About Belinda Williams

Monday, December 29, 2014

The Prayers of the Righteous Avail Much


Ephesians 6:18(NKJV)
18praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

As 2014 nears its end, join me in praying for the following:

  • Families of those on missing AirAsia Flight
  • Connie Wright - hit by 2 vehicles
  • Salvation for lost family members
  • Those struggling with loneliness and depression during this holiday season
  • Bob - positive test results
  • Doris - eyesight healed; 
  • Chyna - healing from accident
  • Pray for the leaders of the nations of the earth
  • Pray that Christians will arise and shine brightly in 2014


Monday, December 15, 2014

Prayers for Un-reached People Groups

More than 40% of the people groups in the earth have not been substantially impacted with the Gospel.  Join me today as we pray for some of these nations and for the laborers who are often persecuted while are doing the work of the ministry or for being people of faith in closed countries.

Also pray for laborers willing to go into un-reached people groups.  Pray the necessary funding to reach these nations.  Pray for the laborers to sense the leading of the Spirit of God to reach these groups with salvation.  Pray those in darkness will come into the light of Christ.  Pray for peace and safety.  Pray as the Lord leads you.

  • India
  • North Korea
  • Libya
  • Egypt
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Mongolia
  • Niger
  • Sudan
  • China
  • Pakistan
  • Nepal
  • Bhutan
  • Afghanistan
  • Laos
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • Sudan
  • Somalia
  • Sri Lanka
  • Thailand
  • Iraq
  • Algeria
This is not a complete list.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

You Can’t Hide Like the Sausage Dog Coco


Have you ever thought about putting your head under a pillow and blocking out the drama in the world?  We can get overwhelmed with news about war, politics, crime, poverty, foolish living, racial strife…it goes on and on.  Do we even need to mention that we also have family, marriage, friendship and personal drama?  A hiding place doesn’t sound bad at all.  I understand the inclination to hide all too well, but an experience with Coco, the sausage dog, reminded me that it is not a healthy place.  Coco, the sausage dog, lives in Seattle with my friends and spiritual family.  As the family goes to work daily, Coco and I are left at home to fend for ourselves.  She is a hyperactive dog, but when we are alone she does something peculiar (at least to me).  She hides under a comforter on the floor.  She knows exactly how to negotiate that comforter to cover her without any help from humans.  Once under it, she is so small that you would not know she was there if she didn’t move.  Under that comforter, the light is blocked and nothing can get to her.  She is safe, or so it appears, in her own little world.


I have seen many Christians do the same thing.  They retreat from contact with other Christians.  They withdraw from attending services, praying with others and reading the Word of God.  They put their head under a blanket and try to shut the world out.  Why?  For each person it is different.  One may have a problem that is so big that they can’t see past it.  Another may be overloaded with their problems and hearing the plight of other people in their city, country and around the world.  Still others may feel directionless.  They feel they don’t know what direction to move in so they don’t move at all.  The condemnation from sin causes many to check out and run from help.

Time alone is valuable.  However, the worst time to be alone is when you are suffering, hurting and at your wits end.  Isolation does more than leave you alone to deal (or not deal) with life.  Isolation can lead to discouragement, depression, loneliness and so much more.  More than anything, isolation can leave you vulnerable.  It leaves you open actually to more pain.  Coco may be comfortable under her cover, but she is invisible to those around her.  On my first night here, I nearly stepped on her because I couldn’t see her under the comforter.  Coco may feel safe, but she really isn’t safe at all.  When we hide out, the enemy of our souls looks for ways to bring us further down.    Instead of retreating, we must be like Job and David. 

I think about some of the people in the bible and wonder if they felt that way.  As Job continued to lose everything including his children, animals, wife and possessions, did he want to run away and hide?  He had to be thinking, “what’s next.”  His friends were of little help.  They tried, but they were missing the mark with Job.  Job didn’t run from his friends or his life, he made a simple declaration of what gave him hope. 

Job 13:15(NKJV)
15    Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.     Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.

David was on the run and living in the enemies territory.  He is asked to go out and battle against Israel, but he is rejected because the Philistines don’t trust him.   As he and his soldiers are returning to their camp in Ziglag, they smell smoke.   The camp has been burned down and the women and children taken captive.  On top of everything else, some of his men began to blame him.  Do you think that David may have wanted to put his head under a blanket (or go in a cave) and hide?  David did not abandon his men or left to grieve in isolation.  Instead, David did the only thing he knew to do.  He turned to the Lord.

1 Samuel 30:6(NKJV)
6Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
                              
When we are feeling overwhelmed, we must find our trust and strength in the Lord.  It is the only way to endure a sin sick world.  Things may be difficult now, but when we begin to see it through God’s Word and eyes, we have hope.  Don’t separate yourself.  Don’t retreat.  No pity parties are allowed.  Praise and thanksgiving will lead you into victory every time.  You may not get your desired outcome every time, but you will come out of it with hope.  Always remember, you are never alone.  The body of Christ is looking to encourage and support you.  Above all, Jesus will never leave you or forsake you.  He said:

Matthew 28:20b(NKJV)
20  …..and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” £Amen.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Praise, Prayers and Petitions

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.


Please join me in praying for the concerns below and feel free to add more.

Sherriah – lost her mother on Friday

Lucille Layters – brain tumor

Dambar – Healing

Continued prayer for:

Sandy - ongoing health issues

JB & Family - employment and healing

Rodney - healing from COPD

MB - family healing and reconciliation

Deborah - healing

DF and family - healing and reconciliation

Malik - 2 years old - no sense of rejection or abandonment; love of God

USA


Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Deny Yourself - Means More than not Eating Carbs


It must have been really cool to hang out with Jesus.  I mean everyone likes to be around the cool kid, the popular guy…the next “hot” thing right?  Well Jesus was turning things upside down and it had to be amazing, inspiring and awe-provoking to be around Him during this time.  But just when you are drunk on His popularity and the fact that you are with Him, He says something that sobers you up and makes you question whether you want to continue with Him.  This is exactly what happens in the discussion that is captured in Luke 9.  After the miracle of the 2 fish and five loaves, Jesus is chatting with His disciples.  He asks them the people’s opinions of Him. They tell Him the speculations about His identity.  He then gets personal with them by asking their opinion of Him.  Peter spoke for the group.  "You are the Christ, the Messiah."  Jesus then makes this startling statement to them.

21And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,  22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” 23Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross £daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:21-23(NKJV)

The rejoicing at knowing He was the Messiah abruptly stops.  They repeat the words in their hearts.  As the fullness of the meaning deepens within them, a hush takes over the room.  What did He say to them?  He is going to die. I am not sure they could focus on the words that He would be raised three days later.  They definitely heard their promised Messiah was going to die.  But Jesus doesn't stop there.  He goes on to tell them they (and we) must also die.  That's what the statement translated to.  Let's look at the scripture more closely.

1.      If anyone desires to come after me – Jesus asked the disciples to follow Him.  Now, He was really asking them if they still wanted to follow Him because things were about to change.  They had seen and experienced the miracles, healings and teachings of the Christ, but following Him required so much more.  Were they willing to pay the price? He was telling them (and us) if they like what they saw and wanted more, more would be required of them.

2.      Let him deny Himself - When we think of denying ourselves, we equate it to something like denying ourselves carbohydrates or a new gadget or something.  It is so much more than that.  Deny here means no acquaintance or connection with someone or something.  In other words, to follow Jesus meant a complete and utter denial of all things that were valued within them prior to following Him.  When we choose to follow Christ, we become new people where all old things are gone and everything becomes new (2 Corinthians 5:17).  This is not about what other people think of you or of what you should do or who you should be?  This is about your own dreams, interests and all the things you value being willfully and voluntarily killed off by YOU! 

3.      Take up His cross daily -   The disciples were very familiar with the cross during their times.  It did not represent the place where their Messiah died at that point.  Nope, it represented the place where criminals, the worst of the worst, died.  These rejects of society were hung on the cross on open display as a deterrent to others who may commit crimes.  It was a slow, painful, humiliating death.  Can you imagine what the disciples were thinking?  You want us to do what!?  God knows the power that is in the flesh and the dreams it can produce in our hearts.  Each and every day, those things must die.  We must kill off every self-created plan  allowing them to die that slow and painful death as we embrace the amazing promises of God.  It is only in the daily death of self, that we find life and purpose and can move continuously on mission for Him.

4.      Follow Me -   Following Jesus meant following Him to the cross spiritually (He went physically) and then following Him in what He said and did.  After denying ourselves, dying to our plans and purposes and finding life in Christ, we are to Follow HIM.  We are not called to follow the format, schedule, or culture of the local assembly, We are to follow Christ.  We are to follow conforming wholly to His example as He made us His disciples.  This includes  living a lifestyle that pleases Him and moving in the same authority and power as He did.  Most of all, it means loving like He did.  He is love.

Beloved, let me ask you?  Are you following Him on His terms of denial of self and taking up your cross daily?  Denial of self + Dying on your cross = Following Him in the beauty of being a child of God and being salt and light with power and authority wherever we go.


Follow Him!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Praise, Prayers and Petitions on Tuesdays

Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Please join me in praying for the concerns below and feel free to add more.

Sherriah mother who is in hospice.

Sandy - ongoing health issues

JB & Family - employment and healing

Rodney - healing from COPD

MB - family healing and reconcilliation

Deborah - healing

DF and family - healing and reconciliation

Malique - 2 years old - no sense of rejection or abandonment; love of God

USA


Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Faith that Sees

There are times in life and in ministry where we will experience profound changes.   Planned or unplanned, change will force us to walk the faith walk more intimately.  As believers, we are to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  Yet if your faith doesn't have sight, you will walk aimlessly or in circles.   Think about the children of Israel.  They walked in the wilderness for forty years simply because they refuse to believe the promises of God.  They could not see despite how many times and ways God showed Himself faithful.

Faith is a matter of the heart.  It is not something the mind can process.  Our brain processes known information.  It takes in information from our five senses and began processing from there.  What we taste, touch, see, feel and hear provides the substance for our brain to go to work.  Faith is the substance of our heart.  The heart believes, without evidence, simply because we believe in God and His promises.  We can have all our senses operating, but faith dictates to us what we really believe. 

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17).  We are to have renewed minds.  When we hear the word of God and the message of Christ, our faith is strengthened and increased.   When our minds are renewed and conformed to Kingdom principles, our faith never focuses on the problems, but on the solutions.  The doctor says you have an illness.  Faith says you are healed.  Disappointments tell you that you will not succeed in life, business, ministry, school, etc.  Faith says, “I am chosen of God and can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Ephesians 1:4, Philippians 4:13).

When others saw the dead boy in Nain, Jesus saw Him restored to life and with His mother.  The leper saw his condition and desired mercy, Jesus saw him healed and free  (Mark 1:41).  The two men, in all of their blindness, saw in their hearts with eyes of faith.  Jesus seeing them saw men with sight and made it a reality (Matthew 20:34).The more we stay in the Word of God, the presence of God and the love of God, our faith wins over logic, naysayers and rationality.  Our faith becomes our reality.   


Hebrews 11:1(HCSB)
1Now faith is the reality£ of what is hoped for, the proof£ of what is not seen.£  (Emphasis Added)

Open the eyes of our heart and faith Lord.  We need to see.  We want to see and focus in faith on the promise of God, and not meditate on the problems before us. We see, we speak and we live by faith.