Hey!
I know I've been slacking again with writing my blog, but I have been making moves! Over the past year, so much has happened, and so I've been working on getting back on track.
Most recently I had an encounter w/God and I my relationship w/Him got back on track. I'll admit, I wasn't too thrilled about the things I have endured in the last year, and so I sort of, kind of, strayed away a little. I didn't completely backslide, lol, but I wasn't praying right. I wasn't studying the Word like I should. Honestly, I was trying to handle things on my own. But, just one encounter last Saturday took me to a different place spiritually! I'm back on track!
God has divinely connected me w/some people & I'm even getting my business life back on track! I'm taking myself seriously, realizing I've wasted enough time and it's now time for me to take authority and claim what God says is mine!
What areas in your life do you need to get back on track? What caused your detours? Once you identify the answers to those questions, you're one step closer to getting back on track. God is gving you the green light & it's time for you to get up and be about your life. It's time for you to walk in your calling and live out your purpose. The world is waiting on you! You were destined for something great! Believe it!
I'm going to do better about blogging because I have so much I want to say to you guys. Please bear with me! I'm working on getting a couple of assistants to help me get organized so I can keep up with all that I'm tryng to do. In the meantime, y'all keep praying for me. I'm certainly praying for you!
I love you!
Be blessed!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
In God I Trust...Sometimes
It's been some days since I wrote but my daughter is teething! And no one warned me for what I was about to go through! Geesh. My days have been long and the nights have been longer. Make sure when y'all pray at night, you lift a sista' up! :-) Lol
I don't have a long entry tonight. I just wanted to share with you something that I have been praying/fasting about since April. My trust in God. You know, it's really easy for us to say that we trust God, but when we find ourselves in certain situations, particular predicaments, or unusual quandaries, it often tests our faith. If you ask me if I trust God, I would immediately say, yes. But, when it comes down to it, when the storms start raging, when the fire is too hot--I often time lose my trust. I get tempted to start operating in my own logic. I know all of the scriptures any Christian should know concerning trust/faith, but boy does it get hard!
Lately, I've been hearing the same message over and over again. "Trust God." Strangers have been calling me to say that's what the Lord has led them to say to me. Family members. Friends. Everybody has been saying the same thing. So, it hit me earlier tonight that maybe--just maybe--I need to take heed and start working on trusting God more.
When you look back over your life, how much of it have you controlled anyway? You would think that we would know and understand that we can do nothing apart from God, but yet we try to take our problems, our situations, our needs, into our own hands. Our hands are not big enough to hold all of our stuff, but when we put our lives in the hands of God, we're assured that He can handle it. I'm reminded of a childhood song, "He's got the whole world in His hands." And He loves and cares about us so much, He will not allow the enemy to take either one of us out.
So, how much are you trusting God with your life? Are you putting your faith in Him? I believe that the body of Christ is about to go through a major shift. I believe that we are yet again about to walk in a season of prosperity. But, this season will be only for those who have not lost hope. For those who have kept the faith. Don't let your harvest rot because you walked away from the field to quick. You've taken all this time to plant the seeds. You've put your blood sweat and tears into nurturing your harvest. So, hang in there. You shall reap if you faint not!
!
Love you guys! Pray for me & I'm certainly praying for you!
Have a great night!
I don't have a long entry tonight. I just wanted to share with you something that I have been praying/fasting about since April. My trust in God. You know, it's really easy for us to say that we trust God, but when we find ourselves in certain situations, particular predicaments, or unusual quandaries, it often tests our faith. If you ask me if I trust God, I would immediately say, yes. But, when it comes down to it, when the storms start raging, when the fire is too hot--I often time lose my trust. I get tempted to start operating in my own logic. I know all of the scriptures any Christian should know concerning trust/faith, but boy does it get hard!
Lately, I've been hearing the same message over and over again. "Trust God." Strangers have been calling me to say that's what the Lord has led them to say to me. Family members. Friends. Everybody has been saying the same thing. So, it hit me earlier tonight that maybe--just maybe--I need to take heed and start working on trusting God more.
When you look back over your life, how much of it have you controlled anyway? You would think that we would know and understand that we can do nothing apart from God, but yet we try to take our problems, our situations, our needs, into our own hands. Our hands are not big enough to hold all of our stuff, but when we put our lives in the hands of God, we're assured that He can handle it. I'm reminded of a childhood song, "He's got the whole world in His hands." And He loves and cares about us so much, He will not allow the enemy to take either one of us out.
So, how much are you trusting God with your life? Are you putting your faith in Him? I believe that the body of Christ is about to go through a major shift. I believe that we are yet again about to walk in a season of prosperity. But, this season will be only for those who have not lost hope. For those who have kept the faith. Don't let your harvest rot because you walked away from the field to quick. You've taken all this time to plant the seeds. You've put your blood sweat and tears into nurturing your harvest. So, hang in there. You shall reap if you faint not!
!
Love you guys! Pray for me & I'm certainly praying for you!
Have a great night!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Lord, Help Me To Stay Out of Closed Doors!
Have you ever been involved in business relationships, personal relationships, etc that ended, and in the long run you realized it was for the best? Really? Me, too!
But, recently, I have found myself wanting to crack open some doors that the Lord CLEARLY closed. You know how it is when you're sitting around thinking about your life, and what needs to be done in order to get to where you're trying to go, it gets mighty tempting to go back up to that door and knock.
I, for one, am good at trying to handle things on my own, and when I don't feel God is moving fast enough, I get going. And, I cannot tell you how much trouble that has gotten me into. And, you would think that since I know the consequences of pushing down closed doors, I would wait on God. Yeah, er, uhm...
I think it's safe to say that a lot of my disappointments, heartaches, and failures have been the direct result of me getting in front of God, trying to do His job. It's a reason my life's resume doesn't include previous experience at being God. He is God alone. All by Himself. But, you know how we do.
Last year I made a decision to do something. I had always wanted to do it. I had been speaking it for many years, and finally I was presented an opportunity to do it. When I got to the signing table, I could hear bells, whistles, sirens, horns, bullhorns, megaphones, everything shouting at me not to do it. I signed on the dotted line, and in less than six months, it turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Every time I ride by this place now, I say a quick thank you. Not because it didn't work out, but because the Lord got me out of there!!
Even with all of the countless examples I could refer to of the Lord warning me and/or shutting things down, I was tempted today to call some numbers, send some emails, send a FB message, etc to some CLOSED DOORS. I'm sure you can tell how aggressive I am when it comes to my future, my destiny...and there have been some people God removed from my life who at one point I thought were the key to me going forward, but turned out to be otherwise. Yet, I was sitting somewhere today looking glossy eyed trying to tell myself all the reasons I need to JUST LET IT GO. WALK AWAY and STAY AWAY. Y'all know what I mean when you are staring into space for so long your eyes water up. Yep, that's how I was today. Why? B/c I'm getting impatient. I'm starting to grow weary of waiting on God. But, I heard in my spirit tonight, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." So, I decided to just surrender all. I decided that those closed doors will stay closed. I won't lie and say that I won't be tempted to walk up to them every now and then and try to peek behind them, but I think I'll wait on God to open the right doors. Because the doors He opens, no man can close.
Love you guys, and I hope you stay away from those closed doors. It's a reason He closed them. Trust in the Lord & HE will give you the desires of your heart.
Til next time...keep it real!
Goodnight!
But, recently, I have found myself wanting to crack open some doors that the Lord CLEARLY closed. You know how it is when you're sitting around thinking about your life, and what needs to be done in order to get to where you're trying to go, it gets mighty tempting to go back up to that door and knock.
I, for one, am good at trying to handle things on my own, and when I don't feel God is moving fast enough, I get going. And, I cannot tell you how much trouble that has gotten me into. And, you would think that since I know the consequences of pushing down closed doors, I would wait on God. Yeah, er, uhm...
I think it's safe to say that a lot of my disappointments, heartaches, and failures have been the direct result of me getting in front of God, trying to do His job. It's a reason my life's resume doesn't include previous experience at being God. He is God alone. All by Himself. But, you know how we do.
Last year I made a decision to do something. I had always wanted to do it. I had been speaking it for many years, and finally I was presented an opportunity to do it. When I got to the signing table, I could hear bells, whistles, sirens, horns, bullhorns, megaphones, everything shouting at me not to do it. I signed on the dotted line, and in less than six months, it turned out to be one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Every time I ride by this place now, I say a quick thank you. Not because it didn't work out, but because the Lord got me out of there!!
Even with all of the countless examples I could refer to of the Lord warning me and/or shutting things down, I was tempted today to call some numbers, send some emails, send a FB message, etc to some CLOSED DOORS. I'm sure you can tell how aggressive I am when it comes to my future, my destiny...and there have been some people God removed from my life who at one point I thought were the key to me going forward, but turned out to be otherwise. Yet, I was sitting somewhere today looking glossy eyed trying to tell myself all the reasons I need to JUST LET IT GO. WALK AWAY and STAY AWAY. Y'all know what I mean when you are staring into space for so long your eyes water up. Yep, that's how I was today. Why? B/c I'm getting impatient. I'm starting to grow weary of waiting on God. But, I heard in my spirit tonight, "My strength is made perfect in your weakness." So, I decided to just surrender all. I decided that those closed doors will stay closed. I won't lie and say that I won't be tempted to walk up to them every now and then and try to peek behind them, but I think I'll wait on God to open the right doors. Because the doors He opens, no man can close.
Love you guys, and I hope you stay away from those closed doors. It's a reason He closed them. Trust in the Lord & HE will give you the desires of your heart.
Til next time...keep it real!
Goodnight!
Monday, June 13, 2011
God's in Love with a Sinner...ME!
Heyyyy!
I know that I am sooo late writing tonight, but I have a baby, y'all! And, she was in one of her moods tonight and it took FOREVER to get her calm. So, please forgive me, as I know I've been tweeting/posting about this blog all day.
I am so excited to write about this topic now because lately I've been feeling a pressing in my spirit to do so. Now, let me say this before I continue. I am not a theological scholar, I am simply a witness for Jesus Christ, who wants to see each individual lived a maximized life. So, you are not about to see a bunch of scriptures on here, tonight. I'm not trying to preach in my blogs...I only use this as an avenue to share. If you want to hear me preach, then call my office and book me! Lol
Too often we have complicated Christianity. Thus, it has made some people believe that they have to get themselves "together" before they can serve Jesus Christ. It is the biggest misconception of all time. Truth is, those who think they have it all together...don't.
I was raised in the country by Apostolic grandparents and Baptist parents. As I stated in another blog, they were all pastors/preachers. So, you can imagine that the morals/values that were instilled in me were strict by some people's opinion. I am glad that they raised me the way they did, but if I could change something, I would change the fact that I grew up with somewhat of a self-righteous spirit. I felt that because I didn't do certain things, it made me a better Christian. I felt that since I didn't have certain temptations or struggles, I was in a better position to be blessed by God than others. Here's the truth. I was and am no better than anyone else.
I got married to a Pastor when I was 16 years old, and a part of me felt entitled to be in the "elite" group of saints. Honey, I felt like I was Jesus cousin! I felt that since I had given up my life to follow Jesus and to do His work at an early age, then He had no choice but to bless me. Especially since I was not out there "sinning" like most of my friends and the people I knew were. I mean, I was near perfect. So, I thought.
I had the audacity to turn my nose up at folks who would confide in me as their first lady (yes, at 17)and I found it hard to relate to folks who were dealing with addictions, etc. The only sin I thought I had ever committed at the time was fornication. I had slept with my husband before we got married. But, after we got married, I felt like I was a saint! No more sin!
I kept on living.
I went through an ordeal a few years ago. This ordeal took place after I had preached my first sermon. After I had ministered to hundreds of women across the country. After I had declared, decreed, and all of the other spiritual jargon we church folk use. It was after I had pointed my finger at other people.
So, when this particular thing first started happening, I didn't know what to do. I remember calling up one of my friends whose a Pastor, and she told me to come to her church one night. So, I did. I went to the service and was layed all out in the floor, crying and praying. Praying and crying. After this Holy-Ghost filled service, I went home, got my oil out, anointed my house, my socks, my shoes, my glasses, the picture frames, anything in sight...I anointed it with oil. Besides, that's what I'd been taught to do. After I did all of that, I laid hands on myself, and declared that the enemy would not have place or dominion in my life. I was ready to go. I was feeling super-soaker anointed, and dared the devil to come at me again.
Well, in spite of all that, he did.
Some months went by and the situation was not going away! I could not for the life of me see the end. So, what did I do? Did I keep on praying? Yep. Did I fast? Yep. Did I speak in tongues? Yep. Did I call on the prayer warriors? Yep. Did I get in the prayer lines? Yep. Did I sow a seed in the offering? Yep. Was I still preaching? Yep. See, you're not talking about a babe in Christ. I was/am a seasoned believer. I'm supposed to know what to do. Matter of fact, one of my gifts is prophetic dreaming. I dream things before they happen. But, guess what? My dreams had stopped. I wasn't seeing A THING!
So, what did I do??
I took my first drink. I will never forget that it took me two hours to drink one apple martini. That one drink turned into an addiction, so to the point that I would wake up craving the smell of an apple martini. I was so depressed I couldn't get out of bed. Oh, I didn't stop there. I was so angry with God and myself, that I felt it was nowhere to go but further down. I didn't want to go to church, although I continued to go every Sunday. I would be sitting there waiting for it to end, so I could go get a drink and get my problems off of my mind. It got to the point where I didn't want to be around ANY church folk. Why? B/c in my mind they were all fake and pretending like their lives were perfect. Like they always had it together. So, I turned to the people we call "worldly". Yep, the First Lady did that. The preacher did that. The motivator, ministry consultant, the author, the woman of God, did that. I sure did. So, it went from one extreme to another. It no longer satisfied me to have a drink. So, the next thing I did was took my first trip to a club. It was, Club Ritz, here in Atlanta. I had NEVER seen the inside of one, and I remember the entire time I was praying that none of our church members would come in. How would it look for the first lady to be sitting in the corner drinking a Sex on the Beach cocktail (I had upgraded from the martini by then). How was I going to explain that??? Like for real??? Cause y'all know I would have been crucified and nailed to the cross by the church folk!! But, I kept on going for over a year!
I know you may be wondering why I am sharing this--my personal business. I'll tell you why. Because I am sick and tired, and tired and sick of pastors, leaders, preachers, whatever you want to call us portraying one thing and living another. I have done it, so I can talk about it. I have preached some of my best sermons the morning after I was out with my friends drinking all night. I would always have to rely on my talent and what I'd been taught concerning how to get a crowd going. I didn't think the Lord was with me, so often times, I would get up there and struggle to get through b/c I felt like the dirt I walked on!
So, finally, the weight of it all got the best of me. And, that is when I wanted to take my life. I had actually planned it out. Was getting ready to blow my brains out when my husband walked in the house and stopped me. I didn't think God loved me. I knew that if people knew what I was doing, they would no longer respect me. I had nowhere to turn. Again, I was raised to believe that almost everything was a sin. I mean if I talked to loud, I thought it was a sin. (I'm kidding--Lol) But, seriously. I wasn't raised to know what Christians could do. I just knew what I couldn't do. Nothing. Couldn't dance. Couldn't listen to nothing but gospel. Couldn't wear certain clothes. Couldn't chew gum. (I'm kidding, again) Therefore, when I started struggling with certain things, such as my temporary addiction to apple martinis, I was scared to go to sleep at night because I just knew I would wake up in hell if the Lord came back for me.
Y'all, lest I bore you with this testimony, I want to say this. God loves you. No matter what you do, NOTHING can separate you from the love of God. Your sins may separate you from your fellowship with Him. But, nothing you do can ever stop Him from loving on you. The Bible says, that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. And, that is what started my turnaround. Seeing that He was still loving on me, blessing me with new mercies, still hearing and answering my prayers...it made me want to please Him. It was no longer about what others thought or would think about me, my desire became to please Him, and Him alone.
I know we are held to a higher standard because of the positions we hold, but I'm seeing more and more people in "positions" falling because we have led people to believe that we are perfect. We have led people to believe that our breath don't stink, and that the sweet smelling aroma of the Holy Spirit is the only thing exuding from us. Ha! It's a lie! Don't believe it! I'm telling you, it's not true. The truth is we are ALL sinners saved by grace. We are ALL a wretched undone. And, sometimes we fall. And sometimes we fall HARD! Some of us are caught. Some of us are not. I wasn't caught, but I'm exposing myself because the devil can't live where there is light. He wants to trick you into believing that you have to keep your stuff in the dark. But, y'all know me, I'm going to keep it real!!! Deliverance can ONLY take place where there is honesty.
To sum it all up...God loves you! Don't let the opinions of others, the rules of others, or the expectations of others cause you to believe that God doesn't love you or He's less proud of you because you make mistakes. I will go as far as to say, if you commit transgressions--things you know are wrong, but do anyway.
Some of us are privileged to be called by God to lead His people, to preach/minister to His people. All of us are called to evangelize.
So, I don't write to you as a perfect person. I don't have an addiction to apple martinis anymore, but I still have things I'm working to overcome. I write to you as a woman whose striving for perfection. What is perfection you may ask. Who knows? That's why you have to please God and not man b/c the definition of perfection will vary depending on who you ask. That's just the truth.
Hopefully something you have read has motivated you to release the guilt you may feel. You are forgiven. You are redeemed. You are set free in the name of Jesus. You are more than a conqueror. You are saved as long as you confess Jesus as your personal Savior.
I love you and I pray that as you go forth in your life, you will not judge those who aren't like you. God is in love with all of those who are in love with Him. And, I'm so in love with Him. Thank God, His love is Agape--unconditional.
I'm going to bed now with a bowl of cherries (my favorite) and I pray that those of you who will read this tonight, will take a moment and embrace just how much love God has for you.
Until next time...keep it real.
That's what I'm doing.
P.S. For all the "deep" saints, I need to make sure I say that I'm not condoning sin of any kind. The sins that are mentioned in the Bible, nor the sins you've made up according to your own beliefs & have imposed on other people. #thatisall :-)
I know that I am sooo late writing tonight, but I have a baby, y'all! And, she was in one of her moods tonight and it took FOREVER to get her calm. So, please forgive me, as I know I've been tweeting/posting about this blog all day.
I am so excited to write about this topic now because lately I've been feeling a pressing in my spirit to do so. Now, let me say this before I continue. I am not a theological scholar, I am simply a witness for Jesus Christ, who wants to see each individual lived a maximized life. So, you are not about to see a bunch of scriptures on here, tonight. I'm not trying to preach in my blogs...I only use this as an avenue to share. If you want to hear me preach, then call my office and book me! Lol
Too often we have complicated Christianity. Thus, it has made some people believe that they have to get themselves "together" before they can serve Jesus Christ. It is the biggest misconception of all time. Truth is, those who think they have it all together...don't.
I was raised in the country by Apostolic grandparents and Baptist parents. As I stated in another blog, they were all pastors/preachers. So, you can imagine that the morals/values that were instilled in me were strict by some people's opinion. I am glad that they raised me the way they did, but if I could change something, I would change the fact that I grew up with somewhat of a self-righteous spirit. I felt that because I didn't do certain things, it made me a better Christian. I felt that since I didn't have certain temptations or struggles, I was in a better position to be blessed by God than others. Here's the truth. I was and am no better than anyone else.
I got married to a Pastor when I was 16 years old, and a part of me felt entitled to be in the "elite" group of saints. Honey, I felt like I was Jesus cousin! I felt that since I had given up my life to follow Jesus and to do His work at an early age, then He had no choice but to bless me. Especially since I was not out there "sinning" like most of my friends and the people I knew were. I mean, I was near perfect. So, I thought.
I had the audacity to turn my nose up at folks who would confide in me as their first lady (yes, at 17)and I found it hard to relate to folks who were dealing with addictions, etc. The only sin I thought I had ever committed at the time was fornication. I had slept with my husband before we got married. But, after we got married, I felt like I was a saint! No more sin!
I kept on living.
I went through an ordeal a few years ago. This ordeal took place after I had preached my first sermon. After I had ministered to hundreds of women across the country. After I had declared, decreed, and all of the other spiritual jargon we church folk use. It was after I had pointed my finger at other people.
So, when this particular thing first started happening, I didn't know what to do. I remember calling up one of my friends whose a Pastor, and she told me to come to her church one night. So, I did. I went to the service and was layed all out in the floor, crying and praying. Praying and crying. After this Holy-Ghost filled service, I went home, got my oil out, anointed my house, my socks, my shoes, my glasses, the picture frames, anything in sight...I anointed it with oil. Besides, that's what I'd been taught to do. After I did all of that, I laid hands on myself, and declared that the enemy would not have place or dominion in my life. I was ready to go. I was feeling super-soaker anointed, and dared the devil to come at me again.
Well, in spite of all that, he did.
Some months went by and the situation was not going away! I could not for the life of me see the end. So, what did I do? Did I keep on praying? Yep. Did I fast? Yep. Did I speak in tongues? Yep. Did I call on the prayer warriors? Yep. Did I get in the prayer lines? Yep. Did I sow a seed in the offering? Yep. Was I still preaching? Yep. See, you're not talking about a babe in Christ. I was/am a seasoned believer. I'm supposed to know what to do. Matter of fact, one of my gifts is prophetic dreaming. I dream things before they happen. But, guess what? My dreams had stopped. I wasn't seeing A THING!
So, what did I do??
I took my first drink. I will never forget that it took me two hours to drink one apple martini. That one drink turned into an addiction, so to the point that I would wake up craving the smell of an apple martini. I was so depressed I couldn't get out of bed. Oh, I didn't stop there. I was so angry with God and myself, that I felt it was nowhere to go but further down. I didn't want to go to church, although I continued to go every Sunday. I would be sitting there waiting for it to end, so I could go get a drink and get my problems off of my mind. It got to the point where I didn't want to be around ANY church folk. Why? B/c in my mind they were all fake and pretending like their lives were perfect. Like they always had it together. So, I turned to the people we call "worldly". Yep, the First Lady did that. The preacher did that. The motivator, ministry consultant, the author, the woman of God, did that. I sure did. So, it went from one extreme to another. It no longer satisfied me to have a drink. So, the next thing I did was took my first trip to a club. It was, Club Ritz, here in Atlanta. I had NEVER seen the inside of one, and I remember the entire time I was praying that none of our church members would come in. How would it look for the first lady to be sitting in the corner drinking a Sex on the Beach cocktail (I had upgraded from the martini by then). How was I going to explain that??? Like for real??? Cause y'all know I would have been crucified and nailed to the cross by the church folk!! But, I kept on going for over a year!
I know you may be wondering why I am sharing this--my personal business. I'll tell you why. Because I am sick and tired, and tired and sick of pastors, leaders, preachers, whatever you want to call us portraying one thing and living another. I have done it, so I can talk about it. I have preached some of my best sermons the morning after I was out with my friends drinking all night. I would always have to rely on my talent and what I'd been taught concerning how to get a crowd going. I didn't think the Lord was with me, so often times, I would get up there and struggle to get through b/c I felt like the dirt I walked on!
So, finally, the weight of it all got the best of me. And, that is when I wanted to take my life. I had actually planned it out. Was getting ready to blow my brains out when my husband walked in the house and stopped me. I didn't think God loved me. I knew that if people knew what I was doing, they would no longer respect me. I had nowhere to turn. Again, I was raised to believe that almost everything was a sin. I mean if I talked to loud, I thought it was a sin. (I'm kidding--Lol) But, seriously. I wasn't raised to know what Christians could do. I just knew what I couldn't do. Nothing. Couldn't dance. Couldn't listen to nothing but gospel. Couldn't wear certain clothes. Couldn't chew gum. (I'm kidding, again) Therefore, when I started struggling with certain things, such as my temporary addiction to apple martinis, I was scared to go to sleep at night because I just knew I would wake up in hell if the Lord came back for me.
Y'all, lest I bore you with this testimony, I want to say this. God loves you. No matter what you do, NOTHING can separate you from the love of God. Your sins may separate you from your fellowship with Him. But, nothing you do can ever stop Him from loving on you. The Bible says, that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. And, that is what started my turnaround. Seeing that He was still loving on me, blessing me with new mercies, still hearing and answering my prayers...it made me want to please Him. It was no longer about what others thought or would think about me, my desire became to please Him, and Him alone.
I know we are held to a higher standard because of the positions we hold, but I'm seeing more and more people in "positions" falling because we have led people to believe that we are perfect. We have led people to believe that our breath don't stink, and that the sweet smelling aroma of the Holy Spirit is the only thing exuding from us. Ha! It's a lie! Don't believe it! I'm telling you, it's not true. The truth is we are ALL sinners saved by grace. We are ALL a wretched undone. And, sometimes we fall. And sometimes we fall HARD! Some of us are caught. Some of us are not. I wasn't caught, but I'm exposing myself because the devil can't live where there is light. He wants to trick you into believing that you have to keep your stuff in the dark. But, y'all know me, I'm going to keep it real!!! Deliverance can ONLY take place where there is honesty.
To sum it all up...God loves you! Don't let the opinions of others, the rules of others, or the expectations of others cause you to believe that God doesn't love you or He's less proud of you because you make mistakes. I will go as far as to say, if you commit transgressions--things you know are wrong, but do anyway.
Some of us are privileged to be called by God to lead His people, to preach/minister to His people. All of us are called to evangelize.
So, I don't write to you as a perfect person. I don't have an addiction to apple martinis anymore, but I still have things I'm working to overcome. I write to you as a woman whose striving for perfection. What is perfection you may ask. Who knows? That's why you have to please God and not man b/c the definition of perfection will vary depending on who you ask. That's just the truth.
Hopefully something you have read has motivated you to release the guilt you may feel. You are forgiven. You are redeemed. You are set free in the name of Jesus. You are more than a conqueror. You are saved as long as you confess Jesus as your personal Savior.
I love you and I pray that as you go forth in your life, you will not judge those who aren't like you. God is in love with all of those who are in love with Him. And, I'm so in love with Him. Thank God, His love is Agape--unconditional.
I'm going to bed now with a bowl of cherries (my favorite) and I pray that those of you who will read this tonight, will take a moment and embrace just how much love God has for you.
Until next time...keep it real.
That's what I'm doing.
P.S. For all the "deep" saints, I need to make sure I say that I'm not condoning sin of any kind. The sins that are mentioned in the Bible, nor the sins you've made up according to your own beliefs & have imposed on other people. #thatisall :-)
Sunday, June 12, 2011
One of those nights...
I know it's late y'all, but I'm sitting under the dryer in this quiet room and my mind is running a thousand miles per hour! It's nights like these when I come up with my most creative ideas (books, plays, etc etc) So, as I am sitting here I'm giving serious thought to writing a tell-all book about my life. Do y'all think people will read it? I mean, I've only been living for almost 31 years, but my God the things I've been through have been...whew. Getting married @ 16...I could start right there! Lol
So, anyway...
Today, I was reading my timeline on Twitter, and b/c I follow a lot of Pastors, I'm able to see some very interesting discussions. Seemingly, the hot topic today was Steve Harvey hosting TBN last night. And, y'all know what? Call me crazy, unholy, unsaved--whatever you want--but I see no problem with it. Some Pastors were going in on him & was accusing him of trying to preach, blah, blah, blah. First of all, who are we to judge? Second of all, since when was it wrong for anyone to talk & proclaim the name of Jesus?? Isn't the purpose of our Christianity to witness Jesus Christ? Seriously, we as Christians need to get off of our high horses! We need to be careful who we call saved & unsaved based on what we know about a person. Truth be told, until we die, our testimony is not complete. As my grandmother would say, "Just keep on living." You never know when you may find yourself in need of grace. I can testify that if it had not been for the grace of God keeping me when I couldn't keep myself, I'd be a total mess!
So, let's stop bashing one another & pointing our judgemental finger at people who may not be "as saved as you."We are a wretched undone & need the new mercies we receive daily.
Okay, I'm done fussing. Lol I'm just tired of so-called church people. I've lived my life under a microscope my entire life. And, if you take a close look at me now, you'll see some flaws. I don't falunt them but I certainly don't deny their existence. If we would be honest about the things we struggle with, more people might get delivered.
For real this time, I'm done fussing. :-)
Welcome to all of my new followers and welcome back to the ones I already had. My main purpose is to use my life to be an encouragement to you so you can live your life freely. I spent many years living for other people. Trying to gain the approval of other people. It wore me out. I'm. Done.
Take care & have a blessed Sunday! And, remember to Keep it real!
Love ya!
So, anyway...
Today, I was reading my timeline on Twitter, and b/c I follow a lot of Pastors, I'm able to see some very interesting discussions. Seemingly, the hot topic today was Steve Harvey hosting TBN last night. And, y'all know what? Call me crazy, unholy, unsaved--whatever you want--but I see no problem with it. Some Pastors were going in on him & was accusing him of trying to preach, blah, blah, blah. First of all, who are we to judge? Second of all, since when was it wrong for anyone to talk & proclaim the name of Jesus?? Isn't the purpose of our Christianity to witness Jesus Christ? Seriously, we as Christians need to get off of our high horses! We need to be careful who we call saved & unsaved based on what we know about a person. Truth be told, until we die, our testimony is not complete. As my grandmother would say, "Just keep on living." You never know when you may find yourself in need of grace. I can testify that if it had not been for the grace of God keeping me when I couldn't keep myself, I'd be a total mess!
So, let's stop bashing one another & pointing our judgemental finger at people who may not be "as saved as you."We are a wretched undone & need the new mercies we receive daily.
Okay, I'm done fussing. Lol I'm just tired of so-called church people. I've lived my life under a microscope my entire life. And, if you take a close look at me now, you'll see some flaws. I don't falunt them but I certainly don't deny their existence. If we would be honest about the things we struggle with, more people might get delivered.
For real this time, I'm done fussing. :-)
Welcome to all of my new followers and welcome back to the ones I already had. My main purpose is to use my life to be an encouragement to you so you can live your life freely. I spent many years living for other people. Trying to gain the approval of other people. It wore me out. I'm. Done.
Take care & have a blessed Sunday! And, remember to Keep it real!
Love ya!
Friday, June 10, 2011
DiShan, Where You At???
Hey!
I know y'all have been wondering where I have been and what I have been up to for the past YEAR. Wow, you would not even begin to believe all that I have gone through. The fact of the matter is, I am still here!
I wanted to get back to my blog, because it felt so good to be able to come on here and vent, release, as well as encourage.
Okay, let's see. Where have I been?
For starters, I had a baby. Yep, a baby girl. She is absolutely the love and joy of my life. I feel that if she had not come, I would have been buried in a deep depression.
So, I know you guys remember me testifying about all of the wonderful things that were going on with me last year. The play. The movie. Well, it happened to me again. It all fell apart. As a result, my faith was really challenged and tested, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why bad things kept happening to me! I was so upset and angry with myself, with God, with everyone. Shortly after it all fell apart, I learned that my daughter was fighting for her life inside of me--probably due to all of the stress--and I knew something had to give. One thing after the other kept popping up. I was getting sicker by the day, I was emotionally bankrupt, had pretty much lost everything I owned physically...I mean, you name it and it happened.
It took me getting into the presence of God on a daily basis to come out of that depression. To top it all off, my marriage was severely affected by it all, and I was to the point that I just didn't care about anything anymore. I remember telling my mom once during the pregnancy, that I wasn't even sure I loved my daughter who was growing inside of me. Can you imagine testifying about all of these wonderful things that you are so sure is about to happen, finding out you're pregnant out of the blue, being sick all day every day, losing everything you owned, relationship falling apart, seemingly no one to turn to...I was just DONE!
But, when my little girl entered the world some months ago, I saw life so differently. She gave me a reason to not give up. To keep fighting. To keep going after the best. She taught me that it doesn't matter if the world knows my name, I am still somebody. I am her mother.
Just the other day, I found out some more disturbing news concerning the company that published my book.(I'll tell y'all about that later) It's a sad situation because people just refuse to do the right thing. SMH But, y'all know what? I'm going to keep on writing great books. I am not going to let nothing turn me around! I mean that.
So, y'all pray for a sista'! I know when it is all said and done, God is going to be exalted and everything the devil meant for bad, God is going to make it good!
Well, the baby is waking up, so I gotta run. I'll check back in with you all later!
Oh, and everyone is asking when Diary 2 will be released. We are looking at an August release date b/c I was late finishing it. If that happens, how about we get together and do a birthday/release party?? What y'all think? :-)
Until later, I love you, my blog-a-babies!
Keep it real!
I know y'all have been wondering where I have been and what I have been up to for the past YEAR. Wow, you would not even begin to believe all that I have gone through. The fact of the matter is, I am still here!
I wanted to get back to my blog, because it felt so good to be able to come on here and vent, release, as well as encourage.
Okay, let's see. Where have I been?
For starters, I had a baby. Yep, a baby girl. She is absolutely the love and joy of my life. I feel that if she had not come, I would have been buried in a deep depression.
So, I know you guys remember me testifying about all of the wonderful things that were going on with me last year. The play. The movie. Well, it happened to me again. It all fell apart. As a result, my faith was really challenged and tested, and for the life of me, I could not figure out why bad things kept happening to me! I was so upset and angry with myself, with God, with everyone. Shortly after it all fell apart, I learned that my daughter was fighting for her life inside of me--probably due to all of the stress--and I knew something had to give. One thing after the other kept popping up. I was getting sicker by the day, I was emotionally bankrupt, had pretty much lost everything I owned physically...I mean, you name it and it happened.
It took me getting into the presence of God on a daily basis to come out of that depression. To top it all off, my marriage was severely affected by it all, and I was to the point that I just didn't care about anything anymore. I remember telling my mom once during the pregnancy, that I wasn't even sure I loved my daughter who was growing inside of me. Can you imagine testifying about all of these wonderful things that you are so sure is about to happen, finding out you're pregnant out of the blue, being sick all day every day, losing everything you owned, relationship falling apart, seemingly no one to turn to...I was just DONE!
But, when my little girl entered the world some months ago, I saw life so differently. She gave me a reason to not give up. To keep fighting. To keep going after the best. She taught me that it doesn't matter if the world knows my name, I am still somebody. I am her mother.
Just the other day, I found out some more disturbing news concerning the company that published my book.(I'll tell y'all about that later) It's a sad situation because people just refuse to do the right thing. SMH But, y'all know what? I'm going to keep on writing great books. I am not going to let nothing turn me around! I mean that.
So, y'all pray for a sista'! I know when it is all said and done, God is going to be exalted and everything the devil meant for bad, God is going to make it good!
Well, the baby is waking up, so I gotta run. I'll check back in with you all later!
Oh, and everyone is asking when Diary 2 will be released. We are looking at an August release date b/c I was late finishing it. If that happens, how about we get together and do a birthday/release party?? What y'all think? :-)
Until later, I love you, my blog-a-babies!
Keep it real!
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