It's not just writing, it's ministry
Each day I am grateful.
— Grateful to God for His unwavering grace and mercy, towards me.
And I am appreciative to ALL of you who support Lakisha, in every capacity. Whether it is liking a post, sharing a post, buying a book, inviting me to your worship service, adding me to your calendar, following my blog or simply praying for me … THANK YOU!
Thank you doesn’t seem adequate enough but know that my heart is full of gratitude towards you. đź’–
For the last two months I have been experiencing dizziness. The kind that stops you in your tracks however, you wouldn’t know unless I told you because I press through. Not because I have to prove that I am strong but I refuse to be limited by something, even the doctors cannot figure out. This morning though, I almost felt defeated. After looking the doctor in his eyes as he says, “All your test are normal,” I almost felt defeated. As I listened to him explain what it could be, I almost felt defeated. As he scheduled yet another test, I almost felt defeated. Then I remembered Paul and his thorn and I whispered, “God, your grace is sufficient for me.” As I drove, I said a little louder, “God, your grace is sufficient for me.” Please understand me, I do NOT believe this is God’s way of punishing, testing my faith, trying to keep me from being conceited or anything like this. Whatever this is, it is because we live in fleshly bodies that sometimes fail us by way of sickness. Do I claim it? No but the reality is, it may be something the doctor calls Vestibular Migraines. Do I believe God can heal it? I do with my whole heart but while I wait, I repeat “God, your grace is sufficient for me.”
I just need somebody to know today, God’s grace is sufficient for you too. Even while you’re hooked up to another chemo or dialysis machine, while you wait on word of your transplant, while you wait for God to open your womb, while you wait for your pain to reside or your sight to be restored, while you wait on the surgery or the test results; know that God’s grace is sufficient for you because His power is made perfect when we are weak. In other words, God’s strength is put to the test every time we are weak. God’s strength is evaluated every time weakness attacks our body. It’s not that God has doubt in His strength but each time you are weak, He gets to run a diagnostic test in order to prove to YOU His strength is still able. So, we cannot give up because God’s grace is sufficient for us. What is grace? An acquittal when we know we’re guilty, love when we don’t deserve it, protection when we are in our mess, a harvest although we haven’t planted any seeds, forgiveness even though we continually mess up, strength when we try to play strong and healing from a God some of us have yet to become faithful too. Grace is a demonstration of God’s power so that you know it was Him and not man. God’s grace is enough, beloved. Enough for you to keep on and not give up.
Beloved, I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news but not everything you do or say will be liked and accepted by everybody. Sure, we want every sermon to be loved, every book to be all five-star reviews, every product you sell to be a hit, every status you make to go viral, every picture to be liked and every event sold out but this is not the reality of life. Fact is, some folk will not like anything YOU produce. Fact is, some folk will never agree with what YOU say. Fact is, there are some folk who will not show up because YOUR name is on the flyer. Baby, you can have a free event with all free food and drinks and some people still will not attend. You can giveaway some stuff and they still will not come. Why? BECAUSE IT’S YOU and they cannot understand why you are being blessed the way you are. Although they don’t see the nights of no sleep, the overdrawn checking account to ensure all goes right, the times you’ve begged God to take the oil from you or how hard you are on yourself. All they see is the anointing and they assume. While they talk about you in group text and pray for your downfall, they don’t know you’re almost at your wit’s end. And here’s is the even harder part… you cannot take it personal.
Here’s my story. Everybody doesn’t like me. I used to try to figure it out but then I quit because I don’t serve to be liked but I serve in order to save lives. I don’t write books for the awards but I do so because it’s part of my anointing. I don’t post on Facebook, for the shares but I do so because you might need encouraging. I don’t need to go viral but I need you out of your valley. I don’t blog because I have nothing else to do, I blog to get you to Jesus, by any means necessary. I don’t need a pulpit, a conference or revival; I will share Jesus wherever I am. This is why I don’t get upset about the invitations that haven’t been extended because no man can stop what God ordains. I don’t know who this is for but sometimes you will not get the support of folk, publicly. Sometimes, your family will be the last to congratulate you. Sometimes, the friends you supported will not return the favor. The truth of it is, they may not know how or be in a place to do it. Stop assuming everybody is on your level, has the same heart and compassion as you or the ability to support the way that you do. And please, don’t allow your support of others to be what you used to gauge how others support you. Support because you want to and not so you get it in return. Reality is, you might not.
There are some people who will not go to church for personal reasons, stubbornness or due to being a victim of “church hurt.” Understand, it is your choice so please don’t take this as bashing or to make you feel guilty. This blog is a means of help and hope but I need to let you know what happens to sheep (God’s people) without a shepherd. Yes, we are sheep because Psalm 100:3 says, “Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” And because we are sheep, God calls and equips shepherds. What it the role of a shepherd? To strengthen the weak, feed the hungry, seek the lost, bandage the wounded and to protect the sheep from becoming prey while ruling over them without harshness and force (Ezekiel 34). To put it plainly, a shepherd’s job is to ensure care and security of the sheep until their owner comes back for them. In other words, the sheep do not belong to the shepherd but when a person accepts the position, they do so with the responsibility to do right by the sheep. But did you know there are two kinds of sheep? One is a wild sheep who can survive on their own and a domestic sheep who needs the care of a shepherd.
See, wild sheep don’t need a shepherd because they never settle down but domestic sheep requires the care of a shepherd because they have been created through human means to produce. Wild sheep search for food but domestic sheep are fed by their shepherd. Wild sheep protect themselves but domestic sheep are to be covered by the shepherd. Wild sheep naturally shed but a domestic sheep has to be sheered in order to ensure the weight of their wool doesn’t become too heavy to carry or filled with parasites. Yes, I get you don’t feel like you need a shepherd but this is like saying you don’t need a doctor. Beloved, I believe God and I trust Him but I also know He gives wisdom to those who care for us physically. This is why we have financial advisers, doctors, therapists, pharmacists, lawyers and spiritual shepherds. There are some things we cannot do on our own. And a sheep who is not properly cared for tends to carry too much weight which then leads to internal issues that keeps them from growing, infected feet that keeps them from walking, inflamed knees that keeps them from kneeling and the inability to care for the very thing(s) they birth. Sheep need shepherds unless you like being wild and wandering alone but how is that working for you? The bible shares in Jeremiah 3:15, “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.”
So this morning I pull up and park, at work. Right before I get out I notice a stain on my dress. Are you kidding me? Now, I laid this dress out (threw it in the dryer for good measure, you know wrinkles and all), put it on, looked at myself in the mirror and ain’t seen nothing! Do you hear me? Not one thing and yes, it is noticeable because my dress is white with orange, purple … you get the gist. I sat there for a minute contemplating going all the way home to change or either waiting until my favorite store (Rainbow) opens at 10. Then I said screw it, got out and walked into the job. Don’t get me wrong, the stained worried me because what if someone sees it and thinks something. But then, I thought about it. Chile, forget this stain because I know this dress is clean and there are way more pressing things that could be wrong. However, as I was walking to the cafeteria, I said to myself, “Self, what if folk actually saw the stains within us.” The stains of our self-doubt, lying, cheating, backbiting, sabotage, slander, promiscuity, sorrow and etc. What if folk only knew about those stains because baby, a lot of us would be looked at differently if they knew what our flesh covered? This is why my attitude changed to appreciation of God for being my stain remover.
Anybody else thankful that God is better than Gain, Arm & Hammer and Tide when it comes to removing stains? Anybody else grateful that God is more powerful than Oxi Clean and will wipe out our sins and speak of them no more? Anybody else, other than me, glad to serve a God whose power is more potent than the magic eraser and shout? And get this. God doesn’t remove our sins and transgressions because we deserve it but He does for His sake. Beloved, it’s not because of us that He finds us worthy of being purified, over and over but it’s His reputation on the line. This is why God says, even with your shortcomings, I’ll still stamp out your sins. God says, even with your weaknesses, I still find you’re worthy. God says, even with your flaws, I’ll still favor you. For it is His word which says in Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.” And you got the nerve to worry about folk talking about you. Chile, let them talk while you serve a merciful God who is willing to eradicate our sins, even when we don’t serve Him as faithfully as we should. Thank you God for being what I didn’t even know I deserved.
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