DO NOT ABORT THAT WORD

Imagine being Mary…

Being told you would have a son but you would also be a virgin. Imagine being pregnant and trying to explain to your fiancée that it was the LORD.

Mary had to believe, and be courageous as she waited on God to speak to Joseph.

Imagine being Joseph though…

Having to believe that your fiancée was pregnant with God’s child. That she had not known another man. Imagine keeping this in your heart…

Imagine being Abraham.

Receiving a word about a son at 75, and waiting another 25 years… as your wife continues to grow old, older, oldest… those around him probably dismissed him politely as an old man with a dying wish.

Imagine being Noah…

Building a boat for 125 years! Yes holding on to a word for 125 years. Moreover at a time when there had never been rain from the clouds… and having to keep telling people how a flood was coming. Fighting the doubts and fears that you could be wrong for 125 years!

How many times do you think these giants of our faith had to silence that old liar’s voice: ‘DID GOD REALLY SAY?’

What has God said to you concerning 2021? Concerning your life & future? Or have you become so tired of waiting that you feel it’s better to forget what He said?

The devil is afraid of the word of God. He is more afraid of those that hold on to it, because then there is a performance of that thing spoken by the LORD if we can conceive and carry it to term.

Child of God, DO NOT ABORT THE WORD God spoke to you. Do not indulge doubt & fear. Do not count the years that have passed without fulfillment. Do not cast off your hope.

Let God be true.

What has God said to you? Do not abort His word. Carry it to term by reminding yourself of what He said, by declaring it in prayer & in boldness, by rejecting doubt & fear, and refusing to act on them.

We are the people who hold on to our faith against the odds. We are the ones that die believing! The generation of the blessed!

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:45‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

LIGHT MY PATH

“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105 NKJV

Have you ever had to walk in the dark? Like real darkness? Every step is taken with great caution & lots of fear. This is especially difficult when you are in unfamiliar territory, unsure of the danger that could be in your next step. You may fall in a ditch, step on a dangerous object or even fall in the hands of a wild beast lurking in the dark. Every sound increases the rush of adrenaline as we anticipate danger.

Until someone turns on light, no matter how dim!

That light introduces a bit more control in our lives: we can see ahead, even if it’s only one more step for our feet…

However, the power of the light is only experienced when its turned on. You could walk in the dark everyday, afraid. It cannot turn itself on!

Such is the word of God. It is light. It dispels fear and deception when we engage with it.

Maybe you’re at a new job or just lost the one you had. Maybe you’re newly married, expecting a child, or just lost a loved one; whatever unfamiliar territory you’re facing, the light of His word is a safe place. Why?

God has been in your tomorrow and has decreed victory. In His word is comfort, wisdom, instruction for favor, rebuke… all we need for life and godliness.

Today, and this year, allow God to light your path every day through spending time with Him in His word. You do not have to live in fear, to be confused, and to grope in the dark when you have a guide for life.

“The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” Psalms 119:130 NKJV

LET THE LIGHT IN

As we start a new year, remember that the whole of heaven is on your side, waiting to help you rise & shine. You are never ever alone, even when you feel alone.

“Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭60:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

His word is our light.

Call to rememberance the words God has spoken to you and allow them to flood your heart with light.

Arise to His word. Arise to His promises, for in them is your glory.

So, have you let His light in today? Have you meditated on His promises? Have you allowed them to dispel the darkness?

Let the light in everyday.

Declare; I will arise and shine, for my light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon me. This is my year to arise & shine & see God’s glory. Amen

“Welcome 2021, a year of light & glory!

AGAINST THE ODDS

It’s the first Sunday of 2021… have you started allowing your heart to dream? Hope dreams.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:18-19

Hope is not denying past or current circumstances, but rather seeing beyond them, and beholding our help ahead regardless of present temporary reality. We can recognize that there is a famine and still see beyond the famine, and see the faithful provider who will keep us alive through it.

We do not deny the circumstances, but we deny them the power to make us desperate or limited in our view of life. We see the limitless One especially when we are out and have hit our limits.

Gods eye is on those who hope in His mercy, for our hope places a demand on His resources.

Hope is most needed when we face the odds.

But remember hope is not passive, so please do not refuse to have any resolutions or expectations for 2021 because you hoped in 2020 and had some disappointments. Hope does not expire… we can still hope in His mercy & attract His attention in a special way in 2021.

Hope is not pessimistic, and it is not passive.

If you have nothing you’re trusting God for, nothing you’re expecting, and nothing you’re looking forward to in 2021, check your hope-meter, and fill it even though you may not feel like it.

“The One who has successfully managed the entire universe till now without any failure, cannot mismanage your little life!” – Bp. David Oyedepo

No situation can take away your hope unless you hand it over. Hope is a force!

Embrace 2021 with HOPE child of God! Your Father is limitless, and 2020 was just one year in a few thousand… God cannot be measured by one season. Have a bold expectation of good and be bold as we embrace the first Monday of 2021.

“But I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness And Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits.” Psalms 71:14-15 NKJV

DID GOD REALLY SAY?

Doubt is the opposite of faith. It is a subtle monster that destroys the divine.

Doubt opposes faith. You cannot believe & doubt at the same time. One has to make room for the other.

To live without faith is to live without the supernatural/divine, for only faith delivers the supernatural/divine into the natural.

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.””Luke‬ ‭1:45‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The one who believes is called BLESSED. For they conceive the ability to birth what is only conceived by faith! For the one who believes is the one who has the privilege of seeing what was promised by God.

But how is faith conceived? The same way doubt & fear are conceived; by what we consistently HEAR.

Faith is conceived and fed by continuously hearing the word of God. Doubt & fear are conceived by continuously hearing what the world has to say about life.

What are you hearing? What are you feeding?

Adam & Eve were living in absolute bliss until Eve allowed to hear doubt concerning what God had spoken. All it took was the questioning; Did God REALLY say?

Because the devil lacks creativity, his tactics haven’t changed. He still attacks what God has spoken to us, offering us a counterfeit & robbing us of the ability to multiply the divine.

The enemy is going to attack your heart & ask: Did God really say?

Child of God, let God be true. Whatever you do, DO NOT act on that doubt. It is poison. Fight every doubt like you would a dangerous snake.

What is our weapon? Our faith. Feed faith.

For we cannot believe & doubt at the same time. One has to make room for the other.

We believe. We hope continually. We hold on the confession of our faith without wavering… feed your faith! HEAR GOD ONLY.

Become a man and woman of the word of God.

“Great favor is upon you, for you have believed every word spoken to you from the Lord.” Luke‬ ‭1:45‬ ‭TPT‬‬

“No matter what, I’ll trust in you to help me. Nothing will stop me from praising you to magnify your glory!” Psalms‬ ‭71:14‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Welcome 2021!

GO ALL IN

It’s a new year! A new season! An opportunity to put both our victories & failures in the past where they belong, and look AHEAD! It’s an opportunity for HOPE.

Hope is in the future. There is no hope in the past, for it is already gone. We hope for what we expect! For what we are yet to see.

What are you hoping for in 2021? Do not have NO expectation. Hope expects, and hope expects good.

Apostle Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 3:12: “Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—” NKJV

‭‭Hope is BOLD! Hope is not passive. Expectation is not passive. Our hope produces great boldness of speech.

Maybe you faced some disappointments in the past and you are afraid to have an expectation. I encourage you to pick your heart up, and believe God for something… for our faith produces hope, and hope produces boldness.

A lack of hope produces fear & timidity expressed as passiveness – whatever will be will be. Do not respond to fear. Respond to hope child of God.

Hope is BOLD.

Hope has a picture of a good future, and holds on to it especially in the tough times. Hope is an anchor.

What bold statements are you staring down this 2021? What giants must fall? Whatever you do, expect something good this new season.

GO ALL IN!

“Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:45‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Welcome 2021!

STOP AND GIVE THANKS…

It is possible to completely forget or even be unaware of God’s blessings over us, especially when we are busy focusing on what hasn’t or isn’t going well.

There is always, always something to be thankful for! We just need to stop, remember and train ourselves to be thankful consistently.

What are you thankful for this 2017?

Psalms 77:10-11

“I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.”
‭‭NKJV‬‬

#CBOM

#GiveThanks

 

THE LONE WALKER

In 2016, I had one of the most emotionally dark years of my life yet.

I woke up every day feeling physically tired – I could stay indoors, in bed every day if I had no people in my life to nag and drag me out of bed.

My husband irritated me just by walking into a room. My kids annoyed me so much, I was almost always snapping at them. I hated food, music, happy people made me mad, sad people just needed to grow up… And here I was, a pastor of a church, supposed to preach on Sunday, go to work on Monday, have some counseling conversations with people, love my husband and kids and not kill anyone.

I walked about with such heaviness in my heart, and no matter how much I prayed, I couldn’t seem to get over it. I willed myself to be happy. I meditated on the word. I even traveled to the U.S, and I mostly was bored through it all, simply existing. I had some very beautiful moments, but they were overshadowed by the darkness.

I felt like I was in a dark hole that kept getting deep and deeper with every passing day. My friends were confused, and some said they were even afraid of me through that period, because they could not reach me. I cut them out. Not intentionally, but I was like a thorny plant that would hurt anyone that touched it.

I would stay in my room with curtains closed on all Fridays and turn my phone off – on that one day, no one had expectations of me, so I could wallow. It was my day off.

One of those weeks, I couldn’t take it anymore. I called in sick, because I really felt sick. I had a week of self-pity planned out. As I crawled into the couch and got my series lined up, there was a hoot at the gate.

Well, I was not expecting anyone, so I did not move an inch. Then as the car parked, I heard a familiar voice – my pastor and father had come. Aaarrghhhh I wanted to be ALONE! Now I was going to be forced to talk. Why now?

He walked in, all upbeat and clearly determined to take me out of the house. We had chatted and I had clearly told him I was sad and did not want company. He said he was coming and I asked him to please leave me be. Well, if you know Mosze, you know that he couldn’t take no for an answer.

I promised myself I would not talk to him, and I told him. He was unmoved. We went to a place with great desserts and I ordered the largest ice-cream sundae ever, gulping it without a care. Then I stared back at Mosze in silence. He kept smiling and asking questions until I spoke, and started weeping in a public restaurant.

By the end of the treat, I was feeling lighter, and together with my husband, they had made me call and book a 3 day retreat away. I went away, wept, slept, breathed and came back lighter and less toxic.  I didn’t know all I needed was a break. I was TIRED.

King Solomon in Proverbs 18:1 says A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. NKJV

When the enemy seeks to destroy us, he isolates us. Once he has us alone, he starts to magnify our problems until it feels like there is nothing else in our lives, and that there is no way out. In some instances, people have even taken their lives, over whelmed by a situation that could have been talked through or simplified

Because I lead in the church setting, one of the red lights for us is when someone unplugs from fellowship. Unless they have traveled or moved to a fresh fellowship space, we immediately know there is a problem.

They have either made a big mistake and are weighed down by the shame and guilt, or they are sad and discouraged and struggling to be around seemingly happy people.

If you’re deeply sad or you’ve made a critical mistake, please please do not isolate yourself. Find someone and talk to them.

Go eat some fattening food and eat some sweet ice cream – they call it comfort food for a reason. Take a holiday before you snap. And whatever you do, do not stay downcast for too long or isolate yourself from the warmth of great fellowship. A crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22

A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones. NKJV

Nehemiah 8:10

Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” NKJV

 

 

BEAUTIFUL DECLARATIONS

I love to spend time declaring the word of God. Throughout this month, I will be sharing my favorite passages of scripture that I enjoy declaring. 

This Psalm has 50 verses. Every time I read it, I see a loving God, who is crazy about me. I literally see my Prince in shinning armor. Just that when He gets upset, the terrain of the earth shifts. And He will literally move heaven and earth for us His beloved. 

 

Excerpts from Psalm 18

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁴ The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
⁵ The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

¹⁶ He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

NKJV

DON’T LEARN TO QUIT

I joined Harvest Institute (a leadership training space) in February 2017. It was such an exciting opportunity to grow in my leadership and learn mostly to lead myself before leading others.

The first class was challenging;  we went through the 5 levels of leadership by John C. Maxwell, and we each did an assessment of ourselves against the 5 levels. After doing the assessment, I really did not like where I was, but the results were clear, and I needed to put in the work.

We were to read 2 books a month and write a synopsis. The classes were once a month, and you could not miss more than two.

Everything was going great. I was enjoying the challenge. However, a few months down the road, I told my assessor I was done. I couldn’t do this anymore. I wanted to quit.

Now, my assessor, in no uncertain terms, with lots of encouragement told me I was not a quitter and she would not let me give up. My husband also assured me that we had to graduate together. My editor insisted that she was expecting a book and my sister reminded me that I had no excuse cuz she had just had a baby too.

But I had good reasons; I was on extended bed rest because of a difficult pregnancy, and when I pushed myself, my body would shut down. On top of this, once I finally had the baby in July, I was no longer in charge of my time. I missed the two classes, and then couldn’t imagine the thought of attending a whole day class with a little baby. What was the point? I was behind on my blogs (we were to blog at least twice a month), I had not read more than 6 books, and I had not started on writing my book, which was one of our yearlong assignments.

On top of all this, I have a husband, two other children who need my attention, a job, a church to lead, people to pastor, a group of young people to disciple (Gang), some speaking engagements… you get the drill.

However, one day as I was convincing myself to quit, I came across a quote by John Maxwell that says once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.

I did not like that quote.

I realized that I actually had started justifying why I couldn’t do so many things. I was learning to just quit. I had to snap out of it. And so I did.

My circumstances did not change, but my mindset did, and where the mind goes, the man follows.

If you think you can’t, you are right, and if you think you can, you are also right.

 In the past 2 months, I have read more than 5 books, caught up on my assignments, finished my first book which is a collection of articles, taken on speaking engagements, been part of a 10 week long mastermind class, loved on my babies, had pastoral conversations… and operated on the sleep I have available now.

What changed? I refused to be a quitter and my body and mind adjusted.

The hardest person to lead is usually myself. I was encouraging everyone on how they could do it, but I had decided that I couldn’t.

Harvest Institute has taught me Self leadership, Consistency, and Staying power. This is the stuff that separates the mediocre from the champions.

We will always have good reasons why we can’t do the uncomfortable things that help us grow. But think of the returns and the rewards of going through to discomfort. Think of the losses of following the lazy voices: a little sleep a little slumber… change requires action. 

What is your excuse/ reason for not making progress today? If you learn to quit, it becomes a habit 

Count the cost of your choices today and get moving. Tell your mind what is going to happen and refuse to train yourself to quit.

Philippians 4:13: ¹³ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.