From the Heart

It's Our Desire

7/26/2018

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (KJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

It has been a very busy and exciting week here in the office at New Desire Christian Ministries. I had actually posted the wrong start date for our new office administrator April Cowan. Her start date was actually this past Monday. She has been hard at work all week with organizing and getting the entire ministry back into top shape.

It has been a blessing to work with April all week. I never dreamed working with my niece (Debra’s daughter) would be so refreshing and effective. She is a perfectionist and very OCD much like her aunt Brenda. We have laughed at each other all week over how similar we are in so many ways. We definitely decided that God has a sense of humor. Putting the two of us together in the same office could be dangerous for poor Dan and Colton.

I want to encourage all of you to continue watching the UPDATED WEB SITE. New and exciting changes are taking place daily in New Desire. Our desire is to keep you all informed and a part of what is taking place.

God just keeps opening doors of opportunity for the ministry to share the Gospel both here and in Honduras. Example; Dan and I had been praying about making one change in the ministry and as God revealed to us His mind and will on the matter, we stepped into obedience and He sent us 5 bookings that very day. He also took care of a personal debt for us on that very day. This ministry is living in the promise of Jeremiah. We are humbled as we live in this promise of His Word. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11-13‬ ‭KJV‬‬.

We have learned by obeying the voice of God and trusting in Him alone that He will fulfill His plan and provide the provisions we need to continue to spread the Gospel.

Please feel free to call the office and share with us your prayer request,your praise reports and to book us for your event. April will be more than glad to answer all your questions and get your event on the schedule.

Our greatest desire and passions are to speak and teach and Dan preach as God uses our music to set the stage for ministering. We desire to do marriage/ family services, as well as men and womens conferences, revivals and small group studies. We desire to teach the importance of missions and how to be an effective part in missions. There are ways you can help even if you cannot go.

The world and the Church needs to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and be given hope in their hopeless times.

Please know that all of New Desire loves you and cares about you. We know God is the same in your life that He is in ours. He wants to love and provide for you. He wants to show Himself real in all areas of your life. He knows the thoughts and plans He has for you. He is waiting to reveal them to you.

I love you all and I Just Love Jesus.
Brenda

0 Comments

A Day of Sabbatical - God Cares About the Little Things

7/17/2018

0 Comments

I awoke early this morning. God was on my mind and dealing with my heart. I lay in bed for about an hour and played my Christian music from my phone. I prayed and rested in His presence and it was a glorious time. It didn't seem to wake or bother Dan in the least.

It seems impossible for me to go to bed without Jesus as my main thought and to wake up with Him as my main thought. Just the mere thought of living in His Presence consumes me. Just the mere thought that I always have His attention is beyond humbling.

Isaiah 26 3-4 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:”

I can't wait to see what this day holds for me and Dan as we continue to rest in The Lord and in one another. This cup of coffee is great and toasty as this morning is a wee bit chilly.

Well the mid morning walk that I decided to take was so peaceful and relaxing. Since my heart surgery I haven't had the energy to go on walks or to even walk to the bathroom without feeling exhausted. Today Tori and I had a thirty minute average pace walk. At the end of our task I was less than 100 feet from the condo building and I stepped up onto the sidewalk only to stumble and fall. The fall was bad. I busted up my left knee, my right shoulder and my right cheek bone. Thank God for a couple who came to my rescue. They were so kind to help me and to calm Tori. My sweet Dan just held and pampered me when I walked in the room and he saw the damage. He felt so bad for not going with me. I just really needed to take that walk alone this morning. My wounds will heal.

After the fall Dan drove me to Walgreens to get bandages and suave to cleanse and medicate the wounds. From there we went to Tanger Outlet and bought Dan two pair of shoes. Then to our traditional Cracker Barrel for pintos and roast beef.

We laughed at lunch over my fall, then we laughed at Tori on a leash (that she has never had to be on) we laughed in the elevator about Dan taking her to potty and she almost got caught outside the elevator while he had the leash on her and he was in the elevator, with leash in hand. He said he could just see her going down with her body smeared to the outside of the elevator doors. We have enjoyed our silly moments and especially our laughter and conversations. God has been so present in our smallest of details.

I just returned from taking Tori for a potty trip. I realized that I don't even get to do this at home. I realized how much I enjoyed doing it. It gets me outside and I walk. That's good for my health. It is 8:26 and I just called and talked to my godson Will Spears. I love that young man so much. I heard he had the flu so I just needed to hear his voice and to thank him for his hard work at the conference. He is so loving and helpful and such a great part on New Desire Ministries. I'm thankful for this sabbatical time that I could have time to personally thank him via phone not a text.

I can honestly say that I am totally relaxed and stress free. It's been years since I have been in this condition, if ever. Thank you Lord for this time. The evening sunset was gorgeous as usual.

0 Comments

In His Time

4/10/2017

0 Comments

Job 23:10 "But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."
These are the words of righteous Job. Faced with a life of total loss and adversity, Job still held to God's unchanging hand. I'm sure in his time of trouble it was hard for Job to make such a statement as we found in our Scripture text. The power behind such words, the source of his patience and endurance, was his faith and trust in God.
Job's flesh was just as weak as yours and mine. He was confused and down on himself and tired of the battel and the false accusations of those who were supposed to be his friends. He was a man full of sorrow with a mind full of questions. Job sought the Lord for answers and searched himself for sin and disobedience. He professed to be nothing more than a man of bitter complaint and full of trouble.
Job knew that only God could save him from the trenches of life. He was a man who feared God, and this manifested his knowledge and wisdom of God. Job 28:28 says, "And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom: and to depart from evil is understanding."
Friend, does your life reflect these same symptoms? Do you find yourself in the midst of uncontrollable circumstances? Are you questioning God's purpose and your position with Him? Are you wondering where God is in your circumstances? Are you wondering what happened to the good old days, when your life was trouble free and joyous? Do you feel in your heart that you will come forth as gold?
God knows the way you take, just as He knew the ways Job took. From my heart to yours I encourage you: Trust Him in your circumstances, and know you will come forth as gold.

I Just Love Jesus,
Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

0 Comments

Enduring Forever

9/21/2016

2 Comments

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

Psalm 19:9, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

I have had so many people to ask me, “What is wrong with Christians today?” They say, “My husband was so on fire for God, and I don’t know what happened.” “My daughter was so active as a Christian, but now she is out in the world on drugs.” “My pastor was found in adultery.” The list could go on.

The only answer I can give them is this: they have lost the fear of The Lord. Satan and their flesh is seeking for bigger, better, more. They contaminate their intimacy with Christ by going their own way. It is a way and path that leads to destruction. They are not enduring through their test.

The fear of the Lord should always be at the forefront of every thought, action and decision of our lives. Where there is no fear of God, there will always be wrong thinking, detrimental decisions, and broken, shattered testimonies. The Scripture says, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” The word ‘fear’ implies literal fear, a moral and spiritual reverence. If we possess this we will endure forever.

People, we as Christians have conformed so much to the world’s standards that we have lost the most important asset that a Christian can possess. The fear of the Lord!!! It is clean (pure and fair). It keeps us accountable as we heed to the conviction that it brings forth our lives. It keeps us on the straight and narrow when our flesh wants to act upon its lust. The fear of the Lord keeps us ever-mindful of His mercies and how new they are every morning.

From my heart to yours, I want to encourage you to fear the Lord. Remember, a Father chastens those He loves. If we fear Him then He will give us the strength to endure forever, regardless of what comes your way.

I Just Love Jesus,

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

2 Comments

God Is With Thee

9/8/2016

0 Comments

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

Joshua 1:9, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

A few weeks back it seemed that everything that could go wrong did and even the “tamper proof” part of my life was hacked into. Every satanic attack that could come against Dan and I and the ministry did come. We kept it in prayer as we sought direction from the Lord.

In leadership the first thing we do it start praying, seeking Scripture, and examining our lives to see if we are under attack or being chastened. As God begins to reveal things to us we act on it. We always want to be in righteousness but we are not perfect and we wrestle with this flesh daily. Sometimes it takes not only the Word of God, but it takes other from the family of God to verify within our hearts that God is for us and with us.

God used someone who we have not heard from in over a year to confirm that we were and still are under enemy attack. A pastor friend of ours called my phone and quoted Joshua 1:9.

People, God knows exactly what we need and the exact time to send it to us. As I shared this voice message with Dan, we both wept and a peace filled the room and our hearts. We knew from this pastor’s obedience that God was with us. Thank you, Pastor Swanger, for your obedience to the voice of God and to the ministry of the saints.

From my heart to yours, I ask that we all be more mindful of the struggles of others. I ask that we listen to the nudging of God as He lays people on our hearts to pray for, minister to, and comfort. This pastor took time out of his busy day to call someone he had not seen or spoken to in over a year. That, my friend, is someone who listens to the nudging of God.

The Scripture says, “…be strong, of good courage, be not afraid, be not dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee.” Our strength was gone, we had lost our courage, we were afraid, and dismayed, so much so that we failed to remember that God is always with us. Wherever we go, whatever we face, the same God that is with us is the God that is with you.

Because of one man’s obedience and the promise of Joshua 1:9, we are restore with hope, strength, and courage, fearlessly serving with God guiding us. From my heart, I hope you know that God is with thee.

I Just Love Jesus,
Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

0 Comments

If I Just Didn't

4/5/2016

1 Comment

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

New Desire has been operating in ministry for approximately 23 years now. There have been seasons of fall harvest, desert storms, wintry darkness, spring delight and summer rest. There have been battles, tribulation, and persecution, but most of all, blessed assurance that God is always with us regardless of the season.

There have been times throughout the years, however, that as a leader I have often thought, due to fear and attacks from the enemy, that if I just didn’t have this responsibility or that obligation that I would just walk away from full time evangelism and settle down to work in my home church.

Many times I have let my fears drive me, my responsibilities discourage me, and my expectations devastate me. But, have you noticed how many “me’s” I have put into this confession session? Every time I opened the Word of God, expecting the Lord to free me of His will for my life, He would say to me these three things: Be steadfast…be unmovable…always abounding in the work of the Lord.

I would always think to myself, “If I just didn’t have this…” or “If this wasn’t going on…” I would just quit! Satan wanted me to think that I was of none effect. As a leader, I was beginning to believe that I was a failure. But for every time I have thought this, right in the midst of my thinking, (There’s the ‘my’ again), God has always shown up in a way that His will for my life in this ministry could not be denied.

So my friends, from my heart, if your thinking, “If I just didn’t have this…” I challenge you to open the Word of God and let Him counteract your mind battle with the truth of His Word. I want to praise Him that His thoughts and plans for my life are greater than my thoughts and plans. I have a Godly sorrow that I would allow myself and Satan room to deter what God has in store for my life. I promise to God and all of you that I will be steadfast…unmovable…always abounding in the work of the Lord.

Thank you, Lord, for always transforming my mind and protecting me from the fiery darts of the enemy. I love you, Jesus, and I love your name.

I Just Love Jesus,

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

1 Comment

Bridging The Gap

3/2/2016

1 Comment

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

1 Peter 1:13-15, “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;”

In the final article of this series, I would like to remind us of what we have learned.

We know that the eighteen-inch gap is the distance from the brain to the heart. We have learned that we bridge the gap with lies or truth.

Truth bridges the gap and produces righteousness. We have also learned from part 2 that bridging the gap is based on our free will. If we are swaying between the lust of the flesh and the battle of the mind, then there is no way that we can bridge the gap between righteousness and unrighteousness. We learned in part one that this bridge can only be built by one thing: The Word of God. It is alive, and Christ dwells in it. His Spirit rightly divides it for you, and you are the one who decides to use it as a bridge or reject it as a plague.

Based on 1 Peter 1:13-15, we are given complete instructions on what it takes to bridge that eighteen-inch gap between the flesh and the Spirit. In verse 13, we are instructed to gird up the loins of our minds, to be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. The word “gird” in this verse implies that we are to daily refresh our minds. Peter actually gives us five principles of bridging the gap and refreshing our minds daily is one. The second is to be sober, which means to keep your mind under self control on a daily basis. The third is to hope to the end. If we place our hope in Jesus Christ, I can promise you that you will be bridging the gap. Jesus Christ is the bridge. This leads us to the fourth principle found in verse 14 that tells us to become obedient children, not fashioning ourselves to former lusts. We have to be obedient to the Word of God and remember to be not only hearers but doers of the Word of God. The most important principle is found in verse five, where he exhorts us to be holy in all manner of living. Becoming holy is a daily process. All five of these principles require us to examine ourselves on a daily basis to make sure that we haven’t caused any gaps in the bridge of our relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

From my heart to yours, I pray that you have enjoyed this four-part series. My prayer for you is that you will be holy as He is holy.

I Just Love Jesus,

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

1 Comment

The Eighteen Inch Gap, Part 3

11/3/2015

0 Comments

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Listen
Learn
Confess
And Turn....

As we continue in our series on the Eighteen Inch Gap, we will see in part three that we are always to be learning, confessing and turning to the one and only true God. Our Scripture text teaches us that the only way we can listen, learn and confess is to apply the Scripture text to our lives on a daily basis.

Our Eighteen Inch Gap will come effective for us if we apply three things in this one verse of Scripture. Please keep in mind that the gap I'm speaking of is the distance from our mind to our heart. Without learning, we will never surrender our bodies a living sacrifice. If we are listening to our minds over the voice of God within us then we will be hearers only rather than doers. Listening opens our hearts and minds to be conformed to the world and its ways, rather than by listening and giving God the opportunity to close that gap and bridge it with His promises and provisions. We must listen to the Word of God. Then, in a final closure of that gap, we must confess to God our fears, sins and adversities that hold us back from obedience to the will of God. You see, Jesus bridged our gap at Calvary through his crucifixion. The problem is that we can't live with Him permanently on that bridge of love, life and holiness because we bridge our lives and our issues with our own things, thoughts and opinions. Our bridge is only a temporary fix and can never compare to the bridge that Jesus built. It is permanent. It is eternal and life fulfilling.

From my heart yours, I pray that you choose to close the gap and the battle of being a radical Christian by bridging that gap between the mind and the heart with truth of the Word of God. Only you can change you and your relationship with Jesus Christ by applying three principles. Are you ready to listen to God? Are you ready to learn from God? Most of all, are you ready to confess to God everything about you that He already knows? Bridging that gap between the mind and the heart should always start with confession.

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When you confess then God will speak to you and you will listen. God will teach you more about Him and His will for your life and He will make the change smoother than you can imagine, because you will be learning from Him. You will be willing to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable into Him. When you turn in the direction of God, you will never be the same. Turning to God is your only hope for overcoming the warfare of that Eighteen Inch Gap that drives us in the wrong direction causing us to go our own way. When we turn to God’s will for your life, you will find yourself not only on the bridge with Him but wanting to live on that bridge with Him. There is no better life and peace than living daily in the presence of The Lord.

0 Comments

The Eighteen Inch Gap, Part 2

9/2/2015

0 Comments

Dr. Brenda Robinson

In part one we left off knowing that God will keep us in perfect peace if our minds are on Him. The word “mind” refers to our intellect, our thoughts and reasoning. Why is is it so important that we keep our mind stayed on Christ? Why does it matter to think on Christ in our everyday walk? Why not just follow the thoughts, lust and longings of our flesh (which is guided by our minds)?
     In our thinking and the world’s mentality we are trained to do as others do, live as others live, and have what others have. We are prone to and drawn to feel what others feel and act as other do so that we fit in to a social realm where we feel accepted and accomplished. Again, our main Scripture says, "be not conformed to this world...."
     That eighteen-inch gap between the mind and the heart is your responsibility to control. God give us a free will to pick and choose the way that we will take. Will we choose the world or Christ? If we are not perpetually bridging that gap with the Word Of God, we will experience constant emotional failure as well as spiritual decline. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him."
      God doesn't want that for His children. God wants us to allow him and His Holy Spirit to be ever present in the sense that we feel Him, we know He is with us, and that through His power we are eternally connected to Him. In Christ’s finished work at Calvary, Jesus bridged the gap between sinful man and God. 2 Peter 3:17 says, "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness."
     If we have been born into the Kingdom of God by receiving Christ as our personal Savior then we can live on that bridge. We never have to fear the battle of the mind or what man does to us. We can know for certain that God is our refuge and source of strength.
     Where are you in this gap? Are you swaying between the lust of your flesh and the battle of the mind, or are you living on the bridge of truth in the presence of Jehovah?
     So... Getting back to our initial questions... Why is it so important to think on, stay with, and walk with Christ perpetually? Because going our own way or the world’s way will put us in a place of self-destruction and Satan will see that you are drawn into a mind and intellect of absolute hopelessness. I'm so thankful to be living in the presence of the Lord.

I Just Love Jesus,
Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

0 Comments

The Eighteen Inch Gap, Part 1

8/17/2015

0 Comments

Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Did you know there is an eighteen-inch gap from the brain to the heart? The very place that controls our thoughts, our decisions and our behaviors is only a gap of 18 inches. All of us have a decision to make. It starts at the center of the brain, and it stops in the center of the heart.
     This decision will define you. You will rule over it, or it will rule over you.
It will characterize you as religious or righteous. The decision is yours.
     The gap between the mind and the heart can be bridged by truth or by lies. It can be bridged by a genuine act of holiness or a seared conscience that anything goes and all is good. One will lead to destruction and the other will lead to love, liberty and the joy of The Lord.
     This bridge can only be built by one thing: The Word of God. It is alive, and Christ dwells in it. His Spirit rightly divides it for you, and you are the one who decides to use it as a bridge or reject it as a plague.
     Without the sword of Truth there is no bridge to gap the 18-inch gap where warfare abides. If it's not buried in your heart, it cannot transform the mind.
     We, as humans, will stay broken and constantly searching for something to fill the pain, the void, and the gap in our minds that is better known as Satan's playground.
From my heart to yours, we have a choice, a way of escape from the battle between the mind and the heart. We can allow the Word of God to bring us into light and not only cleanse our heart but also transform our minds, our thinking and most of all bring us into a holy presence with The Lover of our souls. The Word of God is a two edged sword. It convicts going in and cleanses coming out. It makes us walk and talk like Jesus, and it is the source of all life's circumstances. It comforts, gives hope and guides us daily.
     Our problem is we do not allow it to remain a permanent bridge in our gap. We so often allow the mind to overtake what we know is God's will for our lives. Isaiah 26:3-4 tells us that perfect peace comes when our minds are bridged to the heart. It says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed in thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust in the Lord for ever: for on the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."

I Just Love Jesus,
Dr. Brenda J. Robinson

0 Comments

<<Previous

It's Our Desire

A Day of Sabbatical - God Cares About the Little Things

In His Time

Enduring Forever

God Is With Thee

If I Just Didn't

Bridging The Gap

The Eighteen Inch Gap, Part 3

The Eighteen Inch Gap, Part 2

The Eighteen Inch Gap, Part 1

From the Heart

Archives

Categories