In memory of

Day 10: Focus...Impress yourself!

Believe God will, believe you can.
Write your vision & make it plain.
Count the cost.
Be true to yourself, your vision.
Pace yourself.
Sometimes you'll have to push yourself,
but the end result will blow your mind!
Each step taken is an obstacle conquered!


Empress yourself...with yourself!
Look at yourself and smile.
Everyday you get better & better.
Everyday you get closer to your goal 
I'll be here cheering you on...all the way!

Day 7: The time for licking your wounds is ova!!!

" A just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief." 
(KJV Proverbs 24:16)
  
    
          Life happens. You live long enough, you will experience storms that come and shake your very foundation. You may find yourself doubting God, and questioning why. Why me?  I type this with all sincerity and in love...So what you were knocked down. What matters is that you pick yourself up. Make the conscious decision to continue the good fight of faith. What is faith? It is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I saw no hope. My pain was ever growing and there was no relief in sight. I had come to the realization that I could not afford to walk away and not run on. For my soul's sake, I have to run on to see what the end will be. "For the battle is not given to the swift, nor to the strong but to he/she who endures to the end." So why not start again? It's never too late. Failure is apart of learning. You can't stay in that dark place even though you are hurt. You can't blame God for the actions of people. All you can do is learn from your mistakes and continue to grow in God. In time, you will learn to trust your discernment. Your sensitivity to the leading of the Holy Spirit will guide and protect you. But you first have to dust yourself off, pick yourself up by the bootstraps and just stand. Place yourself in the position for healing to take place. You can't grow in that dark place. You are who God says you are and that's why the fight is great. "He will never leave you nor forsake you, so that you may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."(KJV- Hebrews 13:5,6) ; He that which has begun a work in you will perform it 'till the day of Christ" (KJV-Philipians, 1:6) <3

Day 4: (KJV) Mathew 24

Take the time to read this scripture in its entirety. This scripture helps me to focus on the goal at hand. Its good to be reminded of the reasons why we fight this good fight of faith...

Day 3: Don't Be Afraid to Clean House...

           I have to say I had a blast with my children yesterday. I pulled the grill from off the deck & joined the block party. The music resonated from one end of the block to the other. The girls & I discussed fall fashions, Gucci vs Louis Vuitton and school uniforms. I danced the slide with my youngest daughter. I helped my youngest son attempt a back flip on the trampoline and watched as my oldest daughter out-sang a girl who's twice her age. Then got rave reviews for my jerk & teriyaki burgers and steaks, served with seafood salad, I'd shared with neighbors. And to top the night off My oldest son & I reminisced of the days when he was the only child as we looked at pictures and watched Desperate House Wives on Netflix! I've lived on this block, in this house, for the past seven years and never have I joined any festivities...until yesterday! I feel a certain freedom now that wasn't there before. I could tell myself that its because my children are older but that's not the reason why. Over the past 2 years I have either removed myself from things that bound me to fear & frustration or had gotten rid of things that caused fear & frustration. Doing so has allowed me to be in a position to bond on my terms.


           I know from personal experiences that in life, sometimes we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place but a decision must be made. My decision caused me to have to start over from scratch in every area of my life. A life that I had built over the past 12 years.  Grant it, it has taken time for healing from anger, pain and even fear to occur but, through the process I have gained so much more. The trade off is immeasurable in comparison. Sometimes you just have to place yourself in a better position. Other times you just have to take the trash out...I did both at the same time! Similar to spring cleaning. Things are rearranged, pulled out, thrown out, all so that the filth that's hidden under the couch and behind the stove and fridge can be cleaned. If left there, the filth accumulates causing greater issues and discomfort in the home. Well, for me it would. Yesterday, I saw a glimpse of the reward of said cleaning. Unity, liberty, bonds repairing and new ones forming. Sometimes in life the best decisions made are the most difficult to make. But look at what's to gain by choosing to get rid of the junk (people) that caused the mess in the first place, as opposed to pretending the mess isn't really there to begin with.

Day 2...Proactive style of Praying

Yesterday was Day 2 of this 12 Weeks of Intercession (12WOI). I thought that I would pray for healing but the Lord took me some where else in prayer all  together. God has made it clear that in intercessory prayer there comes a time for defensive prayer.  Other times, we as prayer warriors have to take an offensive approach, as this is spiritual warfare. I look at it as being 'Proactive' as opposed to being 'Reactive'. The power of prayer amazes me! To know that God considers my prayers and when I pray his word His angels excel in strength moving on our behalf according to the Father's will. (KJV Psalm 103:20) These are the days in which we need to have a proactive style of prayer. Praying for protection, guidance, discernment, understanding & Godly wisdom in all things is proactive. God says He desires for us to pray without ceasing. This blesses us. In doing so we stay connected. It is easier to be lead by the spirit of God when we are in the presence of the Spirit of God, on a daily basis. I know life has its demands and time restraints on how often I would pray. I chose to dedicate, even if only for 5 minutes, a little prayer time. Even during those times when life has me super busy. The truth is you have to take the time to pray. I've never seen a successful prayer warrior who doesn't pray! The more you pray, the more God will lay issues & people  on your heart to pray for. And even teach you how to pray concerning different circumstances. Like in all things practice makes perfect.

Day 1: Lead By Example

Today was the first day of 12 weeks of intercession. It was a blessing in spite of obstacles thrown in my path! I prefer to focus on the good that planted seeds of faith & hope rather than seeds of doubt, worry & fear. I can only imagine what greatness will come of this positive mindset. Today's prayers were for families and their well being. Even my youngest son joined us in the prayer and he is 4yrs old. He usually wants nothing to do with sitting still but he himself had a prayer request. Seeing this was a delight. We as parents have to lead by example. Children listen to what we do rather than what we say. It's a wonderful lesson taught when what we say aligns with what we do. Children, even though they rebel at times do to their desire to show independence, prefer for our yes to mean yes & our no to mean no. This consistency gives  the child a sense of stability and security. They won't admit this while they are still trying to test their limits, of course. But, when they mature, they will thank you for being their parent first, leading rather than dictating alone. The greatest role model for a child other than Jesus himself should be his guardian, a parent or whoever the care provider is. This makes many of life's transitions so much easier. It's good to know, in this world full of illusions & the ever changing unpredictables, that mom & dad practice what they preach.