Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 1/13/16 “What are you seeking?”

With the lottery amount being where it is, all kinds of people are coming out to buy tickets. Of course this means the religious folks are doing their campaigning against it yet those who will buy a ticket, will. Please understand, I am in no way condoning gambling or telling you to go against God’s word but I am saying this … whatever you decide to do, pray about it. Am I playing? Yep! But get this, I don’t desire to be rich but I desire to be financially stable. The same way I don’t base my chance of winning on luck but I base it on, if it’s meant; it’ll happen. See, the bible says in 1st Timothy 6:9, “But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.” If I sought after riches and glory down here what need would I have for Heaven? This is why my prayer is for financially stability. You do know there is a difference between financial stability and being rich, don’t you? Well there is. Being financially stable means you are no longer the borrower but you’re now the lender, you no longer live paycheck to paycheck but you can now save for a rainy day or broken refrigerator, you can afford to miss a day from work without it jeopardizing your household and you help those in need without it causing harm to your checking account. Whereas being rich means you have more money that you know what to do with, your head becomes so big you can only walk through double doors after someone opens them for you, you start turning your nose up at people who come to you for help, you throw money around because you want people to know who you are, you care more about fame than a good name and you become a breeding ground for the enemy.

This is why you have to be careful with the things you do, seek after, pray for and play with. You have to be careful what you speak into existence and what you long for. Desiring riches opens up more doors for the enemy to come in who then ups his tempting of you and then it leads you down the wrong road, if you aren’t careful. This is why 1st Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.” This is why again I say, don’t pray nor work to be rich but pray and work to be financially stable. If being rich means I cut off the blessings from a God of a second, fifteenth, and one hundred chances; I don’t want it. If being rich means I forfeit my right to Heaven, I don’t want it. If being rich means giving the enemy more access to me, I don’t want it. If being rich means I have to change whose I am, I want no parts in it. Beloved, we don’t have to wish upon a star when we have access to the star creator. We don’t have to wish for luck when we have access to the one who owns everything. Do this, look up gambling in the bible and you’ll see the majority of the scriptures are about the love of money, for it is the root of all evil. Read and digest the word for yourself in order to get an understanding. Don’t allow your attention to be so caught up in getting rich that you miss getting righteous.

Daily Devotional – 1/9/16 “It’s time to fight!”

While you are spending all of your time fighting folk, you need to be at war with the enemy. Yea, I know it’s easier to fight the folk you see but they aren’t the ones wreaking havoc in your spirit; the enemy is. When are you going to say something to him? I mean, you give him access to your entire life but you’re afraid to tell him to get the hell out. When was the last time you walked through your house praying? When was the last time you prayed together as a family? When was the last time you strapped up for war and actually fought? Do you even know where your helmet of salvation, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes of peace, shield of faith and sword of the Spirit is? Have you dusted them off lately? Beloved, I don’t know if you recognize this or not but the enemy has increased his attacks and he’s placed bounties on the head of supposedly saved folk. And guess what, he has arrested quite a few of us. Why? Well because we are too scared to fight, too fearful to face him and too afraid to stand on the word of God. Yes, things may be going wrong in your life, right now, but we all have to face some struggles every once in a while. Ok, you say your struggle seems to be lasting longer than others but have you stopped to think, maybe your restoration process takes longer? Stop basing the time of your process on what someone else has gone through. You are not the same.

It’s just mind-boggling that we will be quick to go head to head with people yet we won’t open our mouths to the funky enemy. We’ve allowed him to sleep in our bed, ride in the car and we even bring him to church all the time keeping our mouths shut. Oh but let the pastor say something you don’t agree with. Let the ministry of the church try to step into this century with worship and teaching and see how much hell you raise. When will we go to war with the enemy? Sometimes you need to get off social media and fight! You may need to turn the phone off and go to war. You may need to let some folk go so that you get out of your comfort zone and reclaim your stuff. It’s time we start fighting in the spirit so that we get the enemy out of our homes, out of our churches, out of our jobs and out of our family members. It’s time out for being afraid to put our mouth on the enemy when he puts his everything on us. I don’t know about you but I’m sick of him taking my stuff. I’m fed up with him attacking my family. I’m tired of him showing up in my home whenever he feels like it. I’m fighting back. What about you? Yea, we may tremble a little during the fight but don’t throw in the towel. For Ephesians 6:13 says, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.”

Daily Devotional – 1/8/16 “Try again!”

We’ve come to the second Friday of this New Year, how’s it working for you? Started on those resolutions yet? Yes, I get it; you really meant to do better this year but then the bills came and you were still overdrawn from Christmas. Family still aren’t acting right, folk on the job acting crazy and then you’re sick. You’re praying and haven’t received an answer. You even had plans to start on the 21 day fast but then stress showed up and that went out the window. Now what? Well, now you go back to the drawing board and recreate. Look, not everybody gets it right the first time; shoot; some of us still hadn’t gotten it right and we’re on the fifth try but try again. That man or woman who remarried after divorce wouldn’t have gotten it right this time, if they hadn’t tried again. When a mechanic is working on a car, it may take him fifteen times to finally get the car to crank but oh when he does; he gets excited about the fact that it now works. See, had he given up after the seventh time he tried it, he wouldn’t have made it to the resolution on the fifteenth time. What am I getting at? Stop giving up so easily.

It doesn’t matter that it’s not coming out like you pictured it; maybe you’re looking at the wrong vision. It doesn’t matter that you thought you’d be married by now, it isn’t your time. Yea, I know you thought your ministry would be overflowing at this point but it isn’t your time yet. Beloved, rest in the fact your trust is in a God who never fails. Stop trying to do it yourself especially when you keeping messing it up. I don’t know what you expect this year, I don’t know what plans God has for you, I don’t know what you’re praying for but I do know that whatever it is, it can be yours if you have faith that it is. I don’t know what God has in store for me but when He called me, I packed my bag for the journey because I trust in my guide. How else can I walk the path God set for me if I keep stopping to question Him? Baby, I may not be able to peek into the future but as long as I know God holds it, I’m looking forward to it. So, stop with the hopeless feeling; God hasn’t left you. Sometimes you have to fall, go through, get picked on and stressed out in order to see what God has for you. James 4:7-10 (The Message Bible) says this, “So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.” In other words, humble yourself before God and let Him do it.

Daily Devotional – 1/7/16 “Fire of the Holy Spirit!”

When you walk in your destiny and when your passion burns from within your soul, everyone can see it. It doesn’t matter where you are, people will see the flames. It’s like starting a fire in the middle of the wilderness. Eventually someone will see the flames and/or the smoke and realize something is on fire. It’s the same with you. This is why you have to pursue what God has ordained for your life. It won’t matter that you’re in a crowd of folk, when your passion burns deep; they’ll see the flames. When you tap into your destiny and you allow yourself to walk in your purpose, they’ll see the flames. Stop putting it out because you’re afraid of the unknown. Stop shying away from it because someone is telling you it might be hard. Life is hard, yet you get up every day and face it. Quit allowing people and fear to talk you out of fanning your flames. Baby, when you seek the Lord and when you allow the Holy Spirit to rest in you even if you try to hold it in; you won’t be able too. You’ll be like Jeremiah saying, “But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it! (Jeremiah 20:9)”

I don’t know about you but I tell the Lord; I’ll be the sacrifice as long as you provide the fire. See, God’s fire burns within us but it won’t burn us up. Oh, but it will burn up the stuff that means us no good. Why do you think your enemies can’t get close to you? Yea, they may stalk you on social media but that’s as close as they’ll get. Yea, they may text you but they can’t touch you! Why? They can’t handle the heat. God’s fire burns up the mess that is keeping you paralyzed in your current condition, it’ll burn up the anger that has held you hostage for so long and it’ll burn up the negativity that keeps seeping into your spirit. So, stop trying to put it out and instead add some spiritual wood to it. Wood = prayer, fasting, studying God’s word, working for the Kingdom, etc. Child of God, allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn within you. Pray, daily, for God to allow the Holy Spirit to fall on you! Then you’ll be like the men who were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. For the bible says in Acts 2:1-4, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” I don’t know what the fire of the Holy Spirit will give you, it may not be the ability to speak in tongues but it will give you a fire that you wouldn’t want to put out! God, I’ll be the sacrifice if you provide the fire!

Daily Devotional – 1/5/16 “What’s your addiction?”

Did you know addiction is defined as either a drug dependence or devotion? Well, when referring to drug dependence, addiction is a state of physiological (body) or psychological (mental) dependence on a potentially harmful drug. Whereas when referring to devotion, addiction is a great interest in a particular thing to which a lot of time is devoted. So, I ask you; what’s your addiction? Think on it before you answer. I say that because while I was driving in to work this morning, the Holy Spirit shared this with me … You can be addicted to the pain, the abuse, the pettiness of life, being hurt, being misused and even fear. You can be so mentally addicted that you don’t even recognize it anymore. You can be so addicted to someone depreciating you that you don’t even recognize when someone actually appreciates you. You can be so addicted to the pain being inflicted by someone you love that you’ll crave it instead of running from it. Beloved, you can even be so addicted to the fear of ‘what if’ that it consumes your entire life. You’re so addicted to folk telling you no, you can’t, don’t do that or you won’t prosper; that you’ll be denying yourself before you even begin. Think about it.

I can imagine a person addicted to pain pills will still think they have the original pain, in their body, even though they’ve been cured a long time ago. But because their body now craves it, they must have it. When a person is addicted to drugs and alcohol, they crave the feeling it gives them. And it’s the same way with whatever you’re addicted too. You can be so addicted to a man or woman that you’ll do whatever they tell you to do because you crave their attention. You can be addicted to sabotaging worship service that it doesn’t matter who the pastor is, you’re hell bent on making sure it doesn’t work. You can be addicted to being mean, angry and bitter because now your mind craves it. You can even be addicted to loving the wrong person because that’s all your spirit craves. Yet you can overcome it but you have to release that which you are addicted to. This is why you have to be careful of the WHO. What’s WHO? Well it’s the person or thing you Willing Hand Over your heart too. Yea, see if you willing hand over your heart to a man or woman it doesn’t belong too or to a thing that’s not good for you; you can become addicted. So you may need to put yourself in rehab. You may need to block some folk. You may need to step away from some things. You may need to reevaluate your life because your addiction is getting the best of you. God can help you overcome it but you have to willing hand your heart over to Him. For the bible says in 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.” So, what’s your addiction? Say it and then cast it out!