When I was young and foolish, I destroyed the ability that God gave me to be a Mother. I suffered tremendously because of my decisions back then, especially as I matured and realized what I had done. I had wanted to be a Mother since I was a young girl. I loved to play with dolls and play that I was a Mother, even from the very early years of my life. To have that taken away from me was devastating, and I grieved over it for a long, long time and still do at times.
But God has a plan for all of His people that does not include grief and sorrow. Instead of the ashes of my barren life, God gave me 5 beautiful children to love and raise. He is a God that loves to restore and bring your life full-circle back to what He intended for you from the beginning. He loves to give you beauty for ashes, and He will when you love Him and seek Him with all your heart.
I love the beauty for ashes verses in the Bible. Isaiah 61 reads like my own personal memoirs from God:
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me”…oh yes, it is! He has given me His Spirit!
“Because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor” …oh yes, He has! I preach whenever I get a chance that God has a better life for you to live, God has a better plan and He will show you that you don’t have to be poor in spirit; you don’t have to grieve over past sin and past hurts your entire life.
“He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” …oh yes, He has! I love to tell people that God is not mad at them! He does not hold sin against you when you are brokenhearted over it yourself! He wants to heal your heart, and heal your spirit. He wants you to come full-circle and back around to what He intended for your life from the start.
“To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” …you see, just as God has a plan for your life from the very beginning, in this fallen world we have an enemy in the devil, and He will do everything he can to steal, kill and destroy the plan of God for you. Sometimes we succumb to the enemy and he gets us all bound up in sin and unable to get free. But God knows how to get us free and He will do it! Once you get free of the enemy’s grasp, you can’t stop telling of the Lord’s freedom! I will never stop telling people that you too can be free! You too can be out of the prison of sin and free from its effects!
“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God” …God said that vengeance belonged to Him alone. God loves to put the devil in his place. I like to think of the big hand of God just smacking the devil away as we repent, love God, praise Him, and thank Him for His loving kindness! When we do this, a miracle occurs; God exacts his vengeance through us, the born again ones, in the form of FAITH. Faith in God destroys the enemy! When you believe God, and you resist the devil – He has to flee!
“To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” …there it is! This is what God will do for all of His people who come to Him heavy laden with sin! As soon as you repent and give your heart to God, He starts bringing your life full-circle back to where He intended you to be. He takes the stick that the devil beat you with and hands it to you so that you can beat the devil back. Your mess becomes your message, your test becomes your testimony! You can’t stop telling about the goodness of God and His restoration of all parts of you; that child that loved to play Mommy, that little boy that loved to preach, that teen-ager who wanted to change the world for Christ…. When the devil comes in like a flood, God raises a standard against him. God’s standard is truth and justice.
“For I, the Lord, love justice” …
There are many out there who are broken-hearted over sin. You have gone down a wrong path and you want desperately to turn around. You can do it today. You can be restored to everything God intended for your from the beginning. You can come full-circle in your life. God can bring you right back to where you need to be. Call out to Him. Come to Him and you will see that His arms are wide open and He is ready and waiting for you. He loves you and He hasn’t changed His mind about you. He will receive you and He will comfort you and restore you. He will give you beauty for ashes, and joy instead of mourning!
Wow. Thank you. So powerful, so needed. Thank you jesus
THIS REALLY BLESSED MY SOUL TODAY!!! IT WAS MEANT FOR ME, FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!!!! THANK YOU WOMEN OF THE MOST HIGH GOD!!! GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR MINISTRY!
Lori, I remember the first time I met you and that was in Phoenix AZ. at First Assembly-Pastor Barnett. I will never forget that day when you stood behind the pulpit at the women’s meeting and gave your testimony. My first response to my dear Christian sister was, I only knew of our friends back north whose daughter had three abortions. That within itself was so difficult for me to
understand [at that time].But the Lord was speaking to my heart that day and I began to weep. The compassion that came over me was so astounding. I remember saying, “God bless here”. Well it’s been how many years? Oh, how the Lord has blessed you Lori. To Him All the Honor & Praise. Who would have ever dreamt that we would once again see each other again? Lori, “thank you” for your obedience to the calling of the Lord and the BLESSINGS you have extended to the women around the world. This is just the beginning of something wonderful the Lord is wanting to do. God Bless You Continually and May His Anointing be intensified in your life. We love you, Jim and family. [FM-FLA]
P.S. “Congratulations” on the ribbon cutting for the women’s home.
God can make a way, when there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see, he will make a way, he will make a way for me……I taught that song during my years as a Sunday school teacher. And I’m still singing it today at 61 years young. Lori you keep on keepin on. Satan knows you are trying to do good and help others restore their lives that is why he is doing his best to STOP you from helping others. He hates Restored Lives. Cause we have a Savior Jesus Christ. Just do your BEST an GOD will do the rest.
We have a God that will Rebuild anything Satan has destroyed and even make it Better.
A Liar and a thief is what Satan is an always will be. But WE serve a God who made the Universe. There will Be many obsticales to overcome…..in Lori’s House. Pray, Pray, Pray. You will over come with Victory an will be singing to God be the Glory.
God Bless You For ALL your hard work,
Always, Brenda Brown. (BB)
Beautifully said Lori! You are an amazing woman of God! Thank you for all that you do! May God Bless and Keep you, and may Lori’s House soon be built! It is going to be a blessing to so many women! The earth has heard from us and God is with us! I have faith that God’s will be done! God Bless
I was forced by my ex-husband to have two abortions, and had a stillborn two years later. I was only 18 years old, and just had a baby by c-section. The stillbirth was a little girl, and I really needed her in my life. I am an only child who came from a very small family, and wanted children so badly. I use to pray as a little girl for GOD to give me siblings, and now have two adult sons. I have twins on both sides of my families, and I wonder they were twins or triplets. I wanted to adopt, but cannot afford it and am now divorced for the past 16 years. My story is worst than Lori’s, because I was able to experience giving birth and being a mom. My ex-husband who came from a huge family had move on, and he is now remarried to a different lady. I was told they have a son, and I continue to suffer every awake moment in my life.
I reside in Florida, and just turn 54 years old. I have not met anybody in the past 16 years, and I am all alone in the world. My parents are gone, and my sons have their own lives.
Please pray for me, because I need healing and get married again. I watch the JIMBAKKER show at night when I am all alone, and learned about Lori’s story. She gave me hope, and strength to go on.
Thank you Lori, and it takes a lot of courage fto
Lori, you are an inspiration! I don’t remember where I found the following definition of Faith in order to thank its author, but I would like to share this with you and your husband: “Faith gives substance to the things we hope for, and Faith provides evidence of the things we do not see. The senses deal with the present and that which is seen, and Faith deals with the future and that which is unseen.” May the Lord bless you and continue to encourage you to be a blessing to others! Love, CeeCee – Sarasota, FL
CeCe…your post is a blessing.. 🙂 ((hugs)) MyMy
Dea Lori, I just love to rread your blogs and oft times, moe than once.
God has truly given you all you need for whatever He has called you for.
I like your description of faith andthis is mine:
F -forgetting
A – all else
I – trust
H – Him
My husband and I have followed Jim for years, and had a stake in PTL, we were able to visit once. We are now 87 and 88 years old and still able to live on our own, but it is not becoming any easier as the dayd and years go by.
We seldom fail to listin to you on Direct Tv,TCT on #377.
God bless you and yours as you continue tio spread the gospel.
Love you – The Fee’s
Dorothy,
It’s good to hear from old friends. Glad you are here, Dorothy!
Hugs,
Lori
God is good Dorothy….He has you still living on your own and even though it is physically alone, we know that He is with you and your husband watching over you and guiding you as you trust in Him. My Dad died this past summer, he was 88 years old and he suffered much before he died. He did, however become a Christian on his deathbed after I had been praying for 33 years…yes 33 years…I requested prayer for him as well during this time. I now have my Mom living with me..she is 86 and cannot be alone,she has many, many problems, she is watching Jim’s show with me each day now and I even took her to a McKamey’s concert in February. I am in Florida. You have such wisdom in your definition of faith…I have been a Christian now for 34 years…it was 34 years in February. I can say with all my heart that TRUST is so important…my life has taken so many twists and turns and there have been so many times in the natural I would think that God was not there..but deep inside , I know that I know He is there and He is working all things for good for me…because I love Him so much…My husband walked out in July and it was mostly because of my stand for Christ…I am trusting in God through each thing that life tosses at me and I can tell from your post that this has been your life …trusting in Him..the author and finisher of our faith..the alpha and omega….thanks for posting your post on Faith…it encouraged me Dorothy….may God bless you abundantly for your faithfulness to Him and your trust in Him…we can never ever go wrong trusting in God…He is so trustworthy…..I am sending you a hug through cyberspace in this blog….we are blessed to be able to see the Jim Bakker Show and the many guests and see the students and watch things grow in the difficult times we live in ….Keep on Keepin’ on Dorothy, I am praying for you…((hugs)) Myrtle (aka MyMy)
Faith
F= fear not for I am with you
A=amazing grace has saved a wretch like me
I=I overcome by the Word of my testimony and the Blood of the Lamb
T=triumphant Christ died for me
H=He is the Lord of Hosts who fights for me