Daily Devotional – 3/11/14 “Voluntary living yet required death!”

Death is a solemn reminder that we all have to die from this life in order to live again with God and although we don’t know when death will show up, some of us live like it’s standing at the door. I mean, you walk around with so much hate in your heart that you won’t let anyone love you. You’re always depressed even though most of the situations you find yourself in, you caused. You’re mad at the world because you’ve become what you said you wouldn’t become but it was your choice. God has given you the fresh anointing of a new day yet you wake up worse than you was when you laid down on last night. God gave you the healing your body needed yet you still walk around like you’re sick. God continually provides for you yet you act like He hasn’t done enough. When will you voluntarily live before the required death? When will you get out of that pity you’ve jumped in? When will you untie that bad luck from around your neck? When will you choose to be happy? Yea, folks have let you down but get this, they will again. Yea, you’ve lost some people and some things, get over it. Yea, you may be addicted to alcohol, drugs, other people’s spouses or materialistic things; destroy it. You have the option to be happy or sad and whether to live or die. Don’t keep being tied down in unhappy places and stop being pushed into tight spaces because they drain the life out of you.

Yes, in your living you get heartache but in dying you gain a never ending heartbeat. In living you get mess but dying you get the Messiah. In living you get pain but dying gives you never ending praise. In living you get sleepless nights but dying you gain restful rejoicing. In living you get strife but dying gives you shouting and singing in the Heavenly Choir. In living you get worldly stuff that can be taken but dying gives you a home that man’s hands didn’t touch. In living you go through hell but dying gives you Heaven. So, don’t be afraid to live for Romans 14:8 says, “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord,” and then be afraid to die for Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Choose this day to voluntarily live before the required death comes!

Daily Devotional – 3/10/14 “It’s just a rehearsal!”

After I finally got back to my desk this morning following a fire drill at work, only for it to be a false alarm, I realized that many of the things we go through, in this life, are simply just a rehearsal preparing us for the real thing. Yea, that job you have now, it’s just a rehearsal preparing you for the career that’s on the way. Those few bad relationships you’ve had, they were only rehearsals preparing you for the marriage that God is binding together that has yet to be seen. That sickness that’s attacking your body, it’s just a rehearsal preparing you for the glory of God that’s about to be manifested in your healing that will be shown during your testimony. Yea, it’s just a rehearsal. Now, get this; a rehearsal is defined as a session or series of sessions in which something that is to be done later, especially a public performance, is practiced. So, in Lakisha’s logic of thinking, it breaks down like this. All the hell you’ve gone through behind closed doors was just a rehearsal preparing you to reveal God’s handiwork that is the miracle of your life that has now been restored to even greater than man could have ever thought. Yea, all the names you’ve been called, the lies that have been told, the whispers that said you’ve never be nothing, the knock down seconds, the giving up minutes, throwing in the towel hours, weeks of being without and months of living barely making ends meets were simply rehearsals preparing you for this time, the grand show that is the blessing you’re now reaping of everything you lost that has now been given back to you in a way that even blows your own mind. Therefore, when you have to go through the test more than once and when you have to bare the same storm again, it’s just a rehearsal. So, don’t give up now and don’t quit yet but pay attention because it’s just a rehearsal and God is watching and giving you everything you need to perfect your performance for when the real thing comes.

Blog Tour – Not My Will by Khara Campbell

Not My Will Book Tour
 
 
Khara Campbell’s new book, Not My Will, released on March 4th and she is giving you a chance to win a copy on Goodreads. Be sure to check out her interview, a book summary and your chance to win a copy of her new novel below and feel free to leave a comment and follow.
 
 
 
Title: Not My Will
Author: Khara Campbell
Publisher: Delphine
 
 

 

 
Having hooked up with her boyfriend Ty the same night they met in a club, two years ago, Virtue now wants to put a hold on their sexual relationship, but she’s not sure how Ty will take it. Their    relationship started with sex from day one so she’s unsure of how to break the news to him. Erika, Virtue’s best friend from childhood, thinks Virtue is stupid for to force  her man to quit having sex. She warns Virtue that she may push Ty into the arms and legs of another woman. While on her self-discovery, Virtue meet Terrance, a new confidant who is everything she wishes Ty would be: a godly man for one. But she will find out that sometimes her will is not the best.
 

 

1. What is your inspiration as a writer?
My faith is my inspiration for pretty much everything that I do, so that would include writing. I’ve always had a desire to write since I can remember being a little girl. I’m thankful that I didn’t give up on my dream, it’s so awesome to be releasing my debut novel-one of many.

2. How hard is to gain a following when you are a Urban Christian Writer?
I’m still in the process of doing this since this is my first novel. However I’ve been opening up myself and sharing bits of who I am on social media along with writing my blog post which has been helpful so far in gaining followers. I’ve realized that people like to know the person behind  the products more than the product itself.

3. What motivates you to write?
Live motivates me. I like to write about real life situations, fictional of course, but real enough for readers to connect with some of the characters.

4. What do you want reader’s to take away from Not My Will?
Not My Will is fictional, however it is inspired by a similar situation I faced like the main character Virtue. Virtue struggles in her  faith by wanting to abstain from sex with her boyfriend, however there are many other struggles that we all face in our lives. Virtue clearly is not perfect in this novel, like we all are imperfect, but she is looking to God to help her overcome that particular struggle. Like Virtue we are all faced with struggles, tragedies, fears, death whatever it may and the only place we can get help is from God. Everyday is a day to surrender our will and allow God’s will to be done.

5. What can the reader’s expect from you in the near future?
I’m already working on my second novel which I am very excited about. The main character gets some life changing news from her dying mother. I think there are many people that unfortunately are faced with family secrets that can either destroy them or make them stronger-depending on which way they allow the news to carry them.


 

 

 

Khara Campbell holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing from Midland Lutheran University. She is an online contributor for The Praying Woman which many of her post have went viral on social media; also Black Literature Magazine and The Literary Network. She was born and raised in Nassau, The Bahamas. She resides in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband and their three young children. Not My Will is her debut novel.
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                              Amazon
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

don’t forget to enter the contest to win her new novel.

 

Daily Devotional – 3/7/14 “Let me see your test!”

Thomas and Lacy Ackright have been married for about 15 years and they seem very happy. They have the house, 2 children, 2 cars, jobs, money in their retirement accounts and even in their savings. They go to church every Sunday, she is on the Usher Board and he serves as a deacon and they’re always willing to help. They are the head of the couple’s ministry at church because everybody wants to know the secret behind the “great marriage” they portray. He is always a gentleman and she is the type of wife every guy wishes for. Their kids are well behaved, do well in school, play all types of sports and really involved in the church. They seem to have it all together and even folks who aren’t married are a little jealous. Then one day, there’s breaking news of a shooting in this upscale neighborhood. The news reporters don’t release any names but he says the house belongs to the Ackright’s. Now, everybody is wondering who would hurt such loving people? Oh but then it is revealed that Mrs. Ackright had actually killed Mr. Ackright. Wow! No one, not one person outside the house would ever expect this but the children did. Why? Because their father was a monster behind closed doors. Yea, while he was perfect to the world, his own family barely recognized the man he’d become. No one knew what caused the sudden change in him but it happened and it was bad, worse even! See, folks only got to see what the family wanted them to see. They didn’t see the bruises under their clothes or the small limp the son had from being kicked down the stairs. They didn’t notice the pain behind the smile of the daughter when they spoke to her and they never saw the fear in the eyes of Mrs. Ackright when they asked how she was doing or how she flinched when someone grabbed her arm. No, all the world saw was the perfect picture that was painted. They did all they could to keep the war inside of their home instead of asking for help because folks had labeled them and no one wanted to ruin the image of the “perfect family” but the image ended up ruining them. Yea, they lost themselves by trying to please everybody else.

See, we’ve become so accustomed to putting up fronts that we don’t realize they’re killing us. We’d rather go hungry than to admit we don’t have money in our pocket. We’d rather run out of gas instead of asking a friend to borrow $20 until pay day. We’d rather allow ourselves to be killed at the hands of an abusive spouse rather than ask for help. Oh, but I’m here to tell you, right now, at this very moment that everybody is struggling in some kind of way. While you are so busy trying to keep your co-workers from knowing your struggle, they’re busy trying to hide theirs. But, as Christians, how can I believe your testimony if I never saw you going through your test? If I never see you stumble then how can I believe that God straighten your walk? How can a sinner see God’s work if you’re not showing His work? No, I’m not saying you have to broadcast every piece of your business but at least show me some of your test? How can I show that God forgave me of my sin if I consistently act like I’ve never committed one? How can I show a doubter that God is truly real if I never show them how He changed me when Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven?” You don’t have to broadcast your business on Facebook everyday but at least allow me to peek inside your storm every now and then so that I’ll see the goodness of God’s mercy when He brings you out. At least show me a little of your test before you start broadcasting your testimony.