Encouragement

Thought For The Week...

Protection

Before we were formed in our mother’s womb, God knew us and set a watch over us. He
pledged to defend and guard us, to cover and shield us from injury and danger, and provide for
us. He watched us grow from infanthood into adulthood and knew every challenge we would
be faced with, every mistake we would make, the successes we would achieve, the difficulties
that would arise, and He certainly knew who would surrender their life to Him and follow His
principles and statues. And all of this He did in the twinkling of an eye; a day is like a thousand
years and a thousand years is like a day to Him.

Throughout this life, we will be faced with various circumstances and situations and some of
them will appear to be detrimental to our livelihood, but if we put our trust in God and pledge to
serve Him, these mere circumstances and situations will prove beneficial as we mature, not
only in the natural but in the spiritual realm as well. The more we spend time with God,
reading, studying, and meditating on His Word, the more we will be able to handle the
challenges of everyday life. With that being said, it is up to each of us to acknowledge,
understand, and comprehend that God’s promises are true.

Take heed…

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the
shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve
you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you
dash your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:1, 11-12 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought For The Week...

Provider

There is not one hour, one minute, one second, or one moment that God is not watching over
us; in fact, everything that we need has already been taken care of. He did not wait until we
had the need but put everything in place beforehand. Why, because He is a loving God and
had settled before the foundation of the world that He would make available and supply that
which mankind would need to survive their life on earth.

God knew our past before it passed, saw our present condition before it came into existence,
and planned for our eternal future. Even after knowing the past, present and future lies/sins of
mankind, Jesus still went to the cross and died a gruesome death to afford the opportunity to
all who will call upon His name and surrender their life to Him. And, when we surrender to Him,
He equips us with what we need— love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance—as we await the day that we will spend eternity with Him, the Father,
and the Holy Spirit.

Only believe…

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten
(unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish
(come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. (John 3:16 — AMP)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought For The Week...

Fortitude II

No one is exempt from suffering, whether it is an illness, affliction, trial, and/or time of
temptation. The born-again believer knows that it is during these times that they must continue
to read God’s Word, meditate on His Word, and hide His Word in their heart. The adversary
knows that if he can get us to believe his lies that God is not with us or for us, then he has a
fighting chance to get us to forfeit our posture and position of walking in faith and obedience. It
is imperative that we understand that the battle is not ours but the Lord’s.
As we journey through this life, it is a given that we will, at some time or another, run into
Affliction Avenue, Trial Trail, Test Terrace, and Adversity Alley. Even in the midst of these
detours, we can continue to worship God, singing songs of praise and gratitude because He
has provided us with Hope Highway which leads to Belief Boulevard and Obedience Outlet.
And it is this mode of gratitude that confounds the adversary; he cannot understand or
comprehend that after everything he has thrown at us that we continue to trust God. God is a
loving God and there isn’t anything that we go through that He isn’t right there with us; the Holy
Spirit helps us, and the great cloud of witnesses are cheering us on knowing that we have
everything in us to stand strong. With that being said, we can decree and declare that we have
the strength, firmness of mind and a resolute endurance that enables us to sing in our
sanctified souls—How I Got Over, Holding To His Hand, Blessed Quietness, and Blessed
Assurance—knowing that these light afflictions are the pathway to spiritual prosperity, higher
heights and deeper depths of trust and obedience.

Listen…

No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! For I am certain
that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other
heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the
world below—there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love
of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:36-39 — GNT)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought For The Week...

Fortitude

We all, at some point or another, go through periods of temptation, trials, and illness. Our
strength is stretched like a rubber band, our physical body becomes weakened, and our mind
will attempt to settle into a mode of fatigue and stay there nestled in its embrace. Yes, there
are times when it seems as though the full forces of hell have been let loose upon us.
However, the one thing that we must not do during these times of attacks is allow ourselves to
be pulled into the lies of the adversary and believe that we have passed our point of endurance
and be literally weakened and faint under the pressures of everyday life.

We must never give up hope or allow the adversary to trick us into thinking that we are left
alone during our times of pain, adversity and/or affliction. As born-again believers, we have a
lively hope—strength, firmness of mind and a resolute endurance—in which we can be
assured in our sanctified souls that our God has not forgotten or forsaken us. In fact, He, in the
person of the Holy Spirit, is standing guard, watching over us, and providing us with the
mental, emotional, and physical strength and stability we need to maintain our position, as well
as our composure as we go through the seemly apparent times of pain, adversity, afflictions,
trials and temptations. Listen, no matter what we go through, it is imperative that we stay
connected to God who is our source of strength and protection. With that being said, lets open
up our mouth and sing, decreeing and declaring; without God, I could do nothing, without God,
I would fail, without God, my life would be rugged like a ship without a sail. I am free, no more
chains holding; I am no longer bound, my soul has been set free.

Be assured…

The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. He lets me rest in grassy meadows; he leads me to
restful waters; he keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths for the sake of his good name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me. Your
rod and your staff—they protect me. (Psalm 23:1-4 — CEB)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought For The Week...

Awe

God is magnificently excellent and is worthy of our reverential respect. He can answer our
prayers even before we think and/or utter them. However, we must be mindful that we are
praying according to His will. When we have a relationship with Him, we learn how to trust
Him. With Him the impossible becomes possible; if He can turn water into wine, then He is
more than able to answer our prayers. He is able to do exceeding and abundantly more than
we can think or ask.

God is to be reverenced, respected, and feared. He is outstandingly wonderful. He is
incredible, astonishing, fascinating, and loving! He has the power to make people serve Him,
but He will not manipulate and/or force them to accept Him; He leaves it up to each individual
as to whether or not they desire to have a relationship with Him. We should never show and/or
have a spirit of indifference, be disinterested and/or unconcerned with what He is concerned
about. With that being said, it behooves us to spend quality time with Him, reading and
studying His Word, meditating on His precepts and principles, communicating with Him,
adhering to His Word, as well as sitting quietly in His Presence. As we bask in His presence,
we are being wrapped, cloaked, shrouded, and saturated in His breathtaking, amazing,
astounding, and extraordinary love. He is capable of loving us beyond what our finite minds
can describe and/or comprehend.

Take heed…

His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father [of Eternity],
Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6b — AMPC)

I will confess and praise You [O God] with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praises
to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness
and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your
word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name! (Psalm 138:1-2 —AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought For The Week...

Hope II

We must never give up on our desires, beliefs, ambitions, and aspirations. There will
always be something out there to deter us, hinder us, block us, and attempt to bind us
with the uncertainties of life. As a child of God, we have been equipped to endure
hardship; and the longer we abide, rest, dwell, and make our abode in God, the more
we come to the realization that we are fortified, sheltered, hedged, and protected in and
by His love. Ah, what a feeling to understand that regardless of what comes our
way, we have a confidence that God will do exactly what He said He would do -
loose His blessings and promises in our life and keep us until the day of Jesus’ return.
 
We must continue to live holy and upright before God and people. No, we don’t get it
right all the time and we must not give occasion to sin. Of course, we will be tempted,
but we must not practice sin and become comfortable in its clothing. When we rely on
God to keep us, we will be able to acknowledge, comprehend and understand that His
gift of repentance is the cleansing that saves us from being a resident in Satan’s
domain. Just as King David cried out, we too must cry out asking God to create in us a
clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. If we ever think that we don’t need to cry
out, then we are fooling ourselves and just may find ourselves left outside of the
covering for which Jesus died to cover us. With that being said, let’s continue to rest in the
liveliness of the blood of Jesus and be continually renewed by its cleansing with a
confident expectation that He that began a good work in us is able to bring it to
completion. We must always remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of
love, power and a sound mind. HALLELUHAH!!!!!

Listen and take heed…

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the
experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be
overflowing (bubbling over) with hope. (Romans 15:13 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

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Thought For The Week...

Hope

If you were to take a poll and ask people what gives them an expectant outlook on life,
you’d get a multitude of different responses. But what is it that gives an individual
expectancy about life in general? What is it for you? I believe that once we have
determined what works for us, we will be able to have insight about what works for
others. Of course, we can’t put everybody in the same category, but we can have a
glimpse of the inner working that brings people to a conclusion.

Some people will see a glass half full while others see it half empty. Some see love
while others see hate. Some feel that others are for them while others feel they are
against them. Some go based on feelings/intuition while others go based on proven
rational facts. And then there are some who have been so hurt that they are at the point
that they will never trust another individual. However, we must always leave room for
the unexpected to happen because we never know when that unexpected will be the
one thing that will be our miracle. No matter how rose colored the lenses are—whether
admitted or not—we all have an expectation. We all believe in something even if it is the
wrong thing. Even the person who has become hedged/steeped in fear once had an
expectation that they could accomplish that which they sought after. It is imperative that
we maintain a glimmer of expectation; that we look beyond what our eyes see, and our
hearts feel and look forward to the positives instead of the negatives. We must have a

keen sense of what can be instead of what can’t be, and believe beyond all doubt that
that which we desire can and will come to fruition. Therefore, with that being said, we
must not give up and become lax in our thinking but become alive with anticipation,
ambition, optimism, promise, faith, belief, aspiration, and endurance, putting our
confidence in something other than ourselves.

Listen and take heed…

Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when dreams come true at last, there is life
and joy. — (Proverbs 13:12 — TLB)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heavens Gate Ministries, Inc.

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Thought For The Week...

Tenacious II

Tell the truth shame the devil! At some time or another we’ve all been afraid or had
some reservations regarding moving forth and doing that which we’ve been assigned or
anointed to do. There are some people who just have a Mr. Chicken persona; they have
a downright nervous fear. Some individuals become so fearful that they’ll believe the
lies of the adversary because they’re afraid of what he’ll do if they refute him. Whether
we want to believe it or not, the adversary is afraid of us and that is why he does what
he does. HE’S A BULLY! A bully’s greatest weapon is intimidation, so he uses his weaponry

to build strongholds that are intended to keep us submissive to him; and when
we attempt to extricate ourselves from his grip, he tightens the reigns.
 
Here’s what the adversary does to keep us submissive to him; he’ll lie to us telling us
that: we’re not worthy, we don’t have what it takes, no one will listen to us, we’re ugly,
we’re too fat, we’re too skinny, we’re too short, we’re too tall, our hair is too nappy, our
hair is too stringy, we’re buck teethed, we have no teeth, we’re too black, we’re too
yellow, too white, we don’t have the money needed; and he’ll use people, especially
those closest to us, to berate us and tear us down. And if that is not enough, he’ll also tell
us that God doesn’t love us; and if we’ve faltered along the way, he’ll tell us that God
could never forgive us after the sins we’ve committed. Now as a child of God, this is
where we should be truly encouraged because God’s Word negates these lies. Why?
Because it is written in His Word, that He is love, we are created in His image, He chose
us, and is married to the backslider. So, with that being said, it’s time that we stop
believing the lies of the adversary and hold fast to God’s Word, keeping a firm hold to its
truths. We must be persistent, stubborn and obstinate, and pertinacious. We must be
stuck like glue with a cohesive resolve that we’re determined to trust God’s Word in
spite of what our flesh feels and circumstances dictate. And finally, we must have
bulldog like faith, walking with the Holy Spirit as our guide knowing that He will never
lead us down the wrong road.

‍
Listen and heed…

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or
dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9
— AMP)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought For The Week...

Tenacious

How many of us lack the wherewithal to do that which we’ve been assigned and/or
anointed to do? Something is always getting in the way of our completing the task. It
doesn’t make a difference if it’s people, trials, finances, responsibilities, etc.; we must
push forward and not throw in the towel, being mindful that God has not given us a spirit
of fear. As long as we have breath in our bodies, we will be faced with various
challenges; but we must be able to see pass those challenges and catch a glimpse of
the finished product.

Everybody has a gift or two; they just need to know how to tap into it. As for the child of
God, they’ve been gifted to further the kingdom of God here on earth. And the last thing
the adversary wants us to do is kingdom building. So, he’ll do all he can to deter us from
recognizing our gift(s), working in our gifting and fulfilling the purpose of our gifting.
Satan will use whatever means necessary to hinder us with the ultimate goal of stopping
us. He’ll use every imaginable distraction that he’s crafted over the centuries. However,
we must not be moved by this lying demon but be adamantly persistent in believing
God’s Word that He’ll never leave us or forsake us. Listen, when we trust God, we’ll be
able to accomplish the purpose of our gifting knowing that He always keeps His Word.
In fact, He has called, appointed and anointed us for such a time as this. For those of us
who are fearful, are easily intimidated, lack fortitude, feel unqualified, and are downright
scared of ever succeeding, we must be like the little red caboose and repeat over and
over again, I know I can, I know I can, I know I can. There just comes a time when we
must go forward, denouncing the lies of the adversary; even if we are shaking in our
boots, we must grab a hold of the Holy Spirit—with eagle like talons—knowing that He
will not let us falter nor fall.

Acknowledge, comprehend and understand...

No man will [be able to] stand before you [to oppose you] as long as you live. Just as I
was [present] with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not fail you or abandon you. Be
strong and confident and courageous… (Joshua 1:5-6 — AMP)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.

Thought For The Week...

Wait II

As we continue to abide in God, let us eagerly anticipate the answers to our requests being answered even when they lingers longer than we want them to. It is doing the interim period that we must not hold back our praise and worship but continue to love on God and bask in the presence of the Holy Spirit so that we can be comforted and encouraged as we righteously anticipate the promises and blessings that belong to the children of God. We have two options in this life in terms of delayed prayers; we are either going to be a patient person or a hospital patient.

The next time that the adversary approaches us and attempts to initiate a spirit of doubt, whispering that our prayers will not be answered, let us boldly tell him that we are confident in our God answering our petitions at the appropriate time. And that in the interval we are taking a new exercise class, Spiritual Wait Training. With that being said, let us continue to persevere in building up and toning our spiritual muscles; it is in doing so that we gain strength and fortitude as we eagerly await the promises and blessings that God has for us. Persistence breaks resistance.

Take heed…

Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. (Psalm27:14 — AMPC)

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. (Ephesian 6:10-11 — AMPC)

Rev. Donna M. Humphries

Heaven Gates Ministries, Inc.