Election 2024

God is Sovereign! We must always be mindful that no matter what happens in the world that God is in control. God is still moving by His Spirit. I was disheartened with the November 5, 2024 election results. It is difficult to not conclude that so many voters’ chose to support racism, division, and hate. It is concerning to me because of what we endured when Donald Trump was President in the past. As well as the information, we currently have about him. Yet, most Americans thought he was the best choice.

However, I am grateful because this election shows exactly where America stands. It reveals how that more than ever we must trust God as our source. God is the one who is responsible for providing for us and keeping us. It keeps us mindful to the truth that the real power over our lives is the Lord Jesus Himself. I am grateful that I physically live in America but most importantly I am a member of the Kingdom of God. Don’t interpret things as getting worse. Stand Strong! This is going to be a testament to the Power and Glory of the Lord. I believe God is reminding us that all of our help comes from Him. I want to encourage you to not be dismayed by what you see happening in the world. Trust me. God is in control.

The same God that kept us BEFORE November 5th is the same God that will keep us AFTER November 5th. As a matter of fact, I believe all of this is a set up for God to do some miraculous things for and among His people. The Bible does not promise God will bless America; it promises that he will bless His people.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Perception vs. Perspective

We often hear the statement “Trust the Process” in Christian circles. Websters’ dictionary defines the word process as a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end. For Christians this means God taking us through a process of transformation when He guides us from our old nature (Adamic or prior to salvation) to a new nature (more reflective to the ways of Jesus).

The process begins by addressing our perception about life. We have been influenced by life, environment, and those who had the most influence on us. Each person begins the process at a different stage. The stage varies depending on a person’s need for true freedom from all forms of bondage. Mental health issues must be addressed. Trauma must be addressed. Spiritual strongholds are exposed. The role certain relationships have played out. The goal of the process. Is that you experience the freedom that God sent His only Son to provide for you! He wants us to experience the abundant life! The process addresses our perceptions about our past so we can effectively move forward having a greater perspective about life. Everything is put to the magnifier. All the good, the bad, and the ugly we’ve endured in life.

In the process, many of the very things we’ve experienced, are addressed by God to reveal His loving nature to us. He is truly like the surgeon that operates on us down to the very core of our being. The process strengthens us. The process heals and delivers us. The process opens the door for us to learn how to rely on and trust in God.

The process leads us to a faith relationship with God. Faith is a direct result of all of God’s dealings in our lives. Faith is the new perspective we get from seeing things the same way as God sees them. Faith is the perspective of learning how much God loves us. Faith is the perspective that allows us to have a relationship with God that is intimate and meaningful.

As mentioned earlier, all of us have had a unique journey. However, what we share is that in the process we learn how much God loves us. God can be trusted. God is present. It may be that you are now going through a difficult stretch in your life. The process right now is very trying and uncomfortable. I encourage you to please continue to trust the process. Be assured, this is going to end in a richer revelation of God. He wants you to have a perspective where you know that through all the testing and challenges that He never gives up on us. The process is necessary to bring about true freedom.

Enjoy your Life!

A Great Prayer life is the Gateway to Great Faith

Prayer is the most important activity that I practice daily. It is something that is as natural to me as breathing. It is where I draw all my strength and vitality to live. As a matter of fact, there is nothing I enjoy talking about more than the subject of prayer. It is literally the stream that supplies me with life and empowers me to live life in its fulness. It is not just that I pray to respond to problems or challenges that I may face but even more so, prayer is a source of eternal peace, joy and an overall sense of well-being.

Nothing is more comforting and inspiring than spending quality time in prayer with God. I would dare say that my prayer time is the most important time during the day. It is imperative that you understand that prayer must be more about listening than telling God what we want. One of the greatest outcomes of a committed prayer life is hearing from God. Too often prayer is directing God to do what we think we need as opposed to receiving direction from God on what He would have us to do. What makes prayer satisfying is the rich interaction we have with God as He conveys his word and His will to us. Prayer should be more about responding to Him as opposed to initiating a response from Him for what we think we need.

Prayer is more about the quality of relationship we have with God. When prayer is an intimate conversation between two people that love each other deeply it becomes something that we commit to effortlessly. It is no longer a thing, but it is the thing that makes life what it is. Let me suggest to you to concentrate on three things when you pray today.

First make it all about seeking for what God wants. Second, make this a conversation in the spirit of connecting and expressing your deep love and affection for God. And most importantly, allow it to be an experience where you are listening for His voice!

Inside Out 2

The other day my husband and I went to see the Disney/Pixar movie Inside Out 2. I had already seen it with my daughters, and I convinced him to go and see it too. My oldest daughter said to me, “mommy you will see something you did not see the second time you watch it.” BOY was she right. I was reminded of the nature of how strongholds, emotions, trauma and even poor conditioning can have such a negative and powerful effect on our lives and the ability to have any semblance of joy. The movies main character portrayal of Riley Andersen displays several emotions that we are all are faced with continuously. Emotions have too often shaped and influenced the stages of people’s lives to their detriment.

In my book on Shame, I emphasized how that shame can be the result of suffering and painful experiences you absorb in life. Shame is the culprit for so many of the inhibitions we have that hinder us from doing what we need to do. Too often, shame has been the source of the inability to foster and maintain quality relationships and developing a positive self-image. God says in Isaiah 61:7, “For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore, in their land they shall possess the double, everlasting joy shall be unto them. As I watched the movie, I noticed how embarrassment has so many of the characteristics as shame. The attempts to not be seen by hiding, covering up, shrinking. Both are huge concerns for people who suffer from them on an ongoing basis. They are both ugly emotions and have a huge, negative impact on the joy and success of anyone who is controlled by them. Shame and embarrassment are very toxic. Shame is the negative way you see yourself. (Inside/out). Embarrassment is the negative way you feel you are seen by others. (Outside/in).

Transparent Moment: When I watched Inside Out 1, I watched Riley’s’ emotions as a spectator. However, Inside Out 2, I became a participant! We must realize from the movie that all emotions are necessary, but we are never to feel negatively CONTROLLED by any of them.
My prayer is you will find a church that ministers inner healing or please seek professional help. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting help. Don’t suffer alone. No matter what trauma you have experienced, it’s not too late to choose JOY!

Rejoice!  It is your heritage to have JOY!!

One of the ways I show love to my daughters is to give them things that make them rejoice. Christmas is an exciting time for me because I love giving gifts. Nothing causes me to get more excited than the prospect of finding the perfect gift for someone I love. I want to suggest to you that God is the same way about you. He is intent on bringing you joy. It is one of the greatest gifts we enjoy because of our relationship with God.

It is unique to the followers of Jesus because only God can give you joy. Of course, human beings have the capacity to be happy and even experience gladness or glee at times, but joy is the exclusive product of God sovereignly giving you joy. By joy I mean the spiritual condition of being in a state of rejoicing or feeling jubilant. Ushering up from your spirit you feel an inner sense of utter delight even euphoria and amusement operating inside your being. It has nothing to do with your outward circumstances or even how things may be going at the time. It is something that defines your outlook, your perspective even your mental posture.

You are a person of joy. Of the many promises God gives us in His word, this is one we cannot afford to fail to inherit. Jesus says in John 15:11, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” Notice God’s intent is that joy be a permanent part of your life remaining in you all the time and that joy will be in such dominant proportions that there is literally no more room for anything in your life but joy. Joy occupies so much space that you don’t have any opportunity for anything but joy to be your disposition, your state of being. It is like you are overjoyed, literally exuberant always in high spirits.

One of the greatest lies ever put forth by the forces of evil is that sinners have more fun than Christians. So many people delay accepting the Lord because they are led to believe that becoming a Christian will mean being boring and uneventful. Nothing could be further from the truth. To the contrary no one lives better, has more to celebrate and absolutely enjoys their journey on earth like those who get to walk and talk with Jesus. Jesus wants you to have joy. Thank God for the promise of heaven we will receive later but right now there is the promise that you can have joy. It is very simple. To have joy you simply must rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Let’s decide that we are going to not only live with God but live joyfully with Him. His motivation for how he has moved in your life is He is constantly giving you reasons to rejoice.

Happy Birthday!

The month of June has special significance to me because it is the month in which I was born. I believe everyone should celebrate the day they were born. It is intended to be a day of joyful reflection of being blessed to have been given life on this earth. I believe life is the greatest gift God gave us through His Son Jesus Christ. However, in many instances the circumstances in which people were born sometimes makes the day of their birth not seem all that special. As a matter of fact, some people have never celebrated their birth because of how they were conceived. I was one who was born to an unwed mother. I am sure for her it was a challenging time being so young and having to face such an uncertain future. It was enough for her to figure out her own path and I must have added some measure of responsibility.

I am grateful for her courage and sacrifice navigating through that difficult time in her life. I believe I was affected by her struggles and the absence of my biological father. Subconsciously it affected me in ways I have only recently started to realize. One of the things I have noticed is how I have always felt like I was a burden to my mother. Even as a child I always felt like I was obligated to do my best to make sure she was happy because I was the reason why she had so many challenges. It made me feel as if my birth was a problem rather than a blessing. When I was born, I made things harder for my mom. Of course, all of that was a lie. I had no control over the circumstances of my birth and while I felt that way, my mother never said that my birth was ever a problem. But somehow, I was fed a lie from the enemy that my birthday was not something to celebrate. And so, birthdays were never that special to me.

When I was born again in Christ, He revealed to me that that was a stronghold that needed to be pulled down. He showed me that my birth was by design and that I was fearfully and wonderfully made. It changed my outlook on my birth. I realize that maybe the circumstances were not ideal for my parents, but it was ordained by God that I got here. My birth was special because it was God who saw fit to have me be born. Every year I celebrate two birthdays. The day of my spiritual birth on March 14, 1979, and the day of my physical birth June 10, 1958.

I want to send a shout out to all the people reading this that may not have had the ideal circumstances at their birth. I think about Jesus who saved the world even though he was born in some unfavorable circumstances. Maybe like me there are those of you reading this blog and the circumstances of your birth were not ideal. You have been told a lie that your birthday is not significant. I want to encourage you that you are special, and you should celebrate because God gave you life. He had a special purpose for your life. You are not a mistake. You are not a problem. You are not an accident. You are not the result of some indiscretion. However you got here, you are a gift from God to this world.

Happy Birthday to not only me but to you too! Whenever your birthday is remembered it is a great day and it is a day to celebrate!
The enemy is a liar! Happiest of Birthday’s despite the circumstances. Happy Birthday no matter the month.

Stepping into Your Greatness

II Timothy 1:1-8

• Destiny is a predetermined state assigned by God Himself for you to come into at the opportune time.
• Destiny is when you step out from possibility to actuality. What was hoped for becomes reality.
• Greatness means the departure from being insignificant, obscure, mediocre, ordinary, inferior, and common.
• What you have been experiencing is in line with the things God has spoken over your life from the beginning.
• It is time to boldly step forward and accept the new things God is doing through you.
• Shame is one of the biggest obstacles to greatness. Don’t allow any form of it to block the gift of greatness within you.
• Don’t shrink back, God has not given you the spirit of fear or timidity!
• Your gifting is in your dive authority and capacity to act on God’s behalf.
• Your gifting is your greatness and this is the time when greatness is coming Fourth in you and through you.

It is hard to imagine what it must have been like to have been one of the twelve disciples walking daily with Jesus. It had to have made an indelible impression on them to be around him and observe His ways. It is interesting that out of all the things they could have asked Jesus, they asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-4). Being around him made them realize the importance of having a prayer life. They watched him handle all kinds of situations as well as deal with opposition. The disciples realized the key to His power and effectiveness was his prayer life.

His response to their request was what we know as The Lord’s Prayer. It was the pattern for how they should pray. It is also the pattern we are to use in prayer as well.

Jesus was not saying that when we pray, we should merely repeat the prayer verbatim, but rather these are the elements that should be addressed when we pray. The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that:

1. God is Intentional. He has a plan for your life. He wants His purpose to be fulfilled through you. He is rooting for you. Praying keeps us aware of what He means to us. He is our helper. He provides and protects us from evil. He strengthens us daily. Most importantly, because Prayer is two-way communication. When we are communicating continuously with the Father, we stay aware of the condition of our heart and His Presence!
2. God is revelatory. He brings to light things that are normally under the surface. He gives us wisdom, knowledge, and discernment regarding our specific situations and circumstances.
3. And most of all God is relational. The prayer starts with OUR FATHER! He loves us unconditionally. The Father wants an intimate relationship with us. His desire is for the fellowship to be on a continual basis. The more we pray the more power and strength we will receive. My grandmother use to say baby girl “No Prayer. No Power”. “Little Prayer. Little Power”. “Much Prayer. Much Power!”

Are you aware of how far you have come? I believe one of the underrated spiritual exercises is reflection. Reflection is the looking back at where you have been and what God has done. It is when you draw from your experience and allow it to make you conscious of how good God has been to you. I believe reflection is one of the keys to having great faith. Nothing fuels optimism like thinking about how miraculous your journey has been. I believe God intentionally did things a particular way in your life to reveal to you how much He loves you and how much He can be depended on. When you consider what He has done, you cannot help but have hope for all He can do. So many of the Psalms were times when David reflected on God’s goodness. I believe it was these times of reflection that gave him assurance that God would be there for him in his present crisis. One time he said, “ I have been young and now I am old, yet have I seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread.” Take time today to reflect on how good God has been to you in the past and watch how it inspires you to believe for what is yet ahead.

How confident are you in yourself? I believe there is direct link between how much faith you have and your degree of confidence. I would go so far as to say that you can measure your faith by your confidence. If God is your source, you are never lacking what you need. If God has promised you things, you always have something to look forward to. If God is all powerful, then there is nothing that you must fear. If God is with you, He is more than the world against you. Lastly, if your confidence is in the Lord, you have all the security you will ever need. I want to encourage you to make it your intention to be more confident today, knowing that God accepts you and is for you. Romans 8:31, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?