you that you know is the not the you that GOD knows." This is a powerful statement because many times we can't see what God sees because of religion (set of beliefs that we've come to live by) about ourselves. I'm making it personal because we box religion into the four walls of the church and we don't even realize it has crossed over into personal walk with GOD.  When we are disappointed, betrayed, hurt, feel like a failure, confused, afflicted, judged, etc….we often go back to an image of ourselves that is contrary to what GOD spoke over us in our mother's womb. Yes, we can find ourselves turning to a set of beliefs that does not line up with the word or character of GOD.  See we were created in the image and likeness of GOD, many of us still don't have a clue of who we are because we don't have a clue of who GOD is; the image is distorted.  It's time for the idols to come down! It's time to tear down the false religious beliefs we put on ourselves or others have put on us about who God really is and who we really are in Him.

During my honeymoon stage of saying "yes" to the Lord you couldn't tell me anything. I was chosen, accepted, and loved, but as time went on I forgot the power of being chosen, accepted, and loved by GOD.  My "yes" to Him was enough seventeen years ago, so why shouldn't it be enough now!  What did I forget about that moment or the moments leading up to my Yes?  What lies, false set of beliefs have I picked up or created along the way that is keeping from experiencing heaven here on earth with the lover of my soul? It's a little insane if you think of it because when God found me I was a fornicator, liar, a thief, fearful, had low self-worth, and I was totally lost, yet He deemed me worthy.  He chose, accepted, and loved me with no questions asked. He didn't go over my past, He didn't say you have to do this or that first, He didn't even try to fix or clean me up first- He just said, "I sent my son to die for you, and I love you so much."  All I had to do was believe and say Yes to His invitation.  It sounds so simple almost too simple, yet, the insane part of the story is as our relationship grew and as I looked to others in regards to my relationship with Him something changed. I started to feel unworthy, I started to feel like I had to be perfect, I started to feel that my mistakes disqualified me from the love I had already freely received, I started to work to prove to God that I was worthy to be called His when He chose me in my pit of fornication, lies, fear, etc.  I felt like I had to perform so others could see why GOD once chose me.  Then I was reminded of Galatians 5:7- "You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?"  Somewhere along the way my "yes" got misplaced.  I said "yes" to an everlasting relationship with my Abba Father, I said "yes" to spread the good news of the Gospel that I myself had experienced. My "yes" was to His will not my own, my "yes" was to Jesus not to man, my "yes" was to walk by faith not by sight,  my "yes" was to His Spirit not my flesh, my "yes" was to His word not my dead works, to His power not my own strength, to His promise not my past.

 I sent out a post not too long ago about not looking back but looking up! Anything you need to remember or see GOD can show you from a heavenly perceptive.  What images of yourself, your ministry, your circumstances, your marriage, your finances, and even your "yes" that you keep looking to, to define the promises of GOD, to define your identity in GOD, or may I dare to say how you've defined GOD.  It's time for the false idols to come down. GOD wants to destroy every false belief that you've accepted as Truth! We can make decrees and declarations, write down the plans for 2014, we can bring the new year in the church, but if we keep looking at our past, keep listening to the wisdom of man (please don't get me wrong, I honor divine wisdom and respect the men and women who God uses to speak into our lives; I am a woman of GOD) but if we chose any voice above GOD'S voice or above His word- we will remain hindered. If we don't see ourselves through the eyes of Christ, we will be hindered yet again. If we don't learn to seek a relationship with GOD just to have a relationship with Him then we will be hindered-too many people are straying away from truth and if we are not careful we will become like Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8: 9-24, who we know believed and was even baptized, but only desired for himself a platform and power of the Holy Spirit, not a relationship or to see God's people set free.  Seek the Lord with your whole heart and walk in His truth in 2014!  You were created in His image and likeness alone.  It's never too late I don't care what year it is; as long as you have breathe there is still hope. My best friend Gina Dacus ministered a powerful word of encouragement that stirred something in me. She spoke about the thief on the cross. I began to think about this man who was called a thief, who was naked; fully exposed, who was ridiculed, abandoned, and was being crucified, but in his last moments; he believed and with his last breath; he asked Jesus to remember him. We know by scripture that Jesus in his last moments declared it wasn't too late for this thief. That's the true Love of Christ any other belief has to come down!  People get scared by this word because we don't want people to continue to sin, but when we say "yes " and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer captives to sin.  This message is for the mature.  In 2014 it's time to seek the Lord.  Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you! Make sure you know what you are seeking in "2014" - when the false idols come down, the truth of GOD will rise up and we will see the Glory of GOD in the earth realm!

Be Ye encouraged and Empowered. Happy New Year to each of you! 

 

 

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

Looking Ahead and don't turn back- Be Ye Encouraged!

 Hello,

 

 Thanksgiving is a day that is recognized globally as a reminder to be grateful and thankful in life, but lets try to make everyday thanksgiving. Lets wake up and be thankful for life. It has been an amazing morning, I woke up early with a sense of excitement. Excitement for what God is doing, going to do, and have already done! I felt that the Lord was saying, "don't look back."  The scripture tells us to fix our eyes on the things above and not on earthly things, why? Because God knew that there would be times when what we see in the natural can bring discouragement, confusion, anxiousness, and even hopelessness. He wanted us to be reminded that we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience. We are connected to two realms, we get to walk on earth while being connected to Him in heaven. WOW!!! I know we all know this but sometimes the scriptures have to really be our bread of life and we must really take time to digest what GOD is actually saying and know that He means every word. It can't be words that just gives us encouragement, but His word has to be the very fuel that stirs our spirit and causes us to rise up to the status of royalty in the Kingdom of GOD. The uncomfortable part is living with what you see in the spirit and what you see and have around you. A powerful woman of God, Rachel Hickson stated, "living in the contradiction between your reality and your vision takes courage and faith, but we need to learn how to hold on in spite of the tension during the season of change." Yes, it takes courage to push through the transition time of uncertainty. It's been said that facts last for a day, but truth is for a lifetime. What is the facts trying to say to you today? Maybe the facts are trying to say your bank account balance is low, but the truth is that God will make a way out of no way and He will supply every need. The facts might give you a negative medical report, but the truth states that by His stripes you are healed. The facts might show that your kids are going wayward, but the truth states that the fruit of your womb is blessed and if you train up a child in the ways of the Lord, even if they stray they will return. The facts may say that nothing is working right now in your life, but the truth states that God knows the plans He has for you and they are to prosper you not to harm you, but to give you a hope and future. I can go on, but you get my point. God's truth overrules the worlds facts any and every day!  During these times we are also being stretched and it doesn't always feel good, but we all know stretching is good, especially before you begin to run or workout. Man, that's a whole other blog because stretching increases blood flow to your muscles, which is important because it increases mobility and prevents your muscles from tiring too soon. Wow, we need to be stretched in our walk it allows us to continue to flow freely in the things of God without giving up. Anyway I just want to encourage you to look ahead! Don't look back at the old; God is doing a new thing, do you not perceive it?  We must look ahead to the promises of GOD. Run towards them, not in anxiousness but with courage and confidence that it shall come to pass.  Look ahead with a grateful heart that you are still here and that the facts does not dictate the truth of who your Father is!!! He is GOD, He is the great I Am, He is your Abba Papa, He is your Provider, He is your Strength, He is your way maker, He is your friend, He is your peace, He is your Strong Tower, He is your Lily in the Valley, He is your Hope, He is a mother to the motherless, He is your Bridegroom, He is your Deliverer, He is your Healer, He is the Beginning and the End, and guess what everything in between. He is your courage, He is your TRUTH!!!! He is ever lasting!

 

A long time ago God gave me a piece concerning the what, the why, the who, and the how of change. Often times we get stuck on the what, the why, and how of change! These factors are important, but irrelevant when you think about the WHO. I challenge you to fix your eyes on the WHO! The WHO is GOD! He will complete everything He started in and for you. Praise God, We must look ahead and know the WHO on the inside of us. This should bring you JOY! This truth is huge!!! It's been said before that we should look back at what GOD has done, but we need to start looking up! He can show us everything He has done from a heavenly perspective. Sometimes looking back causes us to get stuck in yesterday; we focus on what didn't work, what we didn't or did do, what was suppose to happen, looking back can cause us to expect God to show up in the same way as before, and we can even look back and think that God has already done a lot and we shouldn't expect more... the devil is a liar. He came to give you life and life more abundantly. He has more love, joy, peace, and goodness in store for you! Look ahead !!! Look Ahead. Rejoice!!! He is doing a New Thing!

 

Be Grateful, Thankful, and Look Ahead.  

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/ 

"It's good to have a little reminder" - Hi my peoples...it's been a minute

"It's good to have a little reminder"

 

"I'm in school and it's killing me," was my response when I was asked how I was doing.   It was at this moment that I was reminded of the power of my words.  The person who I was speaking to called me on it and then told me how their church was fasting forty days from stinking thinking.  Yes, forty days of staying away from negative words that comes from negative thinking. We often fast in different ways and for different reasons- Denying something physical to glorify God and go deeper with Him in the Spirit. Most times we push our plates back, get into our prayer closet and in our word, and seek the Lord.  We fast physical things to go deeper with God, we come out hearing, but not really believing. We still have old mindsets-that old stinking thinking! We long to gain clarity from God during a time of fasting, but if we don't trust what the Lord is speaking then we find ourselves circling the same mountain. When He speaks whether it's him giving us direction or correction, we need to walk it out. We should be coming out of our prayer closets with our minds renewed, declaring those things we heard in the secret place over our lives. Instead of circling the mountain, we should be removing it! It doesn't matter about the reality of our situation because God desires that we call those things that be not, as though they were. We need to fix our eyes on things above, not only earthly things. We need to see what God is doing/speaking in Heaven and partner with Him.  

We have to remember that so as a man thinketh, so is He! What are you thinking about yourself, your job/career, ministry, finances, family, marriage, school, and the list can go on.....! Does your thinking line up with God's word?  We also have to remember that life and death is in the power of the tongue. What are you choosing to speak over your situation? Are you speaking life over hopeless or maybe even dead situations? Are you speaking death to those things that need to die in your life? God has not only given you the power but also the authority to do so.

Now that I have you thinking….we must also remember that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What's really in your heart? What's really going on? Yes it's time to go deep. We've been treading the surface of issues for far too long. Stinking thinking and heart issues are sure signals that it's healing time. It's healing time! Yes It's Healing time! We can't shout over our issues, we can't dance them out, we can't preach them out, or even fast them out!  All of these things are huge, but will be ineffective in the long run if we don't get healed!  They will be temporary fixes and yep we will be around that moment again.

It's Healing Time! It's time for us to go deep with the Lord. It's time to get naked before him. Allowing the Holy Spirit who is the greatest surgeon who ever lived to do the work in us, but we must show up and yield ourselves to whatever He desires -even being ok with the recovery time.

 

This started off with something very small, but it served as a reminder to me how easy it is to fall back into speaking negative. For me, it was also a check in my spirit because I realized that my statement was not the only comment that was so contrary from how I normally speak. I realized that when people were asking me how I was doing, my response was "I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I'm tired of school, school is getting on my nerve, I'm tired of cleaning this house, I can't stand this or that"  Can you hear the sirens?  This was how I was truly feeling, but it was also an indication that something was going on. First off I wasn't resting, I wasn't balancing my time, I was overwhelmed because I didn't know how to say "no" to some things.  Now the good news is that I am not powerless. I've been changing my confessions and I've been changing my habits. I feel great! Again this is small, but no matter the situation we must pay attention to our indicators! I didn't need any deep healing from this (lol), but there have been things in my life that the indicators were sounding "It's Healing Time" and yes a sista had spiritual surgery!  God is so….. Yes I still haven't found a word to describe Him! I can say that He is truly my everything!

I was reminded of a few things so thought I would share.

Be Ye Encouraged!   

 

Tiffany James, Encouraging Touch Enterprise
"Give a gift that creates a Legacy to Encourage, Inspire, and Bless those you love for a life time"

  http://www.encouragingtouch.com/