Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 2/29/16 “Another month is leaving …”

Another month of 2016 is winding down. How has this year been to you so far? Are you still making excuses? Still holding on to what could have happened but didn’t? Still fretting over what happened even though you had no control of it? Or have you stepped out on faith and into your destiny? Have you gotten out of the boat or is fear still holding you? Have you gotten in position to give birth or is the pain too much? Have you come out of the cave or are you scared of the enemy that’s camped outside? Have you discarded those grave clothes yet and lived? Yes or no? Why or why not? These are questions only you can answer. Stop blaming somebody or something; you’re the only one who has the key to your happiness. You can’t be upset because dude went back to his wife, he wasn’t yours. You can’t be mad because girl said she no longer wanted you, be glad you didn’t invest more time. You can’t keep getting mad at folk for not wanting to babysit your kids, they’re yours. You can’t keep harping on the fact nobody will pick you up, the bus runs almost every day. You can’t blame society, you’re grown; take responsibility. Chile, just stop with the excuses.

All you have to do is look around and you’ll look into the face of somebody sick who still gets up to go to work because if they don’t work, they don’t eat or have insurance. If you happen to turn around, you may just run into someone who’s grieving yet they didn’t allow the death to kill them. Pull up social media and look at the parents who are living with a sick child but still manage to be strong. Go to a local church and look into the eyes of a pastor who has the cares of the flock on his/her shoulders as well as those of their household and still manage to work at the church 3-4 days out of the week listening to your woes. Talk to somebody at the job, drive under the underpass and see the folk living there, go into the ICU of your local hospital or simply walk the streets of your city and see how bad things could really be. No, I’m not saying you don’t have the right to have a bad day but don’t stay in the midst of your excuses. Because then you’ll start living the excuse and in ten years, you’ll regret today. Today can be the first day of the best day of your life but you’ve got to initiate the process. And it begins by throwing out the excuse of ‘I can’t.’

Top 20 bound

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All I need is your help to get them both into the TOP 20. Will you?

Daily Devotional – 2/25/16 “Excuses!”

I can make an excuse as to why I didn’t write a devotional yesterday. I can blame the fact that I had to attend an all-day training summit (today too) but the fact of the matter is, I could have found the time, had I tried hard enough. However, it’s easier to make an excuse because this is the time we live in. We make an excuse as to why we’re still staying at our parent’s house. We have an excuse as to why we can’t do more with our life. We use old excuses as to why we can’t forgive folk. We will find an excuse not to like somebody. And we all know there are multiple excuses as to why we can’t go to worship on Sunday. But what will be the excuse if we don’t make it to see Jesus? What excuse could we possibly give that will be sufficient enough to explain away our reason for not serving the Lord? Listen, stop making excuses. It’s not the job’s fault you’re being held back, it’s not momma or daddy’s fault as to why you can’t take care of yourself, it’s not your sister’s fault because she wouldn’t keep your children and it’s not society’s fault for the trouble you get in.

We have to get to a place in our life where we stop making excuses and start doing something productive. It’s almost the end of the second month of 2016, what excuse do you have as to why you’re worse off now than you were in 2015? You made a list of resolutions, what’s your excuse for not doing them? Excuses are easy to get in but hard to get out of because once you start, you won’t stop. Why? Because it’ll be easier for you to make an excuse instead of actually doing something. Yes, I know this devotional isn’t as long as normal but that’s because I’m headed back to training, however I didn’t make an excuse as to why I couldn’t do it today. Yes, it would have been easier but then what? Stop making excuses as to why you can’t go back to school, finish that book you’ve started, lose weight, clean out that closet, apply for that new job or even forgive somebody who has hurt you. An excuse has the power to keep you bound, if you let it. Stop making excuses, today! Don’t come up with a reason why you can’t because you can. Do it!

Daily Devotional – 2/23/16 “Baggage!”

Certain airlines have a minimum on the weight you can carry. For those, they charge you extra if your bags are too heavy. Chile, I’m so glad God doesn’t charge us based on the baggage we carry with us on a daily basis. Seriously! I mean, some of us are still holding on to stuff that happened two husbands or wives ago. We’re still dealing with mess from childhood and we’re 50. Some of us still mad at the pastor and he’s been dead ten years. Still holding on to a hurt by your last boo and he’s been married, to somebody else. You’re making your new spouse pay for what the last one did and it’s all because you’ve yet to unpack the baggage from that relationship. Aren’t you tired of carrying that load? Isn’t your back hurting from all that crap on your shoulders? Yes, I know you wanted to care for momma but if you know you couldn’t why are you still beating yourself up over putting her in a nursing home? Oh, I know you really wanted to help your brother, whose locked up, but if you’re barely eating how can you feed him? Yea, I know you wanted to help your sister with all her children but baby, you hardly got room for your family.

When are you going to unpack those bags? You’ve got to be tired by now! Stop focusing on what you did or didn’t do, back then or yesterday; let it go. Ok, so your business didn’t work out. The pastoral assignment didn’t pan out like you wanted it. Your relationship didn’t progress like you hoped it would. Your job didn’t fit. Now what? Are you going to dwell there or are you going to move on? Are you going to stay in your loss or will you get up and try again? Stuff happens. And guess what, sometimes it’s bad but deal with it. However, don’t continually drag all that other stuff around because you may find that the person you’re trying to ride with doesn’t have the room or time to deal with it. And if the truth should be told, I shouldn’t have to obligate myself to deal with your old rotten, molded baggage. If you know you aren’t over your last relationship, don’t get into a new one. If you haven’t dealt with the church hurt, stop hurting other churches with it. If you’ve yet to figure out why your last business or assignment didn’t work, don’t go into a new one. Deal with your issues and get to a point in your life where you’re tired of dragging that stuff around. Unpack it better yet, throw it all out!

God says in Isaiah 43:18, “But forget all that–it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”

Daily Devotional – 2/22/16 “It’s real y’all!”

Depression, suicidal thoughts, wanting to give up, giving in … it’s a reality for a lot of people. Just because you can’t see their pain in the physical, it doesn’t mean there is no pain. This is why you have to watch how you talk to folk, all because you’re having a bad day. This is why you have to be careful how you treat folk, all because someone once hurt you. Stop before you react. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are some ministers/pastors who leave worship service depressed every Sunday. This is after they’ve preached you happy yet they are dying inside. Why? Well because they have to deal with the attitude and criticism of folk who claim to be saved yet no one is stopping to ask how he or she is doing. There are parents who contemplate walking off from their children every day simply because they can’t deal with the pressure of being parents. And some of these people sit on the same pew as you. There is a woman being abused at this very moment and she’s probably the CEO of a company. There is a man who is being belittled, right now, via text from some bitter woman who was taught to be this way by another bitter woman. There is a child being molested by someone who is supposed to love them. A teenage boy is being initiated into a gang because he wants to feel loved and he thinks this is how it’s supposed to be. A child is being bullied and their momma or daddy is too busy to notice. A woman is dealing with unbearable pain and she thinks suicide is her way out. A dad is being kept away from his child because the momma wants more child support.

What in the hell is going on? Baby, some of you saved folks who tore the altar up on yesterday with your dancing is living in pure hell and you’re too ashamed to tell somebody. You’re staying at that church, where you’re spiritually dying because you don’t want to hurt anybody. You’re staying in that relationship because you’ve become complacent yet you complain all day long. Stop living within the chains of bondage that has been clasped around your ankle. If you need help, get it. If you need to tell somebody, do it. If it’s too much, admit it. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Don’t allow your folks to suffer after your suicide. Don’t do it! Cover your mouth and tame your tongue because words spoken can’t be taken back. Don’t hurt folk because you’ve been hurt, deal with your hurt. Don’t continue the cycle of abuse, it needs to end. It needs to end today!

Dear God, I pray that you release every stronghold that is holding us down. Destroy every binding yoke, generational curses, sickness and disease. I pray right now for those suffering in silence. Have your way God that we shall not perish.