There was a time that all I cared about was shoes. Shoes and shopping. A closet full of emptiness. It became packed with all the latest and the greatest. I would spend, spend and spend, spend. Leaving my soul to feel so spent!

All this upkeep to be this darling diva and all it did was cause me the darkest depression.
Im so glad it’s  no longer a phase or some overtime maze to keep jumping through hoops for some simple recognition.

Now it’s all about wearing the best 👠 shoes, those of peace. Those I wear them well and not about spending much but about being much. I didn’t need fancy shoes to keep a confidence, make me feel special, wanted, sexy or important. The shoes that I wear now I can wear all day long and no longer cause me pain.  These shoes bring me to my purpose in Him!!!! For every step I take in His peace brings me closer.

I can’t cater to confusion. I just won’t because I do know I am too authentic for that. I know my worth. I also know that this life is not my own. I’m the hangman after the one Man that has always been after all of my heart.

I also don’t live in regret. I live in Christ and Christ lives in me. That redemption I need 💯 and nothing less than that. I live in peace, just as He says abide in Me and I in you…. we remain in His love.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you, now remain in My love.”
John 15:9

“and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Sometimes discouragement, depression and despair try knocking on the door!

They come together in these three to apply force to get in strategically and effectively!

But the word of God reminds us:
“Guard your heart more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:23‬ ‭GW‬‬

We can’t allow any of that in.
We can’t provide any entertainment for it.
We can’t even ask for it to come again some other day. Because any entertainment equals empowerment.

The door must be shut.
The pathway must be closed.
The guard must be vigilant. Always ready for the provisioning that it is going to take for us to KEEP focused!

We Follow One Course Until Successful.
However that be.
However we keep that.
We must stay remained in Him.
Rooted and grounded in Him.

“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love,”
‭‭EPHESIANS‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭AMP‬‬

We must not only be rooted in Christ but DEEPLY rooted! Beyond the surface, so that when discouragement, depression and despair try moving our way, our roots are so deep that we are completely secure and unaffected by it! That we are not moved by any of the negativity and doubt! We stand firm and secure, guarding our hearts!

We never stop praying because we trust that the only things knocking at our door are opportunities, hope and a purposeful future that is ahead for us. Those are the best things knocking at the door.

Bye bye discouragement, depression, despair, doubt and discontentment!

Hello to my blessings! ❤️

A MIRACLE IS TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT!

GET OUT OF THE BOAT!

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14:22-32

I love this powerful story of Peter getting out of the boat in Matthew 14.

It’s a two step process to the many flawed, yet fearless and faithful steps we must take.

1) Jesus said “get out of the boat.”

2) Peter got out.

I think most of our discouragement happens when we begin taking the steps.

AFTER BEING SUMMONED;

TOLD;

CALLED;

PROPHESIED OVER…we sink in.

Jesus is there and we still sink in.

What’s happening?

I think it’s mainly that our perspective often shifts to the wrong things just like Peter’s did.

He kept looking at the waves and seeing himself sink and totally forgot the victory of at least GETTING OUT OF THE BOAT.

HE WAS WILLING TO DO SOMETHING THAT NONE OF THE OTHER 11 did.

He got out.

And that is what matters. Not how many steps you take. Or if you sink or fall but that YOU DID SOMETHING THIS TIME AROUND.

YOU GOT OUT.

YOU TOOK A STEP OF FAITH,

EVEN IF IT MEANT SINKING.

EVEN IF YOU KNEW WERE GONNA FALL.

You did something powerful that the enemy is after….YOUR WILLINGNESS RESPONSE TO HIS VOICE. He hates your relationship with Jesus and is always trying to distract you from hearing God.

BUT YOU KNOW YOU HEAR HIM.

YOU DID THE RIGHT THING.

YOU RESPONDED TO THE CALL WHERE MOST PEOPLE FALL BEFORE EVEN GETTING THERE.

Listen, we are NOT GOD ….

And as much as we think we can WALK ON WATER…. JESUS IS THE WATER WALKER.

We can attempt,try, imitate … but at the end of the day only Jesus is the one to pick you up.

IT IS INEVITABLE.

WE FALL; SINK; FAIL.

Why would Jesus call him then… if he knew he would sink?

Because He is a rescuer. And that is what He does. He saves us; rescues us; redeems us and fixes us because we are flawed vessels. He places his perfection OVER our imperfections!!!!

He said STAY MARRIED.

STAY HOLY.

STAY PURE.

STAY IN CHURCH.

WE DID ALL THAT AND WE SANK.

And we kept on sinking because we didn’t reach out fast enough knowing He is the ultimate saver.

We thought we could really walk on water.

I have an announcement to make!

WE CAN’T WALK ON WATER!

HE CAN! HE CAN ONLY CARRY US WITH HIM. We have to reach out to Him!!!! Not the problems, people, or even our own source of power we think we have. Admitting we are powerless gives us access to experience His power and His might. We are not perfect and we shall never be. But with Jesus HE IS THE PERFECT FOR US!!!!!

EVERY TIME I think I am strong or have obtained… I sink. I fall. I fail. And I lose horribly. I only win when I let HIM be everything for me.

Don’t forget the boat load of a mess where you came from.

You got out. And into a whole new set of stuff that only He will demonstrate his MIRACLE working power through.

It may look worse at times, but it’s really not. It is where He demonstrates His ultimate love and power over us consistently. His love never fails us.

You got out!!!!!

You are the MIRACLE!

You know I see people post copies of my book in hand and the tears sting my eyes. Like I am so proud of myself and not in a bad way please don’t misunderstand. It is that the majority of my life I had always felt so insignificant. I felt last, left, and lost. I felt like I could never do anything good. But this just cancels all that out. It takes a success all the way, in a moment of sincere gratitude because it was God that helped me to write this. He brought me to still waters. He restores my soul. I am just so thankful.

We recently heard Apostle Femi Adun share about accountability during his last visit in the States. That in order for us to be good stewards we must be 1) accountable, 2) faithful, be able to 3) trust and lastly to 4) serve. This was taken from the scripture found in Luke 16 on the parable of the unjust servant.

However, in my personal studies I came across the word AMBASSADOR that the Apostle Paul declared over himself in Ephesians 6:20, “for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

Ambassador is the highest level of a servant. It is to do things with excellence. To do with a committed heart no matter what. We keep moving for the greater cause.  The highest level… practicing a good proud called grateful. The bad kind brings destruction. Good is seeking to build. It seeks to give. It seeks to serve.

“The price of greatness is responsibility.”
Winston Churchill

In our prayer month of January, this is one of our quests. Doing things a bettter way, fruitful way and striving to build upon good ground where the soil is ready. There is a harvest for us. God is bringing us closer and closer. Don’t quit now. Don’t throw in the towel. Pick it up! Use it to wipe the sweat, blood and tears and KEEP GOING! KEEP TRYING!!! It is not over. We are really just getting started here.

Pray.

Study.

Get in the zone & use it to exchanging with God first. Shoot Him a text! Inbox Him! Send Him a snap! Call Him up!!!! Have some FaceTime with Him. He will answer faster and better than any other. There you will find all that you ever needed. ❤