Pauline Lewinson's Spiritual Peak Performance

What are these three monsters that seem to plague so many people’s lives?

According to Wikipedia: Doubt, is a status between belief and disbelief, involves uncertainty or distrust or lack of sureness of an alleged fact, an action, a motive, or a decision.

Doubt will always try to overshadow faith, but if you grasp the concept of faith as it is written in Hebrews 11:1, you will know that the things we cannot hear, see, smell, touch or taste are eternal and are based on faith, while those things we can hear, see, smell, touch or taste are temporal and produce fear. Which will you choose?

Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger.

Since fear is a survival mechanism that we use as a response to threat of danger or pain, the experience of fear is inevitable. People have fear of many things…fear of failure, public speaking, and height, a body of water, change, death and war; just to name a few.
Fear will cripple you and keep you hostage, if you do not figure out the right way to deal with it.

Therefore, we need to understand what we must do in order not to be grossly affected by fear? We have to apply the Word of God in all situations, especially in those situations where we are faced with fear. What does the Word say about fear? It says a lot, but for the sake of this article; let us take a look at a few verses:

The Apostle Paul wrote: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind
2 Timothy 1:7.

Here we see that if we love as God commanded us to do, and keep our minds sound, we have the power to dispel all fear. After all, fear is just a state of mind, and we have the power to choose how to use our minds.

Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom”
Luke 12:32.

God wants us to cast our cares upon Him, so that we can have peace here on earth, and inherit His Kingdom. He said we are to seek His kingdom first and then He will add everything else.

We only need to embrace healthy fear such as the following:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever
Psalm 111:10.

(Also see Proverbs 1:7 and Proverbs 9:10).

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell
Matthew 10:28.

When you fear the Lord only, you gain wisdom and have the right to give all your perceived fears, worries and doubts to Him. As a result, you take better control of your life and your destiny.
Pauline Lewinson

Fear, worry and doubt are triplets, borned in the womb of lack of faith. They are monsters that people allow to control them. Why do people fear, doubt, and worry unnecessarily? Perhaps unbelievers have all the reasons to have fear, doubt and worry, but for the believers, these things should not be, because God has given many promises to the believers to guard against fear, worry and doubt.

I find that both un-believers and believers alike have fear, doubt, and worry doubt. There are times when believers are submerged in God’s divine love, peace and grace that fear, doubt and worry are second nature or non-existence. Then at other times we find ourselves caught in the depths of fear, doubt, and worry, struggling to get out. For some unexplainable reasons, we have forgotten about God’s promises, gotten side- tract, distracted, and or confused.

When we exercise faith, hope and trust in our heavenly Father, the moments of fear, doubt and worry are passing ones; they simply cannot linger forever. When we get back into focusing on the light, the darkness quickly disappears. The problem is that we are sometimes so deep in the pit, valley or wilderness that we cannot see the light.

There are always going to be, situations, conditions, predicaments, disappointments and things that get in our way to tempt us to have fear, doubt and worry, but if we hold to the truths in God’s Word-fear, doubt and worry have to exit; they simply cannot exist. It is in the midst of our storms, in the deepest and darkest moments of our struggles that God does the unexpected and suddenly something happens to turn our trials into triumphs.

God did the unexpected for Joseph when He suddenly picked Joseph up out of the pit, and what a marvelous end result that was! Jesus suddenly held Peter’s hand and prevented him from drowning; He came through for Paul and Silas while they were struggling in prison. Can you think of a time in your life when God came through for you, and suddenly your fear, doubt, and worry disappeared?

God is a God of suddenlys and He does unexpected miracles. He is waiting for you to relinquish your title of self-will and flesh, so He can rescue you from fear, doubt and worry today. He wants to transform your weaknesses, and give you His strength and likeness. The next time you are tempted to entertain fear and doubt and worry, remember the promises of God, have faith, hope and trust in Him, stand firm and wait for the salvation of the Lord, because:

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD (Lamentations 3:26).

Pauline Lewinson

Dear heavenly Father, we come to You in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to first give You thanks. We thank You for the life and provisions You have given us. Thank You for inspiring Mark Zuckerberg, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Eduardo Saverin, to create Facebook. Lord, for all the good that we have seen come out of Face book, we believe you inspired its founders of this Social Networking site.

Thank You for the opportunity to connect and reconnect with our past in such a phenomenal way. You have answered the unspoken prayers of many. You have heard us wonder in silence as well as in spoken words as to where everyone is. You have shown us Lord, and we are grateful. We pray that we will connect with everyone possible, and we ask that You will make a way for all to attend the Bybrook Reunion in July 2011.

We thank You for forgiving us of our sins as we confess them before You. We humble ourselves, and we relinquish control of this reunion to You, so that Your will be done in the planning and execution as we work together as a team, for Your glory. We ask You for wisdom as we proceed with this action which You have impressed upon us.

Thank You for using Norris Laidley as the channel to birth this idea. We pray that everyone will do his/her best to contribute unselfishly to this occasion. We bind up every hindering spirit, spirit of hate, hypocrisy, jealousy and any spirit that would try to rise up during this time period, and we lose the Spirit of love, peace, unity, joy and the Holy Spirit to take control. We understand that this was Your plan for us and the Bybrook community, before any of us was even conceived in our mothers’ wombs.

Now Lord, we thank You for health, strength and the finances needed to accomplish this dream and fulfill this desire that you have placed in our hearts. Thank You for sending blessings, peace and love to go before us. We pray for a warm reception and that out of this Reunion a project will be established to bless the Bybrook community, year after year.
We seal this prayer with Your grace and mercy, in Jesus’ holy name…Amen.
Pauline Lewinson

Why do people resist change when change is inevitable? In order for transformation to take place in our lives or in any society, we must be willing to change some things. Change sometimes calls for a new way of thinking; a shift in our paradigms. It is becoming aware of the things that are negatively affecting our lives and the lives of others, and taking the necessary actions to correct those things you can correct.

As with the health care system, President Obama, as well as former presidents saw a need for change in the way the health care system in this country has operated. As a result they have worked to find a way for all Americans to have affordable health care. A project that has been talked about for a century has finally materialized. This happened, as a result of the president’s persistence to bring about change. The fact that this historical event was successful shows the some people are willing to embrace change. Change is happens even in the face of resistance.

When people say that they do not want change, it is sometimes because of fear, selfishness, lack of will power, strength, faith, determination and discipline. Refusing to accept change that is designed to positively affect lives is in a sense discounting or underestimating the power of almighty God, through whom we can do all things. Let this promise give you hope in the eternal, because everything, including change, on this side of life are temporal. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom (Luke 12:32).

Paul contends in Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. You can change the undesirable things in your life if you believe you can. Within you are all the tools you need. You have to personally make the decision to accept change before change can actually occur. Once the step is taken toward change, it is now time to adapt to it.

Adam R. Gwizdala gave a vivid expression of change in the following statement: “Everything in life changes you in some way; even the smallest things. If you do not accept these changes you do not accept yourself. For through these changes bring new and greater things to you, making you wiser, as time progresses. To avoid these changes is a loss. You only live your life once. Do not waste a minute of it avoiding things. Let them come to you, and learn from them. There is always tomorrow.”

When I look back at periods in my life, I have to consider myself both a product and an agent of change, because I have had many changes in my life and each change produced results, and often favorable results. My first big change took place when I was three years old and my parents took me from one parish on the island of Jamaica, (Saint Andrew), to another one, (Portland). They left me with my grand-mother while they migrated to Great Britain. I would not see my mother again until I was about eleven years old, and my father when I was seventeen years old, and in college. I did, however, have regular correspondence with them in the form of letters, since I did not have the luxury of a telephone.

Change came again when I left for another part of the country to attend high school. One of my biggest changes was migrating to the United States. To this day change continues to take place in
my life and I prefer to embrace them, rather than to evade them, because I know they happen for a divine purpose.
When I first came to this country, I went to Connecticut and today I live in Arizona. I am enjoying change, and anyone can if they do not resist the idea. All it takes is an open mind, willingness, trust and faith. Great opportunities can come with change.
Pauline Lewinson

Your destiny is calling. Answer the call, if you have not yet done so.  No one else in this world can fulfill your calling. It is unique to you; individually packaged just for you by God Almighty. Embrace  and enjoy it.

   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

Jeremiah 29:11.

 The steps of the Godly are directed by the Lord. He

delights in every detail of their lives.

Psalm 37:23.

 And this is His plan: at the right time He will bring everything together

under the authority of Christ-everything in heaven and earth

Ephesians 1:10.

Seek His will in all you do and, he will direct your path

Proverb 3:6 (NLT).

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,

but the end thereof is the ways of death.

Proverbs 14:12

Do you know who you are, where you came from, why you are here, what you are here to do and where you are going when you leave here? Every individual should be able to answer these questions with a certain degree of certainty.  One day, I decided to examine my life and to make sure I could answer these questions. Once I realized what my true purpose in life was, I was compelled to get rid of, and change some things that I once thought were important. I became excited about my purpose and passion, and I embraced the fact that I am not a spiritual or religious fanatic, as some may say. I am an individual with a divine assignment and a passion for Christ.

Have you ever given serious thoughts to the reason you are here? Or have you ever asked yourself, where am I going when I leave this earth? and what will

it take me to get there? The day I asked these questions of myself, I knew I had to

encourage my clients to ask themselves these same questions.

I ask these questions often because I want to be sure I am taking the right actions, staying focused and travelling on the path to my divine destiny. I also want to help others make sure they are doing what God has placed them here to do.  Sometimes we have to abandon some of the things that we are currently doing, because we did not get the authority from God to do them. The things we attempt to do that are not ordained by God for us, will lead to failure.

Until Next time!

Love & Blessings to you.

Pauline Lewinson

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3).

The Choice is yours.  When you are tempted to do certain things that you know in your heart is not right, you may look around and see that no one is watching, so you make your move.  I am not talking about doing something that would be considered big sin, such as taking a gun and shooting someone, I am talking about things we consider little sin such as, taking supplies from work, because you feel they are not paying you enough; taking a towel from a hotel room, because you paid a high rate per night, and you feel that gives you the right to take the towel; shoplifting, because you do not want to pay for the item, or you do not have the money to pay for it.

Those acts seem small, but there is no small sin and big sin, sin is sin and those acts are called stealing. Thou shalt not steal, Exodus 20:15, Romans 13:9, Matthew 18:19. It is the 8^th Commandment. Although we all know these things, a gentle reminder is always good.

Sometimes we are tempted to compromise and talk about people, because we do not like them or we are just plain mean spirited and find nothing wrong with having a conversation or discussion with a friend, co-worker, church sister or brother, or even a family member about another human being.  This too is a choice, you can choose not to start, entertain or engage in such a conversation or discussion.  These discussions and conversations have a tendency to violate the 9^th and the 10^th Commandments.  See Exodus 20:16-17, Matthew 18:19 and Romans 13:9.

So what shall we do then, do we choose to continue in sin, being conceited, envying, irritating one another, being jealous of one another and producing evil results? The face of the Lord is against them that do evil (1 Peter 3:12). Remember God forgives us when we turn from evil and turn to him.

Evil results include: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God( Galatians 5:19-20).

Or do we choose the Fruits of the Spirit and to live life to its fullest and in righteousness? For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers (1 Peter3:12).

The Fruits of the Spirit are: Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).

This is a much shorter list which means less work, but more discipline and better character for us. I know we can do it if we try. Choosing to sin, is choosing death. I dare you to choose life, instead of death!

Prayer:

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for this day and I pray that You would bless me as I make every effort to transform the areas of my life which I am challenged. I am lifting my eyes unto the hills from where my help comes. I ask You to help me to be strong so that I can refuse sin and embrace righteousness.  As Asa did that which was right and good in Your eye, I pray that I may do that which is right and good in Your eyes. As Noah found grace in your eyes, I pray that I might find grace in Your eyes.  As you did for David; recompense me, Lord, according to my righteousness and cleanness of my hand in Your eyesight, in Jesus’ name-Amen .

Until next time!

Love & blessings!

Pauline Lewinson

Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness. 

 ~ Kahlil Gibran~

 ~You know your truth is the truth, when it lines up with the Word of God.~

 For the Word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.

~Psalm 33:4~ 

A Kept Woman

I received this email from a friend yesterday and as I read it I thought of my braveheart sisters. Every bravehraet woman is a kept woman.

“I Am a ‘Kept’ Woman
You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind,
But GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go no longer,
But the LORD kept me moving.. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I’ve wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong,
But the LORD kept my mouth shut.. (Psa. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn’t enough,
But GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc.., (Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up.
When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt.11:28-30)

I could go on and on and on, but I’m sure you hear me!

I’m blessed to be ‘kept’
Do you know a ‘kept’ woman?
I’m “Kept” by the Love and Grace of God”

I thak God for keeping grace.

Pauline Lewinson

I received this from one of my mentors and thought it was a good one to share in this season of gift giving. Enjoy!

“A small group of thoughtful and dedicated people A small group of thoughtful and dedicated people can change the world.

Margaret Mead has said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” I would like to share with you one of my very favorite stories illustrating this wonderful principle:

“Miss Thompson was a school teacher…and this is the way Charles Swindall tells the story about one of her students:

Teddy Stollard certainly qualified as one of the least; disinterested in school, musty, wrinkled clothes and hair never combed. He was one of those kids in school with a deadpan face, expressionless…sort of a glossy, unfocused stare. When Miss Thompson spoke to Teddy, he always answered in monosyllables. He was unattractive, unmotivated, and distant. He was just plain hard to like.

Even though his teacher said that she loved all the class just the same… deep inside she wasn’t being completely truthful. Whenever she marked Teddy’s papers, she got a sort of perverse pleasure putting X’s next to the wrong answers; and when she put ”F’s” at the top of the page, she always did it with a flair. She should have known better! She had Teddy’s records. And she knew more about him than she wanted to admit. The records read: 1st grade: Teddy shows promise with his work and attitude. He has a poor home situation. 2nd Grade: Teddy could do better. Mother is seriously ill. He receives little help at home. 3rd Grade: Teddy is a good boy, but too serious. He is a slow learner. His mother died this year. 4th Grade: Teddy is very slow, but well behaved. His father shows no interest.

Well, Christmas came and the boys and girls in Miss Thompson’s class brought her Christmas presents. They piled the presents on her desk and crowded around for her to open them…and among the presents was a gift from Teddy Stollard. She was surprised he had brought her a gift – but he had. Teddy’s gift was wrapped in brown paper and held together with scotch tape. On the paper were written the simple words: “For Miss Thompson – From Teddy”.

When she opened Teddy’s present out fell a gaudy rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing, and a bottle of cheap perfume. The other boys and girls began to giggle and smirk at Teddy’s gifts, but Miss Thompson had at least enough sense to silence them, by immediately putting on the bracelet and putting some of the perfume on her wrists. Holding her wrists up for the other children to smell, she said: “Doesn’t it smell lovely!!!” And the children, taking their cue from Miss Thompson, responded with ooohs and aaahs.

At the end of the day, when school was over and the other children had left, Teddy lingered behind. He slowly came over to her desk and said softly: “Gee, Miss Thompson, yah smell just like my mother… Her bracelet looks real pretty on yah too! I’m glad you like my presents!” When Teddy left, Miss Thompson got down on her knees…and asked God to forgive her.

The next day, when the children came to school, they were welcomed by a new teacher. Miss Thompson had become a different person. She was no longer just a teacher. She was an agent of God. She was now a person committed to loving her children, and doing things for them that would live long after she was gone. She helped all the children, especially the slow ones. And especially Teddy Stollard. By the end of the school year Teddy showed dramatic improvement. He caught up with most of the students, and was even ahead of some.

Well the year ended and she didn’t hear from Teddy for a long time. Then one day she received a note:
Dear Miss Thompson,
I wanted you to be the first to know I will be graduating second in my class!
Love, Teddy Stollard

Four years later, another note came:
Dear Miss Thompson,
They told me I will be graduating 1st in my class! I wanted you to be the first to know! The university has not been easy – but I like it.
Love, Teddy Stollard

And four years after that, another one:
Dear Miss Thompson,
As of today, I am Theodore Stollard, MD. How about that! I wanted you to be the first to know. I’m getting married next month, on the 27th to be exact. I would like you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; dad died last year.
Love, Teddy Stollard

Well, Miss Thompson went to that wedding and sat where Teddy’s mother would have sat. She deserved to sit there because she had done something for Teddy that he would never forget.

Every day we all have an influence on others,.

Margaret Mead has said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” I would like to share with you one of my very favorite stories illustrating this wonderful principle:

“Miss Thompson was a school teacher…and this is the way Charles Swindall tells the story about one of her students:

Teddy Stollard certainly qualified as one of the least; disinterested in school, musty, wrinkled clothes and hair never combed. He was one of those kids in school with a deadpan face, expressionless…sort of a glossy, unfocused stare. When Miss Thompson spoke to Teddy, he always answered in monosyllables. He was unattractive, unmotivated, and distant. He was just plain hard to like.

Even though his teacher said that she loved all the class just the same… deep inside she wasn’t being completely truthful. Whenever she marked Teddy’s papers, she got a sort of perverse pleasure putting X’s next to the wrong answers; and when she put ”F’s” at the top of the page, she always did it with a flair. She should have known better! She had Teddy’s records. And she knew more about him than she wanted to admit. The records read: 1st grade: Teddy shows promise with his work and attitude. He has a poor home situation. 2nd Grade: Teddy could do better. Mother is seriously ill. He receives little help at home. 3rd Grade: Teddy is a good boy, but too serious. He is a slow learner. His mother died this year. 4th Grade: Teddy is very slow, but well behaved. His father shows no interest.

Well, Christmas came and the boys and girls in Miss Thompson’s class brought her Christmas presents. They piled the presents on her desk and crowded around for her to open them…and among the presents was a gift from Teddy Stollard. She was surprised he had brought her a gift – but he had. Teddy’s gift was wrapped in brown paper and held together with scotch tape. On the paper were written the simple words: “For Miss Thompson – From Teddy”.

When she opened Teddy’s present out fell a gaudy rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing, and a bottle of cheap perfume. The other boys and girls began to giggle and smirk at Teddy’s gifts, but Miss Thompson had at least enough sense to silence them, by immediately putting on the bracelet and putting some of the perfume on her wrists. Holding her wrists up for the other children to smell, she said: “Doesn’t it smell lovely!!!” And the children, taking their cue from Miss Thompson, responded with ooohs and aaahs.

At the end of the day, when school was over and the other children had left, Teddy lingered behind. He slowly came over to her desk and said softly: “Gee, Miss Thompson, yah smell just like my mother… Her bracelet looks real pretty on yah too! I’m glad you like my presents!” When Teddy left, Miss Thompson got down on her knees…and asked God to forgive her.

The next day, when the children came to school, they were welcomed by a new teacher. Miss Thompson had become a different person. She was no longer just a teacher. She was an agent of God. She was now a person committed to loving her children, and doing things for them that would live long after she was gone. She helped all the children, especially the slow ones. And especially Teddy Stollard. By the end of the school year Teddy showed dramatic improvement. He caught up with most of the students, and was even ahead of some.

Well the year ended and she didn’t hear from Teddy for a long time. Then one day she received a note:
Dear Miss Thompson,
I wanted you to be the first to know I will be graduating second in my class!
Love, Teddy Stollard

Four years later, another note came:
Dear Miss Thompson,
They told me I will be graduating 1st in my class! I wanted you to be the first to know! The university has not been easy – but I like it.
Love, Teddy Stollard

And four years after that, another one:
Dear Miss Thompson,
As of today, I am Theodore Stollard, MD. How about that! I wanted you to be the first to know. I’m getting married next month, on the 27th to be exact. I would like you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; dad died last year.
Love, Teddy Stollard

Well, Miss Thompson went to that wedding and sat where Teddy’s mother would have sat. She deserved to sit there because she had done something for Teddy that he would never forget.

Every day we all have an influence on others, hopefully it’s mostly a good influence!”

“All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.” –Brian Tracy

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Pauline Lewinson

September 11, 2001 (9/11) is a read letter day. It is a day that the American people and the rest of the world will remember forever. This was a scary and dark day for every American. People came together to mourn the loss of almost three thousand lives destroyed by the hatred of a few deranged people from one nation trying to bring down another.

The thought of any sane human being performing such atrocity would make anyone puke. These scum bags have left the memories of this hideous crime etched in the minds of children who were only three years old when this happened.

My son was only nine days from his third birthday and he remembers this incident. Yesterday he said: “September is the worse month, the only thing good about September is my birthday. I hit my head on the kitchen cabinet door on Monday, my dog is pooping in the house and they blew up the Twin Towers in September eight years ago.”

I had to console my son and let him know that everything is going to be alright. We have to affirm our children and help them not to become despondent in these uncertain times. It is amazing how they think and what they think about. They are little people, whose minds are not developed and matured as adults, but they do understand a great deal and they put their emotions into these things.

In order to bring up a wholesome generation, we have to teach our children to start applying biblical principles to their lives so that they will have confidence in themselves and hope, trust and faith in God. They need to know that God is in control of the universe and all they have to do is their best always, everyday.

Let us pray for our nation, our children and our safety. At the same time pray that the terrorist plans will all be intercepted and they will come to respect God’s creation.

Pauline Lewinson