BROADCASTS.com

WINNING WITH THE WORD “Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life. AN INVITATION TO YOU: To subscribe to this blog, click here.  To subscribe to this podcast, click here. If this blog and podcast have blessed you, please encourage your family and friends to subscribe as well. Thank you! Be sure to check out our Featured Book of the Week at the end of this post. ______________________________________   Do you prefer listening instead of reading? Then click below to listen to today’s blog post on podcast. https://media.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/content.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/Popcorn_Power.mp3 ___________________________________________________________________________ Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, novelist and life coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, January 31, 2022, and this is Episode #5 of Series 2022. This episode is titled "Popcorn Power." Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. Recently, I was making some in my large popper. As I watched the corn pop, I had a strong sensation that the Lord wanted to speak to me. So, I sharpened my spiritual ears to tune into His voice. But, I heard nothing. Yet, deep in my spirit I knew that the Lord would speak to me. Shortly before this incident, I had been praying for God's direction for my life. It seemed that my writing and teaching ministry was not bearing the fruit I had hoped it would bear. For example, I had not reached as many people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as I would have liked to reach by now. I had not helped as many people get free from bondage as I would have liked to help by now. I had not sold as many books as I would have liked to sell by now. It was two days later, during my morning quiet time with God, that He finally spoke to me about the popcorn. "When you were popping your popcorn the other day," He said, "did you notice that nothing happened for the first few moments after you put the corn kernels and the oil into the popper?" "Yes," I said. God continued. "Did you then notice that first one kernel popped, and then another, and then another and another and another in increasingly rapid succession?" "Yes, Lord," I replied. "Then, did you notice that suddenly all of the remaining kernels burst into loud, exuberant popping until all of the corn was popped?" "Yes, Lord," I replied again. Then the Lord spoke these words to me: "Well, dearest one, that is the way it works with the seeds you plant in life. A single seed is like a single kernel of popcorn. When you first plant it, it doesn't seem as though anything is happening. But then, it mingles with the oil of My Spirit and begins to sprout. Just as one kernel pops first, so does one seed sprout first. Just as the popcorn explodes into growth, so does the seed explode into growth, developing shoots and then leaves. Finally, it grows into whatever it was designed to be. Before long, you have a plant or a tree with many branches and leaves." The Lord's words greatly encouraged me. And I hope they encourage you, too. Perhaps you've been waiting for years for an answer to prayer. Perhaps you started a business, and it has not grown to the level to which you had hoped it would. Perhaps you've set a goal, but you're still struggling to achieve it. Whatever the case, be patient because your single seed will eventually multiply.  Shortly after my conversation with the Lord, Holy Spirit gave me a remarkable strategy for expanding my ministry. Already, I am seeing my fruit multiply. The Lord wants you to know that it's now time for the seeds you've planted to grow as well. It's time for your popcorn to pop. If you'd like to know what strategy the Lord gave me, it's this that I learned from a fellow believer; Do the right things in...