Lakisha, the Author

Daily Devotional – 5/10/13 “What about you?”

Have you ever stopped and wondered why you aren’t getting the things you need? Have you ever stopped to think that maybe you’re missing your blessing because you’re too busy letting folks get in front of you? Yea, you’re so busy praying for other folks that you don’t ever take the time to pray for yourself when baby, can’t nobody pray for you better than you can pray for yourself. Stop blaming folk for what’s going on in your life because if you stop putting it all on Facebook, stop gossiping with those loose lip friends, stop tweeting everything that’s happening and stop making text grams for Instagram no one would know about your problems anyway. Then you got the audacity to be mad because folk are talking about you but weren’t you the one that gave them all the information? Then why are you mad? All I’m saying is, sometimes you miss your blessing because you’ve either talked yourself out of it or you’ve allowed someone else to get it. Haven’t you realized by now that when you speak stuff like, “I’m broke, I’m tired, I’m sick, I’m depressed, I’m a drug addict, I’m an alcoholic or I can’t find a job;” you’re speaking those things over your life? Why not say, “I’m temporarily out of funds” which means your situation won’t last? Why not say “I’m not feeling my best but I’m living,” which means your greater is coming? Why not say, “I have a problem but I know God to be a solver,” which means your help is on the way? Why not say, “I’m without a job for the moment but I’m looking for my career,” which means you’ve asked and waiting on God to answer? Oh and stop trying to raise folk up because that isn’t for you to do because if you keep putting folks on a pedestal they may just be getting the blessing God is dropping on you. Right now is the time for you to lift yourself up. No, I don’t mean for you to brag on yourself all the time but speak some stuff into your own life some time! You don’t have to stop helping when you’re needed, encouraging whoever needs it or being a shoulder for folks but take a little time for yourself and be where you need to be in order to receive what God has for you.

Stop waiting on folk to encourage you, encourage yourself! Stop allowing folk to speak negative things over your life, who are they anyway? See, it shouldn’t have to take someone telling you you’re smart before you believe it. It shouldn’t take me telling you that you can be somebody before you know it for yourself and it shouldn’t take validation from a man or woman to know that you’re beautiful or handsome when you should look in the mirror and see all of this for yourself. Stop allowing the way the world thinks to corrupt who you are because Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” If God wanted you to look like everybody else, he wouldn’t have made different races, shapes, sizes and ethnic backgrounds but because of technology, media and reality TV, we’ve stop believing in ourselves and think the way things are on TV are the way things are supposed to be for us. Humph, those folks are having it harder because they have to put on a face every day to be something they are not when God proclaimed in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” You are capable of doing, of having, of becoming, of being whatever you choose to be but you have to want it, believe it and then go get it! Stop being anything other than who you’ve been destined, designed and delivered to be.

Daily Devotional – 5/9/13 “Stop giving away your power!”

When you plug something into an electrical outlet it pulls power from the power supply in order to make your lamp, TV, radio, charger and etc. work right? And sometimes when you have too many things plugged into that one power supply, the power usually gets dim, doesn’t it? Well, don’t you know that when you allow low voltage folk to plug into your power, they drain your power and cause you to get dim? Yea, you keep giving and until you’ve gave out and now your power is low. You keep going until you can’t go anymore and now your power is dim. Stop giving away your power. See, when you allow that boy/girl, man/woman to consistently hurt you; you’re giving your power away. When you allow the folks on your job to walk all over you, you’re giving your power away. When you keep getting your feelings hurt by those loose mouth saints in church who can’t put you in Heaven or hell with their rude comments, you’re giving your power away. Baby, you’d better pay attention to those things you’ve allowed to plug into your power because they are draining you. My tag team spiritual partner, Shun, said it best; you better watch who you’re hooking up too! Just because he is telling you all the right things, you better make sure you got your spiritual ears open because you might just be lying down with a snake. While she is feeding you all your favorite foods, you better be looking through your spiritual eyes because you might be eating something that’s bad for your health. While your co-workers keep smiling in your face, you better put your spiritual battle gear on because they could be setting you up for failure. Yea, you better recognize those who you have allowed to plug into your power because they might just be using you up! 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.” Did you read what this said? It says that God has given us power, love and a sound mind and not fear so what’s holding you back from unplugging those who are draining you? If that car is leaving you stranded and broke, unplug it. If that husband or wife is leaving you busted and disgusted, you might want to look into whether it’s time to unplug him or her. If that job has you feeling stressed and not blessed, you may want to look into unplugging it. If your friends only come around to strengthen their power by using you, you may want to look into unplugging them too.

Wikipedia says a power supply must obtain the energy it supplies to its load, as well as any energy it consumes while performing that task, from an energy source and this is the same way with us. Don’t you know that in order for you to keep supplying the power to all those things/people you have attached to you; you have to continually receive power? And if you are disconnected from your energy source, eventually your power will decrease until it’s all used up. And who is your energy source? God and He will supply every ounce of power and energy you need, if you stay connected to Him. That’s what the word say in Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” If that’s not enough then read 2 Corinthians 9:8 that says, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” Yea, you’ll have all you need if you’re “hooked up” to the right energy source and if you unplug some of those things that have your power running low. Stop allowing any and everybody to plug into your power source. Stop giving away your power so freely. Yea, I know that God says we should help one another but you need to recognize and realize when you are being used. Yea, the word says to let your light for God shine but if your power supply is overloaded, no one will be able to see your dim light anyway!

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.”