Stand UP for God!

God needs YOU to stand up for Him! He gets blamed for far to many things that HE is not responsible for, even by Christians!

James 1:17 - Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light

John 10:10 - The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it [a]overflows).

1 Peter 5:8 - Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 

I'd like to plea my case today. The subject could be quite lengthy, BUT I will try to keep it into a "bite-size" devotion. :) 

How did your parents teach you? As a parent, would you teach your child the following:

• Put a disease on your child to teach them a lesson.
• Cause your child to get in a car accident to teach them not to value material things. 
• Burn your child to teach them not to touch the stove. 
• Strip everything from your child that they love to humble them. 

Of course you would not do ANY of the above to your child! You would not even THINK of it! Actually, if you did any of them today, you would most likely be thrown in jail! So why do we let God take the blame for ALL of these things?!? Why do we let our loving Father take the heat & get thrown under the bus like this? Let's take a look at the life of Job. I believe his story is behind a lot of our misconceptions. 

You know the story. Job gets everything except his life stripped from him, but let's take a closer look! At the beginning of the book of Job, envision God, a proud papa, bragging on his child. Look at Job. He's such a great son. I'm so proud of him. He really does honor me. NOTICE, when Satan asks God to take things from Job in chapter 1 verse 11, God WOULD NOT TOUCH JOB! In verse 12, we see that God only reminds Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power." If we rewind to the Garden of Eden, we'll remember that after Adam & Eve sinned, the authority & dominion that they had was handed over to Satan. After eating that apple, authority was given to Satan. Man no longer had dominion on the earth for the next several hundred years, Satan had dominion and authority. Not God. Not man. That is why GOD put in place a way for MAN to get back authority and dominion by sending his son Jesus to defeat Satan, death, hell & the grave. Even GOD cannot go against His Word. 

When Jesus went to the cross, that did something HUGE for believers! That took the authority out of the hands of Satan, and BACK into the hands of the believer! It had not been in the believers hands since Adam! Old covenant believers had to constantly sacrifice to be atoned for their sins. Even the sin of fear, which we see Job was living in sin as we look in Job 3:25, For the thing which I greatly fear comes upon me, and that of which I am afraid befalls me. Job was living in fear, and sin gives easy access for the enemy to come in. 

Why Today is Different!

Today, as Believers, we live under the new covenant. WE now have AUTHORITY, the key is we just have to TAKE AUTHORITY! The devil, Satan, is roaming around looking to devour believers, but he is a toothless lion! We have all the tools to defeat Him and live in victory! We have the Armor of God (Ephesians 6), we have the Word to defeat Him (Is 53:5- by his stripes we are healed!), we have Angels working on our behalf (Ps 91:11 - He will order His angels to protect ME wherever I go!), and the list goes on! BUT… there it is, the big BUT as it says in 1 Peter 5:8, it is our job to be vigilant and cautious at all times!!! Our enemy is ALIVE and REAL! He, NOT GOD, is looking to destroy us if we let down our guard. We can take the Word and put the enemy in his place! SPEAK the WORD DAILY and DEFEAT THE ENEMY! 

• I am the head and NOT THE TAIL!
• I walk in DIVINE HEALTH because the blood of Jesus is flowing through my blood stream!
• I AM Blessed!
• I am the Child of the Most High God who gives me FAVOR with God AND Man!
• Good things come to Me every day! 
• My family and I are Protected! Angels are encamped all around us and our house!
• I AM A BUTT KICKER! Satan has NO authority over me! I exercise my GOD-GIVEN authority, because Jesus defeated Satan, therefore I WIN! 
• I LISTEN to the Voice of the Holy Spirit and HE directs me where to go and what to do, every day! I AM OBEDIENT!

Speak the Word! Don't let God take the blame for what Satan is doing out in the world! Satan is STILL roaming the earth, looking to destroy, and destroys on a daily basis! Someone needs to stand up for God! He is a good God! He does good and He loves you! Don't let God take the blame for what Satan is doing! STAND UP FOR GOD TODAY!

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ALSO! Check out this interview! 

I was interviewed by "THE SUCCESS EDGE: For the Marketplace Christian" 

Get a little more insight into ME, my story and what makes me tick. :) 

Thanks in advance for taking a listen! :) 

TheSuccessEdge.biz/42
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#89 - Be Diligent in Your Work

Good morning! It's almost good afternoon! It is a beautiful fall day and it's FRIDAY!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! I even look forward to Friday's because that means DAD is off for the weekend to play with us!! Yippee!! :) 


Well, let's get started. This wasn't the direction that I was planning on going today, but God is God and I am just Amy. So, we're going to choose to go with what GOD had for today. :-) As I do my best to do during every devotion. His Word stands forever and YOU & I only need ONE WORD from Him to change our lives! So... easy decision to go with what He had. :) Let's roll....

Proverbs 22:29 - Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Psalm 52:7-9a - ...the man who made not God his strength but trusted in and confidently relied on the abundance of his riches, seeking refuge and security for himself through his wickedness. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in and confidently rely on the loving-kindness and the mercy of God ... I will thank You and confide in You forever, because You have done it.

Psalm 112:1b,3 - Blessed is the man who fears the LORD...Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 

Proverbs 31:24 - She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].

Wow! So much to be said from the verses above! And to think, they were ALL in today's reading!! It's amazing how God does things! WOW! Sometimes He just overwhelms me with how amazing He is! 


Diligent & skillful in business! Do you own your own business? Do you have a job? Well, I know we know the word diligent, and use it frequently...but let me just remind you of it's meaning in the dictionary. It was quite eye opening really to see it's original meaning: constant in effort to accomplish something; attentive and persistent in doing anything. 


Diligent. Constant in effort to accomplish something. Whatever your business is or job is, being in the constant pursuit to ACCOMPLISH. Not to just "go with the flow", punch a time clock and 'do your time', but to ACCOMPLISH. Do progress forward. The dictionary also called diligent as having 'Persevering Attention.' Wow! It makes you think differently about your job or business, doesn't it! I mean, wow! Do you or I put 'Persevering Attention' towards it? If it is where God has placed us, it is our calling and we are called to do it with diligence. With a constant pursuit to accomplish and to apply persevering attention to our business! 


What about money? What about the subject of money? Income? Profit? Yikes! This can be such a touchy subject in so many arena's, and for some reason Christian arena's. Psalm 52 today mentioned the man who trusted in his OWN abundant riches, acquiring them through his wickedness. There in lies the key. Trusting in yourself for riches. Putting faith or reliance on your 'riches' versus on God. Elevating the "Almighty Dollar Bill" instead of the "Almighty GOD" who is the maker of it all! It is all about keeping GOD where He rightfully belongs, on the THRONE. Elevated. Father. Jehovah. Almighty One. King of Kings! Savior! Ruler over heaven & earth! Savior! Lord! It is about keeping God the Lord of our lives, and in regards to finances, keeping HIM as OUR SOURCE. Not relying upon our business, our job, our sales, our efforts or our works as our source. The moment we begin to rely on our own efforts instead of keeping our faith and reliance upon God is the beginning of where the trouble starts. For example... I just put on an information class on a 12 week program we are starting here in Columbia, "New Way to a New You." I asked the Holy Spirit what materials/products, if any, I should have with me at the class. I was willing to invest in whatever I needed to invest in, but I wanted to invest in the RIGHT things. Well, the Holy Spirit said, "Buy 10 books, that's all." OK. That's easy enough. So, I pre-purchased the 10 books to re-sell (we will be using throughout the 12 week class as a guide.) Out of those 10 books guess how many I sold? LOL. I laugh at how amazing God is when we listen. I sold 10. If I would've had 9, I would've been 1 short. If I would've had 11, I would've had 1 extra. The Holy Spirit knew EXACTLY how many I needed. He is even concerned in the little things! Isn't that amazing!


Wealth & Riches? Expect them! Do you fear the Lord? Do you honor and respect our Mighty God? Well, then Psalm 112 is talking about YOU! This is a verse Tyler and I confess DAILY over our lives and our family. DAILY! Outloud! 


Sales!? What about sales? In the world, often 'sales people' are seen maybe with a bad light. The whole "used-car salesmen" feeling. No one wants to be "SOLD". When you are "sold", you are being convinced into something you do not want to do. When you "buy", you are buying something you need or saw value in. And even the WOMAN WHO EXCELS them ALL was a SALES PERSON!!! Can you believe it?! Take a look in Proverbs 31:24! She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].!!!


A couple things to keep in mind... she wasn't selling junk. She obviously believed in what she was selling. It was a FINE product made of FINE material. She was meeting a need in the marketplace. A product that freed people up for serving. 


Do you believe in your product? Do you believe in your service? Lead others to buy it! Those people that NEED it will see it's value and have no remorse in purchasing from you. They will also often be your greatest source of referrals too! Add value to others and you can not go wrong. 

#24 - Political Strength - What's it mean?

Good morning! The boy has already been up & fed, and now snoozin again. :) Really enjoyed & learned a lot last night on #blogchat via Twitter. If you are on Twitter, follow me: @amyjmccart. I often post great quotes I read, updates on when I post a new blog, etc. Social Media/Marketing is here to stay, so my plan is to take advantage of it! Jumping in with both feet! :) It's a great way to pursue your passion, and learn from people who know more than you! Especially with Social Media! And, the best thing is, It's FREE! You can also add my husband to your Twitter followings: @tylermccart. He's really gifted in areas of leadership, business, entrepreneurship, public speaking, sales, purpose, passion, the Word and being a great husband and daddy! :) Check out his Vlogs via his YouTube Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/tylerhmccart). Great stuff on finding your purpose, pursuing your passion, seasons of growth, etc. 


Ok.... well let's get rolling this morning...

Proverbs 28:2 - When a land transgresses, it has many rulers, but when the ruler is a man of discernment, understanding, and knowledge, its stability will long continue.

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it].

I know we have looked at strength in the Hebrew before, but this morning I would like to take a look at it again. Strength is talking about: might, strength, material, physical, personal, social or political. Our Proverbs 31 friend has political strength. And right now, we need some men AND women of God who have this Political Strength! I recently read a quote that was really an awakening. Dr. Mike Murdock tweeted something quite interesting that I had not thought about, but he said "Obama's response towards Israel will determine God's judgement on America." But, this is true! When we read about the end times, we know that all will turn on Israel & God's judgement will begin. I don't know about you, but I'm excited about going home to be with Jesus. I am excited about being raptured and walking streets of gold, but I also feel like I have a lot of life yet to live, a lot of memories yet to create, children yet to be born (Trinity, Timothy & Taylor) and things to accomplish for the Kingdom. There are people who need to know Jesus before it's too late. For our NATION to have stability that will continue long, it is IMPORTANT, not just important, it is CRUCIAL that we have a person of God in office who will lead with GODLY discernment,  understanding & knowledge! 


Another reason why it is important to VOTE! Did you vote in your recent primaries? (Last week!) I wear the "I VOTED" sticker with great pride. That is part of our RESPONSIBILITY! To prayerfully elect godly men & women into office to bring our nation back to a nation that our founders would be proud of. To honor the men & women who DIED FOR OUR FREEDOM, and KEEP this nation the LAND OF THE FREE! It is not a matter of black or white, our president could be green. IF it is a godly man or woman of God who will RISE UP and STAND ON THE WORD, they have my vote!  


So, political strength. How can you begin to have it? You have no desire to run for office? You have no passion to get involved in your upcoming elections, debates, etc? Let me offer a way for you to begin to take part.


I recently got this from Founder of Outreach America, Gary Newell, and it is very helpful. What to do when fear or sin creeps up in your life.... the 4 R's. I had to do this just this morning.... let me tell you why and how to use the 4 R's through my experience this morning...


Using the 4 R's: Recognize, Resist, Reckon, Redirect

• RECOGNIZE - Father, right now I recognize that when I heard the door nob shake a little bit, the first thing that came to my mind was fear. I repent of this fear. I had fear that some man was going in to Tyler Jr's room and taking him out of his crib. Right now I RECOGNIZE that fear. And because I recognize it, I want to thank Satan for allowing me to see that I obviously haven't totally turned Tyler Jr over to You. So, right now, I RE-TURN over to You Tyler Junior. I put him back in YOUR care! And while I am recognizing this, simultaneously, I also want to lift up to you President Obama & Lady Gaga. I pray for their salvation. I pray that they would have a Damascus Road experience. That, like Saul, who persecuted Your People, who persecuted and killed Christians, walked the road to Damascus, scales came over his eyes and he could not see. You allowed the literal scales to come OFF his eyes, and he could finally SEE! Because of that experience, his name was changed to Paul and he wrote a large part of the new testament. Right now, I send forth ministering laborer's of the gospel that will go out and minister to President Obama & Lady Gaga. That those people that go forth will speak to them and they will hear, that these ministering laborer's in their lives have great influence with Lady Gaga & President Obama. Their words have great weight to them. I pray also those closest to them would get saved and be an influence to them. Father, I pray that President Obama & Lady Gaga would have this Damascus Road experience. That they would go from not being Christians, to being RADICALLY SOLD-OUT to YOU! That they would make the sort of impact that Paul did on Your people! That they would become MINISTERS of the GOSPEL! I call President Obama & Lady Gaga SOLD OUT BELIEVERS in the NAME OF JESUS!
• RESIST - I now RESIST Satan and tell him that he HAS TO FLEE from me! I will have no part in fear. I will not be like Job (Job 3:25) and live in fear. Get behind me Satan! I resist you!
• RECKON - I RECKON myself dead to fear! I RECKON myself dead to sin. A dead person can not have fear. A dead person can not sin. So, right now, I reckon myself dead to this fear for Tyler Juniors safety. A dead person can not fear or sin. 
• REDIRECT - Right now I REDIRECT my thoughts and stand on the WORD! I call Tyler Junior SAFE all the time! I claim Psalms 91 protection upon him AT ALL TIMES. I thank you Father that angels have charge over and around him at all times! I thank you that he will grow up to be a godly man. He will make an impact all over the world for Your Kingdom. He will make a greater impact for the Kingdom than Tyler & I. He will leave an amazing legacy for seeing people saved, healed, whole & utilizing their calling. He will make a WORLD-WIDE difference! I call him SAFE in Jesus Name! Thank you that BIG ANGELS are standing guard around him at all time, and that NO ONE can mess with him! 

The Purpose of the 4 R's: 

1. Recognize - Recognizing your sin, repenting, turning this area of challenge back over to the Lord & praying for some people who are influential. Kind of like an "I fell, I lost the ball, I fell short, but now I'm not only going to ask for forgiveness & get it, but I'm going to CHARGE THE HILL! I'm going to come back fighting!"
2. Resist - Doing what the Word says. Resist Satan and he has to flee from you!
3. Reckon - Calling yourself dead to this sin now and in the future. It will not have control over you!
4. Redirect - Find scripture that will back up this area of sin. Find scripture that will "counter" this area. For me, the sin was fear of safety, so I found scripture that promises safety. Now, I can stand on the WORD, which is more powerful than anything else!

A few things about the 4 R's... imagine, any time you sin, you fear, you gossip, you say unkind words, you look at pornography, you lie, women- when you don't submit to your husband, or you try to control your husband, when you manipulate someone to get your way..... WHATEVER area of sin that you may do (we have all fallen into sin!)..... IMAGINE, just IMAGINE applying these 4 R's each time you sin! One thing that I found was interesting that Gary said was that  gradually the sin came further and further apart. Gradually, he found that he was not having problems with the area of sin that was a struggle. Why? Because imagine Satan's thoughts every time you sinned and then you went through the 4 R's. Man, he gets ticked off! He thinks, "Dang it! If every time I cause Amy to sin she is going to pray radical things and salvation for these influential people.... man, I don't want her to sin. I'll go cause someone else to sin. Someone who isn't going to put up such a fight. Someone who is just going to be complacent and continue to let me pull them off the road into a ditch. I'm not going to mess with Amy. She is screwing up my plan for President Obama & Lady Gaga. I do not want them to be Christians because they have such influence." 


SO, you have no desire to be in politics. Well a few things you can do to make a difference. 

1. Utilize your RIGHT to VOTE! VOTE for godly men & women into office. If you don't, your lack of voting is allowing men & women who are NOT of God to be in office. Don't base it upon color. Base it upon the WORD! Do they believe for and pass bills that would line up with the Word? (Abortion would not line up with the Word, do they believe for that?)
2. Pray for those in office! - Make it a priority to pray! You are directly affected if you don't. Especially if America does not support Israel.... judgement is upon us. Your prayers matter! Pray BOLD prayers! Pray people into President Obama's life that will change things. 

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PS - If you don't agree with me. I still love you! :) That is ok. Don't feel like you have too.... but boldness, truth & transparency is important. I definitely don't claim to know it all...but, I'm going to tell it how I see it. 

Thanks for reading! :)