Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 5/17/16 “Prepare for the position!”

I am convinced that not everybody has the ability to lead. Yea, I am thoroughly persuaded of this. Look, just because you’ve been called to minister, it doesn’t mean you are called to Pastor. Just because you have a degree behind your name, it doesn’t mean you have what it takes to be a leader. Just because you have the experience, it doesn’t mean you are qualified to be a manager. Being in a leadership position takes a lot more than just the experience on paper, it takes preparation. You have to be able to deal with 100 different types of personalities (especially when some folk have 2-3 themselves). You have to be able to give helpful criticism and not your fleshly thoughts. You have to be able to take yourself out of the equation because it’s not about you, all the time. You have to be able to resolve conflict without it getting blown out of proportion. And most of all, you have to be able to shut up and keep some stuff to yourself! Not everything said to you is repeatable. Not everything shared with you is sharable. Being a leader is much more than having a title. It means you may have some longer days and some hard nights. It means you may get more phone calls and text messages than you like. It means you may have to visit the hospital, checking on folk, more than you’d wish. It means you may have to be the one to deliver bad news. It means you may be the one folk look up to, so you have to govern yourself accordingly. It means, again, it won’t always be about you. Oh, it may not always pay well either. Will you be alright with that?

The bible says in Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Beloved, you have to love what you do. Regardless of the pay or even the stress level sometime, you have to want to do it. 1 Timothy 3:1 says, “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task.” Now get this, an overseer is defined as a person who supervises others, especially workers. So when I share this scripture, I’m not just speaking in the church. This is why you have to be prepared for the position. Then you have to be careful the role you seek to fill, especially if you aren’t ready because the bible says whoever aspires to be an overseer is yearning for a worthy assignment. But get this … It won’t always seem worth it. Can you handle it? Chile, the worst thing an “overseer” can do is get into a position and then ruin the morale of the people he/she is overseeing. That’s why you have to be respectable (decent), hospitable (friendly), self-controlled (put together), with thick skin, able to teach and teachable. And before you seek a role, look into your spouse to ensure they are able to handle it. Not everyone is capable of handling the role of “First lady/man” or even the role of being married to a leader, no matter the position. It’s hard work that might pay off with man but it’ll definitely pay off with God.

Daily Devotional – 5/16/16 “Do what you can!”

I’ve often wondered, a lot lately, why is it that you can give folks all you have and they still expect more or they aren’t satisfied. Well, as of today, I’ve decided this … I’m only willing to give you what I want and if it’s not enough for you or it’s not to your liking, so be it! See, you can do so much for others that you end up losing yourself and your stuff in the process. I posted on Facebook this morning that all I have to offer ungrateful children, in this place of my life, is the door. I refuse to keep anyone who doesn’t want to be kept (I’m speaking on children). Please understand, I am being transparent because I need you to realize that just because I am a preacher; it’s not all glitz and glamour. We face issues too. Am I ashamed? Not in the least. I refuse to act as if everything is going great in my life. I mean, how can I tell you how to endure through your storm if I never go through mine? Baby, I need prayers just like everybody else but I’ve learned can’t everybody pray for you. Some folk are praying for your defeat. But chile, I’ve seen too many victories. However, I’m not writing this devotional for prayers or pity, but I’m sharing my moment to let you know that you have to get to a point where you give folks what you decide and be okay with it. If it doesn’t fit their liking, so be it. If it’s not what they want, tell them to take it or leave it. If they can’t get with it, offer them the door.

My husband and I have two teenagers who think they can do it better outside our home, so we showed them the door. We’ve worked too hard to give them everything they’ve needed and yet they still yell and scream, it’s not enough. Well baby, I’m tapped out. All I have to offer them now, as they stand on the outside of the door, is Jesus and prayer. And I am alright with it. I always say, I’ll fight for you as long as you fight for yourself but when you start fighting me; I get out of the ring. And you need to do the same thing with whomever you’re consistently trying to please, I know I’m not the only one. You have to stop getting drug through the fire to end up the only one with burns. You’ve got to stop trying to help others fight, especially when you’re the only one that leave with bruises. You’ve got to quit trying to be the knight in shining armor and all you get is arrows through the heart. At some point and time, you’ve got to stop offering them everything or giving them all they asked for and start giving them what you want them to have. If it’s not enough, that’s alright because you’ve done all you can. If it doesn’t meet their approval, cancel it and move on. Do what you can and be good with it!

Daily Devotional – 5/13/16 “Pruning to spring forth!”

In bible study on Wednesday night, one of our associate ministers (who teach agriculture) said something that stuck with me. He said the best time to prune a plant is a month before it springs. And as I was looking into this, research says the best time to prune a plant/tree is when it’s dormant because then it will have an energetic boost of new growth when it’s time to spring forth. Now, dormant means lying asleep or inactive. What does this mean spiritually? Well, some of us have been lying dormant; we’ve been lazy when it comes to the labor, we’ve been asleep on the assignment and sleeping in the spirit and now God is about to prune us. Yea! God is about to trim off the dead things that are attached to us so that a vital improvement of growth can now spring forth within us. God is about to cut away the dead leaves hanging from us so that life can now spring forth. You know the leaves I’m talking about, don’t you? Leaves = liars, exploiters, adversaries, vultures, evildoers and schemers! God is about to prune these no good so and so’s from our midst so that we can now be more productive in our purpose.

How will you know you’re being pruned? It’ll start feeling like all hell is breaking loose around you and you don’t understand why. Folk will start leaving and you can’t explain it. You’ll start losing the feeling to hang out at certain places. You will no longer have the taste for mess. You’ll start feeling better about some folks and some situations. You’ll start loving folk from a distance who mean you no good. But best of all, greater things will begin to spring forth. You’ll be able to see things clearer, doors will start opening, sacrifices you made way back will start paying off, people will start calling your name and you didn’t even think they knew it, your feet will start touching places you’ve never even heard of, you’ll be preaching in places folk said you’d never stand, you’ll start reaping from the harvest you planted years ago and your tears will pay off. Baby, when you allow God to prune you, it’ll be worth it. Because while you’ve been lying dormant, He’s taking this opportunity to now prepare you to burst forward with new ministry ideas, new job prospects, new business plans and greater anointing. This is why Jesus said in John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” God prunes us so that we may spring forth!

I’ll be at … Girls Night Out!

Ladies (and Gents),

I will be a part of this great event on tomorrow night at New Direction Christian Church in Memphis. All of the information is on the picture!

Please share and stop by and see me (and other vendors who will be available), if you can. I will have books available for purchase.

Thanks in Advance
Lakisha

Daily Devotional – 5/12/16 “It comes with the anointing!”

If you’ve never toiled in the spirit, I would imagine you wouldn’t know what it feels like. I would assume you haven’t gotten to the point where the deeper you get rooted, the harder your trials. I would speculate that if you’ve never been tried in the spirit, you don’t know what it feels like to be persecuted for doing right. If you never been tormented in the spirit, I would guess that you don’t know what it means to be standing in between oh Lord and God have mercy. Beloved, if you’ve yet to be mistreated in the spirit, you don’t know what it is to hold your head up when all you want to do is cry, run and hide. Please understand, I am not trying to scare you but what I am trying to get you to understand is this …it comes with the anointing! It does and the more you plant yourself in God, the more the enemy tries to pluck you out. The more you study, the more obstacles you’ll seem to stumble over. The more you preach, the more you’ll be pushed against. The more you worship, the more the enemy will try to make you weep. The more you encourage, the more the enemy enters. The more you pray, the more the enemy preys. Oh, but baby don’t fret because the bible says in Psalm 37:1-2, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”

In Lakisha’s words; don’t worry about those who seek to cause evil against you because they are only for a moment and soon they’ll be gone like the grass you mow or wither away like cut flowers. Chile! I don’t know about you but this devotional is blessing me down to the soles of my feet. See, you don’t have to get upset when those you know are evildoers show up. You don’t have to agonize over what kind of mess they are trying to stir up today because they won’t always be there. Haven’t you heard what God says in Isaiah 54:17? Well it says, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper.” Usually this is where this scripture stop (when anyone refers to it) but it continues on to say, “And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.” So you see, what’s there to concern yourself with? Yes; you will be pierced, tried, tormented, persecuted, hurt and all other kinds of things; in the spirit but you’ve got to toughen up and stick it out. Your pain is serving in parallel with your purpose. All you have to do is stand, speak, stick out and serve; God will handle the rest. Everything you go through is part of the process and serving God through it will pay off but that’s only if you’re willing to serve Him in ALL parts; the good and the bad, the hurt and the help, the love and the lost, the pain and the praise. Because it all comes with the anointing!