Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 3/11/16 “Take off the mask!”

Thomas and Lacy Alright is a married couple of eight years who seem perfect. They have two well-behaved children, great jobs, a few cars and the nice house. They attend worship service, regularly, where she’s an Usher and he’s the deacon board chairman. They were recently asked to start a couple’s ministry at the church because everybody wanted to know how they kept a great marriage. He always stood close to her; she was never an arm distance away. He pulled out her chair, opened doors and even ensured she always looked nice. They did everything together. She rarely went out with friends and she doted on him. She cooked every night, kept the house clean and even catered to him and his friends when he would have guy’s night at the house. They had it all together. Until early one Sunday morning, the news broadcasted … “breaking news, Murder/Suicide” and the victims, Lacy and Thomas Alright. See, while Thomas was the ‘perfect’ husband to the world, he was a monster to his wife and this time he finally went too far. Yes, he kept her close because he didn’t want anyone seeing the bruises. And while everyone praised them, they were in pain. Folk never took the time to see the limp the son had from being kicked down the stairs or the bruises the daughter had from being punched, on occasions. They didn’t see the fear in the eyes of Mrs. Alright or how she flinched when someone grabbed her arm. Yea, folk missed it and it was because the Alrights always said they were alright!

Isn’t it something how we’d rather put on a mask than deal with the issues we’re facing? Does anyone else find it strange how folk will go hungry instead of asking for help or how a person (man or woman) will stay in abuse, all because they don’t want the world to know? Is it mind-boggling to anyone else how we allow generational curses to continually curse our families, generations after generations? When will it stop? We’ve got to stop pacifying our families and friends because there’s a possibility your feelings may get hurt. Well baby, I’d rather hurt your feelings than to stand at your coffin. Love doesn’t hurt. The only time love should make you cry is tears of joy. Take off the blinders and drop the act. If you need help, say it. If you know you need to get out, tell somebody. If you’re dying spiritually, reach out to someone. Beloved, you are supposed to have someone who is willing to go to war over your soul. I don’t mean physically fighting but I mean spiritually fighting. You need to surround yourself with folk who can pray you out of some stuff and who don’t mind petitioning God on your behalf. Surround yourself with folk who can cry with and then when you finish, they tell you; “Now, let’s go to war!”

Daily Devotional – 3/10/16 “Who you repping?”

You know, I see people riding around with their favorite NFL team on their car, flags sticking out the windows, bumper stickers, they wear the jerseys, have the license plate, seat & steering wheel covers and floor mats all to ensure you know what team they are ‘repping’ and we don’t think twice about it. Oh but let someone ride around with “I am a Jesus fan” printed on their car, “Jesus Freak” on their shirt or throw a “Super God” party; we’ll label them crazy. Does anyone else find this strange or is it just me? I mean, why don’t we throw up our set for God like we do for the Cowboys? We don’t mind arguing on social media about basketball and football teams but we shut our mouth when it comes to religion. Chile, we will cast our religion to the side before we lay down our favorite teams. It has even gotten to the point where folk will skip church for a game. Why don’t we put out for God like we do for everything else we are addicted too? We’ll pay hundreds of dollars to make sure we represent our team yet we complain when it comes to tithes.

Please don’t get it twisted, I am in no way saying you can’t show your loyalty to the team you’ve been riding with since 83 but what I am asking is; where is your shown loyalty to God? You are fearful of folks knowing you shout in church but you’ll cut up if someone disses your team. Yes, by all means, rep your favorite team but don’t allow that team to overshadow the ultimate team and its leader, God. Baby, I don’t know about you but I’ll never be ashamed to rep God because then He’ll be ashamed to rep me! Don’t only be down for God when it’s convenient to you but be for God at all times. He is for you!

Be a willing worker for God, who is not ashamed yet one who truthfully handles His word by studying to present yourself as one of God’s approved (2 Timothy 2:15)!

Daily Devotional – 3/9/16 “Sit down weary servant and rest a while!”

Dearly beloved, here you are again; at another day and your soul is weary and you’re tired. You’ve been trying and it still won’t work. You’ve been pushing but your arms are tired. You keep going but your legs are exhausted. You want to but even your thoughts are drained. You try to sleep and it just won’t come because the enemy is running rampant through your dreams. You sit up and now your eyes are filled with tears. You keep praying but it seems like there’s no end to your grief. You’re still going to the doctor and recovery still hasn’t come. You’re in the church and the enemy still has your number memorized. Now, you’re weary, wounded and bruised and still trying to go but baby, I simply stopped by to tell you to sit down weary servant and rest a while! See, you can’t do it all. You can’t be everything for everybody. You can’t make something work that won’t. You can’t figure it all out. Sit down weary servant and rest a while. Yea, I understand you got stuff to do but sit down. I know there’s some phone calls you need to make but sit down. I know there’s some folk you need to visit but sit down. I know your house needs to be cleaned, you need to study for bible study or Sunday school, you’re trying to finish your sermon, you need to work out, you have to make dinner, you need to finish this or that but sit down weary servant and rest a while!

Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-29, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” See, yoke here means an obligation to God. So when Jesus is saying take His yoke it means first, you’ll have to let your obligation to stuff and some folk go and second, His yoke is lighter to hold on too. So, whatever yoke you’ve bound yourself too, let it go. Sit down weary servant and rest a while. For when you sit down and rest, your thoughts start to settle and you’ll begin to see things clearer. Sit down weary servant, for when you do; things will be put into perspective for you and then you’ll be able to handle them better. Stop trying to do it by yourself because when you do, you get burned out and then you’ll start blaming God and when you do this, you’ll run in the opposite direction of Him. Don’t do that! Sit down weary servant and rest a while. The house will be ok, the kids will be alright, your husband won’t suffer, your church will survive and your job will still be there; just sit down weary servant and rest a while.

Daily Devotional – 3/8/16 “Don’t wait until one day …”

When I pulled up Google this morning, there was a message that said, share your #OneDayIWill to celebrate International Women’s Day. That got me to thinking, what will you do, one day? And why do you have to wait until one day to do it? This isn’t just for women but it’s for all of us. See, I’ve come to realize by now that if I don’t do it, I’ll only have myself to blame. I can’t worry about what might happen because it might not. I can’t worry about if folk will support it, some will, some won’t. I can’t worry about tomorrow for I might not see it. So I ask the question again but this time it’s a little different … what will you do? You don’t have to wait until one day, today is better than any to start. Listen beloved, I don’t know what it is you’ve been contemplating over but when will you trust in the faith that God has given you? When will you step out the boat of familiarity, comfort and complacency and allow your faith to kick in to do it! (Whatever your “it” is)

I’ve told you before and I don’t mind asking again but what’s the sense of having a gift only to allow it to be buried with you, when you die, without utilizing it. Let me be transparent for a minute. Before I accepted God’s calling on my life, I was fearful. I was the one standing at the edge of the boat while God beckoned me to come out. I was looking around at the folk who I thought would have something negative to say, I was hearing those who were already thinking “she isn’t minister material,” and I was looking back over my life to try to understand why I would be worthy of such a calling but then God said, “Girl, what are you going to do?” So, I got out and my life hasn’t been the same since. Yes, I have naysayers in my inbox saying I shouldn’t be preaching and writing books about sex but I politely type a message back, “And you are?” I have those, family included, who will never support anything I do and guess what; I’m alright with that. I have folk who are wishing I’d fall but I simply show them the credentials of God’s anointing that tells me even when I fall, I can get back up. And then I walk on. So tell me, what are you waiting for? The time will never be right, you will never be perfect, you won’t please everybody, you might not get tomorrow and you might just make a mistake but you have to try. Don’t wait until one day, you might not see it. Do, be, go, see and become whatever you are destined to be, not one day but TODAY. Don’t use #OneDayIWill but use #TodayIWill or #TodayIChoose. Or you can always make your own.

“But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest–then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.” Proverbs 6:9-11

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As always
Happy Reading
Lakisha

Oh … If you have a book club and would like to feature my book or if you’re interested in receiving a book to review; email me at authorlakisha@gmail.com