Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 6/13/16 “We all fall short … Who are you to judge?”

Stop being so holy that you forget the times you weren’t! See, many times when tragedy strikes, like the one in Orlando, holy rollers want to make it out as God’s wrath. When in fact, it was someone hateful whose sole intent was to do bodily harm that caused it. Think about it, if God allowed over 100 people to be shot because of their sins, what were the sins of all those babies killed at Sandy Hook? There are no satisfactory answers to truly justify these things but what I can say is; it is the evilness of people who causes these disastrous attacks, not God’s wrath! This is why some folk need to keep their mouth closed! This is why, WE, as Saints of God need to consult God, study the bible and pray BEFORE we open our mouth. I can only imagine how displeasing it is to God when folk, who supposedly follow Him, speak foolishness such as this. I just don’t understand how you can justify hundreds of people being killed as God’s wrath. Oh, it’s Sodom and Gomorrah all over again. LIES! READ your bible. There were many evil things going on there, not just homosexuality. Not only that but the bible says in John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” God sent Jesus, after Sodom and Gomorrah, as a way to offer light in a darken world, not destroy it by mass killings.

Please understand, I am in no way condoning sin but that still doesn’t negate the fact, people didn’t deserve to die the way they did. Will they all go to Heaven? Only God knows. The same way He is the only one who will know if you will. Just because you look and sound holy, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are. And just because you are up front about the things you do with the disclaimer, “God knows my heart,” it still doesn’t mean you will be on the train bound for the golden highway. This is why you have to shut up and stop the foolishness! This is why you ought to be in God’s word instead of conforming to the standards of this world, jumping on every bandwagon or thinking you know God’s thoughts. It doesn’t matter that you have an ordination certificate, an Associate in Biblical Studies, a Bachelors in Bible, a Masters of Divinity or a Doctorate in Ministry; it doesn’t matter if you are a pew certified bible scholar, minister, reverend, pastor, evangelist, apostle or bishop; you still fall short a lot of days! It is not up to us to decide who God loves and who He doesn’t. He loved you when you were an alcoholic, drug addict, whoremonger, liar, back biter and sinner but I guess you don’t remember those times, huh? Why don’t you pray instead of talking because there is a city of families mourning and they don’t need your judgment?

Genesis 8:21, “And the LORD was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.”

Daily Devotional – 6/10/16 “Disconnected to connect!”

“Often times God will disconnect you from your Familiar, in order to connect you with your Future” – Warren B. Perry

Here I am sitting at my desk, waiting on God to drop something in my spirit to tell you and I just so happen to see this on my Facebook timeline. Bro. Perry doesn’t mind because I’ve borrowed his thoughts before (plus I told him) but I had to share this with somebody on today. You’re trying to figure out why God is telling you to move out of your comfortable place, this is it. You’re trying to make sense of why God is telling you to leave the only church you’ve known, this is it. You’re trying to wrap your head around why God is telling you to quit your job, this is it. You said it doesn’t make sense that God will tell you to end your ten-year dating relationship, this is it. You couldn’t make heads or tails on why God told you it was time to change your beautician, this is it. Beloved, God gives us some strange orders but it’s only to set us up to receive a significant overflow. I know you’re wondering why we have to move from the familiar to get it but that’s because if we stay connected to what we’re comfortable with, we will never get used to doing something unfamiliar in an uncomfortable place. You have to understand, you are not meant to stay where you are. Everything we go through is an assignment that will end when God gets ready to reassign us. Is it always easy to readjust? No but how will you know if you stay where you are?

Let me explain … If you happen to stay around familiar folk, they might not ever tell you that you’re capable of doing more. Why not? Well because they are used to seeing you do the same thing. But if you happen to get out from around them, others will be able to see that the talent you have is more valuable and useful. Why do you think most children thrive in college? They are away from the familiar. There they learn to wash their own clothes, cook for themselves and survive because they’ve now been disconnected from the familiarity of momma who did it for them. Think about it. You didn’t shout until you went to an unfamiliar church. You didn’t think you’d ever eat something different until you went outside your comfort zone and tried a new restaurant. You didn’t think you could wear that dress or that color suit until someone, other than who you’re familiar with, complimented you. You wouldn’t have met your husband had you not went into a new place you normally wouldn’t have. You wouldn’t have met the HR manager of the job you’d been seeking had you not attended that function you were afraid to go to. This is why God has to disconnect us from familiar places and people. Sometimes staying in a familiar place around familiar people limits your access to resources you never even knew existed. That’s why you have to realize that you are on assignment, so don’t get comfortable because when God gets ready to move us, it’s on His time and not ours. All you have to be is willing to go. Don’t look at where it is, go. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know anybody there, go. God is only removing you from your comfortable, familiar place because it has gotten too small to handle the abundance of things He is about to do in your life. Trust Him!

Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Daily Devotional – 6/9/16 “I’m not ashamed of my suffering!”

Sometimes you have to tell folk, if the hell I’ve been through couldn’t defeat me; what makes you think you can! If disease didn’t break me, what gives you the power to think you can? If depression didn’t steal my joy, what makes you think you can? If folk leaving me didn’t destroy me, what makes you think you can? Tell them, I don’t mind you speaking on me but at least let it be truthful. I don’t mind you not liking me but let it be on something you know and not what you heard. Because when you persecute me, I’m blessed. When you torment me, I’m blessed in the process. When you try to scandalize my name, I’m blessed. For the bible tells me in Matthew 5:10, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” This is why you ought to get to a point in your natural life that you tell folk, suffering didn’t shatter me; in fact, my suffering saved me. Yea! Tell them, that pain I endured; it pushed me. That heartbreak, it helped me. That sickness, it strengthened me. Those lies, they lifted me. That betrayal, it blessed me. This divorce, it delivered me. Losing my job, it loosened me. That repossession, it released me. That addiction, it amended me.

Baby, we have to get like Paul and say like 2 Corinthians 12:9, “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me,” for God says, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Suffering isn’t final because it has to end just like everything else. Don’t get mad when folks try to use your suffering against you. Let them talk because afterwards you can say, yea, I’ve suffered but it saved me. How else would you have become sober if it wasn’t for that DUI? How else would you have been delivered from being a whoremonger, if you hadn’t suffered through the many relationships? How else would you have been delivered from drugs if you hadn’t hit rock bottom? How else could you clear your name, if folk had never tried to bring you to shame? How else could you survive if you’ve never suffered? How else could you had become stronger if you’ve never been weak? How else could you enjoy the light if you’ve never been in darkness? How else could you enjoy taking care of your finances if you’ve never been broke? Baby, folk will talk but don’t allow them to use your suffering against you, when your suffering has now gotten you to the place of surviving. For the bible tells me, if I suffer, I shall gain eternal life! Suffering isn’t in vain so stop being victimized by it! 1 Peter 5:10, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Suffering has a place but take comfort in knowing it comes with God’s amazing grace.

Daily Devotional – 6/8/16 “Don’t stop now!”

Baby, sometimes you have to let folk wonder about you. Yea, let me continue to speculate on how you got that house. Let me keep on saying stuff like; I thought he had bad credit, how he get that car. Let them guess on how your spouse found you. Baby, you will learn that not everything warrants a response from you. Let folk talk because I’ve lived long enough to know that ‘they’ will talk when you’re doing good, bad, and healthy or sick. See, to some folk you aren’t supposed to be blessed like that. To some, you aren’t supposed to be smiling. Some folk don’t think you deserve to be happy. They don’t want to hear your name on someone else lips for the good. And they definitely don’t want to see you being blessed. But that’s alright. You’ve got to understand this, not everyone will be happy for you. It doesn’t matter who you are because the truth of the matter is, it’s not really about you. I’ve told you this before and I’m only reiterating it today because someone is fighting with some folk over some foolish mess. So what if they’ve never come to see your new house – they mad cause it’s not them. So what if they didn’t come to the wedding – they’re upset because somebody finds you loveable. So what if they didn’t congratulate you on your new job – they were wishing they’d get it. So what if they didn’t come to visit you in the hospital – they were hoping you didn’t survive. Why do you think you get so many calls of “I’m sorry for your lost,” instead of calls saying, “I’m happy for you?”

Chile, stop trying to push folk to celebrate you. Let me tell you something … I’ve published 9 books yet a lot of folk in my family and some friends have yet to support me. I’ve been preaching almost two years and I can count on my fingers the number of family and friends who’ve witnessed the many sermons. So, when I tell you stuff; it’s what I know. But understand this, it doesn’t bother me anymore. God has blessed me beyond what my mind can even measure so why would I waste time trying to convince folk of my anointing? No ma’am, no sir; you’ve got to stop wasting precious moments trying to get folk to support you. Folk will support what they want too, when they want too. However, that doesn’t mean you stop doing what you’re supposed to. One of these days, you’ll be surprised to see certain folk in the pews rejoicing with you. One of these days, you’re going to be shocked by the folks who’ll be celebrating with you. But get this, it still won’t be because of you but it’ll be the God in them they’ll eventually find. Because when you tap into the God I know; He’ll make those that hated you, shout for your healing. He’ll make those who supposedly couldn’t stand you, support you. He’ll have those who considered you their enemy, encouraging you. Those who rejected you, will now rejoice for you. And those that caused you pain will be praising your peace. And only then will it be genuine! Don’t believe me, just watch. In the meantime, keep inviting them, keep sharing your happiness and keep pressing on! In other words; keep shining, keep grinding and keep living!

“We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.” 1 John 3:12-13

Daily Devotional – 6/7/16 “A blessing in the doctor’s office!”

My momma sent me a text on yesterday that made my entire day. I’ll let her tell you. Look at the picture below …

My momma had no idea the miracle she just performed in that young lady’s life. And I told my momma that whether she knew it or not, she’d just passed a test of God. See, that young lady could have been suffering, spiritually yet she was saved by getting what she asked for. She could have been in a place of not understanding who God really is yet she found out about Him by getting a purse. She could have even been at a point where she was thinking of giving up on God yet God manifested Himself in that doctor’s office, in the front of all those people. Please understand, it wasn’t about the purse but it was about God’s purpose in who He has called us to be. It wasn’t about momma having 30 other purses at home because God is going to replenish that which she gave because she was faithful in her giving. Y’all, God is just and will supply all of our needs, if we ask! This is why the bible says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” This doesn’t mean that now you can beg to everybody for everything but it simply means you have to get to a place where you ask for what you need with the faith of knowing it’ll be done. Momma didn’t give because she wanted accolades or because she’s waiting on God to repay her yet she gave because she read in the bible where it says in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” I believe and know that momma gave because her heart told her too. Can you just imagine how greater things could be if all of God’s children operated in His calling this way? Think about it. If we, as Saints of God, would do our part, there would be no lack in getting what we need. If we simply did our part. Beloved, I don’t know about you but this blessed me down to my feet. I know God is real and for this young lady, she now knows it too. Thank you momma!