Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 7/8/16 “We have the power!”

If you don’t think it’s time to pray, fast, lie on our face in submission to God, cast out demons and cover our families with the blood of Jesus; keep watching! I don’t even know what to write about today because my soul, my spirit and my heart is heavy. Heavy from the lives that are being lost senselessly. Heavy from the thought of folk who have to bury their loved ones too soon. Heavy over not knowing what to do. Just plain heavy. We are living in a time where evil is more widespread and it’s even more bold. Evil is now staring Saints in the face and we’re the ones running. Evil is showing up on our jobs and we won’t say anything out of fear of who might hear us. Evil is showing up at our schools and we’re scared of calling the name of Jesus because it goes against the rules. Evil is showing up at our places of worship and we’ve become comfortable enough to fellowship with it. Evil is bold enough to sit at the dinner table with us and take over the conversation. We no longer allow evil to ride because we’ve allowed it to drive. We’ve gotten complacent and it’s showing in our worship. We’ve gotten comfortable, let our guard down and now we no longer have the power to cast out the things that don’t belong. Where is God in your life?

Y’all, I’ve told you this before but it’s time out for the patty cake prayer, this feel good preaching, this soft worship and limited fasting. It’s time out for playing with the enemy thinking you won’t get hurt. It’s time out for inviting the enemy over and thinking he won’t stay long. It’s time out for getting the enemy’s benefits thinking he won’t come back to collect what’s due. Chile, before I even begin speaking about the enemy; I let it be known he has no power over me. Before I even begin typing about him, I declare God’s protection over me. Before I tell you about him, I let it be known; it’s not to glorify him but it’s to denounce him. See, you have to do these things because usually when you call someone’s name or talk about them, they show up. Nawl chile, I don’t need him showing up in my life; I’m covered by the Lord! This is why we have to cover ourselves in the blood of Jesus. We are children of God and He has given us dominion and power. You don’t have to believe me but take God at His word. For it says in Luke 10:19, “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.” And it goes on to say in Luke 10:20, “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” This means, don’t boast when the enemy flees by your command but rejoice for the fact that God is pleased with your fight!

–We have the power!

Daily Devotional – 7/7/16 “Prostrate Prayer!”

You know, it’s good to just take some time and rest; every now and then. I took a few days of vacation from work and although they were much needed, I still didn’t rest completely. However, a friend told me that sometimes God needs us to rest in Him. Yea, sometimes we need to take some time and lay prostrate (flat out on our face) in prayer and worship with God. Not at church on Sunday morning, not at bible study or prayer meeting and not even at revival but in a quiet place where you can hear from Him and He can hear from you. Every now and again, we have to do this. You may not see it but the enemy is getting more aggressive in his tactics. He’s pitting children against parents, spouses against one another, members against pastor and friends against friends. It’s not that he has changed his game but we’re still falling for the same plays. So now, in order to defeat him at his game, God has to call out new plays for us to carry. And in order to hear the play, we’ve got to be quiet long enough. This is why we have to lay out, prostrate, in submission and total surrender to God. Why do you think God speaks to us in our dreams? It’s because it’s then we aren’t talking, worrying nor busy.

I don’t know about you but with everything going on in the world, we need; no we have to take time in worship with God. This way you’ll be able to handle what you’re up against, you’ll be capable of seeing things clearer and stronger to withstand. See, when you go before God, prostrate in prayer, you’re releasing everything to Him. This is why you have to go in with a clear mind and open ears in order to be able to hear and with the sole purpose of worshiping, praying and letting go. Then when you get up, you’ll do so with the faith that what you’ve released will be handled. In the bible, Numbers 20:6 says, “Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.” It says in Genesis 17:3, “Abram fell facedown, and God said to him…” What I need you to see is, God shows up when you lie down and God will show up in your surrendering. Beloved, it’s not because you are in a place of giving up but it’s because you’re in a place of worship to give it over. So, take your struggles, desires; your all to God and trust Him to do what you need. And please note, do it when you have the time to actually devote yourself to Him because I’ve found that a few minutes with God can turn into an hour. Trust God enough to lay prostrate before Him in prayer and worship.

Daily Devotional – 7/1/16 “Finish the assignment”

In this life we live, we are all on assignment; some call them seasons. Whatever you call them, we have them. Some of us have more than others but it doesn’t negate the fact that we have assignments. It’s like completing a grade in school. Once you’ve met all the requirements, you pass. If you happen to be the type that slacked off a little, you’ll need a little more so you go to summer school. For those who slacked off a lot, you’ll have to repeat the grade. It’s the same concept spiritually. When God has placed us on assignment, it is our duty to finish it. Yes, it may be hard and we go through moments of not understanding but we have to finish because it’s the only way we’ll get promoted. See, you have to understand this; God will never place us in an assignment He didn’t write the coursework for nor one He didn’t fully test. Neither will God ever place us in an assignment He hasn’t mapped out the action plan for leaving. This is why you have to trust Him going into the assignment, in the assignment and coming out of the assignment. And regardless of how we feel about it, it is not up for discussion because we can’t barter with God. We either go now or we go later. But understand, going later comes with a whole lot of stuff you might not necessarily like.

What do I mean? Well, when I was running from God’s call; I went through years of struggling. Yea, I struggled spiritually, mentally and financially. Never to the point of being homeless, depressed or suicidal but it was a struggle nonetheless. Yet, when I eventually accepted my assignment, I saw an immediate change. You may not believe this but God began to work in my life the very next day. This is why I said if you choose to go later, you might not like the stuff that comes along with putting off your assignment. Chile, you can run but you cannot hide. And please, don’t forfeit your assignment too early. Giving up in an assignment is like dropping out of school. You’ll still have to do the work whenever you come back. It’s like picking a peach before it’s ripe; you’ll still have to wait. So, don’t make it harder than it has to be. It’ll already be hard enough just with the things God requires of us so why add do it by leaving before it’s time? This is why you can’t just up and change worship places (it’s for jobs too) without consulting God. This is for leadership and members. Being a part of the fellowship of God is an assignment and you have to be released to leave. Don’t believe me? Why do you think you keep going back to the same thing/place you left? Or why do you think it feels like you’re starting over? It wasn’t your time to leave. Stay and finish your assignment and when it’s time, God will release you with directions to the new one.

Daily Devotional – 6/30/16 “Do you regret …”

I am trying to get out of my feelings before I write this devotional but when I hear the news of a co-worker’s husband being killed overnight, on a motorcycle; I get in my feelings. My husband doesn’t ride motorcycles but it could have been him. My brothers and uncles don’t ride motorcycles but it could have been one of them. So, I’m in my feelings because WE take too much for granted. I asked this question a few weeks back … Are you ok with the way you left things? Are you good with the way you left your spouse this morning? Are you still good with the division that has been going on in your family for too long? Are you ok with the way things have become? If you can’t answer that then try this one. If you were to wake up and your spouse didn’t, would you have any regrets for the things you said? If the final time you saw your son or daughter is standing over their casket, would you have any regrets? If you had to say your final goodbye to your sister/brother, would you have any regrets? We take too many things for granted until we are no longer granted them. We take walking for granted until a disease causes you to not walk anymore. We take breathing for granted until a machine has to do it. We take living for granted until we are looking a doctor in the face saying, we’ve done all we can do. We take parents for granted until they close their eyes for the last time. What are we doing?

We get mad over meaningless things and probably don’t remember the real meaning. We hold grudges so long that we forget the original reason we were mad. We walk pass folk and don’t even speak because you don’t like them. We choose friends by who other friends like. We keep children from their fathers all because he can’t afford to pay you what you think he should. You don’t go to church because you don’t like women preachers yet you can’t give a fair argument on why not. You give the pastor so much hell and then wonder why you’re experiencing hell in your home. You’ve made your home a living hell, all because you can’t get your way every time. Beloved, time isn’t waiting on you. On your best day you are sick enough to die and the only reason God has stayed the hand of death is because He’s giving you time. But how much longer do you think you have? When will we wake up? Baby, you can keep missing Sunday worship, keep smoking and drinking that stuff, keep putting your mouth in everybody’s business and keep taking life for granted if you want. You may find, on one of these good ole days that you don’t have the time you thought you had. We’ve got to stop taking things for granted. Live and love while you can because there will come a time when you can’t.

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” – 2 Corinthians 7:10

Daily Devotional – 6/29/16 “Do what you can, God will do what you can’t!”

It’s another day and you woke up just like yesterday, trying to figure out how you ended up in this place. This was only after you walked the floor a few hours, last night, trying to understand and you can’t. Then you rolled over and looked into the face of a dying relationship and you still can’t explain it. You got up, rubbing your head, only to now stand in the mirror unable to recognize the face looking back. Where did things go wrong, you ask yourself yet you can’t answer it? You get dressed because you don’t want people to know you’re suffering, so you hide it behind fancy clothes. You cover the sadness and the tear stains with makeup but they’re still there. You put on your best smile but inside you’re slowly dying. You prepare to leave the house taking another look around trying to remember the good times but you’ve allowed the bad to overshadow them. You get to your car and you can’t even start it because you don’t have the strength. You’re trying but it’s so hard. You want to give up but people are depending on you. You need a new start but you don’t know how to start over. So, now you’re sitting there; in your self-made bondage crying for help only to realize you aren’t actually saying anything. And just when you’re about to throw in the towel, your phone dings signifying a text from someone else who needs you and you put on your super cape and prepare yourself to be great, once again. But baby, when will you realize you aren’t superman/woman? When will you understand that in the midst of helping everybody else, you’re losing you? When will you recognize that while everyone is enjoying their lives, you’ve placed yourself behind mind-made prison bars and no one is visiting you?

Now you’re asking yourself, for the thousandth time, “How did I end up here?” “What am I doing with my life?” You know the answers but you’re afraid to say them out loud. You know the mess you’re in but you’re too scared to get out because of what people may say. You know the problem but if you actually confess it, it’ll make it real. Well baby, it is real. An unhappy home is real. Depression is real. Suicide is real. Bondage is real. Alcoholism is real. Drug addiction is real. Loneliness is real. Abuse, it’s real. Low self-esteem, yep; it’s real. The need to fill a void so you do something else crazy, it’s real. Running from God so you’ll do anything to silence His call, it’s real. But how much longer are you going to run? When will you face the fact that when you get back, it’s still there? Plus, it’s better you do it now rather than later because you may not get later. Don’t stay because it’s best for the children, what about you? Don’t stay because it’s where you’re comfortable; how has that been working? And stop trying to fix it yourself, you mess it up every time. What you have to do, beloved, is take every broken piece of you to the potter and let Him restore you. Yes, you’ll have to confess to Him how you got broken but the good news is, He’ll forgive you AND forget. Stop trying to heal yourself. Stop trying to repair yourself. Stop trying to make it work on your own. Say it today, I NEED HELP! For I’ve found that when you do what you can, God will do what you can’t. When you say what you can, the Holy Spirit will say what you can’t. And when you give up what you can, Jesus will take those things you can’t. You just have to trust in the power of the Trinity – The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit!

— The door is open for you to come out!