Charisma Magazine

It seemed like a dream—but it was all too real. I remember walking down the long center aisle at First Church of God in Inglewood, California, the faces of hundreds of people on my right and on my left flashing past me as if in a movie. I remember hands reaching out to touch and hold me; the black limousine; the long ride to Forest Lawn Cemetery; the prayers, the hymns, the folded flag of the United States of America; the silence as the impact of the death of Wayne Sylvester Davis sunk in.

Wayne—my husband and my friend, the father of my children, the pastor of my church, beloved bishop of World Won for Christ Ministries. Now he was resting eternally in the arms of Jesus.

"Oh God, what will I do?" I remember crying. "Somehow in the Spirit You whispered to me that this day was coming. But in my flesh, in my denial, I ignored Your voice and thought, No, just keep believing. The Lord is going to heal Wayne and raise him up as a witness that nothing is too hard for God. Instead, you chose to set Wayne free from sickness and pain by taking him quickly to Yourself.

If you haven’t noticed, God’s not really on our timetable. He’s never been on our timetable. Part of the frustration we often have in hearing God is that we want to hear God now.

I love nice clothes, so I noticed her right away. Her clothes were casual but beautiful: crisply ironed khaki slacks, a print shirt and a light sweater. Everything, even her belt and shoes, was perfectly coordinated—just right for watching an afternoon soccer game.

At that moment, our sons were racing down the field in mad pursuit of the ball, trying to score a goal for Faith Christian School. As they neared the goal, the other team sent the ball back up the field.

"Oh, Ben!" I heard her sigh in disgust. I turned to look at her. Were we watching the same game? I hadn't seen her son do anything wrong.

Most of us grow up expecting to marry someday. But what do you do when "someday" takes forever?

As a 45-year-old single woman, I have had my share of surprises and struggles. In my late 20s, I was surprised by how few resources there were to help me maneuver through the challenges I was experiencing as a single adult.

I discovered there were numerous books on dating and books that centered on contentment as a single, but I couldn't find much that addressed the tough things I faced day to day. More importantly, I couldn't find any books that simply validated what I was feeling.

There are many misconceptions about singleness held by those who are married and by singles themselves. If you are plagued by any of the questions singles commonly ask, I encourage you to read on. If you're married, the answers may help you know how to respond to your single friends.

There is an indescribable quality about words, even when they are printed, but more so when they are spoken. Words are chariots in which the quality of the heart and mind ride forth to other souls.

The dominant heart-quality of a person will possess and accompany his words with absolute precision. If the spirit of a man is superficial, or narrow, or timeserving, or selfish, or trifling, these qualities will pervade his words, in spite of all the seriousness or sanctity he may try to put into them.

If, on the other hand, his heart is large and filled with the broad, tender love of Jesus and compassion for others, then the simplest expressions, which may seem commonplace, will be freighted with these qualities. All words are loaded with the quality of the soul out of which they proceed.

Don't spend your life in so much fear of making a mistake that you never do anything.

There are critical times in our lives when we especially need to know we are hearing clearly from God. It isn't always easy to know His voice from that of our own emotional reasoning. But I know from experience that God can open doors of opportunity that no one can close, and He can also close doors that we cannot open.

The apostle John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said, "These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one shall shut, Who shuts and no one shall open" (Rev. 3:7, Amplified Bible).