Daily Devotional – 11/12/18 “You can’t get comfortable!”

My husband finds it odd that I am nervous every time I preach or speak in front of people but I am. It never fails. Yet, here’s what I have discovered. Being nervous, is not about the people I’m speaking to, the message in which I’m speaking or the place where I stand but it means I am not yet comfortable. Get this though, I never want to be because God didn’t call me to be comfortable, He called me to be a mantle carrier, game changer, curse breaker and message deliverer. Now understand something, this is just the thoughts of Lakisha, you may not feel the same and that’s okay but I never want to get comfortable working for God. See, when I get relaxed in doing what God has asked of me, it will become as easy as putting on my favorite pajamas and sitting in front of the TV. In other words, there won’t be much effort put into it and when that happens, flesh can take over. When I get comfortable, I will not do as much as I would have before because flesh is saying, you’ve done enough. You’ve encouraged enough, nobody needs to hear it anymore. You’ve preached enough, no need to study, just keep using the same message over and over. You’ve done enough for free, only go now for the money. You’ve served enough, let them serve you now. Being comfortable leaves room for doing my will, not God’s and this isn’t what God has set us apart to do.

Beloved, sometimes, on this journey doing the Will of God will make us feel uncomfortable but it’s to correct us. Sometimes, the Will of God will make us feel some type of way but it’s to teach us. Sometimes, the Will of God will penetrate places we’ve long shut off but it’s for correction. And sometimes it’ll step on some toes and hurt but that’s because it’s for training in righteousness. And serving God should take us out of our comfort zone because there are lives on the line. We don’t have time to be calm because there are some strongholds and curses to destroy. We don’t have time to be content when we’ve been called to conquer. We don’t have time to get complacent when there are valleys, alleys, pits and places we might have to visit to save the lost. We can’t relax the word of God, the serving of God or the will of God when there are people prematurely dying. In Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” I don’t know about you but there is nothing, absolutely nothing comfortable about denying self but it’s worth it when you do.

Beds for Kids

Beds for Kids I have been asked to share this awesome event with my family and friends.

The Family Resource Center Of North Mississippi will be hosting its Beds for Kids Benefit Concert at First Baptist Church in Olive Branch, MS on Thursday, December 13th at 7PM.

This event will feature Grammy Award Winning, Christian Artist Jason Crabb along with a night full of music, worship, and fun! Come and celebrate while being apart of a great cause.

The goal of this event and The Family Resource Center is to ensure every child, in the state of Mississippi, has a warm and comforting bed to sleep.

How much is it? Admission is FREE however, donations are greatly appreciated.

Items needed are twin sized comforters, mattress protectors and any bedding items you can think of. Please see the flyer, for more information and pass it along to anyone you know that might be interested in attending or donating.

Thank you in advance,
Lakisha

Beds for Kids

Daily Devotional – 11/8/18 “Preparing for what you asked for!”

We’re in the month of November and for some, you’ve already started planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You don’t even know what tomorrow holds yet you’ve already made preparations. You have the list of things you need, waiting. You are eagerly anticipating the sale ads as you map out plans for this holiday season and all you need is for the date to show up. You’re set on go, ready for what you expect to happen, without knowing if it will. Question for you … why don’t you wait in expectancy of God the same? You don’t bombard the stores, rushing them, but you’ll rush God. You don’t rush the calendar, yet you’ll rush God. Why not, instead of getting angry at God’s timing, you prepare in advance for what you are expecting? Instead of getting upset that God hasn’t moved, by your calculation of time, why not prepare for what you know will come? You’ve prayed for the husband but are you prepared for him? You’ve prayed for the child but are you prepared? You’ve prayed for the increase in finances but have you prepared for it? You’ve prayed for the door to open but are you prepared for when it happens?

A few years ago, my husband and I were living in a rental house yet I knew this wasn’t what God had for us. So, I started preparing. I made notes of what I wanted in a house as I waited on God to move. I made preparations for the house note and we hadn’t even signed papers or been preapproved. But I know what I heard God say. I had no idea when but I know what I heard. Beloved, on this spiritual journey, we have to be prepared for what we’ve asked of God even if we don’t know when He’ll do it. God says if I ask, it shall be done so when I go in prayer, I come out preparing to receive what I know God will do. This is called faith. Bible shares, faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith means I’m claiming it before it has my name attached. Faith means I am prepping to live well even while I’m still sick. Faith means I’m making plans for the day I no longer live paycheck to paycheck. Faith means I’m cleaning out the garage for the car I know my credit can’t get yet. Faith means I am memorizing the directions to the house I haven’t been approved for yet. Faith means I am rehearsing for the assignment and I haven’t even been called for it yet. Faith means I am buying the business suits for the business that hasn’t even been birthed yet. Faith means I am preparing sermons for the pulpits I haven’t been invited to yet. Faith means, although I don’t know when it’ll happen, I know it will happen so I’ll prepare for it.

Daily Devotional – 11/6/18 “Purpose!”

I don’t know who needs to read this but your purpose will never stop chasing you. Yea, you might ignore it but it’ll still be there. You may never walk in it but it’ll still keep waking you up at night. I don’t know who needs to read this but your purpose only dies when you do. You can keep allowing fear to talk you out of it but it’ll still be there. You can sit on it and it’ll still be there when you stand up. Why? Because God said, as plainly as possible, in Proverbs 16:4, “The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.” Let me type this again … The LORD has made everything for ITS OWN PURPOSE! ITS means belonging to so in this scripture, ‘its’ is referencing God. God made everything for Himself and God doesn’t leave loose ends to just lollygag in the wind. He has a purpose for everything He makes, especially you. I don’t care who said you’d never make it, God made you for His purpose and He doesn’t make mistakes. I don’t care if your business didn’t succeed the first time, God made you for His purpose and He doesn’t make failures. I don’t care what is tied to your bloodline, God made you for His purpose and He has the ability to destroy every curse.

Beloved, you have a purpose and God will ensure you get to it. Why do you think He kept you and your mind while you did all those drugs and alcohol? Why do you think He allowed you to survive when you were having unprotected sex and didn’t get an incurable disease? Why do you think He allowed you to beat what doctors said would kill you? Why do you think He allowed healing when a degenerative disease should have been your portion? Beloved, you have a purpose and this is why you are still here. When will you get up? You are still alive so when will you get up and write the vision? You are still graced for this so when will you get up, write the vision and get to work? Your purpose is yours to do what you want with it and it’s pass/fail ratio depends on your performance/fear. What are you going to do? You can keep grumbling or you can get up. You can keep complaining or you can conquer. You can observe or you can occupy. You can be a passerby or a participator. You can be the borrower or the lender, the worker or the employer … you get it, right? Then get it. IT=PURPOSE!

Daily Devotional – 11/5/18 “Fear God and lack for nothing!”

Psalm 34:1-10 says this, “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”

This Psalm was sung by David while he hid in a cave running from Saul. He says, “for those who fear him have no lack!” What is fear? We take fear to mean scared of but fear here means reverence; as in respect. What David is saying, when we respect God we want for nothing. See, when you have respect for a person, you will not intentionally do anything to hurt them. When you respect someone, you will not purposely set out to cause them pain. When you respect someone, they are often who you think about before you do something out of character. And respect doesn’t stop. For me, I still respect my grandfather and although he is no longer living on earth, I will not do anything to taint his name. I’m grown but I still respect my mother by not disrespecting her. It is the same for God because I chose to follow Him. Beloved, God doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him because then we serve out of bondage and control and this isn’t the God we serve. And, why would God need to control us by fear when serving Him is a choice we make? To fear God is to respect Him because if we respect Him, we will not do anything deliberately to hurt Him. When we fear God, we serve willingly and not unwillingly because when we do, we lack for nothing. When we fear God, we shall not want. “Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.”