Are you sometimes reluctantly to tell your story because you are ashamed, or because it doesn’t make you look good? Your story is not supposed to make you look good. It is to proclaim how good God is. I heard or read somewhere that we are not our stories, we are the story tellers. I agree. You can get stuck believing what happened to you is you and it can make it difficult to move forward. But if you understand that God is the Author and He has chosen you to tell the story, you can move forward. It may not be easy, but God will give you strength to do what He has chosen  you to do. Our story does not define us in anyway except by the grace of God we lived through it to tell it. This does not mean we have to stand on the street and shout out our business to the world. The time, place, and who to tell should be left up to God. He is the editor and publisher. He will let us know when it is the right time. He will let us know who needs to hear it. We just need to be obedient.  When Jesus performed miracles and healings, there were times He would say now go and tell, and there was times when He would say tell no one. In Mark 5:17, the demon possessed man was in a Gentile region where not many knew about Jesus or cared about the coming Messiah. After Jesus had healed the man, they begged Him to leave the area. Jesus left, but told the man to go and tell what had happened to Him since He would now be the only real witness in this region. In Mark 5:43, Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this. The Jewish anticipated a coming Messiah and Jesus did not want to stir up a crowd. He did not want people distracted from what He really came to do. His essential aim was to preach the message of the Kingdom and then die on a cross. He wanted to avoid the envy of the Scribes and Pharisees. It was not time for Him to die or time for the full manifestation of his glory. Did you notice in the scripture that Jesus only allowed three of His disciples to follow Him to Jairus’s house? Did you also notice that once there, He put all the people in the house out except the parents and the three disciples? My point is that your story may not be for everyone to hear. Let Jesus decide who and when! We should never limit the Holy Spirit by deciding ourselves who or who may not need a word from God. We may not feel comfortable talking to certain people, or we may feel  it is putting our “business in the street” if we tell our story. We may even be afraid that we will be rejected or laughed at when we share the Gospel. But guess what, Jesus was rejected and laughed at. That did not stop Him from being obedient to our Father. We are to send God’s Word into lives by faith and trusting the Holy Spirit to do the teaching and imparting. We are as fisherman; we throw the rod out and let God reel it in. The Lord promised to put His laws in our minds and write them on our hearts. (Jeremiah 31:33) We as believers know His requirements and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit when we do not meet them. God said all shall know him, from the least to the greatest.

God expects us to feed one another. Whatever testimony, knowledge, grace, peace, or comfort, that God has given us, we should pass to one another. We should especially be committed to allowing the Holy Spirit to use and direct us to bring souls into the family of Christ. Love and Blessings…

“Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolishow much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” (Mark 5:17-20)

^“He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.” (Mark 5:37-40)

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15)

“I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:17-18)

When an ordinary woman or man meets an extraordinary God, normal life takes on a whole new meaning. Knowing God changes everything! We cannot encounter the living God and be the same. A personal relationship with Him takes you to another level. Fellowshipping with Him brings you peace and unexplainable joy. Your life will never be the same! Ask me how I know. Things that used to matter in this world no longer matters. Things that didn't matter, moves you deeply. The things you know break God's heart, will also break your heart. When challenges come, God will strengthen and comfort you. You will no longer chase after things of this world, but you will chase after God. You will seek Him daily! The funny thing is once you do that, everything you need, you will have. God will place the right people in your life at the right time, God will give you physical, financial, and spiritual blessings beyond your dreams! Your eyes will open, and you will live in such a way that miracles are a daily occurrence. You will no longer take for granted the sunrises and sunsets. You will be thankful to have food to eat and water to drink. Each day you will take personally. “This is my day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it!” You will also rejoice when a life is changed in response to what God has done in yours! I encourage you brothers and sisters to seek God first. Love and Blessings…
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 3:66 (KJV)
“This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

John Stott, wrote, “Nothing seems stable in our world any longer. Insecurity is written across all human experience. Christian people are not guaranteed immunity to temptation, tribulation, or tragedy, but we are promised victory over them. God’s pledge is not that suffering will never afflict us, but that it will never separate us from His love.” We are promised victory. When I read that this week, it had a profound impact on me. It wasn’t that I had never heard it, because it is in God’s Word. It’s because I needed to hear it at that moment. God is so good! My heart was hurting because my son and his family are in quarantine with Covid-19. Any parent knows how painful it is to see their child suffer. My spiritual being knows that God has them covered and they will get through this. But sometimes my physical being, my heart, aches for them. I was in one of those moments when I read what Mr. Stott wrote. Those words comforted me because even though I don’t see them well right now, I believe with all my heart that they will be. I have faith because I believe in the Word of God, and I am confident that this will pass, and God will get His glory.

I used to think that faith and belief was the same. I know they are interconnected, which makes them very close in meaning. However, the more I read Matthew 17:20, I think differently. Most versions read, “because you have little faith” as if that were a bad thing but then Jesus goes on to say, “if you have faith of a mustard seed,” A mustard seed is really small. So I don’t think the “little faith” was the problem. Maybe Jesus is telling His disciples that they have a belief problem.  The NKJV version reads, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20 NKJV) At first read it may seem as if Jesus is telling them that they don’t have enough faith but then He goes on to explain that we barely need any faith at all to see great miracles happen. I think He is telling them even if your faith is small as a mustard seed, if you believe, you will see miracles happen. Each time your belief brings miracles, your faith grows. The two go hand in hand. One does not make sense without the other. The dictionary defines belief as “The mental act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in another.” In this world our beliefs can change depending on people, information, and experience. But God’s Word never changes. In this we can have confidence. And with that confidence comes belief and faith. Believing is a part of faith and faith empowers you. They all work together. A good example is when God shows or tells you something, but you don’t see it. You don’t even see how it could happen. But you have faith in God, and faith is an action word and to act on what God has shown you, you have to believe without seeing. It’s called walking out on faith. And you can only do that if you believe. To truly believe means to have faith that God is alive, active, and is very much interested in our lives today. When you believe this truth with enough confidence to act, you exercise faith. And even with little faith, you can see miraculous things happen. I can assure you the more you study and fellowship with God, your faith grows. And the more we expose our minds to God’s truth, no matter what life throws at us, we can believe and stand on God’s promises. Love and Blessings…

“So Jesus said to them, “Because of you unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20) NKJV

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exits and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

“And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes.”

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not  seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” (Jeremiah 17:7)

FOR MY SON: WE STAND ON HIS PROMISES

“Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)

I am a Pastor’s kid. I have prayed as long as I can remember. Before eating and at bedtime. On Sundays at church. I knew to pray over my food, “Lord thank you for this food”,  and at night, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” Y’all know what I’m talking about, the cute safe prayers. I am so thankful that about four years ago, I realized the power of prayer through fellowship with our Lord. It was doing the worst storm of my life. I was broken; physically, financially, and mentally hurting. I lost everything and I was desperate. Because of my sinful pride I told no one. Thankfully I knew enough about God to know I could turn to Him. I prayed morning, noon, and night. Most of the time I was in so much pain all I could do was pray. Not the cute, I don’t want to mess up my make-up prayers, but the ugly, swollen eyes, snotty nose prayers. I opened myself up completely to God, surrendering myself to Him. God heard me. And I heard Him. I began to fellowship with Him. As I’ve said, I knew about God, but I did not know Him personally. I seeked His face through prayer, I had conversations with Him. Not like before when I would ask Him for something, and then say amen. Or when He answered my prayers and I would do a quick, “Thank you Jesus!” God’s desire is to fellowship with us. Thank God we can have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. When we are born-again, we are birthed into a relationship with our Heavenly Father. There is a difference between a relationship and fellowship. Some biological relationships go days, weeks, months, and even years without speaking or fellowshipping with each other. Yet still the relationship exists, even though fellowship is absent. Fellowship is a level beyond relationship. Fellowship is a matter of choice. The Bible speaks more of fellowship than it does of relationship (1 John 1:6). “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1Cor. 1:9).

During my storm when I first started to fellowship with God through prayer, there was so much negative stuff going on in my head. But I still knew His voice. He said His sheep would know His voice (John 10:27). I am thankful that He was still my Shepherd even though I had been lost. Through prayer, God heard me, and He began to heal and restore me. Then God led me to Warrior Nation Ministries. Through this ministry I learned the importance of fellowship and prayer. Prayer connects us to the power of God, which is necessary to defeat spiritual enemies, and to manifest the blessings and promises of God. The early believers knew prayer was vital. The day of Pentecost started with a prayer meeting (Acts 1:8). The disciples continued to pray as they spread the good news of Jesus around the world. I think about out of all the things the disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them, they asked that He teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). They had walked with Him for years, seen Him perform miracle after miracle. Yet they did not ask Him to teach them how to heal, how to raise the dead, or how to feed thousands of people with little? No, they asked Him to teach them how to pray. They had witnessed when Jesus prayed, things happened. Prayer was an important part of Jesus’s life. Scripture tells us how Jesus prayed or went alone to pray apart from the disciples ( Luke 5:16). Jesus prayed because of His relationship with the Father. Jesus’s relationship with the Father was the power that brought salvation to man. In Luke 11:2, Jesus does not say if you pray, He said when you pray. He expects us to pray. When we take time to pray, we take time to connect with God. To reach God in prayer, we need to take time to fellowship with Him. I used to wish I could pray like some folk, lengthy prayers with big words. Now I know that prayer is having a conversation with God, coming to Him humbly and without pretense. Listening as well as talking. Sometimes I can just sit in the mist of His presence with no words. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit will intercede when we don’t have words to express ourselves. The Holy Spirit will help us to know what to pray and how to pray, He will help us with all kinds of prayers and request (Ephesians 6:18). When we go to our Father God in prayer and fellowship with Him, He gives us discernment, guidance, and wisdom. It is good to intercede and lift each other in prayer, but we need to know how to go to God ourselves. When we are overwhelmed, hurting, and going through challenges and tribulations, prayer is the answer. We should fellowship with God persistently and pray to Him about all matters. Nothing is too big or too small to discuss with the Lord. The Bible tells us that our prayers will be met with God’s delight (Proverbs 1:8, Psalm 149:4). The act of prayer and fellowship with our Father leads to the peace, patience, and perseverance we all so desperately need. Love and Blessings…

We can proclaim what we are not bringing into 2021 but unless we change from within, it’s just words. Everything, and I mean everything starts from within. We cannot expect different results if we continue to do the same thing. To stop the cycle, we must change the way we think. And please do not let 2020's trials, disappointments, and pain make you bitter, they were life lessons, let them make you better. Some things are God problems and only He can solve them. Our job is to pray, trust, and obey His Word. As my son said, "God is doing a new thing, New Year, New Season, New Normal! Thank God for the NEWNESS of life!" We don't want things to go back to "normal". God was not pleased with normal. In spite of everything, if you are reading this, you made it through 2020. Some did not.  So let us be thankful and rejoice in the Lord for His mercy and grace that is new every morning! In 2021 we are going to let God take the wheel. It may not be easy for some, but if you allow Him, the Holy Spirit who lives within us, will guide us. I am expecting great things in 2021 for those who love the Lord. Be open for spiritual transformation! God's doing a new thang in 2021,let's be ready to receive it, mind, body, and soul! Love and Blessings…

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

"And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins." (Mark 2:22)

"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:10)

"The Lord watches over those who obey him, those who trust in his constant love. He saves them from death; he keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the Lord; he is our protector and our help. We are glad because of him; we trust in his holy name. May your constant love be with us, Lord, as we put our hope in you." (Psalm 33:18-22) 

Some things I had planned for 2020 never happened. And some things I did not plan happened. Some good, some not so good, and some just downright devastating (COVID-19). And yet I am going into 2021 with high expectations and big plans. It is human nature for us to attempt to control our circumstances. We plan to make things happen and we plan to prevent things from happening. Sometimes we ask God for things, and even though we believe He will answer our prayers, we try and help with the plans and the timing in which He will grant them. Guess what? God does not need our help. Our heavenly Father has His ear to our hearts desires and request, and He puts His plan into action, His plan at His timing. There is an old saying, “when we plan, God laughs.” I don’t know about that but scripture says there is an appointed time for everything. We humans have the tendency to want what we want when we want it. And sometimes what we want is not good for us at that particular time or maybe we are not ready. God knows the desires of our heart and if we seek Him first, He will give them to us at the appointed time. When is the appointed time? God’s timing often feels like a long, desperate delay. But God’s timing is perfect. Why? Because He is all knowing, and we are not. God’s perfect timing does two things; It grows our faith while we are forced to wait and trust in God, and it makes certain that He, and He alone, gets the glory and praise. Because Christ is supreme above all and we are complete in Him, we have all we need. God knows the desires of our hearts and He delights in giving them to us, even more than we can imagine. God loves us and wants to bless us abundantly; all He wants from us is to trustingly keep our feet on the path He sets for us to walk. Life will bring sorrow and pain, trials, and tribulations. But God will also bring seasons of victory and triumph, healing, and laughter. God will bring restoration in His own way and in His own time. And speaking from my experience, He will give you more than you ask for. That is why despite 2020’s challenges, I can step into 2021 expecting God to do great things in my life. I pray as you prepare for 2021, you too will be encouraged my brothers and sisters. Trust our Father God to provide all your needs and desires. Trust His timing. 2020’s adversity is God’s opportunity to usher us into a season of peace, prosperity, and blessings! Happy New Year!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

“Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all.” (Psalm 139:4)

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

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