“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 1In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:8-10
Perhaps you or a loved one has suffered a sudden or tragic loss. Questions similar to these crowd our thoughts….
“What if I don’t survive this health crisis?
What were they thinking when they did that?
Can God forgive me?
Why did he/she leave me?
Where do I go from here?
If God is good why did He allow this?
Jesus shared stories like the one above to those who would listen. Like this woman who had lost one of her valuable coins we all go through times when we suffer great loss, disappointment and hopelessness.
In this story of the lost coin Jesus compares this to a lost soul being found. Jesus says, “That the angels rejoice when ONE SINNER repents.”
God is not waiting to catch us in doing wrong, His heart is for us to be found. His love, forgiveness and eternal life is available not only for the abused, broken and hurting, but for even the worst of sinners, those who are abusers, addicts, homeless, and mentally ill. Repentance is about returning to our Creator.
There is not one soul that God does not count as treasure and of great worth.
Jesus came as Immanuel – God is with us! This is what the celebration of Christmas is all about! If He is for us, who can be against us?
When Jesus was still an infant, Mary and Joseph took him to the Temple. Mary was there to make a purification offering as instructed by God’s Law following the birth of each child. As Mary and Joseph walked into the Temple court, an old man named Simeon hurried over, obviously beside himself. Taking Jesus into his arms he began praising God. “Lord, now I can die in peace,” he cried. “For I have seen the Savior you promised to show me. He is the Light that will shine upon the nations, and he will be the glory of your people Israel!”
Simeon and Anna looked down into the face of God…and realized they were looking at the redeemer and deliverer of Israel. They saw the greatest treasure ever given to mankind! God came to earth as a baby and with a plan to redeem mankind!
Repentance
When we realize how much God loves us, that He created us and is alive and wants to build a relationship with us, we can accept His gift of salvation, deliverance and healing with an open heart and mind.
Like Simeon, Anna and many others we will be ready to meet Him and can die in peace and look forward to the restoration of God’s Kingdom and the freedom of living forever. Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and His Kingdom will reign and go on forever.
The crisis, trauma and sorrows of this life are only temporary afflictions and will truly be wiped away, forever when we choose to accept Jesus as our redeemer.
I was traveling along a winding country rode and came across a semi-truck that had missed a curve and run head on into a farmer’s field. The wheels of the cab of the truck was buried in soft sand and he was stuck. I stopped and asked the driver who was sitting on the back of the container if he was ok? He said, yes. He had a cooler with water and some snacks. We were in the middle of nowhere, but he did have a cell phone and told me a wrecker was on the way. I felt like he was Semi-Safe!
We can be traveling along
with a beautiful view
We see the curve ahead
become hypnotized by the journey
We can all get going too fast sometimes especially when we are carrying a heavy load. We feel certain we can make the curve, but the load continues in the direction it is going if we don’t slow down enough for some of the unanticipated curves. Keeping watch for the signs and listening to God’s voice is so important!
We don’t see above
underestimate turns
get caught in areas unfamiliar
or simply try to carry too much!
We get caught in drifts
come upon obstacles in our way
think it’s ok to keep going
or don’t recognize the enemy who is pretty slick sometimes!
This brings me to the message from the Lord I’ve written out in the blog below: Please feel free to share your comments about what the Lord is speaking to you in this hour and to share my blog or newsletter with others who are feeling hopeless or discouraged.
A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3
Searching for God’s Treasures, Marlene
Marlene has been called to go and serve others
wherever God calls her.
She combines teaching, prayer, worship with the prophetic, words of knowledge and wisdom to bring salvation, deliverance & healing to those who are lost, hurting helping each other prepare for ruling and reigning with the MOST HIGH GOD!
After nearly a week with no a/c and limited power, I took ill and found myself laying in my friend’s bed in 95 degree heat wondering, Where is My God? I am so tired, so hot, and so overdone. This hopeless feeling was compounded with guilt from all of the other families who were still without power, and so many with no home, their businesses destroyed,and even some who have lost a loved one(s).
These two devastating storms came on the heels of three other storms that hit in 2017: Hurricane Harvey, Hurricanes Irma, and Maria.
One minute I lay sick, my strength gone not knowing whether or not I could get up out of the bed in the morning to suddenly it seemed as if a minute passed as I woke up bright eyed at 5:00 a.m.. God had answered my prayer to renew my strength and refresh my dry and thirsty soul.
The Hebrew meaning for the name Michael is “Who is like God?”
Who but God can answer questions when we endure hardship, extreme loss and even the death of a loved one? Who BUT GOD can refresh a dry and thirsty soul?
Job responds to losses, sickness and trauma by acknowledging and blessing God.
In one afternoon Job had lost his ten children and all his wealth. Shortly afterward he was afflicted with a horrid skin disease. In both these tragedies he kept his faith and revered the sovereign hand of God. In 1:21 he said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In 2:10 he said, “Shall we receive good at the hand of the God and shall we not receive evil?” He affirmed the absoluteness of God’s control over all things, and he bowed in submission to these heavy blows.
Even though my circumstances had not changed, I was able to thank God for touching my mind, emotions and spirit. I was able to get out of bed and thank Him for His grace and mercy.
Special prayer request:
As of 10/18/2018 the place where I am staying got their power back on! But, unfortunately I have seen devastation like never before and there are many who still have no power, lots of damage and in some cases no place to go until their homes are rebuilt. Please pray for those who have been hit so hard during these storms.
Purple background
Coming in September!
I am still believing the Lord for a place to live, minister and am also working on curriculum and materials for the 2019 Uhuru (Freedom) PowWow to be held in Mwanza, Tanzania next May (2019). I have also been invited to Alaska, the Phillipines and am praying for the Lord’s will and finances. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers and also for me to be established where the Lord would have me, at the right times. I am also looking for meetings to share and minister some of the things the Lord has laid on my heart recently for 2019. May the Lord continue to protect and comfort you now and forever!
You are one of God’s Treasures, Marlene
Marlene has been called to go and serve others
wherever God calls her.
She combines teaching, prayer, worship with the prophetic, words of knowledge and wisdom to bring salvation, deliverance & healing to those who are lost, hurting helping each other prepare for ruling and reigning with the MOST HIGH GOD!
For 24/7 Prayer Text 850-661-6104 or Email: CinderellaReleased@gmail.com
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As you may have read in my newsletter I recently had a dream about zombies. I’ve never had a dream about them, but I’ve met some walking dead, and at times I’ve battled issues that made me look and feel like a dead woman walking horror.
Recently I had a face to face encounter with a young man who claimed to be a Nazi Christian and claiming there is only one true race. This next sentence will be shocking, but not as shocking as looking at this handsome young man, just from the hospital where the night before had been in a fight and had half of his ear bit off. This was a violent battle between two men both whom were given life by a loving creator.
He was standing outside of McDonalds and was using profanity and apologized to me as I walked by. He asked me if I was a Christian and when our conversation turned away from the bitterness and hatred of his belief to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; he began to curse and tell me to get out of his face.
For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost; but for us who are being saved it is God’s power. I Corinthians 1:18 (GNV)
As I looked at this young man and the black butterfly stitches that outlined his half chewed off ear, I thought about the night Jesus was arrested and how His disciple Peter violently took his sword and cut off Malchus’ ear. He was the slave of the high priest. (Read John 18 for the entire story.)
Jesus bent down without a word and picked it up and reattached it. Wow what a miracle!
I feel certain this slave and the others who witnessed this miracle were astounded! This miracle performed by Jesus still wasn’t enough to convince the high priest and others that Jesus was who He said He was.
Jesus was about to demonstrate several other miracles. He started with never opening his mouth to defend himself, was beaten nearly to death, forced to carry his own cross, and was crucified, verified dead and buried. From there He descended into hades, and then rose from the dead, and was seen by many walking, talking and eating. He then ascended into heaven and is now waiting for whosoever will accept Him and become His disciple. It is said that His disciples are known not by their titles, positions of power, race, gender or intellectual ability, but by their love.
As a follower of Jesus, we are to be the “alternative community,” one who rearranges our way of life for others, who learn of His ways, follow His path, eat, pray and serve together, giving away what we are able to help each other. One of our missions here on earth is so outsiders may look at us and say, “We know they are disciples of Jesus because of their love.”
I wish this young man I had met had been open for me to share more, and to allow me to pray for him. His anger and bitterness overcame his desire to be healed for eternity. Even so, I pray he and his companion would come to know the saving, healing, and delivering love of Jesus. I pray this tormented young man sensed Christ’s love in me.
P.S. If you would like to have a mailed copy of my newsletter please let me know by emailing me at CinderellaReleased@gmail.com or if you would like my E-news or newsletter by text, please email me your email or phone number.
Searching for God’s Treasures, Marlene
Marlene has been called to go and serve others
wherever God calls her.
She combines teaching, prayer, worship with the prophetic, words of knowledge and wisdom to bring salvation, deliverance & healing to those who are lost, hurting helping each other prepare for ruling and reigning with the MOST HIGH GOD!
For 24/7 Prayer Text 850-661-6104 or Email: CinderellaReleased@gmail.com
“And which of you that is a father shall his son ask for a loaf of bread, and the father gives him a stone? or a fish, and he gives him a serpent?” Luke 11:11
Our heavenly father wants to reveal His nature as a good father. Maybe we didn’t have the best fathers, or husbands or even spiritual leaders. But, I know God wants to present good things to us.
I remember my son Colt when he was about to graduate his second year of college, wanted to go backpacking in Europe over the summer. My immediate thought was, “No, I can’t provide, I’m a single mom and I’ll be worried about him.”
“What if something happened and I couldn’t get him back home?”
So, in my insecurity as a single mom my response was to blame shift and I said, “How are you going to get to Europe, you can’t even keep your room cleaned? Have you prayed about this?” His response, “So if I clean my room can I go to Europe?” I was waiting for him to add, “Where God guides He provides!” But the sweet son that he is, he didn’t add that in there!
“Now that is a negotiator for you!” Colt should and could have been a hostage negotiator with the government.”
“What was I to say?”
So, like any good mother (thinking he would never do it), said, “Sure, If you clean your room and keep it cleaned you can go to Europe this summer providing you have the money.” Feeling very smug and safe that not only he wouldn’t keep his room cleaned, he didn’t have a job, so he would never be able to raise enough money in time.
So like any good mother who wanted her son to accomplish his dreams, I put a sign up on his bedroom door reminding him of his passion to go to Europe. It read,
IF YOU CLEAN YOUR ROOM YOU CAN GO TO EUROPE.
Now anyone that knows my son, Colt knows he is extremely brilliant, a very good negotiator and would have every detail of this trip planned out in his mind. But, he is also a procrastinator! He has a very dry but sense of humor that is simply amazing. Unlike his younger brother Maverick, you rarely see him belly laughing. He can tell the funniest joke with a straight face that makes it even funnier….
One afternoon I pull up to my house beside him and was overcome with laughter because of his laughter and inability to get out of his car. He was belly laughing so hard. It almost scared me because I thought he might be intoxicated or something of the same nature.
Instead, he gets out of his car and asked me, “Did you call my logic professor at school?” I stopped laughing and said, “No, I don’t even know who he is. Why?”
He then began to tell me probably the funniest but most awesome presentation my son ever had to do in college. Colt went on to say, “We had a pop quiz today, and everyone had to draw out a slip of paper and argue why or why not their statement was a logical statement. I looked and felt like an idiot when I had to argue why my statement was logical.” “Why was that?, I replied. My statement was, “If you clean your room, you can go to Europe.”
Honestly, I felt like I was in a dream. I knew at that moment God was speaking to my son.
“Colt, I would say this is a confirmation that God wants you to go to Europe.”
Luke 2:49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house.”
I think this was the moment I realized my son was no longer a little child, a toddler, a teen but he had reached manhood. The words Jesus spoke to his mother and father when they turned back after realizing Jesus had stayed back in the temple teaching at the age of twelve flooded my soul. Later it was not only a test of Colt’s faith, but sorely mine, when I put my son on a plane to Europe with only $35 in his pocket. But God provided for him every step of that journey. I was a nervous wreck, but I knew God was preparing and presenting my son for his purpose and calling here on this earth.
Maybe you are a single mom, maybe it looks like you don’t have anything, and trusting others is difficult and there are days when you don’t know where, when or how you will survive, but I say this is a lie from the pit of hell. If you belong to Jesus, then you have resources at your fingertips. And even if you don’t know Jesus, you can still ask God for His help, and I believe He will help you.
My idea of what we are to “look like” as Christians has changed so dramatically over the years. Each one of my four biological sons and many spiritual sons and daughters are in different places, different cultures and different stages of their walks with our Heavenly Father. I have to believe God is allowing and planning things for them that will draw them closer to Him. As their mom, I believe my job now is just loving and praying for God’s best for each one of them!
It’s another life’s lesson on letting go and letting God do the work in them. I love my sons and I love what the Lord is doing in my life and in theirs.
Searching for God’s Treasures, Marlene
Marlene has been called to go and serve others
wherever God calls her.
She combines teaching, prayer, worship with the prophetic, words of knowledge and wisdom to bring salvation, deliverance & healing to those who are lost, hurting helping each other prepare for ruling and reigning with the MOST HIGH GOD!
For 24/7 Prayer Text 850-661-6104 or Email: CinderellaReleased@gmail.com
I was recently traveling and had just pulled into a McDonalds to take a bathroom break. I had been praying and listening to the radio all morning. During this past season I’ve been alone a lot except for when I’m doing ministry or helping someone in crisis or trauma. I also love being a road warrior because it is during these times that God gives me nuggets to chew on and even whole chapters of my book I’m writing.
There are times more often than not recently that I desperately miss and cherish the family and friends that are so important to me. So I drive along and pray for those that I can’t see, touch or feel. It is in these times I also realize how important I am to my heavenly Father and that He does miss me when I get too busy or neglect my time with Him.
I know there are things the Lord wants me to do, but more so He wants me to be honest with Him and with myself. This discipline really takes me getting into a quiet place and trusting Him. In order to increase my faith, He has been stretching me it seems like in every area of my life!
The Lord has ALWAYS come through and has ALWAYS been faithful. The older and grayer I get my weak knees grow weary on waiting and then that devil of fear and anxiousness try to drown out God’s voice. It just so happened that Adrian Rogers was teaching on one of my favorite scriptures.
We Will Be Saved Out of This World
1 Peter 1:7-9 says, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
He spoke on God’s refining fire and how everything in us will be tested at times. I know from experience when I feel anxious, useless, unproductive, and lonely that seems to be the exact time God allows Satan to test my faith.
“Lord let me be content not doing or seeing anything.” I then heard Him speak softly to my spirit, You don’t have to do anything for my favor or love, just be with Me and follow Me. I love you. Rest… I’ve arrested you!
Right after I came out out of the bathroom and was just pulling out of McDonalds, I looked down and my phone was ringing. Now I happen to have an app on my phone that tells callers that I can’t answer because I am in my car driving. I was surprised at it ringing.
At first glance it was an unknown number and I honestly thought it must be another solicitor trying to sell me an auto warranty. Mind you I have over 230,000 miles on my car and the only warranty is the one My heavenly Father provides! Recently this even got tested when several “alert” lights came on! But, need I say, even whenever I get arrested by the warning lights; God is and always will be my provider.
I looked again and saw the name Lemoine, and pulled back into the parking space at Mcdonalds. Beverly is another minister I had met two years earlier at our fellowship conference. She lives and works in Mississippi and has an outreach ministry named Come As You Are. The first thing she said, “Marlene this is Beverly Lemoine, do you remember me? Your name and face came across my mind like one of those electronic signs! How would you like to go to Tanzania with me next year and help with an international women’s conference?”
I think I was just arrested!
So, the exciting news is we will be doing a Freedom PowWow and will be ministering next May 2019 for three weeks to women and pastor’s wives in Tanzania Africa.
I will be sending out more details as they come in but I am asking for help in making this conference great for these women! We are writing a five-day curriculum and already have 200 New Testaments donated that are in Swahili.
In the meantime I’m being led to find a place to study, pray and write. I have a couple of places in mind, but I’m waiting on the Lord to open up the perfect place. Please pray and agree with me that I will wait patiently!
Please consider Cinderella Released in your end of the year giving plan or perhaps your budget for 2019. I so appreciate your prayers, your financial support and partnership! We are working together in the harvest!
Marlene has been called to go and serve others
wherever God calls her.
She combines teaching, prayer, worship with the prophetic, words of knowledge and wisdom to bring salvation, deliverance & healing to those who are lost, hurting helping each other prepare for ruling and reigning with the MOST HIGH GOD!
The photo above is a tomato that has been sitting out on the counter for at minimum 3+ weeks.. I don’t know how long it was in the store… Fresh Produce?? Nutritious?? Rotten Tomato or Not?? Just saying???
When I was growing up my folks made me pick through tomatoes daily because they would begin to rot so fast. They would keep boxes of green and ripening tomatoes in a cooler set at a special temperature to keep them from going bad.
Vine ripe tomatoes are special in the fact that they are picked off the vine when they are ripe. They should never be put through any wash or gasing to preserve them because this process will tear them up and with all of the talk today about healthy eating and what gasing and preservatives do to our bodies, I try to only buy fresh fruit and produce that have been spared this process.
So it is with our spiritual life. Not everything or everyone that looks good on the outside means they are healthy or nutritious on the inside.
Many times I’m so tempted to only let others see the “pretty” side of me and would be horrified to let some of the hidden secrets that are on my inside be revealed or digested by others. At times like this I retreat, isolate or just wind up sitting on a shelf or counter kind’ve like the tomato.
But, as a Christian I know God will help me using circumstances or others sort through my rotteness. If I am willing to allow Him to set me free, He delivers me from the pain and effects that these hidden sins have on me, and gently washes me. God is always faithful to help me ripen and mature just like those vine ripe tomatoes that I love so much!
Searching for God’s Treasures, Marlene
Marlene has been called to go and serve others
wherever God calls her.
She combines teaching, prayer, worship with the prophetic, words of knowledge and wisdom to bring salvation, deliverance & healing to those who are lost, hurting helping each other prepare for ruling and reigning with the MOST HIGH GOD!
