Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 5/8/13 “Pray for me!”

Now let me point this out … I didn’t ask you to pray for me because something is wrong, I just need you to pray. I didn’t ask you to pray for me because there’s something that I need, I just simply need you to pray. See, somebody is dealing with some things that don’t even make sense in their natural eyes but hold on because when you look at those same things through spiritual eyes, it’ll all make sense. So while you’re praying for me let me pray for you.

“Our Father in Heaven, whose name is sweet upon my tongue; I petition your throne this morning with thanksgiving on my lips. First, thanking you for the blessings that you grant me daily even when I’m too selfish to acknowledge them. Next, oh God, I must thank you for the portion of mind You gave me back this morning that’s well enough to know who I am, for the strength in my body to get up and go on, for family & friends, the job, home and car that I sometimes take for granted. Then God, I thank you for the gifts and talents that allow me to work for you every day. Now, God I didn’t petition your throne just for me this morning but I come on behalf of those reading this. I don’t know what all they need prayer for but you do so I ask that you grant their request, if it be your will. God somebody is crying out for healing for what’s hurting, restoring of their joy, renewing their faith, rebuilding their hope, releasing of the chains, endurance to run and enlarging of their territory; do it if it’s your will. For the police officers, nurses, doctors, teachers, ministers, evangelists, missionaries, anointed bible carrying field laborers (those who don’t mind sharing God’s word wherever they are) cover and protect them. For the person who is addicted to drugs and alcohol, whoremongers, liars, cheaters, backstabbers, users, abusers and thieves; convict them so that they turn away from all the evil things that keep them from being close to you. God, surround and protect the child that is being bullied, molested and taken advantage of. Deliver those who want to be delivered. Heal those who want to be healed. Restore those who are crying out for restoration. God, I need you to see about your people now because we just don’t praise like we used to, we don’t always practice what we preach, we don’t serve like we know we could and we don’t study like we know we should. Oh God, I need you now to make victims victorious, change liars to leaders, cheaters to committed coverts, hell mates to help mates, abusers and adulterers to appointed ambassadors and fearful followers to favorable frontrunners. Bind the things that’s meant to do us harm and loose those things that allow us to be willing workers for you, if it’s your will. Touch that grieving person now and let them know that they are not alone and give them the strength to deal with their grief. God, I ask these things for us; your people, now because you’ve given me that power. Do it God and do it like only you can. This prayer I submit to you. Amen.”

Daily Devotional – 5/7/13 “Get a squirrel like mentality!”

This time last year, this was the topic of my devotional and as I sat here thinking about what to write; this seemed to fit. Why, because we have so many people giving up and giving in when this isn’t how God equipped up. Like I shared on yesterday, Galatians 6:9 says, “So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” See, when a squirrel climbs it doesn’t matter if rain is falling, if the wind is blowing or even if there are branches in its way because it has somewhere to go. Shouldn’t this be the same for us? Yea, it may be raining in your life and it seems like you’ll never get it right because you keep going left but keep climbing. You may have received bad news from the doctor but you’re not dead, so keep climbing. You may have even received a pink slip or was laid off from your job but you’re still capable of working, so keep climbing. Even if you’ve applied for 10 jobs and they all said no, keep climbing. Deuteronomy 28:13 says, “If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.” On your Christian journey, you will encounter some branches of hate; some leaves of hurt and a few rough places called mistakes but keep climbing and don’t give up. Besides, no one ever told you the road you’re walking or the mountain you’d be climbing would be easy, so why do you give up so easily?

You do know that as you go along and the higher you get, you will be knocked down when the wind starts blowing and the branches start swinging or that you’ll probably get cuts on your hands and knees from climbing, so why are you crying? Get up, dust yourself off, and clean up the wounds you have, bandage the cuts and try again. Just like a baby squirrel has to learn to climb, so do we. And just because you’ve probably reached the top it doesn’t mean that you won’t sometimes fall and even if you never fall all the way to the bottom, you can still fall enough to make you take notice. This is because sometimes, we get to the high places and forget about who got us there. We start making a little more money and then stop paying tithes. We start working a little bit more and then become too tired to fellowship with God. We start hanging out more with the top people and now God has been placed on the bottom and we have to wonder why he has to send us a reality check instead of a bonus check. Baby, God doesn’t elevate us so that we can become an earthly mess but he elevates us because he knows what we’re capable of being because it was He who designed us. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

God says believe in me, accept me into your heart and work for me and then we stand before the church accepting God, get baptized, attend church for 2 Sundays and never come back but Ecclesiastes 5:4 says, “When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him.” God says have a mustard seed size of faith in Him but as soon as the ship starts rocking from the storms of life, we start doubting but God is asking, “Why are you afraid? ” Don’t you know that if folk knock you down, God can lift you up or when folk have walked all over you, He can clean you up and make you look and feel new? Aren’t you aware of the healing power God has in the hem of His garment, then why do you speak death and not life when Proverbs 18:21 say, “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences?” You are capable of climbing to higher heights but you have to first stop being afraid to climb. Get a squirrel like mentality and climb. However, don’t get there and look down at those below you but reach back and help others come up. What sense would it make for you to be alone when all you have to do is reach over and pull the next person up? God has enough power to give us all mountains and tree tops to reach but we have to keep climbing because there isn’t another way to reach the top without it!

Daily Devotional – 5/6/13 “Can’t help but be blessed!”

When you can see from the eyes you have, hear from the ears you have, talk from the mouth you have, walk with the legs you have, touch with the hands you have, breath from the lungs you have and function from the portion of mind you have; you can’t help but be blessed. See, as I sat on Saturday morning and watched a dynamic women of God proclaim His word and then hear the Pastor of the church say “You can’t tell me a woman can’t bring forth the word,” I realized that I can’t help but be blessed! When I sit and write these devotionals, pray for folk, encourage folk and bless folk I don’t even know only to receive messages, text, comments and emails of thanks; I can’t help but be blessed. When you still got a little money in the bank after paying bills, a job to go to when so many are without, a car to drive which means you can afford it and gas, a little pain in your body which means you can feel, warm skin which means your blood is flowing; you can’t help but be blessed.

On the way to work this morning my husband was playing this rap CD of my nephews and cousins and I don’t normally do rap music because I don’t but I listened to a few of the tracks and I was in awe. I sat there with tears in my eyes listening to the talents of these young men who society would normally cast out as nobody’s and I wondered why they would allow such great talent to go to waste when they can’t help but to be blessed. I mean, so many of our young men and women are wasting their talents/gifts when they can’t help but be blessed. Some are writers and too afraid to journal their thoughts which could potentially lead to a book or song. Some are artist and too scared to share their talent with the art teacher who would be blown away. Some are even singers, yet they won’t open their mouth to allow their voice to be heard. Baby, you need to stop being afraid to use your gift because you’ll soon realize that you can’t help but be blessed. This goes for adults too because there are many of us in the same boat too afraid to step out on the water for a fear of falling but guess what, if you fall and don’t panic you’ll rise back to the top. You’ve been given another chance because you’re reading this so you can’t help but be blessed. Stop wasting time and talent and get this thang going! You’ve been given a gift so stop wasting it on the “but, ifs, could have, should have, they said and I might” and get to work because with a God like the one I serve; you can’t help but be blessed!

Galatians 6:7-9 says, “Don’t be misled–you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Daily Devotional – 5/3/13 “Scandal isn’t real life!”

I just thought I’d throw it out there. Yes, a man is supposed to earn his wife but that means her respect, her trust, her love and her support; not her body! Scandal isn’t real life so stop thinking that everything in your life will work out like it did in Olivia’s because you haven’t seen the end yet. Yea, I know they make it look easy but what’s glamorous about being the mistress or even about being the one that’s the mister? Since when is it cool for the mistress to be chosen and your marriage vows thrown away like yesterday’s trash? Don’t you know Hebrews 13:4 says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous?” Yea, I know we all make mistakes but don’t think just because you have now been chosen as number one; it makes it right because it doesn’t. Oh, let me tell you; I enjoy Scandal just as much as the next person but do you think I’ll pattern my life around it, NO! Why not, you ask? Because Scandal isn’t real life! But now because Olivia told Fitz to earn her, you got all kinds of text messages going out today saying the same thing but baby if you’ve been giving up the goods for a few pieces of change already; he’s earned it and so have you. You’ve both earned a fast ticket straight to hell unless you repent and get right. TV is for ratings and not for imitating. Get your life right!

Daily Devotional – 5/2/13 “Do you know what today is?”

Well … It’s my birthday (and you guessed it, my sister’s too)! Yep! But let me first stop and give praise to God because every time I turn around, He keeps right on blessing me. See, not only has He allowed me to see 36 years of living but also 15 years of marriage; so I am indeed blessed.

Have all the years of my life been great? No, but they have been lived so I am blessed. Have all of the years of marriage been great? No, but they have been together with one another so we are blessed. See, we sometime take time and people for granted until time is no longer on our side or we’re standing at the casket of our love ones. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had those moments before but then I began to realize that tomorrow isn’t promised to me because I’m young because kids are dying every day and I’ve also come to understand that marriage isn’t for everyone but it’s for me. Yes, it’s hard work but any relationship is. The relationship with your children, coworkers, church members, gym buddies … are all relationships that you have to work on and it is hard work. I am in no way saying I have the perfect marriage but it’s mine and the way to keep it that way is to keep folk out of it. See, not everyone who is around you is pulling for your relationship. Yea, some want it and some want you! Yep, I said it! Some want the relationship you got and some want you to be available whenever they call because they are miserable and you know misery loves company. All I want you to get out of this post today is this; value the relationships you have. Will there be some wanting to give up moments, wanting to throw in the towel days, crying and yelling, some arguing and maybe a few cuss words; yes but that’s all a part of it just don’t give up on it unless it’s the only option you have. For 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.”