Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 10/9/15 “Get up!”

I started a new shift in my new position; 7:00am in the morning. Baby, this takes some getting used to, let me tell you. It’s a struggle most days when that alarm goes off at 5:45am but only because I’m a night owl. However, even in my struggle to get up in the morning; once I’m up, I’m ok. Getting up is just the hard part. Then something donned on me; somebody like me is struggling to get up in some area of your life and the struggle has been real but get up. Yea, you’re struggling to get out of debt, to get out of sickness, to get out of a bad relationship, to get out of a dead-end job, to get out of your own way and to get out of your spiritual war; well, get up! When a baby is learning to walk, he or she is determined to get this thang down, they’ve made up in their mind. Yea, he or she struggles to stand, at first, so they grasp at the nearest thing or person to help pull them up. Once they are up, they stand there for a minute to give their legs time to balance, they scope out their surroundings and finally they take a step. Sometimes, in their learning, they fall a few times but if you watch them carefully, they’ll go back to the nearest thing and start the process all over again.

What am I saying to you today? First, you need to have a mindset to want to get up. There’s no need in me trying to teach you, if you aren’t willing to learn. Second, you need to find something (the Word of God) or someone who can help pull you up. Then you need to stand there for a moment and get your balance. Yea, you need to allow the word to process in your spirit and you need to hold that person’s hands until you’re comfortable with letting it go. Then you need to scope out your surroundings. What good is it to get up only to walk into some mess? Finally, take a step. Yes, my brother; yes, my sister; you may fall but get up again. You may stumble but shake it off and keep on going for the bible says in Proverbs 24:16, “The Godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” Though you fall, the failure is in you not getting up. The word tells me that I am, “persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:9).” You are not out nor are you any less than the next person, when you happen to fall. You simply had a momentary moment but all you have to do is get up. It hurts while you struggling to stand but once you’re up, breath and take a step!

Daily Devotional – 10/8/15 “Spiritual Chaos!”

Beloved; we are in a state of chaos, in our spiritual realm and if we don’t do something about it, there will be more Christians perishing. Look, you don’t have to take me at my word; look around. Young folk dying of heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms; younger people are being diagnosed with cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, migraine headaches and diabetes. I can bet you, if you count the number of funerals you’ve attended lately, it’s been more young than old. We are in a state of chaos. If you read your bible, in the Old Testament when God defeated whole armies of people, He sent confusion to cause chaos in their camp and all the defending army had to do was sit back and watch them kill themselves. Saints of God, open your eyes; this is what the enemy is doing at this very moment! He is stirring up chaos in the lives of supposedly saved folk and right now it looks as though he’s winning.

Where are the prayer warriors who don’t mind going to war, in the spirit? That means you have to turn off some stuff and turn on some prayer. Where are the Saints of God who don’t mind going to church any day of the week to let the devil know, NOT TODAY SATAN? Where are you, oh Saint of God? Where are the willing workers? We are in a state of confusion. The bible says in Romans 1:12, “That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Where is my faith partner? Where is the person I can count on to pray with me or pray me out of stuff? Where are you Saint of God? We’ve got to start fighting because the enemy believes he is about to be victorious in this thang. Where are you Saint of God? It’s time now to get away from, she’s a woman, God surely didn’t call her because baby, if the truth shall be told, half the men He called are worthless so God had to use some women. But know this, it’s not about gender but it’s all about God! Y’all better start throwing away some of these old customs and get accustomed to praying. We need it!

October 7 – Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day

I can probably guess that a number of you have never heard of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Well, that changes today.

According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, even mild stimulation of your face — such as from brushing your teeth or putting on makeup — may trigger a jolt of excruciating pain.

They are exactly right, it causes EXCRUCIATING PAIN! How do I know? I’ve watched my sister battle this disease for the last 2 years. When she was first diagnosed, in March 2013, it was unbearable to watch. She lost over 50 pounds because she couldn’t eat or drink anything. She could only sip enough water to swallow pain medicine that didn’t work. Yet today, she is a living testimony. Yes, she is still living with this horrible disease but she is LIVING!

There is no cure for this disease but there is HOPE and HELP. Her help come in the form of God, faith, prayer, family and friends and a doctor by the name of Dr. Robert Mericle in Nashville, TN. On December 17, 2013, he performed her MVD surgery that has since given her 85-90% relief. She is back working and has resumed her day-to-day functions. Praise the Lord.

Yes, she still has numbness on her right side, some pain that she lives with daily but she will tell anybody that she is still fighting. (It’s evident by the tattoo on her arm)

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a silent disease and a person who suffers with it doesn’t look sick but that doesn’t negate the fact that they are. This is a horrible disease and if your child, spouse, friend or family member is suffering with it; SUPPORT THEM. Don’t look at them with pity, pray! Don’t tell them there is nothing wrong, there is. Don’t act like they are overreacting, they need too. This disease affects the nerve and although the doctors are quick to prescribe pain meds, they can’t stop nerve pain. Research for yourself! Be informed.

I am grateful everyday that my sister is still here with me and I will go to the ends of the earth to get her the help she needs. If you know someone who is suffering with this disease, help them. Become aware today.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is known as the suicide disease but it doesn’t have to be for your loved one! Support them! Help them! Love on them! Get them to somebody who can give them some relief! It’s available. Don’t allow anyone to tell you otherwise!

–I am my sister’s keeper!
Be blessed y’all
Lakisha

Daily Devotional – 10/7/15 “You have to tell!”

Everybody isn’t privy to your problems, stop acting like it. Just because you’re having issues at home, stop going to work taking them out on folk. How are they supposed to know you didn’t get any sleep last night? It isn’t their fault. Maybe you should have called in and taken you a day to yourself. Stop getting upset because you expect folk to know that you’re temporarily out of funds. Lower your pride and ask somebody for things you need instead of being without. Stop having an attitude when folk don’t offer to help you, if they don’t know you need help. Everybody isn’t in the know of your issues. Stop getting mad at pastor because he or she didn’t call or visit when you were sick when no one told them you were. Oh, I know you thought, as being friends, pastors, coworkers, etc., we could read your mind but we can’t. All I am saying is this … check yourself sometime! You cannot expect folk to automatically know what’s going on with you and then fix it, if you don’t open your mouth to tell them. When you go into the doctor’s office, the first thing he or she says when they walk into the room is, “Tell me what brings you here today,” because if they worked by guesses, a lot of us would probably be dead before our time. You have to tell!

Yea, as hard as it may seem, you have to tell folk. No, I don’t mean blasting your business on social media, I simply mean share with family and friends, if you desire help. Lose the attitude, it doesn’t suit you. Lose the frown on your face; it doesn’t mesh well with your skin. Lose the disrespectful tone in your voice; it doesn’t fit with your personality. Stop acting like folk owe you something because you’re the one going through; right now. If the truth shall be told, we are all dealing with some things. You may just be going through worse and I may just be in a place in mine to help you however, you can’t expect it if you’ve yet to ask. Stop getting upset thinking that no one is in your corner. Make sure folk know where your corner is first. I can’t support you if I’m not invited. I can’t come unless you call. You have to tell.

Daily Devotional – 10/6/15 “Using the wrong aid!”

You’re wondering why you can’t heal from what ails you … maybe it’s because you’re using the wrong aid! I mean, think about it; would you reuse a dirty band-aid? Wouldn’t you be mad if you had surgery and the doctor reused thread to stitch you up or reused gauze to dress your wounds? Wouldn’t you be mad if you found out the dentist was reusing water to clean out your mouth? Then why are you still trying to reuse the same old stuff to heal? You’re crying about a broken heart yet you’re crying to the one who broke it. How can you heal when they keep taking a piece of you every time they leave and you keep letting them? You keep saying you want to be healed from your addiction but you’re still hanging around those who feed said addiction. How can you break your addiction to weed, if you’re best friends with the weed man? How can you get over your addiction to alcohol when you got the key to the liquor store? You say you want to be healed spiritually yet you keep letting folk talk you out of church. “Girl, you know they just want your money,” “Why you going to that church, they only got a few members?” “Why you drive all the way there for church?” “Man, don’t you know football is on?” Baby, you’d better pull off that used stuff so you can heal.

It’s time now that you stopped looking for aid in stuff and folk and start looking for the aid that never goes wrong, never gets old and never hurts. At some point in your life, you need to change from crying out in hurt, why me, to now crying out in prayer like Jeremiah 17:14, “Heal me, LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” For the bible says in Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” At some point and time beloved, you need to realize the pain you’re experiencing is self-inflicted and it can stop if you want it too. Yes, accept their apology, forgive and forget but don’t keep going back to the same hurt if they aren’t willing to change because then the apology becomes like that band-aid; old, worn out and useless for healing. Continuing to accept hurt and apologies from someone who repeatedly hurts you is like trying to fix glass that has been shattered. You’ll probably end up with more cuts and more band aids and in the end, it and you will still be broken. Throw it out (along with the glass). You can’t heal because you’re using the wrong aid!