But First She Prayed

“When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. 

And if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:15

These are the very courageous words of the Queen of Persia, Esther, as she prepared to approach a very young, inexperienced and emotional King Xerxes to plead with him to stop the TOTAL annihilation of the Jewish people. If the king was in a bad mood that day, he could have her killed instantly, even though she was Queen, and more importantly, his bride. What courage this must have taken, what a magnificent statement of faith Queen Esther displayed as she unselfishly prepared to sacrifice her life for her people.

Do you know that the Name of God is NOT mentioned anywhere in the story of Esther in the Bible, yet we see such magnificent evidence of HIS Hand all over the story. And the greatest evidence that we see of His mercy and grace in Esther, the absolute beauty of what we call “Reversal of Destiny”.

 

In Esther, we are given a close up look at the ongoing struggle of satan against the purposes of God and especially against His promised Messiah. The birth of Christ into the human race was totally dependent upon the existence of the Jewish race. Just as Haman plotted against the Jews in order to destroy them, so has satan set himself against Christ and God’s people. Just as Haman is defeated on the gallows he built for Mordecai, so does Christ use the very weapon that his enemy devised to destroy Him and His spiritual seed. For the cross, by which satan planned to destroy the Messiah, was the very means through which Christ “having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” Colossians 2:14-15

Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, 

so the devil was crushed by the cross he erected to destroy Christ.

Esther proved to have a godly and very humble spirit that also showed great strength and willing obedience. Esther’s humility was very different from those around her, 

and this caused her to be elevated into the position of queen.

Woman everywhere would do well to emulate her godly attitudes in all areas of life, but especially in trials. Not once is there a complaint or bad attitude exposed in the Book of Esther. Many times we read she won the "favor" of those around her. This “favor” is what ultimately saved her people. We can be given such favor as we accept even unfair persecution and follow Esther’s example of maintaining a positive attitude, coupled with humility and the determination to lean on and fully trust in God.

So, in closing, it does not matter whether in prison or the free world, Jew or Gentile, white or black, rich or poor. We are all placed here to show love, grace, mercy, humility and unselfishness to ALL people, regardless of our circumstance, regardless of the cost!

Who knows but maybe God has placed YOU in such a position, for just such a time as this?

Happy Mother's Day 2017

A short but full of Love post to say....

"Happy Mother's Day" to all YOU beautiful Mom's. 

May your day be filled with nothing but sweet times. 

Sending lots of Love and comfort to those who will be

without their Mom's for the first time this holiday, 

I know how you feel. 

Happy Mother's Day to first time Mommies 

may you experience nothing but 

joy with your new bundle of joy.

Mom's,  your kids are out there, but keep standing on His promise, 
they will be back. 
May your day be filled with Hope. 

God Bless all Mom's and may God Bless you in your lying down, rising up, going out, coming in and make all your plans succeed with great peace and joy. 

Much Love,

Trachena

True Friends

Be careful who you surround yourself with! 

True friends are always seeking your good, while false friends merely seek good from you.

"Wounds from a sincere friend are better 

than many kisses from an enemy"

(Proverbs 27:6 NLT)

The Vine

Many of you reading this post today are getting out of prison soon and stepping into a new season of your life. I am excited for every single one of you! I love you affectionately! And I love you enough to share some truth and wisdom with you of what I've experienced in the last 8 years in prison ministry. 
First, let me say WITH GOD all things are possible!

1. Put God first in everything you do. If HE is truly at the center then everything will come together. Live for Him first and seek Him in all you do. (Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your own understanding, but in ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path)

2. Some of you getting out shouldn't go back to your families home. If you've made Christ the love of your life, your first Love in prison, getting out and going to an environment that doesn't share the same Love for Him will corrupt you. (1 Corth 15:33 Bad company corrupts good character) Seek out a Christian transitional home, if you need help we can research some for you. I've seen time and time again girls getting out and going back to the homes of family and slipping right back into a ungodly lifestyle.

3. Jesus is your Love. Let Him guide you into healthy Godly relationships. A man will not save you. Do not look for a man to rescue you. Your worth is found in Him alone. Take time to get to know the new free world you've walked into rather than running to the arms of a man. I've seen many get out and fall from a broken heart of promises of a man. Wait on God. True Love waits. 

4. Plug into Godly friendships, your old friends, old places will do nothing for you but get you in trouble. Join a church within the first week of getting out so you can develop relationships that seek to know Him. You are always welcomed to call or text me anytime for prayer or just to talk. I have many that do this. 

5. A job-some of you are highly motivated to get a job into awesome careers. But be wise, it will only be with God that you will be able to do this. Depending on your record you may not get many jobs you hoped for, know this in advance. One girl got out and wanted to be a nurse and the state boards of nursing wouldn't allow her with her record. If you want to work with children, teens, young adults and have a serious record perhaps you should consider another field of work. However if God wants you in this particular sector He will open the doors, but it can only come from His favor. Please know this before getting out, this particular girl was heart broken. 

These are just a few things I've watched unfold and hope it helps you make healthy decisions before and after you get out. And remember this scripture..
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing".  John 15:5

Stay connected with Him no matter what!

Love you so much!
Trachena

You Are VALUABLE

You Are VALUABLE

You Are SPECIAL

You MATTER

Just because someone can't see your worth, doesn't mean you are not valuable. 

You are valuable to God.

Psalm 139

1-You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.

2-You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3-You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4-Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

5-You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

6-Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7-Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8-If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9-If I rise on wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10-even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11-If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"

12-even the darkness will not be dark to you; 

the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13-For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14-I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15-My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16-Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were 

written in your book before one of them came to be.

17-How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

18-Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand-

when I awake, I am still with you.

19-If only you, God would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!

20-They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21-Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

22-I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23-Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24-See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

You Are Incredibly Made by The Maker of Heaven And Earth.

Rejoice!

You Are Beautifully Unique And Bountifully Loved. 

"Love Never Fails"

Love Never Fails

1 Corinthians 13:8

My favorite scripture, because in my life God has shown me over and over through His Love for me that Love Never fails. I had to choose to receive His Love. I need to be filled with His Love contunually. I receive that Love through a love relationship I have with Him. It's a journey of Love. He then turns what He poured into me and somehow pours out that Love into the lives He places along my path. It's truly incredible. His Love is relentless and because it never fails, with His help we can all Love from a place of Our Father. I'm still a work in progress, but I believe with everything in me that Love never fails. I also believe 

He will never called us to do something He doesn't equip us to do. 

He calls us to Love.

Below is a 1 Corinthians 13:3-8 in the messages version, I love it. I hope you will too. As you read each verse, ask God to help you Love like He loves.

“If I give everything I own to the poor 

and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, 

but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. 

So, no matter what I say, 

what I believe, 

and what I do, 

I’m bankrupt without love. 

Love never gives up. 

Love cares more for others than for self. 

Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. 

Love doesn’t strut, 

Doesn’t have a swelled head, 

Doesn’t force itself on others, 

Isn’t always “me first,” 

Doesn’t fly off the handle, 

Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, 

Doesn’t revel when others grovel, 

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 

Puts up with anything, 

Trusts God always, 

Always looks for the best, 

Never looks back, 

But keeps going to the end.” 

Love never dies.

1 Corinthians 13:3-8

True Love

Written by: Cenia Means Masterson

While most people today would define love as a feeling, Jesus Christ defines it quite differently. 

Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: 

Jesus defines love for Him as obedience to Him. We may say that we love Jesus, but our lifestyle will reveal whether our love is really true or not. True love is the perfect love that motivated Jesus to surrender His back to the beating and His life to the cross for us. 

Joh 15:13-14 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
He asks nothing more and deserves nothing less than our love in return, but the love He asks for, the love He is worthy of, isn’t just lip service. It is life service. 

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Will we deny the passions and pleasures of sin for a season to live a life of obedience and full devotion to Him or do we love self more than Jesus? Jesus asked Simon Peter a simple question that we, who claim to love Him, should ask ourselves as well.

John 21:16 Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?
Do we?

Brokenness by James MacDonald

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17, ESV).

Before a horse can be useful to its owner, it has to be broken. An unbroken stallion is proud and strong. It will paw and snort and let no one ride it. But then a bit goes in its mouth, a saddle goes on its back, and someone climbs up and hangs on. The stallion immediately starts to buck, because it doesn’t want to be broken—but eventually it stops fighting and surrenders to the will of its master.

Sometimes we have that same stubborn, rebellious, self-sufficient spirit within us, and God often breaks those attitudes because they keep us from experiencing true intimacy with Him. 

Have you ever been broken? Brokenness is empty-handedness before God. It makes no demands. It is falling into the embrace of your loving Father and finding Him to be enough. It says not only “God, I need You,” but “God, You are all I need.”

What are some of the things God breaks? Here are some of the big ones:

Stubbornness. “I am going to do this my way.” If you are one of God’s children, that attitude is on its way out. You can fight with Him for a long time if you want, but your stubbornness will eventually be broken.

Pride. “I know better; I am better.” God hates pride in the hearts of His children. He hates it in my heart; He hates it in yours. People who have been greatly used by God have come to grips with the need to dispense with all pride and to humble themselves.

Willfulness. “You can’t make me! You can’t tell me! I’ll do what I want, when I want.” That’s willfulness, and it is also on its way out. God will use whatever He has to use to remove it from your heart and life.

Independence. “I can make it without You.” Nothing will inhibit your intimacy with the Father like an attitude of self-sufficiency. Recognize your weakness and rely on His strength.

God will use broken health, careers, dreams, relationships, promises, and hearts to rid our lives of the things that hinder intimacy with Him. Some say a loving God wouldn’t allow pain, but God’s love is not a pampering love; it’s a perfecting love. God is producing something in us—the likeness of His Son—and He is going to do whatever it takes to make that happen. You might want to get off the program, but any other path will lead you to a place you don’t want to be. 

You will never experience true intimacy with God until you are able to come before Him in genuine humility, utterly desperate for Him. You need to be broken. 

JOURNAL

• Describe a time in your life when you’ve experienced true brokenness before the Lord. What brought it about, and what resulted from it?
• What are some areas of your life you need to loosen your grip on and surrender to God now?

PRAY

Lord, I confess that I am naturally proud, stubborn, willful, and prone to believe I’m self-sufficient. I confess that I resist the thought of being broken, but I believe that, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Please help me to let go and allow You to have Your way in my life. Thank You that the more I surrender to You, the more intimacy I can have with You. God, you are all I need. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Orphans and Widows

Happy Blessed New Year 2016!!

We pray that this year will bring you abundant blessings and that you will prosper. 

May mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. 

We wanted to start the New Year off by asking for prayer for our ministries. As most of you know Surrender40 reaches out to the poor, the sick and prisoners. 

Pink Love was created to reach girls everywhere in Love through a writing ministry that currently and mainly focuses on reaching those girls in prisons. 

The last several months God has been tugging on our hearts to begin reaching out to orphans and widows. We are in deep prayer about this. We are thinking about restructuring Pink Love Ministries to embrace these additional outreaches. We even thought about adding a new name ministry to our current ministries.  

Any ideas would be a blessing.

Please pray for us. 

We want to be in the center of God's will. 

Pray for doors to be open and God to make the light shine on direction. 

Thank you for your support, love and prayers. 

James 1:27

Pure and Genuine Religion in the sight of God The Father means caring for Orphans and Widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Performance Love

So recently I was hurt by someone I love. We all have been there right? Well regardless of the pain, I pressed on in God's Love and sent her and her family a Christmas card. Many days later I got a text message back saying; thank you I wasn't expecting nothing. I pondered that reply. And this is what God showed me. 

When I was a child and even when I was officially grown (by age that is) my parents had expectations on me. It was to get good grades on my report card, kept my room clean, be nice to my sister and others. I mean these weren't out of the norm expectations right? Most parents want their kids to excel right? But what happened when I didn't live up to these expectations or perform up to their standards? Well usually I either got yelled at, the belt or put on punishment and sometimes all of the above. But when I brought home the report card with all A's and 1 B, my room was sparkly clean and I was nice to my sister and others I was rewarded-rightfully so right? So I developed a "Performance Love" meaning when I did good I was rewarded and loved and when I didn't 

I was punished and not shown love. 

Back to the person who hurt me-she obviously was raised the same way-what she thought her performance deserved. It hurt my heart that she thought I only loved her when she was acting a certain way. And that she really didn't know that I loved her no matter what-unconditionally.  I don't blame her. I understand how she would think that based in how I was raised and maybe you too?

God's Love (Agape Love) unconditional selfless, self-giving and sacrificial love. 

Do you have that for others?

When we really love others (God's Love) there is no expectations on that person. We want the best for them, but if they fail to live up to that we don't withhold love. We don't gossip about them. We actually cover them-Love covers. 

This also needs to be applied for those that clearly show in actions and in truth that they don't love you. If you truly love someone, just because they don't love you back shouldn't stop you from loving them. If you stop loving them back because of there lack of love in return then your love for them 

is conditional or a type of performance love. 

Let's Love Like Jesus-Not in a Performance type Love-Let others know with God's help you will Love them unconditionally and no matter what-

God is crazy about you! He loves you no matter what! 

His Love is relentless-

Let's put on His Love to Love others

and take off any conditional or performance type Love.