Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 10/17/14 “Update and restart!”

Its Friday y’all! Praise the Lord with me! Even though I have to work on tomorrow, I still look forward to my weekends. But as I sit at my computer, it is prompting me to restart (after installing some updates) and if I don’t catch this little box thing every now and then to postpone it, it’s going to restart on it’s own and I’ll be screwed because it’ll restart in the middle of me working. Now, ok … Y’all know me but as I was sitting here I was thinking, how, as Saints, if we would upgrade our knowledge of God’s word every now and then and restart ourselves how much better we would be for the up building of God’s kingdom. I mean, just think about it. We update our computers, telephones and electronics with the latest updates yet we don’t update ourselves with the latest knowledge of God because if you’re a seasoned Saint you think you know everything and if you are a young Saint you think you know everything. But do we, really? Every scripture can be interpreted a hundred different ways to a hundred different people on a hundred different days but not if you don’t know them. Yet, how can you be taught a scripture if you haven’t read it for yourself?

If you’re wondering why your hope is falling short pick up your bible for Romans 15:4 tells us, “Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” Every now and then, update the software inside of you and restart and see if it doesn’t make a difference in your life. See if it doesn’t make your shine better. See if it doesn’t make you run a little faster. See if it doesn’t give you a boost of energy to fight the enemy off harder than before. Stay up on your game because the enemy sure in hell stays up on his. Update and restart because you might just find it was what you needed after all.

Daily Devotional – 10/16/14 “Expectation!”

For the last few days I’ve been trying to write my “sermon” for Sunday. I already got the topic, I already got the scripture and I’ve visualized so many times myself doing it (even before I accepted my calling) and yet today, right at this moment I am not even concerned. Oh, I’m nervous yet I’m not concerned. It doesn’t matter how many times I stand to speak, I am always nervous, that’s just me but I’m not concerned but that’s simply because I’m expecting God to show out. Yep! I am expecting God to show out on Sunday because I got a spirit of expectation. I’m even expecting the Holy Spirit to show out in me as I finish the words God will have me to say. Even if He changes them between now and them (as He might) I am still expecting Him to show out in me. Baby, I’ve found that when you expect God to show out, He does. When you expect the Holy Spirit to intercede on your behalf, it does and oh my God!!

Isn’t it strange how we can expect folk to show up, expect folk to love us, expect folk to provide for us, expect folk to care for us, expect folk to do what they say yet we don’t expect to be blessed. Here I am going back to Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” because I expect to be blessed because God said He’d give me hope and a future. I expect to be prosperous because God told me to expect it. I expect to be healed because the bible tells me in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” No one has to tell me anymore about the power of prayer because I know for myself that if you pray it’ll change things. I wake up in expectation from the Lord, waiting to see what He has for me each day. I’m like a child on Christmas each day I get up, excited to see what I can expect from God for Psalm 62:5 says, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Who are you getting your expectations from? Not all expectations are good ones!

Daily Devotional – 10/15/14 “Prayer day!”

Guess what day it is? To some, it’s pay day. To some, it’s hump day. To a few others it’s just Wednesday, another day they have to see that full of problems they can’t solve, situations they can’t fix and circumstances they can’t get out of but to me; this is another day the Lord has made so I will rejoice and be glad in it. Yea, I know you’re probably saying she perhaps got it all together but baby, I’m human like you so I struggle in this day-to-day thing called life too; I just don’t allow it to get me down. See, I could allow the weight of worry to weigh me down but why? I could let stress, stroke me out but why? I could let the burden of bills beat me but why? I could allow the severity of sickness to stiffen me but why? I could even let the enemy encamp my enjoyment that has been established and end it but why? Why not rejoice in the fact that you’re seeing a day that someone else didn’t. You do know that someone healthy laid down on last night yet they didn’t wake up this morning, don’t you? You do know that you don’t have to be sick to die, don’t you?

God is not pleased with His people and His people shouldn’t be pleased with themselves. Too many of us are hiding when we should be doing God’s word. There aren’t enough of us praying and studying and studying and praying. I don’t know about you but all you have to do is turn on the news and you will see that it’s praying time saints! It’s praying time over our children and our elderly. It’s praying time over our love ones who have to travel for jobs, flight crew and healthcare workers. It’s praying time over our clergy. We need to lay hands and pray over our city official and politicians, our school leaders and teachers. It’s praying and fasting time. We need to get back to the time when you gave up some stuff and actually prayed until you felt the move of God on your life. We need to get back to the times when you gave up some stuff to be at Sunday school and worship service on Sunday and bible study on Monday. We need to get back to the time when you didn’t mind being labeled a Christian. This is why the bible says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” If only we as God’s people would get ourselves together while we had the time. So for me, it’s simple; today is prayer day because we surely need it. Say a prayer for someone today or say one for yourself. Share one here on my blog, on my personal Facebook page or even my devotional page. Pass it along and let’s get to praying. It doesn’t matter. It’s prayer day! You pray for me and I’ll pray for you and watch God change things!

Blog Tour … And Then There Were None by Clay Thomas Williams

Clay Thomas Williams started writing at an early age. It was a form of expression for her. She started with poetry, and then joined a songwriting team, and became a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the writer’s café.org. Clay Thomas Williams has been a fan of the literary arts for quite some time. It was a natural progression to pen a novel. After continued prodding from her Publisher, Upnext Media Group, And Then There Were None became a reality. As Clay explores her imagination, her goal is to entertain the world one book at a time!

Additionally, Clay Thomas Williams has a B.S. in Criminal Justice is a Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor. She is a freelancer, writer and copy editor for an exciting nationwide informative motorcycle magazine; IRIDE magazine based out of North Carolina.

Clay Thomas Williams lives by the philosophy that every bit of fiction has a hint of the truth, and life experiences good or bad, create and shape the beautiful, brilliant woman she is. She resides in North Carolina with her family.

Blurb:

After a few short years, Octavia finds herself in a loveless marriage. Octavia doesn’t have the courage to tell her husband Calvin the truth, so she does nothing except continue an affair with a former lover, Lynwood. Can you imagine being so full of yourself, that you ignore the obvious. You’re so busy doing your own dirt that you fail to see what’s right under your nose. What could possibly go wrong when you think you got game? What part of the game is it when game doesn’t recognize game? What happens when you turn a good man into something you never thought he could become? All is not quite what it seems because unbeknownst to Octavia, Calvin has some lies of his own and so does Lynwood.

Octavia’s selfish behavior was full of lies and deceit causing her life to spiral out of control until she crashed and burned costing her everything. She gambled with love and lost totally destroying her life as she once knew it. Octavia thought she had it all; beauty, two loves, and a promising career. And in the end she ends up with nothing. The thing about Lies is they always have a way of finding you like a GPS tracking system. Karma is a mu’fucka, and has no expiration date.

Purchase Link :

http://www.amazon.com/Then-There-Were-None-ebook/dp/B00K942NDO/

Social media Links:

https://www.facebook.com/nate.elliott.501?fref=ts

Daily Devotional – 10/14/14 “God chose, I accepted!”

I never imagined my life would be like this but all I keep hearing in my spirit is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Or shall I say I never imagined my life would be aligned to ministry. Yes, I knew I was a child of God; I was raised in the church and we were taught (then) the meaning of God because (then and now) I have grandma who still hums about God’s amazing grace and don’t mind stopping to tell you about it when she catches you looking at her. She’ll say, “That’s just that good ole amazing grace baby, it’ll keep you when nothing or no one else will.” Then I had granddaddy who reminded me that you pray on your knees, when he kneeled every night beside his bed to pray until he couldn’t do it anymore. Then we have momma who took us to church with her, whether we wanted to go or not, because nobody stayed at home on Sunday morning. Then when you got to church you had ushers who didn’t mind putting you in your place if you got out of line, mothers who didn’t mind chastising you if you were disrespectful (with respect), church members who didn’t mind putting in the time to make sure you learned in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Youth in Action for Christ, Youth Church, visiting nursing homes during the holidays, singing Christmas carols and making baskets, a Pastor who took the time to teach and preach while learning the names of his members and deacons and trustees who actually cared about the growth of the church and not the bank account. So, yes I knew I was a child of God because I was reared to know the Lord but I never, ever imagined that my life would be set up to walk into ministry. Oh, but here I am. God chose, I accepted and I don’t take the acceptance of this calling lightly because Matthew 22:14 reminds me that, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

I told you back on 8/26/14 that God had a new position for me that He was remodeling me for and on 8/29/14 I accepted (truly accepted) my calling into ministry. Won’t it all work out if you allow God to do it? I told you then that I didn’t understand what He was about to take me through but I was allowing Him to do the work and I asked you to pardon my dust, didn’t I? Didn’t I ask you to excuse the noise while the work was being done? Well baby … Here I am! I am not complete but I am open for business and I am better than I was before. Yes ma’am, yes sir; you can see the restored product because although the potter isn’t completely done, He’s made me almost like new. I don’t have any of the old blemishes I once had. The broken pieces that you once saw have been replaced. The cracks, gone! My color has been restored and I now shine brighter than ever. I now longer rock when I stand because my foundation is solid and I’ve found a new home. Oh, don’t mind me if I shout because I won’t shatter. Don’t mind me if I get my praise on because I won’t break in pieces; He’s made able to withstand! Oh, I can’t even begin to tell you how I feel about this. It’s a new phase of my journey and I am excited about it. Pray for me!