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Comment by C.J. BROOKS, ET AL on February 2, 2015 at 6:38pm

GREETINGS TO EVERYONE HERE.  WON'T ANYONE SAY HELLO BACK?

- C.J. BROOKS

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on February 2, 2011 at 2:13pm

Here is some advice for those interested in Chaplaincy. Chaplaincy is a weird dynamic because you are not only clergy but clinical at the same time, you may have to deal with situations that are not always “religious” in nature. When dealing with Non-Believers in an institution using titles like “Evangelist” or “Prophetess” can sometimes block your initial entry into an institution, You know who you are in Christ Jesus and declaring it when introducing yourself to people (as a Prophet) for lack of a better word “creeps them out”, Jesus said “Be WISE as a serpent and harmless as a dove”, when I introduce myself I am Mark Stevens, a Chaplain. Am I anointed YES, Do I operate in the Gift as the Spirit uses me YES, but in an institution you just DO IT…DON’T announce it. I wish you well, take this from an old head that has been in the ministry over 30 years and have had to learn the hard way. I have had to "fire" many volunteers that I am in charge of at the Trauma Hospital I work at. Often well meaning saints forget that you cannot go in a private or public institution and evangelize. The way to share your faith is by FREINDSHIP!!!! When I visit patients I smile and I ask them how they are doing, but I let THEM lead the encounter. By virtue of the fact that I AM a Chaplain, they know I am a man of faith, so after letting them vent, I ask them if they would like prayer (99% of the people I ask that say YES!) Never argue religion with a patient! Be compassionate and caring, let the Holy Spirit lead you and you will not go wrong

Comment by John Hairston on December 22, 2010 at 3:13pm

A new radio pilot is seeking show developers, and journalist as interns...The show is called Our Generation's Voice, it is presenting the issues that face our community from a Christian world view, if you are interested in becoming a part of the research team, journalist and editing team, please contact me with a brief bio, at johnhairston@yahoo.com or             206-240-7133      

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 21, 2010 at 12:17am

Mark Hamilton Stevens

How can I get you to come speak at my church or function?

NJITS Seminars Info

NJITS Seminars is about equipping believers for ministry. Online training and curriculum resources help. Sometimes, however, the personal touch of bringing in a professional Christian educator to speak to your group takes you a step further.
Mark Stevens, the founder and director of NJITS Seminars, is available to come to your location -- church, conference, Bible Institute.

As a Christian speaker, he is first and foremost a Bible teacher who enjoys communicating God's Word in creative ways that not only expound the truth but also drive home the application of the truth to life. As a Christian speaker, he is also a training instructor for people who want to learn "how-to" serve and "how-to" share God’s Word.

Schedule Mark or Stephanie as the seminar speaker for a special training event or as a guest speaker for a regularly scheduled meeting including a Sunday School class, men’s or women’s group, or other Bible study group.

• Chaplain Mark H. Stevens, M.Min • Evangelist Stephanie R. Stevens

Mark Stevens is an ordained Minister in the Church of God in Christ. He has a BA in Theology and an MA in Ministry from Freedom Bible College and Seminary. He also graduated from Philadelphia Biblical Universities Institute of Jewish Studies; he also is an ETA certified teacher with 4 units of Clinical Pastoral Education. He is the Dean of the Charles Harrison Mason Bible Institutes of NJ. Elder Stevens is a staff Chaplain at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital in Southern New Jersey. Mark has over 25 years of ministerial experience. He has been a prison minister, street preacher, retreat speaker, and revivalist. His wife Stephanie is an overseas Missionary that has traveled to Panama, The Philippines, Haiti, and South America. Together they have over 40 years of ministry experience to share with your church or group.
Mark’s heart's passion is to see the church operate according to God's plan. He sees Ephesians 4:16 as the blueprint for the spiritual growth of the Body --the body "builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." To this end he actively seeks to equip God's people for service. Emphasis is placed on helping people find their best fit in ministry through the identification of their spiritual gifts combined with their personality, experience, and heart passions.

The Frequently Asked Questions

What do you charge?
You could take into consideration the length of the seminar and cost of materials she may bring which would vary depending on how many people attended. While remuneration for actual teaching is negotiable (between you and God, that is), we must ask, however, that you take care of actual expenses for travel and lodging if required.

What is the minimum group size for which you are willing to come?
We will come for as few as five people or for fifty or more. Everyone needs equipping. Whether you are a small church or a big one, the need for equipping is the same.

How far are you willing to travel?
NJITS is willing to go where God leads. We reside in Southern NJ. As long as expenses can be paid when travel and lodging is involved, we would be privileged to come to wherever you are if it fits her schedule.

When can you come?
Saturdays work well to do anywhere from a couple hours to an all day session. We may be able to come during your normally scheduled meeting times including mid-week or the Sunday School hour. If you are within a reasonable driving distance (up to two hours from Browns Mills, NJ), regularly scheduled meeting times work well for a series.

How can I schedule a seminar?
You can e-mail Mark at chaplainstevens@gmail.com with any further questions you have or to discuss possible dates. Or, you can call at (609) 436-8343, Anytime ask for Mark

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 5, 2010 at 9:51am

Compulsive sinning against your will: Satan caused Judas to dishonestly gain money at the cost of Jesus' death. There were two men who were possessed with demons who were said to have uncontrollable anger problems (Matthew 8:28), so much that nobody could get near them they were so fierce. King Saul also became very angry after he picked up an unclean spirit, and even tried to murder David (1 Samuel 19:9-10)! Babylon was known as a habitation of devils (Revelations 18:2) and it was well known for sins of every kind, indicating that demons can and do promote sin in a person's life. Canaan is also known to be a cursed nation, and was known for their problems with sin as well. Notice it was the curse that came, THEN the problem with sin and not the other way around.

Self-mutilation is a sin because it's harming our bodies which are temples of the Holy Ghost, and we find the man with the legion roaming the tombs cutting himself uncontrollably. Compulsive behavior is known to be demonic.

Mark 5:2,5, "And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit... And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones."

In the ministry of deliverance, many people are set free from all kinds of compulsive sinning, even pornography addictions and compulsive masturbation. If it's compulsive and you've tried everything to stop, but you can't... there seems to be a compulsive force 'driving' you to sin, then there may very well be a demon that needs to be driven out. It is true that we have been set free from the bondage of sin, but there's a big difference between the bondage of sin, and being in bondage to demons and their way of affecting you is driving you to sin.

Fear and depression - irrational heaviness in the soul: King Saul was tormented with fear and depression by an evil spirit. 1 Samuel 16:14, "Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear." (NLT) The Bible also speaks of a spirit of heaviness in Isaiah 61:1,3, where it's speaking of how Jesus came to preach deliverance from such a spirit and give us a garment of praise in exchange. There are a lot of people today who suffer from irrational fears, depression, headaches, nightmares, etc. from demon spirits and after a successful deliverance they are set free.

Unhealthy obsessions: Obsessions with things such as death like the man in Mark 5:3 had ("Who had his dwelling among the tombs") clearly demonstrates a demonic bondage. Usually obsessions with items of darkness, death, occult, demons, etc. is a sign that something is wrong.

Compulsive cutting or self-mutilation: The man with the legion of demons was said to have been cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:5). Obviously, back then he didn't have knives available to do the job with, so he was finding sharp stones and using them to cut himself.

Constant calamities in one's life: Job is a good example of what the demonic kingdom can do in a person's life. He had an almost endless list of calamities take place in his life due to an unclean spirit. Job greatly feared such calamities coming upon him (Job 3:25), and did not trust God to protect Him in those areas. This is why I believe God allowed Satan to enter into his life and play havoc on everything he owned, including his own body. Why would a loving God cause His servant to go through so much, just for the sake of 'proving' something to Satan? I don't think it really lines up with God's loving nature towards His people. In Deuteronomy 27, there's a list of things that can cause a person to come under a curse, and in chapter 28, it tells us what kind of problems a curse can cause in a person's life. Not every time a person is under a curse means they have to have demons driven out, but it's certainly something to look into and get freed from.

Physical health problems: The woman with the spirit of infirmity, for example, was bound by a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11) and as a result, she couldn't lift herself up, she was crippled over. Arthritis is found to be demonic by many ministers today. Job suffered physical affliction from evil spirits by means of boils all over his body (Job 2:7). Matthew 9:32-33 speaks of a man who was possessed with an unclean spirit that caused him to be unable to speak. Matthew 9:25 also speaks of a deaf spirit, "When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him."

Mental health problems and insanity: In Matthew 17:15, a boy is said to be a lunatic as a result of indwelling demons. The NT Greek word for lunatic is sele.niazomai and means the person is moon struck (mentally not well) or crazy. Mental problems are clearly shown in other parts in the Bible as well, including the man with the legion in Matthew 5:2-5, "And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." Does that sound like somebody who's in their right mind to you? What would somebody in their right mind be doing roaming the tombs? This tells me that there was a spirit of death involved, which gave him exceeding interest in the dead. Who in their right mind would be roaming the tombs day and night crying and cutting themselves with stones? When Jesus cast those demons out, the man was said to have been "in his right mind" once again (verse 15).

Luke 8:27, "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs." What kind of a person in their right mind would go running around in the tombs naked?

Matthew 9:17-18, "And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not."

Supernatural strength or abilities: The girl with the spirit of divination was able to foretell the future through an evil spirit in Acts 16:16. It is pretty solid proof a person has a demon if they have magical powers, such as the magicians who laid out their staffs and they turned into snakes before Moses in Exodus 7:12. The man with the legion of spirits was known to have superhuman strength in Matthew 5:2-4: "No man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him."

Racing compulsive thoughts and mental torment: As you can see from the list above, demons can affect a lot of areas in a person's life. One of the ways it works is through our thought lives to cause fear, depression and torment is through our thoughts. The Bible also uses the term 'vexed with a devil', which means to be tormented, harassed or troubled by an evil spirit. It is not uncommon for a person with a demon to testify to racing thoughts that are completely against their will. When I was vexed with demons, I remember a distinct personality in my mind, it felt as if I was sharing my mind with another person or spiritual being. I would experience racing thoughts, irrational desires, compulsion to think and say things I would never normally even think about, etc. I was not alone either, there are a LOT of people who are being affected just like I was. It is not uncommon in this ministry to see people's minds or thoughts being influenced or controlled by evil spirits.

Psalms 143 is a powerful passage speaking of Kind David when he was being tormented by evil spirits. In verses 3 and 4 we read, "For the enemy hath persecuted my soul (mind); he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate." In verses 11 and 12, we read, "Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name's sake: for thy righteousness' sake bring my soul (mind) out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul (obviously not physical enemies, but spiritual): for I am thy servant."

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 29, 2010 at 11:22am

Are you problem focused? Or solution focused? The Holy Spirit also gave me a strong revelation on this. Those who keep focused on the problem rather than the solution will begin to see the problem as larger than the solution. Are we paying more attention to the problem than we are the solution? Is your problem bigger than God's solution? Jesus came to bring solution, and by us accepting the solution, it makes use of His labor and blood which brings Him much glory, but by paying more attention to the problem, we ignore the solution that Jesus provided and make a mockery of what He went through for us. Being problem focused creates an atmosphere where depression, unforgiveness, irritability, and hopelessness can breed. You cannot experience inner healing as long as you are focused on the problem. If you want to receive healing, you must stop focusing on the problem, and begin meditating on the solution. There's a couple powerful teachings that I recommend for further information on this subject: "What's on your mind?" and "The Power of Your Thoughts"
Stop listening to the devil! The devil and his evil spirits work diligently to aggravate the wound to keep it from healing. This work is done by keeping the person reminded of how badly they were wronged or what was done to them. The devil seeks to remind you about why you are angry or hateful towards that person who has wronged you. Demons will do this same thing when trying to develop bondages of fear in a person; they seek to remind the person about why they are fearful. This is why it is vital to stop listening to the voice of the devil, because his goal is to aggravate the wound and make it fester into an even deeper infection.
It can be tempting to desire hatred over healing! When a person has been wounded, they will often choose to retain the feelings of hate and resentment, than to be healed of their wound and see God make everything alright. Do you really want to be healed? Or would you rather hold on to feelings of hate and resentment inside your heart against that person(s) who has wronged you? Would you rather see them suffer and punished for their wrong, or would you rather be healed yourself and let off the hook for your mistakes that you've made in life? Remember, Jesus made it clear that if we want to be forgiven and let off to hook for our failures in life, then we need to let others off the hook and give them what we want God to give us - that is, His mercy and forgiveness!
Stop blaming the person who wronged you, because it wasn't what they did to us or what they are doing to us that is keeping us in bondage, it is our own reactions to what was done to us which holds us in spiritual prison. It is our own anger, hate, resentment, and unforgiveness which will keep us behind spiritual bars! We need to take responsibility for your own failures. One of the reasons that we have a hard time forgiving is because we would have nobody else to blame for our problems. It is important for us to take responsibility concerning our own failures, and give up those things which do not honor the Lord in our hearts. We aren't responsible for what was done to us, but we are responsible for how we chose or choose to react to what happens. Until we can realize our own failures (how we've been reacting to what was done to us) and take responsibility for what we've allowed into our minds and lives, then it can be a blockage to our emotional healing. Blaming others will hinder the healing power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, therefore it must be dealt with before healing can freely flow into our mind and emotions.
Remember, it is not what was done to us that keeps us in bondage, it is our reaction to what was done to us which causes all the spiritual bondage and torment! When a woman is raped, it isn't the rape which causes her spiritual bondage, but rather the way she reacted to it; the hate and resentment that is felt afterwards is what gives Satan a foothold. What if the person who has wronged us is still doing it today and has no repentance in their heart? What they are doing to us cannot keep us in bondage, however, how we choose to react to what they are doing can hold us in bondage and torment spiritually.
Perhaps Satan's best-kept secret to prevent a person's soul from healing, is to cause them to feel like God is somehow disappointed in them, or even angry with them. If the enemy can cause a person to feel like God is not eager to forgive or be merciful to them, this is a sure roadblock to anybody's healing process. This causes a person to distance themself from the very person (Jesus) that desires to heal them. You cannot distance yourself from God and receive healing to your emotions at the same time. Drawing neigh to Him is a huge key to receiving healing. One day the Holy Spirit spoke to me (twice actually!) and said, "A sound mind comes from knowing me." God's word tells us that He is the one who gives us a sound clear mind of love and power (see 2 Timothy 1:7). Jesus tells all those who are heavy laden (people who are carrying emotional and mental baggage) to come unto Him, and He will give them rest (see Matthew 11:28-29). One of the biggest keys to inner healing, is to come unto Jesus, but Satan's way of preventing that, is to make the person feel like God is angry with them. This has a lot to do with our perception of our relationship with God. If we don't perceive ourselves as being made right with God, it will cause all sorts of spiritual problems and seriously prevent the inner healing process. I have a powerful teaching just on this very subject which I recommend anybody seeking an inner healing to read. It's called, "Will God Forgive Me?" and it is full of revelation from the Holy Spirit on this. I am not covering this in detail here, so be sure to read this other teaching as well!
Another one of the biggest keys to inner healing is tearing down walls that prohibit the healing power and light of the Holy Spirit to reach the wound to bring healing. The Holy Spirit is very eager and ready to heal our wounded emotions, but He's also a gentleman and won't override our freewill. He honors our freewill so much, that He would even let us choose to reject Jesus and end up in hell - He won't even force us to go to heaven! Our freewill can choose to take down our emotional walls or to hold them in place. What are these walls that I am referring to? They are our own reactions to what was done to us. When we react in anger, bitterness, resentment, and choose to give place to the devil in our hearts, we are putting up walls around our wounds that will prohibit the light of Christ from healing them. That is why it is vital that we take responsibility for our reactions to what was done to us. We are not writing off or discrediting what was done to us, but simply not allowing walls to go up which will prevent the Holy Spirit from healing our wounds.
The Holy Spirit also gave me a strong word on our transparency with Him when seeking inner healing and freedom from fears. Transparency is very important when seeking healing for emotional wounds. What heals our wounds? The healing light of Christ! What does light require to pass through? Transparency! The Holy Spirit spoke to me about this, saying, "If you want my healing light to heal your damaged emotions, then you must be transparent with me... for light requires transparency to pass through." Now those weren't the exact words, but that was the message that He gave me.

Comment by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 7, 2010 at 10:21am

King David
The depressions of King David stem from any of several probable causes. King David was not pleased seeing injustice around him and he had sinned before God by committing adultery with Uriah’s wife. When sin and the resulting guilt is the root of depression, the Bible shows how recovery begins: with repentance and forgiveness. From David’s experience we know the steps. After committing sin, David felt miserable because of dishonesty thus his days were filled with frustration. David finally stopped trying to hide his sin. David confessed his sin before God and God forgave his sin. David felt great happiness because God forgave him and cleared the sin record.

As for injustice David finally knew and understood that God is fair and God would be the light for his darkness. David knew God would help. Confess your sin, repent, receive God’s forgiveness and be happy.

King Solomon
Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. That was Solomon’s statement about everything done under heaven. The wisest man and also the richest man ever alive, Solomon was depressed after applying his mind to seek the really important thing in this earth. His wisdom and richness could not satisfy him. He even said that the dead man was more fortunate than the living who is still alive. All his frustration is written in Ecclesiastes Book. Finally in chapter 12, Solomon understood deeply the thing that really matter in this life that is God Himself. “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth… ” he started chapter 12. And he closed his book by these sentence: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Elijah
Elijah got depressed when he was rebuked by Queen Jezebel while he was anticipating a moment of triumph. His hopes were crushed, and his heart was painfully sick. When Elijah became fearful, tired and depressed, he fled from his God-given responsibilities. He was so depressed and he asked God’s permission to let him die. Elijah’s problem is his physical tiredness. God let him sleep and He sent His angel to ask Elijah eat and drink. Elijah regained his strength and he went, continuing do God-given responsibilities for him. Have enough rest and enough meal. It is good to heal depression.

Jonah
Prophet Jonah grew angry when God canceled His punishment upon sinful city, Nineveh. Jonah’s anger was a cause as well as a symptom of his depression. We must pay attention in this case as residual anger adversely affect the chemical balance of the brain. Like Elijah, Jonah wanted to die. The Bible teaches us to put away anger before the sun goes down. God had given Jonah many lessons if he wanted to hear and obey God, he would escape from depression. God taught Jonah about mercy, justice, forgiveness and God’s authority.

From the stories of the above mentioned men, whom recovered and went on with their lives, we learn that God along with the Bible is the most powerful resource for combating depression. The Bible provides many enlightenment and encouragement sentences and actions for depressing situations. The God’s ways were effective combating depression of Job, Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah and Jonah. His ways are effective also for us and depressed people in 21st century. Jesus Christ says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” And he has more offers for you to heal your depression. Walk with Him in your life.



Read more: http://relijournal.com/religion/the-ways-god-heals-depression/#ixzz...

Comment by Cameron Ross on August 10, 2010 at 3:27am

GOSPEL/JAZZ SAXOPHONIST CAMERON ROSS

Comment by DAVID NELLOR on August 3, 2010 at 8:51am

LET US JOIN HANDS TO WORK FOR THE LORD.


MY NAME IS DAVID NELLOR,
I WORK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND.I.M.F,.

WE ARE CURRENTLY AUDITING THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS OF SOME SELECTED AFRICAN COUNTRIES.

DURING THE EXERCISE, WE HAVE DISCOVERED THERE ARE LOTS AND LOTS OF FOREIGN CONTRACTORS THAT EXECUTED CONTRACTS HERE IN SOME AFRICAN COUNTRIES,BUT DUE TO THE HIGH LEVEL OF CORRUPTION HERE IN AFRICA,SOME OF THESE CONTRACTORS COULD NOT RECEIVE THEIR CONTRACT PAYMENT FOR A LONG TIME NOW.

THIS IS BECAUSE SOME OF THEM HAVE DIED A LONG TIME AGO.

NOW I HAVE CONTACTED YOU BECAUSE THERE IS ONE OF THEM THAT CAME FROM YOUR COUNTRY AND HAS A SIMILLER NAME WITH YOU.

ALL EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE MADE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THIS CONTRACTOR HAVE ALL FAILED,AND IT IS VERY CLEAR TO ALL OF US THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THIS CONTRACTOR MAY BE HE IS DEAD AND HE DID NOT NAME ANY OTHER BENEFICIARY AS HIS NEXT OF KIN.

ALL WE HAVE DECIDED TO DO NOW IS THAT,WE ARE LOOKING FOR HONEST MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD THAT WILL MAKE GOOD USE OF THESE FUNDS TO DO THE WORK FOR THE LORD

NOW I WILL WANT TO PRESENT YOUR NAME TO THE PAYMENT BUREAU SO THAT THE MONEY CAN BE PAID TO YOUR CHURCH AND THE MONEY CAN BE USED TO DO THE WORK OF THE LORD.

THIS IS THE ONLY MEANS THAT THIS FUND CAN BE UTILIZED.

IF YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE VERY HONEST IN HANDLING THESE FUNDS PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR MORE DETAILS.

I HAVE CAREFULLY CHECKED YOUR RECORDS AND PROFILE AND DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU.

PLEASE GET BACK TO ME FOR MORE DETAILS

My direct email address is nellor_dd@yahoo.com

My direct phone number is +442071939091

THANKS

DAVID NELLOR

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND REPRESENTATIVE

Comment by Dr. Bernice Small on March 10, 2010 at 11:00pm

How to apply for counseling and substance abuse degree?

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