Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 1/27/16 “Where does your soul need restoration?”

I recently started school, again, and last night was the first time I attended chapel. (It was great.) The speaker asked the question, “Where does your soul need restoration?” Wow! See, many times we ask God to restore us but what exactly are you asking for? I mean, what part of your soul needs to be restored? No, I am not saying you have to babble on and on in your plea to God but sometimes you need to be specific. “God, restore my mind.” “God, restore my health.” “God, restore my strength.” “God, restore in me your word.” “God, restore my family.” “God, restore my finances.” “God, restore my ministry.” “God, restore my marriage.” Sometimes, you need to get explicit in your asking. Look, restore means to bring something back to an earlier and better condition or to give somebody new strength or vigor or to return somebody to a previously held rank, office, or position or even to reestablish or put back something that was once but is no longer there. So where does your soul need restoration?

Beloved, every now and then you need to ask God, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit (Psalm 51:12).” Every once in a while, you need to stop crying and complaining and pray for your soul. Because it is then that you’ll be restored. Yes, you’ll have to go through some things but that’s because we still fall short of God’s glory but don’t complain because it should be worse. This is why God asks the question of us like He did Israel and Judah in Jeremiah 30:15, “Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you.” Oh but then He says in Jeremiah 30:16-17, “But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.” So come out of that woe is me closet. Cut off the ‘I can’t do it,” reality show. Turn off the ‘what if I fail,” radio station. And get away from ‘I wouldn’t do it if I were you,’ folk. Get down on your knees, get in your prayer closet or your prayer place and ask God to restore you. Stop walking around here with your lips and heart closed off to God. Fast until you have clear insight on the part of your soul that needs restoration so that you can pray specifically for it and it be restored. Where does your soul need restoration?

Daily Devotional – 1/26/16 “It’s not your place!”

You know the saying, “a woman can’t be a preacher,” is so old and worn out. The first thing out of the mouth of a man or woman who believes this is, “that’s what the bible says in 1 Timothy 2:12.” But in actuality this is Paul talking when he says, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” See, Paul was talking about the way a man and woman should carry themselves in worship in order to stop the disturbances that were happening during his time. Now, if Paul meant that women shouldn’t say anything, at all; why would he mention women praying and prophesying in 1 Corinthians 11:5 that says, “But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head.” Please understand; I am in no way trying to fix the scripture to fit me because I don’t owe anyone an explanation of my calling when you weren’t there when God called me worthy enough of doing His will. However, it just bothers me the lengths men (and some women) will go through to demean the calling over a women’s life.

Oh, oh but get this … When Peter was preaching to the crowd, he stated in Acts 2:17-18, “in the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants–men and women alike–and they will prophesy.” I’m sure someone, somewhere will fight this scripture too because it doesn’t fit in their logic of thinking but that’s alright. I tip my hat to all men and women who preach the gospel of God because it’s not easy. Yet, I will say this; the same way a man has an issue with women preachers and pastors, I have an issue with the men who stand in pulpits preaching from their flesh, aren’t leading nobody anywhere but to hell and got more faults and flaws than anybody. Baby, please don’t tell me I can’t preach because I have female organs because I might just be the one God uses to save your soul from the pits of hell. And it’s not your place anyway! You don’t have the authority. Oh but I’m so glad I don’t do things so that men or women can accept me but I do what God has called me to do because Jesus says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” Who are you imitating?

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As always
–Happy Reading
Lakisha

Daily Devotional – 1/25/16 “Lose your religion!”

Along this life’s journey, you may get to a point when you start questioning if the path you’re on is even worth it. Be honest! It may be because life has gotten hard, you’re struggling in your spirituality, you’ve been dealt a bad hand or it may be you just don’t know what you should be doing. Now, you’re sitting in between give up or give in. You’re torn over if you should or shouldn’t answer the call/text from your past because anything seems better than your present. You’ve had a brave face because it’s easier than telling someone about your struggle. Your cheeks are starting to hurt from the fake smile you’ve been wearing. You’re always too busy to talk but the truth is, you don’t want anyone to hear the pain in your voice. You’ve stopped posting pictures because you don’t want anyone to see the bags under your eyes from the sleepless nights. You haven’t changed your relationship status because you don’t want anyone to know that one didn’t work either. You’re afraid to ask for help because folk now days talk about you more than they pray for you. You’re tired of being told to hold on and let God do it. You’re tired of seeing folk blessings and yours haven’t showed up yet. You’re not trying to be petty but it’s hard to control it. Now what?

Well beloved, you may need to lose your religion! Yea, you may need to lose what you’re use to in order to get what you now need. You may need to let go of religion and get religious. See, religion is defined as people’s beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of a God but religious means believing in and showing devotion or reverence for a God (dictionary). Religion searches for answers on the creator of creation but religious seeks the one who created creation for He has all the answers. Religion is your belief of God but religious means your belief in God. Religion means you practice Christianity but religious means you partake in Christianity. Religion means you try to figure out how God did it but religious means you’re faithful to God for doing it. Religion means you question things but religious means you testify of things. Religion means you got God but religious mean God has you. This is why you have to lose your religion and tap into being religious. Baby when you’re religious you walk through the valley of the shadow of death and you fear no evil, you stop leaning on your own understanding, you walk through darkness and don’t bump into anything, you minister to folk who talk about you, you pray for those who prey on you and you go through the struggle with strength and come out with your salvation intact. It may not feel good because then you’ll have to come out of your comfort zone but it’s worth it.

“Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.”” John 6:29

Daily Devotional – 1/21/16 “Fight in the spirit!”

During bible study on last night, we dug deeper into prayer. What prayer means, how to pray and how to keep a prayer journal. It was great! See, I’ve come to realize that these battles of the flesh, I can fight them but I’ll never win because they aren’t my enemy. Yes, it’s easier to fight who we see but what about what we don’t see? The real enemy is of the spirit and he fights dirty and he gets dirtier the closer you get to being real with God. This is why the enemy uses us, folk, in the flesh to fight one another. See, if I stand and fight you, in the flesh, once it’s over we’re both tired and have now let our guards down for the enemy to attach to our spirit. And the reason we were fighting still isn’t resolved. Get this, when you’re fighting in the flesh; your opponent can see or predict your next move but when you fight in the spirit, they won’t know what hit them until it’s done. This is why you need to stop fighting in the flesh. The bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”

How do you win? You fight in the spirit. How do you fight in the spirit? With prayer, fasting and putting on the full armor of God. I’ve told you this before but Ephesians 6:13 picks up and tells us, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” You don’t have to fight when folk lie on you when the bible says all you need to do is stand firm with the belt of truth around your waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place and your feet covered in shoes of peace. It doesn’t matter what they throw at you, hold up the shield of faith for it shall block any attack thrown your way. Stop worrying about what they try to drop on you when your helmet of salvation is mighty enough to keep it from penetrating your head. And you don’t have to lash out trying to match them word for word when you’ve been given a sword of the spirit to use on them instead; it’s called God’s word. Stop trying to fight your battle in the flesh. Although you might win the fight, the battle won’t be over until you conquer it in the spirit. Let prayer fight your battles because it’s only then you’ll get the W in your column.