Daily Devotional – 2/5/19 “You don’t have to stay in the shape you’re in!”

This isn’t your usual devotional message but I had to stop by and tell somebody, you don’t have to stay in the shape you’re in. Look, I don’t have all the answers but here are ten things that may (or may not) help you. It is my prayer, they do.


    1. Get help! Therapy, financial, spiritual, substance abuse, domestic violence, sickness, suicidal, depression … GET HELP!

    2. Rebuild your credit. Stop being shame of having to file bankruptcy. However and don’t miss this … once you’re out of it, DON’T GO BACK! Pay your bills before the next due date and it will not go on your credit. Ex. If it’s due on the 2nd, pay it before the 2nd of the next month. Sure, you may get a late fee but it will not affect your credit.

    3. Live beneath your means, not above it! Trying to live in a space you can barely afford will put you in debt.

    4. TITHE! This may be hard for some of you to do but even if you start small, even if it’s $5 this month, tithe then add $5 next month until you get to where you need to be.

    5. Stop getting these check advances and title loans! They are NOT GOOD for you!

    6. Change your mindset! You don’t have to have the new Jordan’s, you don’t have to get your nails done every two weeks, you don’t need new bundles every pay-day, you don’t have to eat out, you don’t have to go out and you don’t have to shop at every sale.

    7. Cut up those credit card advertisements you get in the mail.

    8. Cut up those credit card advertisements for your teenagers/young adults. If you want to build their credit, put them on your card as an authorized user.

    9. GET INSURANCE! Life, home, renters, auto, burial, critical care, etc. A tip for parents with teenagers, put them on your auto insurance while they have their permit, it’ll build their history and save you money when they get their license.

    10. Teach your children about the value of their name, credit, faith and reputation. A bad record, of any kind, will follow you.

“The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.” — Matthew 13:22

Still Fighting: My sister’s fight with Trigeminal Neuralgia

When my twin sister LaQuisha Dionne was fighting with #TrigeminalNeuralgia, she journaled. I took some of her journal entries and wrote her story in #StillFighting. You can read it because the book released today! (YAY)

Still Fighting | Be A Fighter

Along with the book, I created a journal, Be a Fighter. While my sister fought TN, her journal created a release for her because when people didn’t understand, her journal did. My sister didn’t even remember half the things she wrote but they were etched in pen! This is why I recommend keeping a journal and why I’ve created Be a Fighter, a journal for the day when your suffering seems to have the upper hand.
The colors on the gloves represent some of the battles most fight every day.

Don’t lose hope no matter how hard it gets.

#StillFighting is her story, #BeAFighter can be yours!

Still Fighting
Be A Fighter

Happy Reading,
Lakisha

Still Fighting: My sister’s fight with Trigeminal Neuralgia

When my twin sister LaQuisha Dionne was fighting with #TrigeminalNeuralgia, she journaled. I took some of her journal entries and wrote her story in #StillFighting. You can read it because the book released today! (YAY)

 

Still Fighting  Be A Fighter

Along with the book, I created a journal, Be a Fighter. While my sister fought TN, her journal created a release for her because when people didn’t understand, her journal did. My sister didn’t even remember half the things she wrote but they were etched in pen! This is why I recommend keeping a journal and why I’ve created Be a Fighter, a journal for the day when your suffering seems to have the upper hand.
The colors on the gloves represent some of the battles most fight every day.

Don’t lose hope no matter how hard it gets.

#StillFighting is her story, #BeAFighter can be yours!

Still Fighting
Be A Fighter

Happy Reading,
Lakisha

Daily Devotional – 1/30/19 “You have the power!”

When David got ready to fight Goliath, there were folk around him who’d already counted him out. “He’s too small.” “Who do he think he is?” “He’s no match for that giant.” “He’ll never make it.” He was even taunted by Goliath, who was bold enough to cross enemy lines to confront him. Goliath tells David in 1 Samuel 17:44, ““Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”” David responds, in 1 Samuel 17:45, “You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” You know how the story ends, right? David killed Goliath with a stone to the forehead. Afterwards, though (because the sermons usually stops there), David, bible shares, ran and stood on Goliath, took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head. Here’s what I don’t want you to miss. The Philistines didn’t move until after David had cut off Goliath’s head. Why am I sharing this? Two few reasons actually.


1. Some of you are more focused on what folk are saying and it’s causing you to lose sight of the task at hand. Let them talk, you’ve got a battle to win!
2. You may have knocked your opponent down and even killed him but those with him, won’t leave until you make a drastic move.

In other words, you need to let those who are bold enough to walk into your face/space to taunt/kill you, know you ain’t scared! I said what I said! No, you don’t have to cut off their head, like David but you might have to cross enemy lines, stand on their back and take their sword just in case! Look, God didn’t give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). It doesn’t matter that you don’t look the part, you got power. You may not have the armor but you got power. May have never fought in this kind of fight but you got power. Power from a God who never fails us! David’s power didn’t come from a sword, he didn’t have one. David’s power didn’t come from his armor, he didn’t have any. His power came from the God he worshipped, trusted, loved and served. You have the same power but you’ve got to stop listening to the hecklers and trust the God you serve because He’ll never place you in a battle He hasn’t equipped you for. Even if it happens to be a battle He’ll let you lose, He always has His reasons why. You have the power but you’ve got to believe it, tap into it then use it.

Daily Devotional – 1/29/19 “Don’t hush me!”

In Mark 10:46, there is a man named Bartimaeus who is sitting on the side of the road begging. Bible shares that he heard noise and asked those around him what was happening. They tell him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by to which Bartimaeus begins to yell out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Now, what disturbed my spirit is what happened next. Those around him told him to be quiet. In fact, bible says, they admonished him or in other words reprimanded or tried to make him feel bad about calling Jesus. I preached on this Sunday but I needed to stop through and tell somebody, stop allowing folk to hush you, especially when it’s your life on the line. Stop allowing folk to make you feel bad about getting the help you need. It’s not them who is enduring the pain, it’s not them whose day is always dark, it’s not them that has to depend on folk just to survive and it’s not them suffering. Bartimaeus was blind yet he had enough faith to know that Jesus could heal him and had he listened when they said be quiet, he would have stayed in the shape he was in. And maybe the folk around him didn’t know any better or maybe they just didn’t want Bartimaeus healed because the thought a beggar wasn’t worthy.

Whatever the case, let me make this clear. We are all worthy of Jesus so don’t ever hush me when I’m calling on my help and stop allowing folk to hush you when the time is now for you to cry loud and spare not. Had Bartimaeus listened, he would have missed the opportunity to stand before Jesus. However, he didn’t because when folk told him to hush, he hollered louder and with his faith, he was immediately healed. How many of you are missing what you need because you’ve been listening to folk? The same folk who will not see you as anything more than your circumstance? You may know this but sickness doesn’t have a respect of person, disease will not skip you because you’re cute/handsome, storms will not keep bypassing you and neither will the enemy stop trying to stop you so whenever you get the chance to cry out to God, don’t be hushed. And if the folk around you will hush you, in the presence of Jesus, you need to let them go. If the folk around you will quiet your cry to Jesus, when you’re in need, you need to tell them goodbye. If they yell for you to be quiet when the healer, sustainer, waymaker and deliverer is near but not when you’re begging; you need to rethink those you keep company with. As for me, I don’t want those kinds of people around me. I need some folk who will join in, who will press with me through the crowd to get to the feet of Jesus, some friends who can holler when I can’t, some folk I can link my faith with when mine is getting weak and some folk who will encourage me, not rebuke me. You may be okay with the shape you’re in but I’m not so don’t hush me when the situation changer is near and I’m hollering to get His attention.

Sunday’s Sermon