A New Year's Prayer

As this year of 2013 comes to a close in just a few hours, I am grateful for how the Lord has kept, covered, protected, preserved, strengthened, developed and matured me. I've seen some tough days, but none of them compare to the goodness of the Lord I've witnessed in spite of it all. If you're reading this, I'm sure you can share the exact same testimony.

As we embark upon the start of 2014, I think it's only befitting that we do it in prayer.

Join me in praying today...

Lord, I thank you for bringing me through another year.  Though I have faced my fair share of pain, trouble and turmoil,and many times I wanted to give up, You have kept me in the midst of it all. I've won some battles; others, I've lost. I've been hurt, and I've caused hurt. I've been up, down, and everything in-between, but I give you praise because I am still standing. The enemy desired to sift me as wheat, and I could have easily been consumed, but Your mercy covered, preserved and protected me. I'm grateful. As I say goodbye to this year, though not always an easy pill to swallow, I appreciate the lessons I've learned, the wisdom I've obtained, and the strength I've gained. Though many obstacles came to beat me down, I realize that I am stronger, better, and more equipped to handle whatever comes my way as I continue along my journey through life. I ask now that You would heal every hurt, right every wrong, destroy every yoke of bondage, lift every burden, and loose every shackle that would hinder me from becoming, doing, and obtaining all that You have destined for me in the coming year. Transform me by the renewing of my mind, that I may not conform to this world, but to Your principles of holiness and righteousness. Draw me closer to Your Spirit, deeper in Your word, and nearer to Your heart. Help me to walk in the power You have given me through Jesus Christ, the power that enables me to tread upon serpents, cast down the enemy, and thrive in You. Restore unto me the years that I have lost and everything that the enemy has stolen from me. Disconnect me from all negative ties, and connect me with those who will encourage the champion in me. Above all, keep me close to Your bosom, rooted in Your word, planted in Your will and embedded upon Your heart. May Your wisdom and grace lead me as I acknowledge You in all of my ways. May Your goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.

In this new year, may you be empowered to move onward and upward.

Blessings to you, and Happy New Year!

From my heart to yours...
xoxo

25 Gifts Discovered In The Pit: Gift #1 The Blessing of Affliction

Living life for Christ does not excuse any of us from experiencing challenging, troubling times. Psalm 34:19 tells us that the righteous will encounter many afflictions. Being a good person or following God’s principles of holy living does not give anyone an exemption from a few hard knocks from time to time. Affliction, though it does not feel good, is not always a bad thing. In fact, in Psalm 119:71 David says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Trouble has a way of drawing you in to the Lord, giving you an opportunity to learn of Him on another level. It’s in the midst of troubling times where your faith is strengthened, your character developed, your spirituality matured, and your purpose further revealed.

Affliction does not come to knock you off course, but to ensure that you remain on course with God’s path for your life. How so? By pulling you into fervent prayer, intense worship, and deeper Bible study; thus, bringing you into closer communication with the Lord.

I like to think of hard times this way – If I never felt pain, how would I know God is a healer? If I never cried tears of sorrow, how would I know He’ll wipe my tears and give me joy? If I never suffered lack, how would I know He’s a provider? If I never go through, how would I know that He can bring me out?

All of these things allow God the opportunity to prove His awesome power in our life. Besides, without a test, how would we ever be able to overcome by the word of our testimony? You see, just as Romans 8:28 says, all things work for our good.

Though it's tough to go through the pit of affliction, God’s grace is abundantly sufficient, and it shields us from being consumed by the fire.

When calamity strikes through loss, divorce, lack, sickness, persecution, struggle, or whatever you find yourself facing, understand that there is a blessing that can still be found in the midst of it.

That blessed gift is the occasion for God to prove His faithfulness, His mighty power, and His strength to you in ways you've never experienced. In every bad situation, there is an opportunity for more awareness of the Lord's goodness.

So instead of singing why me through troubling seasons, choose to thank God for selecting you to receive an outpour of His grace, strength and power. Choose to pray through the pain, worship through the worry, and meditate on the Word through the madness. We should want God to know that He can trust us to be faithful to Him not only in the good times, but as well as the bad.

I’m sure it may seem like you’re suffering hit after hit, and there's no ladder leading out of the pit of your affliction, but God trusts that you can handle it and come through it just fine. I've heard it said that He gives the toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. In God's strength, you'll make it out of this pit.

Prayer this prayer with me: Lord, thank You for trusting me with affliction. Though it does not feel good, help me to realize that it affords me the opportunity to prove my loyalty to You, and, in turn, You will prove Your faithfulness to me. Even in the pit of my affliction, teach me to find the blessing of You. In Jesus' name. Amen.

From my heart to yours...

xoxo

You're Worth More Than That

A few weeks ago, I received an email from a young lady seeking prayer to help her overcome her struggle with pre-marital sex.  She expressed to me that though she loves God, and is aware that what she’s doing is wrong, she can’t seem to fully break free from the bondage of her fleshly desires. She felt as if the spirit of sexual immorality had overtaken her life, and she desperately wanted help.

“I don’t know why I keep giving myself to these men…I know they don’t love me. But am I worth more than just sex?” she wrote.  Her words pierced my heart; I empathized with her.  I knew all too well what she was going through.

I would love to say that I saved myself until marriage, but that’s not my testimony.  I struggled with pre-marital sex for many years.  I knew it was displeasing to God, but my flesh almost always overpowered my intentions to do right.

At an early age, I’d been used to satisfy a man’s sexual desires.  Because of that, I believed my body was created for that purpose alone.  As I grew older, the cycle continued.  Only this time, I willingly offered the most precious gift I had to give.  It continued well into my adult life, and by that time I’d become comfortable in my sin.

I reached a point in my life where I wanted to become closer to God and desired to present my body as a living sacrifice, but sexual immorality had such a grip on me that I always found myself falling into its trap.  I can’t begin to tell you how many times I prayed and cried at the altar, begging God to help me, only to find myself right back in someone’s bed.

Why do I keep doing this? Aren’t I worth more than just a good time? I’d ask myself.  I guess I was asking the wrong person, because the only answer I ever got was, “This is all you’re worth.”

While still in the midst of my struggle, I began to spend time in prayer.  I sincerely asked the Lord, “Is my body worth more than just sex?”  And I finally got the answer I so desperately needed, found in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:  “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”  My body?  A temple?  A sacred place where the Holy Spirit dwells?  No way.  It was hard for me to believe that there was anything sacred about my body.

I decided to seek the Lord through consecrated time of prayer and fasting, and my only request was for God to show me my value and deliver me from the desire to engage in pre-marital sex.  And you know what?  He answered my prayer.  It was not at all an easy process, and there were times that I fell in the process, but because God helped me to realize that my body was not my own, and I should honor Him with my body, presenting it as a holy sacrifice, I was determined to overcome my struggle.  He helped me to understand that although I’d been used and abused, my body was a temple -- the most precious, valuable gift I could give to a man, and it was not meant for me to share it with any old Joe.  But it was designed for me to share with the husband He’d designed for me.

A few months after I began my journey to honoring God with my body and abstaining from sex, my longtime boyfriend and I were married. Now, I’m not suggesting that if you fast and pray for a specified length of time, you’ll end up with a husband and your struggle will be over. That's my personal story. All I’m saying is that prayer, faith, and determination works.  God can help us with absolutely anything.

Each time a woman gives herself to a man that is not her husband, she gives away a piece of her soul, and she can never get it back.  She defiles her temple.  The precious, sacred temple that belongs to God is now filled with the spirits of every man she lays with.  Her heart becomes emotionally scarred, and she loses sight of her self-worth.

Sisters, you are more than what your body has to offer.  You are a queen, a royal gem, and your value is priceless.  Don’t sell yourself short another day.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been struggling, or how many men you’ve been with,  God will forgive you.  According to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  He will purify your body, your mind, and your spirit, and you can start afresh.  Just because you’ve already done it, does not mean you can’t start over, and begin to practice abstinence.

I pray for you, whomever and where ever you are, that you will come to know your value, allow God to sanctify your body, and offer it as a living sacrifice to God.

You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength. You can do it! You're worth so much more than that.

From my heart to yours...
xoxo

Release The Baggage

"...let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."  

(Hebrews 12:1)

There's a show I used to watch on A&E called Hoarders. The show depicts people who are chronic packrats. They pack so much stuff into their homes that it crowds them out and they can barely even maneuver through their own house. They find themselves surrounded and closed in by mounds of stuff that they’ve collected and allowed to accumulate over the years, so much so, that many of their homes are deemed uninhabitable or a hazard to not only themselves, but those around them.

So many of us women are exactly like the people I’ve seen on Hoarders. The only difference is that instead of hoarding physical stuff, we are emotional hoarders. Instead of our houses overflowing with loads of trinkets, trash and treasures, our hearts are packed to capacity with unforgiveness, painful secrets, insecurities, fear, memories from the past, envy and the like. And because our heart and mind are so severely cluttered, we leave little to no room for the Holy Spirit to fully dwell within us. So often we feel like “God, where are you? I can’t feel you. I can’t sense your presence.” And I can imagine Him standing just outside the doors of our heart, saying “I’m right here, but there’s no room in there for me. Your space is uninhabitable.”

Just like those people on the show, their massive accumulation of stuff draws a wedge between them and their loved ones, our internal baggage can build distance between us and the presence and power of God in our lives.

In just about every instance, the person who hoards is weighed down, unhappy or depressed, and their true progress in life is significantly hindered, if not completely stalled.

My favorite part of the show, though, is when psychologists and professional organizers come in and assist the individual with cleaning out their home, both internally and externally. Room by room, they walk side by side with the person, helping them to acknowledge their issue, identity the root of it, go through the things they’ve accumulated and then finally decide to let most, if not all, of it go. The transformation is nothing short of amazing.

They begin to smile again, laugh again, love again, their families are restored, their vitality is renewed, and their home that was once extremely cluttered and difficult to maneuver through, becomes a place where joy flows freely.

It’s very similar in life. When we open our emotional suitcase, sort through the things we’ve packed inside, and throw out those things that weigh us down, we are able to excel and thrive in life. When we drop the weight, clean out our heart, we can tread through life feeling much lighter. The help we need to do this is available to us through the Holy Spirit.

There is another thing that intrigues me about the people I see on Hoarders. Anytime a neighbor, co-worker, or anyone who lives outside of their home is asked about the person’s hoarding, their responses are almost always the same --“I had no idea.” Though they see these people probably on a day-to-day basis, from the outside, they look perfectly normal. That is because they have mastered the art of hiding what’s really going on behind their closed doors. The same is to true with so many women, especially in the church world. We are professional pretenders. We put on our Sunday Best, our Mac makeup, get our weave sewn in just right, slip on our 5 inch heels, flash our pearly whites, and we cover up the brokenness, bitterness, and battered hearts behind it. We cry ourselves to sleep at night, but come Sunday morning, we act as if we are filled with joy. We fall time and time again into the bed of the wrong man, searching for love and validation, but convince others that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We burn with envy at our sister, inwardly rolling our eyes every time she walks by, but are quick to hug her with a “Hey girl!” and a smile.

We are masters at masquerade. We wear the masks and hide the weight so well that nobody has not even a clue about what’s really going on inside. But there is one truth that we can all be certain of – What’s in us eventually comes out. What goes on within our heart and mind eventually reveals itself through our outward actions. Weight cannot be forever hidden, and we absolutely cannot continue to pretend that we are spiritually fit, when internally, we are emotionally obese. The time is now to be honest with ourselves, recognize that our inward scale is tipping over, and choose to take proactive steps to lay aside those weights that hinder us from becoming all that God has destined us to be.

So, to begin this emotional fitness goal, I have five questions for you:

1. Who/What are the weights in your bag?
2. Why are you carrying it around?
3. Where has holding on to the weight(s) gotten you?
4. How do you drop the weight?
5. Once you empty your bag, what do you refill it with?

• Who/What are the weights in your bag (heart/mind)?

Identifying where the extra weight came from is the first step. I have personally embarked on a new journey to physical health and fitness after realizing that I’ve put on a few pounds over the past year. Before I could commence on working to lose the weight, I first had to ask myself “How did I accumulate this weight? What have I been putting into my body to cause this extra heaviness?” And those are the same questions you have to ask yourself. What or WHO is it that’s weighing me down?

> Insecurity (low self-esteem)

> Fear - God has not given us a spirit of fear…2 Timothy 1:7

> Depression - Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop…Prov 12:25

> Unforgiveness - Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting on the other person to die. It steals your joy, your peace, your sleep, and it breeds hatred, bitterness and strife.

> Other people’s problems - If helping others hurts you more, it is a weight and hindrance to your progress in life.

> Your past - If any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Old things have passed away, behold ALL things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The past is a chain that holds you hostage. It weighs upon you, keeping you bound and preventing you from moving forward. In Christ, you are free indeed (John 8:36). Forget the former things. Follow Paul’s example in Philippians 3:13 and forget those things that are behind you.

< Lack of faith - An inability to trust in God is a breeding ground for worry, anxiety, and stress.

> Wrong relationships - "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) Not that anyone is the devil, but sometimes we try to force a fit when it’s the wrong shoe altogether. Be mindful of the connections you make. Not everyone is traveling in the same direction as you.

•  Why are you carrying it around?

Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pains we bear. Jesus already carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders. We don’t have to. Yes, we all have our own cross to carry, but even in that, the burdens God gives are light. So why do we, day after day, lug around unnecessary weight? I find that the answer to that question is quite simple – we are comfortable with being uncomfortable. We’re “used to it” and confuse contentment with comfort. It makes me think about how the children of Israel, although they were being held back and in bondage in Egypt, they’d become so accustomed to their discomfort that they struggled with actually being delivered.

So many of us can be just like that. We simply get used to the weight, and we’ve learned so well how to dress it up and make it work, that we become oblivious to, or afraid of, the fact that we need to be made free. We carry it because we’ve made it a part of who we are, we are fearful of how life will be without it, and apprehensive about doing the actual work necessary to drop the weight. We carry it because it’s easier than letting go.

• Where has carrying it gotten you?

If your internal bag is filled with excess baggage, how much has it hindered you from being where you desire to be in life? Ask yourself, how much has holding on to No Good Joe delayed my process to being captured by Mr. Right? How have my insecurities prevented me from pursuing my educational, business, or career goals? How has the bitterness I have towards my absent father, abusive mother or ex-lover held me back from being open to receive love? How has solving everybody else’s problems drained me so that I’m unable to tackle my own? How has your internal baggage, your issues and hangups, kept you from advancing and growing in Christ? Extra weight slows you down, and I think if you’re honest, it’s safe to say that holding on to it has not gotten you very far.

•  How do you drop the weight?

You know, I’m so glad you asked! It takes exercise. Faith without works is dead, right? 1 Peter 5:7 says this, “Cast your cares (your burdens, your worries, your problems, your insecurities, your issues, the weight) upon the Lord. How do you cast your cares upon Him? You take every single thing to Him in prayer, you lay it at His feet, and you leave it there. It sounds easy, but trust me, I’ve had my own personal experiences with trying to drop emotional weight (unforgiveness, pornography, depression, fornication, fear, alcohol...), and I understand that it can seem quite difficult. But on my journey to emotional health, I learned this one thing – “this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Sometimes you just have to turn your plate down, turn the tv off, log out of social media, turn your cell phone off, and get on your face before the Lord. The thing I love about God is He understands and we can be totally honest with Him. Tell him, Lord this is too heavy for me but I’m struggling to let it go. I know it’s hindering my progress in life and I wanna let it go, but I need your help. Help me to strip off this weight and leave it with you.

Then, there are times when we already know what we need to do to drop the weight, and crying before the Lord is not necessary. We already know we need to put Joe out of our house. We already know we need to stop gossiping on the phone with Sis. So & So. We already know we need to forgive our sister or brother and let go of the grudge. But in any case, we still need the Lord’s help.

We must consistently pray to be transformed by the renewing of our mind and learn to retrain and redirect our way of thinking. Sometimes our weight can just be stinky thinking…the woe is me mentality. But Philippians 2:5 says “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” And Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and are of a good report.”

•  Once you empty your internal bag, what do you fill it with?

The answer to this is quite simple and can be found in Galatians 5:22-23 – “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” We can never overfill on these.

Along this journey of life, because it is an uphill journey, it is imperative that we pack light. The enemy wants nothing more than to see you stuck in life, never reaching your full potential in Christ. But God is saying, I want to take you higher, but you’ve got to drop those weights that hold you down. His arms are outstretched saying, "Just give them to me. Give me your hurt, give me your pain, give me your insecurities, let go of that bitterness, give me that struggle, that secret addiction. Let me lighten your load so that you can run the race I’ve set before you."

Drop your weight as His feet.

From my heart to yours...

xoxo

Drop The Weight

I've recently embarked upon a new journey to health and fitness. I jumped off the wagon a little over a year ago, after a traumatic miscarriage left me depressed and despising my body.  I didn't receive the revelation until maybe a month ago, after a Facebook friend began sharing about a campaign she'd launched called The Break-Up. The goal behind the campaign is to encourage others to break up from those things that cause physical or emotional unhealthiness.

I knew that I'd put on a little weight over the past year, but I didn't really care much. But why didn't I care? Why wasn't I concerned about my health and weight gain? Why was I accepting of being spiritually healthy and physically unfit? How could someone who once exercised regularly be okay with not exercising at all?

I had an issue. A deep one that I didn't even realize I had, until The Break-Up encouraged me to examine myself. It was then that I went to God in prayer in search of why I'd let myself go physically. It was then that God revealed my issue to me.

I blamed my body for "malfunctioning" and failing to carry and birth a full-term baby. I felt like my body had failed me and let me down. Had it done what it was supposed to do, just as the previous three times, I would not have had to experience such a devastating loss. I blamed my body for my pain, and neglecting to care for it was my way of punishing it.

Why should I give love to the thing that hurt me?

As crazy as it may sound, it was my truth. When I realized what I'd been doing and how I truly felt about my body, I quickly repented to the Lord for failing to take care of His temple.

There I was, holding a grudge against my body and deliberately hurting it by choosing to neglect it. What I failed to realize, however, is that I was only hurting myself. After putting on roughly 25 pounds, developing a knee ache, and generally feeling unhealthy since last September, I knew it was time to make a change.

I've since let go of my resentment towards my body, and am only an active journey to becoming a healthier me.

None of this would be happening, however, had I not confronted the issue that was holding me back. If I'd failed to realize that I had a problem, dealt with it, and forgave, I'd still be stuck.

When we hold on to hurt, pain, and disappointment, we are the only ones who are hurt in the long run. It can be hard to forgive someone who has caused you much pain, but the longer you harbor that unforgiveness in your heart, the more you keep yourself bound to the thing that hurt you. When you're bound, you can't move forward.

Letting go doesn't lessen the impact of the hurt or excuse the wrong that was done to you, but it frees your heart and mind from captivity, removes excess weight - because unforgiveness is heavy - and allows you to progress in your life and become emotionally healthy.

Who do you need to forgive? What weight do you need to drop? Your mom? Your dad? Your ex? Your molester or rapist? Your supposed best friend or business partner? Yourself?  Insecurity? Dead relationship? Your past?

Whatever it is, it's not worth the emotional weight that it bears upon your heart. When you hold on to things, it dams up the flow of what you are able to receive.

When you hold on to pain, it blocks healing.
When you hold on to bitterness, it blocks joy.
When you hold on to unforgiveness, it blocks forgiveness from God.
When you hold on to hate, it blocks love.
When you hold on to weight, it blocks freedom.

Whatever it is, my friend, let it go. You deserve to be whole and healthy. Your issue may not be physical weight, but whatever it is that is weighing you down, will you turn over a new leaf with me and vow to strip it off? Together, we can do it. One day at a time. One step at a time. One prayer at a time.

"...let us strip off every weight that slows us down..." (Hebrews 12:1) It's time to drop the weight.

From my heart to yours...
xoxo 

Be YOU!

Most of my life, I did everything I could to fit in. I wanted so desperately to be accepted that I often conformed to being someone other than my true self. Quite honestly, I was totally oblivious to my authentic self; I had no idea who God created me to be.

As long as those I deemed cool accepted me, that's all that really mattered to me. I was afraid to be me, because I didn't think that anyone would like me for who I truly was. I didn't think the real me was cool enough to be loved and accepted in the eyes of man.

Retrospectively, I see that at the end of the day I was a fraud, deceiving others by pretending to be someone that I wasn't. I was merely building relationships based on lies, simply because I was too afraid of possibly having to stand alone. All the while, insulting God by refusing to accept the fact that He perfectly created me.

Today, I am so thankful that God has become the most important factor in my life. My focus is no longer upon being accepted by man, and fitting in to cliques or the popular crowd. My main focus is to be the best authentic me I can be, embracing the perfect creation God meticulously designed me to be.

Now, don't get me wrong. Feeling loved and accepted is something we all want; however, it is far better to be accepted for who you truly are than for someone you're pretending to be. Love and acceptance built upon false pretenses will not last.

When God began to open my eyes to my true identity in Him, I had to peel back layers of conformity before I could even get a glimpse of my true self. Coming into the real me, I struggled to hold on to relationships. It was as if I had to start all over, and reintroduce myself. This time, totally authentic. Some accepted me, some didn't.

It was then that I realized something -- Real or fake, there will always be those who simply will not accept you.

All too often, we spend so much time altering ourselves to fit the likings of others. This is a recipe for disaster. You will never be able to fully satisfy people. There will always be something you need to change in order to keep up with their expectations. Why put yourself through that?

It's much easier to just be YOU. No masks, no false pretenses, no deception -- true authenticity. One of the greatest things we can do to please God is to realize that we were fearfully and wonderfully made, a perfectly beautiful masterpiece created by His hands. And since God is perfect in all of His ways and all of His works are marvelous, then guess what? You and I are perfectly marvelous creations. Why not embrace that?

Do you have any idea how amazing you are? Do you know how much your uniqueness adds to the world around you? Are you aware of the fact that who you are is so special that God made no other person exactly like you? 

Keeping your true identity hidden is a disservice to the world...to the Kingdom. Forget about who doesn't like you, understand you, or want you around because you're different. God made you for HIS purpose, not to please people.

Love who you are. Embrace those things that set you apart from everyone else - your eyes, your skin tone, your hair, your personality, your likes, your interests. They all make you so incredibly beautiful.

From my heart to yours...

My Baby Has Wings

October is most popularly known as Breast Cancer and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. However, it is also Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month (Observance day October 15th), which is personally dear to my heart. 

Having three healthy pregnancies, I never thought I'd become a number in the 1 in 4 women who experience pregnancy loss. It's a pain unlike any other, and many women struggle to copeand heal from it. It's not given much attention, but that doesn't lessen the magnitude of its trauma. Some women will never suffer through chemotherapy or fight to find the strength to live again after escaping a violent relationship, but some are certainly suffering and trying to find life again after losing a baby. 

That's why I've written a special resource of prayer, scripture and comfort for those who find themselves trying to cope with the deep pain that pregnancy loss brings. It is my hope and prayer that those who read it will find solace in the God-inspired words I've penned from my heart.

It's a gift me to you.

Download My Baby Has Wings here.

From my heart to yours...

Encouraged To Wait

Waiting can be one of the hardest things to do when you more than want what you're anticipating, but you need it like yesterday. Whether healing in your body, financial increase, restoration in marriage, a job, or deliverance from a situation, I'm sure there's a particular area in each of our lives where we are waiting on God to move. But doesn't it sometimes seem like God is taking His precious time? Don't you sometimes feel like maybe God forgot about what He said He was going to do for you?

I've certainly been there, and it feels like waiting takes forever.

There have been times in my life - still times in my life - when it seemed I'd had petitions before the Lord and had been hoping to see some things He'd promised to do in my life manifest, for what seemed like an eternity. It seemed as if I'd been waiting, anticipating, expecting, and praising in advance for a long time.

At least it appeared that way to me. 

I mean, how much praise on credit did I need to give before the Lord made good on His word? 

I'm sure you've felt the same way, or, perhaps, that's exactly where you are right now. 

I once had a little talk with God when I was frustrated in the wait that I'll never forget. It went a little something like this:

Lord, have you forgotten about me? He answers, "Never. I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. (Isaiah 49:16)

Well, have you changed your mind about what you said you'd do? He answers, "I am not human, that I should lie, not a human being, that I should change my mind. I do not speak and then not act. I do not promise and not fulfill." (Numbers 23:19)

But Lord, haven't I been waiting forever? He answers, "If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time." (Habakkuk 2:3)

Can I be honest, Lord? Sometimes I feel tired in the wait, and it seems like my righteous living is going unnoticed. He answers, "Don't become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up." (Galatians 6:9)

Why do you keep telling me to wait? He answers, "Because they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

Can you give me an idea of when things are going to manifest? He answers, "To everything there is a season...I make all things beautiful in my own time." (Ecclesiastes 3:1;11)

I left that conversation with the Lord with my faith and strength renewed. He ministered to my heart and assured me that my waiting was not in vain. I remember feeling more encouraged to hold on to my faith and my promise from the Lord, trusting that things would manifest in His perfect timing.

Since that time, many of the things I'd been believing for have come to pass. Some of them, I'm still waiting. But I don't mind waiting so much anymore, because I confident that He who promised is faithful.

One thing I love about the Lord is that He knows what we need, at the exact time we need it. And no matter how much we want what He has promised us right now, His release-the-blessing clock has already been set.  All we have to do is align ourselves with His will, make sure there is nothing within us that will block our blessing, trust Him, and wait for the appointed time of manifestation.

Be persuaded to continue believing that although He may not come when you want Him to, He will make good on His promise at just the right time -- not according to your watch or your feelings, but to His perfect will and timing. In the meantime, be confident that He will never fail to meet every need in your life as you wait. 

We must be careful, because waiting can sometimes cause us to jump ahead of God and create our own version of what we want. We should never become so impatient with God like Sarah, that we obtain a premature counterfeit posed as a blessing, like Ishmael (Genesis 16). This is why waiting on the Lord is so imperative. It is the only way to ensure that we end up with His blessings that make rich and add no sorrow (Proverbs 10:22) Only the Lord can deliver that.

If you're in a waiting place, be encouraged. Don’t focus on the length of your wait, but rather on the strength you gain in the process. Stay with God, hold on to your faith, believe in the promise, and remain in expectation. Though it may tarry, wait for it; it will surely come. The Lord always keeps His word.

"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)

From my heart to yours...
xoxo

Cope With Christ...

In life, each of us will be confronted with difficult seasons. It’s inevitable. One thing we all must do is deal with those trying times in our lives in some way or another. The way we handle tribulation has the power to determine how bearable, or seemingly unbearable, that season may be.

I haven’t always been successful at coping with the stress of hard times. In fact, I found that my choice of coping mechanisms actually made me feel worse than my problems. Instead of going with the flow of the currents of my tough seasons, I often acted on impulse, panicked, and did things that caused me to drown in my sorrow.

When I should have been using prayer and praise as ways to cope with stress, throughout the years I either turned to pornography, sex, or alcohol. Though they offered a temporary relief to my flesh, because I knew these things were wrong, my spirit became wounded; thus, causing the problems I was already facing even harder to bear. In fact, I really wasn’t dealing with my tough times, but only suppressing and pacifying my feelings with sinful lusts of the flesh. At a time when I should have been drawing nigh to God, my inability to woman up and deal with what the Lord was allowing to happen in my life, ultimately as a means to grow and mature me, I became caught up in my feelings and allowed my sins to separate me from Him.

I eventually came to realize that my way of coping was totally wrong, and caused more harm than good. I knew that I HAD to learn a better way. It took some time, but through what I like to call my Fool-Proof Combination - Prayer, Fasting, and Studying God’s word - I learned that God wanted to give me beauty for my ashes, the oil of joy for my mourning, and the garment of praise for my spirit of heaviness. (Isaiah 61:3) He taught me how to adopt prayer, praise, and worship as the perfect way of getting through the difficult seasons in my life. I am a witness that it works!

There’s no doubt that He will bring us out of the tough times we face, no matter the level of pain and difficulty. Although God will see us through, however, that does not negate the fact that we must learn how to go through His way. The way of escape is already mapped out; however, we must be in tune with God in order to allow His Holy Spirit to lead us to that place of deliverance. This can be accomplished by praying, praising, and worshiping the Lord, even in the midst of your fiercest storm.

I know sometimes it can be difficult to praise or even talk to God when your whole world seems to be falling apart. And I know that sometimes the pain can be so intense that all you want is quick relief. But instead of turning to things that have no lasting power, I dare you to tap into the One who has all power.

Instead of falling into the arms of a random Joe, fall into the arms of Jesus, your constant companion .

Instead of spending money in retail therapy, spend time with God in real worship. 

Instead of searching for relief at the bottom of the bottle, find serenity at the foot of the Cross.

Praise and prayer invites God into your situation, and anytime God is present things are guaranteed to change. Consider Paul and Silas when they had been unjustly arrested, bound in chains, and thrown in jail. (Acts 16:23-26) What did they do? They didn't call Tyrone and try to orchestrate a prison break. No! They made the choice to turn to the thing that they knew would bring them out. They prayed and sang praises to God. They invited God into their situation, and He showed up. He caused every chain to be loosed, and they were made free. How much more does God want to do the same thing for you? 

There is no better formula for coping with the trials of life than that of prayer, praise and worship. When you go into your secret place and commune with God, He will come and sit smack dab in the middle of your raging sea and command peace. Even if He doesn't calm the storm, He'll calm you with His grace until it passes.

Cope with Christ.

From my heart to yours...

xoxo

YOU Have To Believe

I recently had a chat with a young lady who was having a hard time believing that she deserved to be made whole, and was ready to throw in the towel. “I want to give up” she said, “why is it so easy for me to believe for others, but so hard for me to believe for myself?” 

She sounded just like me at a time in my life. Ready to call it quits because I could not find the courage to believe that I deserved to be made whole and have an abundant, joyful life in Christ. Now I could freely encourage and believe for my fellow sisters, but when it came to me, not so much. But why not? Why couldn’t I have that same enthusiasm for myself?

I did not realize it then, but I now know that I simply could not get over myself. I could not see past my issues and struggles. I refused to look beyond my faults. I convinced myself that I could never be more than a woman filled with guilt and shame, and did not deserve redemption.

The adversary did not need to use anyone else to work against me because I had become my own worst enemy, fighting against myself. Whenever I would gain a small ounce of belief, I’d instantly diminish it with self-demeaning thoughts. I’d think to myself, Who are you kidding? You’ll never be more than what you are right now. And to be perfectly honest, that’s exactly what I believed in my heart.

Because I could not see beyond what I was at that moment, I felt inferior. Because I felt that way, I always settled for less. I figured I didn’t deserve anything better than what was at the bottom of the barrel. Meaningless relationships, dead-end jobs…I mean I was lucky just to get leftovers, right? Absolutely not!

It took me a lot of praying, fasting, and finding myself through God’s word to realize that this was not the mentality God wanted me to have. Just as I did for others, He wanted me to believe that I, too, deserved to have a better life.

He wants the same for you.

No one knows your issues better than you. No one knows your secret struggles better than you. No one knows the depth of your pain better than you. So who better can the enemy use to fight against you? Yep, you guessed it – YOU. The devil will make you your own worst enemy, but I encourage you to decide that no more will you allow the enemy to use you as his puppet.

Instead, allow God to erase the former things from the forefront of your mind, so that you can believe Him for the new thing He desires to do in you. (See Isaiah 43:18-19)

No one can believe for you. It’s one of those things we all have to learn to do for ourselves. Know this – Because of the grace and mercy of our God, and the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses every blemish in our lives, we are deemed faultless in the eyes of Christ. See yourself through the eyes of Christ, and know that despite your past or present state, you are deserving of love, life, and liberty.

Here’s a simple prayer: Lord, help thou my unbelief. (Mark 9:24)

From my heart to yours...

xoxo

You'll Get Through It

From time to time, I find myself thinking about the goodness of the Lord and all He’s done in my heart and mind over the past few years. I often reflect on the times when I was nothing more than a hopeless woman wandering aimlessly through life, broken, battered, and bruised.

I never thought I’d break free from the cage of despair, but I am grateful for the powerful name of Jesus that destroys every chain in our lives. Whenever I recall the miraculous work the Lord has done - and continues to do - in me, I can’t help but lift my hands and utter Thank You Jesus from a heart overwhelmed with gratitude.

I know very well what it’s like to feel broken beyond repair.

Life made me believe that I was cursed with a curse. It seemed like I couldn’t win for losing, and every time I thought things couldn’t get worse, I was proven wrong. Whenever I’d slightly convince myself that I could make it through to better days, something would happen to crush my hope. Every small glimpse of sunshine I’d find was quickly clouded by gloom. It was exhausting, and I often felt like I was losing my mind.

There were times when I couldn’t leave my house because the tears wouldn’t stop flowing; days when strength to get out of bed was non-existent; moments when I thought I’d have a mental breakdown; and periods of not knowing whether I was coming or going.

Back then, I couldn’t see God’s hand upon me; neither could I understand how all of the pain and anguish in my life would work together for my good, as Romans 8:28 encourages. It was challenging for me to believe Jeremiah 29:11, that God had good plans for me. All I could see was what appeared to be a jacked up life that had no purpose. I sometimes even battled with thoughts of suicide, and honestly believed that I would die in my brokenness.

Oh, but God!

Right in the middle of my despair, in the midst of all my brokenness, His love and His word found me. He spoke to me so profoundly in Psalm 118:17. It says, “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.” I embedded that scripture in my heart, and I meditated on it day and night, until I became convinced of its truth.

When the enemy told me to self-destruct, I told him I will not die, but live.

When my problems overwhelmed me, I told myself I will not die, but live.

When depression backed me into a dark corner, I proclaimed I will not die, but live.

I had to learn to speak life into my spirit, no matter what my emotions said, and by the grace of God, His Word became manifest in me.

I didn’t perish in my pain, and, since God has no respect of persons, neither will you.

Though it often seems differently, God did not design your afflictions to destroy you. He allows you to experience tough times so that you may learn of Him, and become shaped and molded into what He destined you to be. He desires to give you life even in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. It is the enemy who convinces you to believe that you will drown in your sorrow, but he is a liar.

Know this – It is during your storms that you are on the Potter’s wheel. Just as the potter cups his hand around the clay on his wheel and carefully shapes it until it becomes a beautiful masterpiece, so does our Father hold you in His hands, meticulously molding you until you become like the image of Christ. The clay may become a bit marred and broken in the process, but as long as it remains in the potter’s hands, he will perfectly put it back together.

The pain is not to kill you. The fire is not to burn you. The raging sea is not to drown you. It is not unto death. Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). It is the thief, the enemy, that comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but he cannot take what belongs to the Lord. And because you have been bought with a price, you are God’s property. Though the enemy desires to sift you as wheat, he does not possess the power to prosper in his attacks against you.

Despite how bad it hurts, how dark the day, how heavy the burden, the Lord has plans to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). If you just hang in there, you will witness the Lord’s promise to perfect every single thing that concerns you (Psalm 138:8). You’ll soon look back and see how the Lord’s mercy endured in your life, and proclaim His goodness forever.

Your right now pales in comparison to your future. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says it best, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Your troubles will not be the death of you, but, on the contrary, will aid in the development of who God designed you to be long before the foundation of the world.

You shall not die, but live. How so, you ask? The answer is found in Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

Be encouraged.

From my heart to yours...

Watch Your Mouth!

There are certain words and phrases I don't allow our three sons to say, especially if they have a negative meaning. I'm a firm believer in the fact that words have power and what you speak can shape what you see.

Proverbs 18:21 says that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Again, words are powerful. They create, build, tear down, heal, destroy or soothe. Not only do the words that proceed from your mouth affect those around you, but they affect you. What you say to yourself about yourself or concerning situations in your life, has a huge impact on your perception. Words create visuals. What you say about a thing determines how you see it.

Oftentimes, a change in what you see merely warrants a change in what you speak. You are the first recipient of the words that flow from your mouth. When words escape your mouth, they go into your ears; from your ears, they enter your mind; from your mind, they enter your heart; from your heart, they influence your beliefs and actions. Perhaps you cannot rise in a particular area of your life because what you're speaking concerning the matter is holding you down. One's consistent declaration of I can't win for losing plants the seed of defeat, and each negative word you speak waters that seed and causes it to grow.

Instead of speaking defeat, declare 2 Corinthians 2:14 -- "But thanks be to God, who causes us to triumph..."

Instead of speaking sickness, declare Isaiah 53:5 --"With his stripes, I am healed..."

Instead of speaking lack, declare Psalm 23:1 & Philippians 4:19 -- "The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing...My God shall supply all my need..."

For every word of defeat, there is God's word of victory.

Watch what you're saying, because you will either starve from the emptiness of negativity (The enemy's lies) or be filled from the nourishment of positivity (The truth of God's word). Speak the Word of God over yourself and every situation in your life and watch how it changes your perspective.

Be Beautiful!

xoxo

Remembering 9/11...

09/11/12.

I'll never forget those numbers...that date. Whether I like it or not, it is forever etched upon my heart.

While America mourns the tragedy that claimed countless lives by the hands of terrorists, I mourn the traumatic loss of the life our unborn child at 14 weeks pregnant by the plan of God.

I remember that hot Summer morning as if it were yesterday. I could barely sleep the night before because of the anxiousness that flooded my heart at the thought of hearing our fourth addition's heartbeat again. About a week prior, I'd just began to feel flutters and soft taps on my tummy. For an expecting mother, that's the most amazing feeling.

Time seemed to move so slow that day. My 10:30AM appointment couldn't get there fast enough. But when I finally made it to the doctor's office and the nurse walked into the room with the handheld fetal doppler, my heart was filled with excitement.

Hearing your baby's heartbeat - what sounds like a herd of running horses - is the most precious sound to your ears.

After squeezing a glob of warm gel on my belly, my sweet nurse proceeded to find our sweet pea's heartbeat.

Left side. Nothing.

Right side. Nothing.

Upper abdomen. Nothing.

Lower abdomen. Nothing.

"Baby must be hiding," she said without making eye contact with me.

Instantly, my worry siren went off. She told me she was going to get my doctor to let her try with a different, better doppler.

In came my always upbeat doctor.  "Alright, let's hear this music," she said, referencing a baby's heartbeat being music to a mother's ears. She couldn't find it either.

Off to the sonogram room they sent me. Although I was praying that everything was alright with our baby, in the pit of my stomach I just knew something wasn't right.

As I lay on the examining table glaring intently at the sonogram screen, searching for the sign of our child's beating heart, my heart shattered to a billion pieces as I saw our baby's lifeless body lying inside my womb.

"I'm so sorry," I heard a soft voice saying. I couldn't see anyone though, because I was unable to see past the puddle of water that had built up in my eyes.  I couldn't believe what I'd just experienced. It was all so surreal.

I couldn't understand why I suddenly had a dagger in my heart, a lump in my throat that had seemed to obstruct my breathing, or a face wet with tears. Was I dreaming?  Was I in the middle of a horrible nightmare?  Was I being Punk'd?

Oh how I wished that it wasn't real. I still wish it wasn't. But it was, and still is. Very real...my reality.  My baby...our baby...our sons' sibling...gone. Just like that -- without warning.

I felt helpless.

I felt hopeless.

I felt forsaken.

I felt weak.

I felt deep sorrow.

I felt empty.

I felt broken.

I left the doctor's office feeling numb. I left carrying a baby that had no life. My baby...in my womb...dead. What agony!

As if the emotional pain was not enough, my body had delayed reaction to no longer being pregnant, and a week after having a D&C to remove our baby's body from my womb, I experienced the excruciating pain of physical miscarriage.

Talk about a double whammy!

I couldn't eat.

I couldn't sleep.

I couldn't speak.

I couldn't pray.

I couldn't write.

I couldn't smile.

I couldn't interact with my family.

It was the worst pain I'd ever experienced.

I descended deep into a pit of despair and depression and honestly began to believe that it was over for me. Of all of the challenging situations I'd overcome, this one had knocked me completely off my feet.  My internal world was upside down...chaotic...nothing made sense.  If I'm truly honest, for a moment, I was angry with God.  I couldn't understand why He'd allow something so heartbreaking to happen.  I couldn't figure out what I'd done to deserve such pain.

No one knew my raw pain...no one saw my inner turmoil...no one witnessed my emotional breakdown.  No one.  But God.

When I hid the true depths of my pain from those who came to comfort and console me, He saw it all.  He felt it all.  He understood it all.

He took the mess that I'd become and cleaned it up.  He wiped my tears.  He calmed my fears.  He broke the forming chains of mental and emotional turmoil, and commanded me, His daughter, to rise up from the ashes.  He breathed breath into my lifeless soul, strengthened my buckling knees, mended my shattered heart, and rescued my crushed spirit.   He. Healed. Me.

Totally.

Completely.

Amazingly.

As my mind and heart reflects on the anniversary of the loss of our angel baby, though my heart still feels a bit of a sting, I stand today immeasurably stronger, wiser and better than I was a year ago. The pain did not destroy me as I felt it would, but it has propelled me further into my destiny.

I could have drowned.

I could have been consumed.

I could have lost my mind.

I could have...I should have...I would have...but because of God's grace, I didn't.

Glory to God!

Pieces of Me: Embracing My Inner Beauty Pt. 2

I can still feel his hands -- cold and rigid against my soft, warm skin.

I can still feel the hotness of his breath creeping down the nape of my neck as he eased his body close to mine.

I would curl up into the fetal position and pretend to be asleep whenever I heard him coming or saw the shadow of his feet at the door. I always hoped that it'd make him change his mind about bothering me. My hopes never worked.

It was the same thing every time, yet the horror of it all worsened with each touch.  Although young, innocent, and uninformed about all things sex-related, I knew something about our encounters with one another wasn't right.

Groping. Fondling. Grinding. Digital penetration.

And then he'd perform the most disgusting act and release himself on me.  As a little girl, I was totally oblivious to what that warm, wet sensation and the moaning that accompanied it meant.

Then, he'd clean me up using the roll of tissue he kept stashed under my bed and exit the room, always sure to remind me that this was "our little special secret" and "no one could ever know."

I wasn't so sure that that was the kind of secret a 6-year old and a much older man should share, but I was afraid to expose it. I mean, I didn't have that kind of secret with any of my other cousins. Still, I never told anyone.

I remember him telling me once that letting him do those things to me made him feel good.

As I got older, those words never left the recesses of my mind, and I honestly believed that I was supposed to allow boys or men to do nasty, degrading things to me, as long as it made them feel good. I thought it was all that I was good for -- a good time.

Every time I let a guy to touch my body, I was replicating the behavior taught to me by my abuser. I didn't realize it then, but I had allowed him to shape my identity. I had accepted being the person he told me I was, and given him the power to determine my worth.

The enemy at work through my abuser had stolen my true identity and given me a false perception of who I was based on the things he did to me.

It took me years to break free from the bondage of that falsehood, forgive myself for believing the lie that I was only purposed to be some man's sex slave and for acting as such, and to discover my true identity in Christ.

I had to learn, through much prayer and studying God's word, that I was not a tainted woman because of the filth forced upon me by my abuser.  In spite of what happened to me, it did not at all change who I was or how God saw me.

Though my mind was twisted in the way I perceived myself and I struggled greatly with disassociating my worth and identity from the molestation I suffered, it was God's grace and His transforming power that cleansed and renewed me - mind, body, spirit and soul.

I am so eternally grateful for God's unconditional love, His mercy, and His grace.

Today, I understand that I am not what happened to me, but I am what God created me to be -- beautiful, valuable, worthy, whole, redeemed, and treasured. That's an identity no one could ever take away from me.

I embrace the beauty of me.

Be Beautiful!
xoxo

Pieces of Me: Embracing My Inner Beauty Pt. 1

Dark and awkwardly skinny with nappy hair – that pretty much describes my appearance for a great deal of my young life. I was never the pretty or popular girl, and growing up without my father added to my long list of insecurities. His absence alone planted seeds of unworthiness into my mind. If I wasn’t good enough for my own father to stick around and love me, how could I ever feel worthy of anything good in life? It didn’t help, either, that my childhood best friend was a perfect mix of African American and Puerto Rican, with long, curly hair. She always received the best compliments whenever we were together. People would just look at me and say “You’re not too bad for a dark-skinned girl.” I wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or not, but it certainly left me feeling some kind of way every time I heard it. She was so beautiful to me, and I often wished I could look like her. That way, everyone else would think I was pretty, or, better yet, I’d think I was beautiful.

On top of feeling generally unpretty, my father’s absence left a huge hole in my heart. I longed for the day I’d wake up and he’d be there, hugging me, playing with me, and telling me how much he loved me. But that day never came. Because he wasn’t around to protect me, I fell prey to sexual abuse at a young age. From that experience, I adopted the mentality that my body should be used to satisfy the needs of men, and I used sex appeal as a means of gaining the attention I desired. Mini skirts, midriff tops, booty shorts – if the boys liked it, I wore it. I became the girl that would let all of the boys sneak a quick feel on my breasts or butt, and even in my underpants. In my eyes, I believed that it made me pretty or desirable. Clearly, my thinking was twisted.

I spent a great deal of my life searching for something to fill the void of not having my father around. I turned to sex, pornography, and, eventually, alcohol, desperately seeking to feel whole. But all those vices did was add to my emptiness and made me feel worse about myself. Wandering aimlessly through life, I felt worthless, and in my eyes, there was nothing good for my life. Though I accepted Jesus into my heart at the age of 14, it was hard for me to believe that He loved me after all I’d done over the years to crucify Him afresh through my willful sin.

Even after I rededicated my life to the Lord in my late twenties, I yet struggled to see that fearfully and wonderfully made woman He created me to be. To me, she simply didn’t exist. I still felt ugly; I still felt worthless; I still felt less than what I knew God made me to be. I had no confidence, no self-love, no self-esteem, and no real reason for living. Many days, I drowned in depression and wanted to die. But no matter how much I wanted to give up, God wouldn’t let me. He wouldn’t allow all of the beauty He placed within me before the foundation of the world to go undiscovered.

It took consistent and persistent praying, fasting, and studying God’s Word to heal my heart, transform my mind, and renew my life. By His grace, my eyes were opened to the truth of who I am in Christ. From the beginning of time, even without my father and without the need to compare myself to my gorgeous childhood friend, I’d always been beautiful. My beauty had nothing to do with who didn’t love me enough to accept me, what other pretty girl I looked nothing like, or the ugly things I did to devalue myself and displease God, but it was solely based on the fact that I’d been formed by the hands of a beautiful, perfect God.

He wholly restored me, and through His Word and the renewing of my mind, taught me to embrace the beautiful woman I was destined to be.

Like the old me, there are many women oblivious to the remarkable beauty that resides within them.

Because we live in such a superficial world, many spend countless dollars and time trying to match their exterior to its standards, but spend little time and effort trying to match their interior to the standards and beauty found in God’s Word. But know this -- When beauty secrets fade away, God’s Word concerning who you truly are inside will yet stand.

My sister, grasp this truth – No matter what you’ve done, where you’ve been, how long you’ve done it, or what you’ve experienced, God loves you with an unconditional, everlasting love. Before the foundation of the world, He loved you and chose you as His own. When He looks at you through the blood of Jesus Christ, all He sees is His beautiful daughter.

It is my sincere prayer that every woman will grow to see herself as beautiful as God does.

*Introduction from my book, "Beautiful Me: 21 Days to Embracing Your Beauty Within"*

Be beautiful,
LaKeisha
xoxo

One-Minute Inspiration: What Are You Thinking?

"As a (wo)man thinks in their heart, so is (s)he..." Proverbs 23:7

Thoughts are much more powerful than you think. The things you think about yourself take root in your heart and are given life through your actions. If you consistently think, "I'm ugly; I'm worthless; I'm dumb; I'm no good..." your demeanor will reflect just that. You will exude insecurity and walk through daily life inferior to the strong, intelligent, beautiful, successful woman that you truly are.

Don't cheat yourself of discovering your greatest you. Change your thoughts about yourself. Pray daily to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that the mind that is in Christ Jesus may also be in you.

Be beautiful!
xoxo
LaKeisha ♡

Beautiful, Valuable, Worthy & Whole

In God's image you were strategically crafted

Bone structure, curves, the color of your eyes He mastered

He took His time to make sure you were perfect

Nothing broken, nothing scarred

nothing missing, nothing flawed

A masterpiece exemplifying pure beauty

I imagine Him marveling at His creation

thinking "Hmmm, she looks good to me"

If fearfully and wonderfully made

Your worth high above rubies

Why do you devalue yourself

simply for the likes of a cutie?

I take that back

He's probably not even that cute

but because you think you can't do any better

you're too afraid to give him the boot.

The boot that kicks him out of your life

Refusing to continue to sell yourself short

As if you have to be desperate

And settle for less as a last resort.

No ma'am my sister

Your pearls are to be treasured

And your heart treated like gold

You are God's prized possession

Forget the lies you've been told

Lies that say you're unloveable

And the only way to receive is to put out

Lies that tell you sex and sexuality

Are all you're really about

Your body is a temple

Designed to be holy and pure

It is to be offered as a sacrifice

Of this, be very sure

Jesus paid a high price for you

Because He loved you more than Himself

The man in your life should follow Jesus' example

And place you high upon a shelf

The shelf of his heart, that is

Loving and respecting you for who you are inside

Not focusing merely on your body

Or the jewel between your thighs

But until you respect yourself

And recognize your own worth

You'll always lower your standards

And accept being treated like dirt

I'm not telling you anything

That I haven't gone through myself

But by the grace of God

I discovered that within me was wealth

Not the kind of wealth

Measured by riches and gold

But the kind that resides

Deep down in the very soul

A weatlh of beauty

A wealth of love

A weath of value

All given from above

If nothing else you take from this

If nothing else speaks to your soul

See yourself as God does

Beautiful, Valuable, Worthy, and Whole.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." ~Psalm 139:14~

Be Beautiful!

xoxo

God Will Heal & Restore

"But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’declares the Lord..." (Jeremiah 30:17)

To the woman who has no self-esteem...

To the woman who is haunted by the guilt and pain of her past...

To the woman who still feels victim to her molester or rapist...

To the woman who tries to find her value through men...

To the woman who struggles with promiscuity...

To the woman who is bound by pornography...

To the woman who feels lost and confused...

To the woman who has a broken heart...

To the woman who numbs her feelings with alcohol...

To the woman who feels unwanted and unloved...

To the woman who had no father...

To the woman who is searching for identity...

To the woman who battles depression...

To the woman who desires to be free...

To the woman who longs for love...

To the woman searching for direction...

To the woman who wants to be whole...

God is able...

To heal your hurt.

To ease your pain.

To erase your guilt.

To break your chains.

To wipe your slate clean.

To fill your void.

To lift your head.

To strengthen your heart.

To order your steps.

To destroy your strongholds.

To give you joy.

To restore your life.

To refresh your spirit.

To set you free.

To build you up.

To bring you out.

To awaken you to love.

To make you whole.

To show you purpose, and use you for His glory.

I know, because He's done it all for me.  

Be Beautiful!
XOXO