Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 12/6/16 “The blessing in NO!”

You may not recognize this but there’s a blessing in the no and the not yet. I know it’s easy for me to say when I am on the outside looking in but think about it. When God tells us no, it’s to test your faith and usually because He has something greater. When the bank turned you down, it made you grind harder to clear your name and your credit. When folk closed the door on you, it made you hustle harder to ensure the next door was yours. When they said you couldn’t do it, it gave you the extra push you needed to prove them wrong. When he said you’d never make it, you did just so he’d see it for himself from afar. When she said you’d never amount to nothing, you made sure you did and even smiled when she congratulated you. There’s power in NO. You knew you couldn’t afford that car, the blessing was being turned down. You knew you weren’t ready for that promotion and the no gave you time to get yourself together. That eviction, repossession or foreclosure allowed you to see God working. Baby, you were blessed when that relationship didn’t work out and because they denied you, you met your ‘real thang.’

This is why I say there’s a blessing in the no and the not yet. Stop forcing something that’s not meant. Stop searching for stuff that you know isn’t yours. Stop trying to get back what has left. See the blessing in the no and the not yet because it’s there. Affirm today… I, (your name), by the power of the living God, declare that today I will no longer chase what isn’t mine. Today, I, (your name), shall no longer be held captive by the word no for I will embrace the blessing in it. Today, I will no longer hang my head in shame but I’ll rejoice in knowing, it’s not my time yet. Today, I will not be afraid of hearing no. Today, I’ll take the no and the not yet, only because I know the kinks are being worked out of my YES! Today, I’ll see the blessing in no, not yet and even goodbye because I know God’s delay does not mean denial.

Daily Devotional – 12/5/16 “It’s time!”

Don’t go searching for the past! If it was meant, it would be your present. And you know good and well what I mean. Quit searching social media, stop reading old texts, erase those old emails, delete the phone numbers and move on. Stop with the stalking of their pages and throw out those old pictures. Beloved, it’s time you move on. See, your identity has been tied to your past for so long that you don’t feel comfortable without it but it’s time. It’s time the real you stood up. You are no longer the abused woman, you left that relationship years or even months ago. You are no longer the spouse that was cheated on, that part of your life ended with the divorce/separation. You are no longer the spouse that cheated, that should have ended with the divorce/separation. You are not the victim anymore that ended when God allowed you to walk out victoriously with your mind. You aren’t the person who lost your stuff to repossession/foreclosure because God gave you everything back including your mind.

This is why, it’s time! Time you come out of the past. Time you throw out the excuses of what you can’t do because of what you couldn’t do before. Try again. It’s time. Time you let go and move on. It’s time. Time you release it. Because the truth of the matter is, you’re tired but you don’t know how it’ll feel to be a new you. Yea, you know it’s time but you’ll afraid you’ll like it. You know it’s time but you don’t know how ‘they’ will accept this new you. Well, either they do or they don’t. But it’s time. Time you stop answering when the past feels like showing up. It’s time! Time you stop letting the past get comfortable in your present. It’s time! Time you put the past the hell out! It’s time boo. Time for the new you to shine. Time for you to come out of the shadows and take your rightful place. It’s time. Time you took what’s justifiably yours! It’s time. Time you took what you’ve already paid for through blood, sweat and tears. It’s time!

I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” — Isaiah 44:22

The Family That Lies … Book Discussion & Signing

The Family That Lies … Book Discussion & Signing is almost here? Are you coming?

It will be held, Saturday December 10, 2016 at 6PM. You can check the flyer for more information.

You can RSVP here or even sign up to be a sponsor or vendor.

Daily Devotional – 12/2/16 “The Heart Matters!”

How can I truthfully tell you to follow your heart when I know good and well, it ain’t right and never has been? See, me telling you to follow your heart to find love when I know your heart still holds bitter residue from your last three failed relationships, is setting you up for failure number 4. If I tell you to follow your heart to choose a place to worship, when I know your heart is still filled with hatred from the last church hurt, you’re likely to get the same thing from every place you join. This is because, unless you deal with the underlying issues in your heart, you’ll never be able to truly follow your heart. Beloved, you can’t get anything out of an investment unless you put something in. What am I saying? Well, you can’t benefit from being in God, if your heart isn’t really in God. Yea, I know you’ve heard the saying. “If you place your heart in God, a man will have to go through God to get it.” And while this is true, the catch is, your heart has to be in God.

Don’t you know the bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, “”The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked? Who really knows how bad it is?” This is why our heart has to be in God, otherwise we’ll be a complete mess. How do we get our heart in God, it starts by praying as Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” When you do this, God will do just that. But before you pray, you have to be willing to go through God’s open heart surgery. And it hurts! In fact, it hurts like you wouldn’t believe because it takes being put to sleep (that’s surrendering), some cutting (that’s losing some people, places or things), some healing (that’s being alright with the stuff lost during the cutting) and then some outpatient therapy (that’s prayer and fellowship). Understand, you have to be all in because you can’t do part of the surgery and expect to be fully healed. Yes, it hurts but the pain is worth it because afterwards you’ll be able to truly follow your heart to the right people, places and things. Because when its God filled, you’ll be God led.

Daily Devotional – 12/1/16 “Letter to my younger self!”

Dear younger me,

I never thought I’d be writing this letter to you but I recognize the need for it. See, there’s some things I need to say and thank you for. Growing up, life wasn’t hard for us but it was necessary. Yea, it was necessary that we saw the struggle because it made us appreciate what we had and what we’d eventually get. So, thank you for taking the time to learn to cook and keep a house because we can now you can take care of our family. Thank you for being attentive to the strength of our mom because she taught us how to be strong and now we can provide with a little or a lot. I even thank you for taking time for granted because it taught us how to appreciate the days of now. Thank you for making careless mistakes because it made us into the person we are now. Thank you for taking people and things for granted because we now value who and what we have. Thank you for not appreciating your credit history then because it taught us how to work hard for what we get now. Thank you for our past because it built our present. So, to my younger self, I appreciate you and I am thankful for the journey. Had it not been for the things we experienced, we wouldn’t be who we are today. Had life not knocked us down, we wouldn’t have been strong enough to get back up. Had society not deemed us unworthy, we never would have tapped into our worthiness of greater. Had we not endured watching momma struggle to survive, we wouldn’t know how to now push through. Had grandma not made us go to church, we wouldn’t be grateful for our worship now. To you, my younger self, I thank you because had anyone told me the things we’re doing now, I wouldn’t have believed them. But look at us. God did what He said He would do. He cleaned us up, made us brand new and gave us a new way of living. He kept His promise to us. And now, I can confidently say, I appreciate it all and you’d be very proud of us.

I don’t know why God had me to share this but whoever you are that’s still angry over your upbringing or mad about your past; know this, you aren’t there anymore. Your younger self is gone and you’re where you are now. So write the letter, tell the story, share your testimony but understand this — had it not been for the things you’ve been through, you wouldn’t be half the person you are now.

“That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10