Stay the Course

And when Sarai dealt hardly with her (Hagar), she fled from her face.

If you are not familiar with this portion of scripture it is taken from Genesis 16:6. Sarai, the wife of Abram was barren. She was too old to conceive and decided to take matters into her own hands. She literally gave her maid Hagar to her husband for the purpose of conceiving a child which she would raise as her own.

Well just like many plans that we concoct, Sarai’s plan blew up in her face. Hagar despised Sarai after she became pregnant. Sarai retaliated by treating Hagar harshly; Hagar fled.

Sometimes when we feel we are treated harshly, are subjected to adverse circumstances by no fault of our own, or become so sick and tired of certain situations we too may feel like Hagar and want to flee.

We want to leave whatever we feel may be causing our pain. We desire a change. We may feel like we have done everything within our power to improve our situation. If our circumstances involve someone we are trying to help we may even start to lose hope that the person we are trying to help will ever change.

We may be forging ahead as hard as we can to accomplish a goal, follow our passion, or reach our destiny but feel like we are falling short.

Regardless of what brings us to the point that we want to flee or give up we must reconcile ourselves with our situation.

When Hagar fled an angel of the Lord came to her and told her to return to the circumstance which she fled. He comforted her by saying her cries had been heard and she would give birth to a son whose seed would be multiplied. Even though Hagar’s pregnancy was not her plan it was still part of her destiny.

On our journey to reach our destiny we may find ourselves in situations which are unfavorable, paths we would not have selected ourselves, or perhaps the paths we are on are our own choice, but are not the best choice. What do we do? Do we flee as Hagar did? We see that even though she fled, she was told to return to her situation because that was where she was supposed to be.

When times are difficult our natural instinct may be to flee, but if God has allowed us to be in certain situations, He may want us to dig our heels in, stand firm, gather our strength and move forward in what He has predestined for our lives.

We read in Luke 12:48 …for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Don’t think it peculiar or strange if you find yourself in trying, difficult or what may even feel like unbearable situations. As a matter of fact we should count it all joy as we are encouraged to do by James, when we fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of our faith worketh patience.

Oftentimes when we are close to our breakthrough, the goal that we have been working so hard to reach, able to see a flicker at the end of the tunnel the enemy brings out the big guns trying to get us to give up, cave in and quit.

Well, I am here to tell you that you are almost there. Don’t flee. Don’t allow the enemy to rob you of what God has told you is yours. Stay the course. You will find that everything you have endured will help you to be a blessing to someone else as you revel in God’s grace and glory.

 

 

From Saul to Paul

Many of us are familiar with Saul, his persecution of the followers of Jesus, his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus and conversion to preaching Christ in the synagogues.

When we look at Saul’s life before his encounter with Jesus, we see that he was fervent. He was passionate about what he was doing. He was ignorant as he says about himself in 1Timothy1:13 who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief, but he thought he was doing the right thing based on what he was taught.

Sometimes in life we may find ourselves going in the wrong direction or doing things out of ignorance as Paul stated he was doing. Our ignorance may come from

• Our environment
• Our upbringing
• Influence of
• Family
• Friends
• Social media

Sometimes people may find themselves just following the crowd. They may not even know why they exhibit certain behaviors. They are simply going along with everyone else. Then there are others that believe in what they are doing and stand strongly for their cause.

In addition to being fervent, Saul was a leader and committed to his cause. As a matter of fact he was so committed to his persecution of the followers of Jesus that he sought authorization to go after them, as we read in Acts 9:1-2 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Saul took it upon himself to go after the followers of Jesus. He was a man on a mission, but one encounter with Jesus changed his mission.

How many of us are doing what we thing is the right thing to do and going at it fervently just as Saul did only to find out we are not doing what God wants us to do.

If you are reading this blog I am pretty sure you are not persecuting the followers of Christ, but you may not be doing what God has called you to do.

I believe God takes our natural attributes, personalities and strengths, adds His anointing, when we give our life to Him and enhances them to be used for His purpose for our lives.

Before Saul’s conversion he was a leader, fervent and committed to his cause. After his conversion he was a leader, fervent and committed to the cause of Christ.

Whatever we do we should do as unto the Lord, regardless of our vocation. We read in John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing. We also read in John 1:17 every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. God has given each of us talents, gifts, attributes, personalities that make us who we are. Each of these good and perfect gifts should be used for His Glory. He wants us to be successful in all that we do according to His will and purpose for our lives.

Whoever you are and whatever God has called you to do will only be magnified when you allow Him to guide you rather than trying to figure it out on your own out of ignorance, or a lack of knowledge of his purpose for your life.

If God has spoken to you, follow his lead. If He has not spoken to you, seek Him, search Him for your purpose.

I will close with one of my favorite scriptures, Proverbs 13:12 hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when the desire cometh it is a tree of life. When we are not doing what God has purposed in our heart to do we are not truly happy, but when we follow his plan and see His purpose coming to pass in our lives there is joy unspeakable. There is not a better feeling than knowing you are exactly where God wants you to be, doing exactly what He wants you to do. When we are in His will, we too can be a leader, fervent and committed to Gods purpose for our lives.

 

 

 

 

Here Am I

When you have sought God or He has sought you and you are following his directions for your life you will encounter opposition. You may be taunted or ridiculed. People may question your authority, your ability, your education. Don’t take it personally.

When Moses encountered the burning bush God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. Moses accepted Gods call on his life.

Being well aware that he would be questioned by those God would send him before, he inquired of God saying, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?  And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

If you have purposed in your heart to follow God and you know that you are doing what He has called you to do you must respond as Moses responded and say I Am That I AM sent me.  Don’t let anyone undermine the anointing and authority God is working through you. Boldly proclaim I Am sent me.

Sometimes people are afraid to fulfill Gods call on their life, or do what He has told them to do because they are afraid people may consider them as arrogant but what you must remember is that it is God and not you. You are simply a willing vessel. What some people may see as your confidence in your own skills or abilities is actually your confidence in God.

When the children of Israel murmured and complained against Aaron and Moses. Moses basically responded who are we, we are only Gods vessels, and we are doing what He has told us to do. You are not murmuring against us but against God.

You must understand as Moses did, people are not coming against you, but the gift, the Holy Spirit, the God in you. God does not have to defend what He is doing through you, nor will He. And you cannot compromise and become angry as Moses did when he hit the rock out of arrogance because he was tired of the people coming against him. Just do what God tells you to do.

When people come against you, and they will because of the favor on your life, pray for them as Jesus did in Luke 23:24 saying Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

God always provides you with the confidence and encouragement in Him and His ability to do the work that He has called you to do. As Paul said in Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.  

Perhaps God has already called you or spoken to you, or maybe He is speaking to you now. Will you accept His call and say Here Am I?

 

 

Guest Appearance Monday August 25th on WATC 57's ATLANTA LIVE

Watch me live, August 25^th on WATC TV-57’s Atlanta live. The program airs from 7-9 EST.  WATC TV-57 is a local Christian TV station, in its 16^th year, broadcast in nearly 2 million homes throughout the Atlanta area; via cable, Dish Network, DirecTV and over-the-air.  The station is also streamlined at their website, www.watc.tv.

 

ATLANTA LIVE, its flagship program, is a two-hour live talk-show featuring artists, musicians, authors, evangelists, ministers, etc. of local and national recognition.

I will be appearing live to promote my new book, Secret Thoughts: Things We Are Afraid To Say Out Loud.

Topics in the book include: 

 

Foreclosure, repossession, emotional, financial and verbal abuse…

Who do you tell?  Who can you trust?  Are you too embarrassed to tell anyone?

 

A child is imprisoned.  The pain feels unbearable.  How do you cope?

A business relationship results in adultery.  How do you end the affair?

A special occasion shared with acquaintances, because you don’t have family with which to share your good fortune.

A Secret Thought may be good, but it remains a secret because you don’t have anyone you feel you can share it with, that will be as excited about your Secret Thought as you are.

A Secret Thought may also be hurtful, causing pain, destroying relationships; adversely affecting ones emotional and physical wellbeing.

What are your Secret Thoughts?  When and with whom do you share them? Or do you share them?

Within the pages of my book you will read about the Secret Thoughts of different individuals, as well as how they learned to release their thoughts, and became empowered to speak out loud.

This practical yet powerful guide serves as a tool to provide the reader with guidance on sharing thoughts that may cause pain, stress, discomfort, or joy without fear of judgment, repercussion, retaliation or envy.

 

 

Take Back Your Power

Have you ever been lied to by someone you trust? Have you ever been let down by someone? Perhaps it was someone who had authority over you, a friend, a family member, or even a spouse.

I don’t know of anyone that suffered more disappointment and false accusation than Joseph.  His own brothers conspired to kill him but instead they sold him into slavery after placing him in a pit.

He was falsely accused of rape.  Spent time in prison for a crime he did not commit.  After interpreting the dream of a fellow prisoner he expected an early release from prison, but the fellow prisoner whose dream he interpreted forgot about Joseph once he was released from prison. 

During the entire time of Joseph’s trials and tribulation we do not read of him complaining, but what we do read throughout his journey is the Lord was with him.  

Perhaps you have old wounds that have not been healed. Maybe you are carrying a grudge against someone that has hurt you.  Just as the Lord was with Joseph and caused him to prosper in spite of his circumstances He is also with you and will prosper you in spite of your circumstances if you just as Joseph, forgive, do not try to get revenge, and put your trust in Him.

We read in Mark 11:25-26 and when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

When Joseph’s brothers were made aware by Joseph himself, that not only had he survived the slavery they had sold him into, he also forgave them they were amazed.

Joseph said to his brothers, now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.  So now it was not you that sent me hither but God.

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand why we must endure some of the things that occur in our lives, but what we must remember is that the God that loves us so much that He sacrificed the life of His only son will never allow us to suffer more than we can bear.

Learn to put your trust in God. Forgive those that have caused you harm. Carrying anger or a grudge empowers the very person that has hurt you. Take your power back.  When you put your trust in God you can never be disappointed by man.

 

Where's Your Trust?

We are a spirit. We live in a body and we possess a soul. The mind of the spirit, or the embodiment of the spirit lies within the heart.

You may have heard people say ‘something does or doesn’t feel right, or my gut is telling me to do something’. That is the mind of the spirit trying to guide you. It is the Holy Spirit within you.

 

We read in Proverbs 3:5 trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

We get into trouble when we do not follow the mind of the spirit but instead rely on our own understanding. It’s when we try to rationalize or try to figure out how God is going to do something that we get into trouble. But think about it, are we really trying to figure out how God is going to do something or are we trying to figure out how we are going to do it?

I am an eternal optimist, I look for the good in everything and everybody. I am also a dreamer. I believe God gives me the greatest ideas and He is going to bring them to pass, or do I? I say I believe that He will bring them to pass, but what happens when I am put to the test? Most of the time I trust Him, but there have been times when I have leaned to my own understanding.

Sometimes it’s the thoughts that go through our mind that cause doubt and unbelief and sometimes it’s the thoughts and opinions of others. Have you ever been excited about something you believe God is going to do, or that He has told you to do? Naturally because you are excited, you share your thoughts with someone that you think will be just as excited as you are, only to find not only does that person not share your enthusiasm, but they may even try to stop you.

They may say things like, are you sure that was God, you know so in so tried that and they lost all their money. You have been out of school for how long and you want to go back, for what? I thought you already had a good job. You can try it for fun and if you make money that’s great.

Then there are the nosy people asking how much do you have to invest. Do you have that kind of money? They may even go as far as saying if it was really God it would be easy. Seriously? Who do you know, or where have you read in the bible of someone walking right into their destiny or doing what God has predestined, and I do mean predestined because His plan for your life was made before you were thought about, but when has anyone reached their destiny without encountering some kind of trial or tribulation? Should the entire journey be that way? I don’t think so because God has called us to peace and when He left earth He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort us, but there will be trials.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but God delivers us from them all. Someone I know mentioned she is planning an event.  In explaining her vision she mentioned she was looking for a speaker. I immediately volunteered to be her speaker. Well, don’t you know as soon as the conversation ended fear try to attack. Many people are afraid of public speaking but I know the plan for my life requires me to speak publicly. So what am I afraid of? God hasn’t given me a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. Well the sound mind, or the mind of the spirit was temporarily taking a back seat to the fear. I was leaning unto my own understanding instead of trusting in God and His anointing to speak.

Are you trusting in God or leaning to your own understanding? Are you trying to do things your way or allowing God to do things His way?

If you are trying to work things out on your own I encourage you to trust in God. You will find His ways are better than your ways and His results will far outweigh anything you could do on your own.

What Are You Afraid Of?

Many of you are familiar with Genesis 12:1. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.

What some of us fail to recognize is the use of the word had. God actually spoke to Abram and instructed him to leave his father’s house and his family, prior to his father Terah moving the family to Haran as we read in Acts 7:2-4. In verse 4 we read of Abram not moving or following Gods command until after the death of his father.

Why was it so important for Abram to leave familiar surrounding’s? It’s evident in what we just read that as long as Abram’s father was alive Abram was under his father’s influence. Many of us, just as Abram become comfortable in our surroundings and what we are doing and don’t want to move. Sometimes we are afraid of the unknown, afraid of failure or maybe even afraid of success.

What happens when we confront our fear? Initially we may be afraid. We are experiencing something we may not have experienced before, but once we realize there is nothing to fear we are able to move forward.  

Abram moved out of his comfort zone, away from a land with which he was familiar and away from family. What are you afraid of? What is standing between you and God’s best for your life?

As you are aware I have just published my first book, Secret Thoughts: Things We Are Afraid To Say Out Loud which is available on Amazon. A portion of the book contains personal information which I have not shared with many people. I thought it was important to share my story in an effort to empower others in a similar situation to not only share events of their lives if they so choose, but to free them from the bondage, shame, guilt or fear which may be associated with some of life’s experiences. I had to let my passion for empowering others be greater than my fear of people knowing my secret thoughts.

 

Fear immobilizes, confronting fear empowers. Don’t let fear hold you hostage.