Write the Vision...

Habakkuk 2:2-3 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.  My interpretation of this scripture is to write down the desires of your heart to make it a reality when reading your goals. In writing these things, realize that it is not for the present time, but for the future.  Also realize that if we are patient and believe in God’s word our desires will come to pass.  One thing I believe in is writing down my hopes and dreams.  I never realized its correlation with the word until recently.  As I have shared with you before, I make a short-term list each month and what I don’t accomplish carries over to the next month. It is what I like to think of as keeping up with my life’s inventory.  At the end of the month I’m able to see my achievements, my determination or the lack there of.  You’ll be amazed at the gratification it brings to realize the greatness of God and the many blessings that he allowed you to experience over time.  Not to mention you will notice your strengths as well as your weaknesses and in knowing these things, you can make yourself a better person by correcting what's wrong and capitalizing on whats right. 

My listings include EVERYTHING like personal aspirations, career objectives as well as workout targets. I even list things about myself that I would like to change or eliminate (this is the hardest list to concur).  If you are at a point in your life where you would like to start making positive changes try making a list of your own.  If you do decide to try it, there are a few things you must understand.

1.     Write the vision and make it plain

Know exactly what it is you desire, be descriptive

Example:  Pray for a job with great benefits, good people, understanding atmosphere, not far from home, more money, not much overtime

2.     You must have faith the size of a mustard seed

Simply writing things down or wanting something is not enough.

You must make realistic goals and believe that they are achievable by your own will and by God’s will.

Example

a.     I want to lose 100 lbs in a month (this is not a realistic goal)

b.     Writing down I want to be successful and believing it will happen

3.     Faith without works is dead

To believe something can be done will not bring it pass.

Example: I want to lose weight, but I keep eating and I’m not working out.

I want a new job, but I haven’t applied for anything and my resume is not done

You MUST work in the direction of accomplishing the task at hand, if you want to lose weight, work out, cut back on food. If you want a new job update your resume, go to career fairs, apply to jobs. 

DO NOT do anything that will take away from your ultimate goal.

Example:  I want a husband of my own but in the mean time you sleep with someone else’s or continue to have a relationship where all signs lead to a dead end road.

4.     Glory goes to God

When you reach your goals it is a blessing and should be treated as such. DO NOT take credit as if you did it on your own.  Don’t be ashamed to speak on your blessings or breakthroughs.

Example

a.     Stating “I was blessed with a good job” not “I get every job I want so this one was no different”

b.     Stating “I was going through hard times and God stepped in right when I needed him” not “I don’t know how I got through it”

5.     When you have been faithful over few things you will be rewarded with 

many things

God  tests progression to see how you’ve matured in The Word  and if you are ready for certain blessings.  You must follow all of the above guidelines in order to get to this point.

Example:  You reached a short term goal and you used it to glorify God and or you gave him glory for it coming to pass.  He will then see if you will respond in the same way with more and if you do you will live a life of abundance in all areas of your life. 

These guidelines have worked many times in my life.  Faith without works is dead is my motto.  I know exactly what I want in life and I also know what it takes to get it.  The Fear of God, Learning his Word, Determination, Desire, Strength, Faith and Obedience. 

Before every Test there’s a Testimony, and before every Breakthrough there’s a Breakdown. Keep this in mind when problems arise.

Today my Voices are Reminding you: You are not an average person, therefore you should demand greatness to refelect in all areas of your life! Work, home, family, deameanor, words and actions…. If you do not know where to start to accomplish greatness..here's a starting point.

Until Next Time…

Back Down Memory Lane

As I’ve told you before I love music..so it’s typically how I start my day. I brush my teeth and comb my hair to the beat of the music. But this morning I was being picky about my music selection because when I woke this morning I wasn’t in the best mood so when one of my most memorable songs came on I turned it off because I wasn’t mentally prepared for what that song had to offer. I decided t o hurry and get dress for work so that I could take a slow ride in to work and enjoy my music. 

So here I am headed to work and I decided to press play on my Pandora station and here is that song again, Jaheim’s soulful voice mixed with Terry Dexter and instantly I was brought back to that moment in time that changed my life forever! Every time I hear that song a tear or tears will roll down my face without permission as I bask in the feeling of the day that Demond stood in our apartment singing that song to me. I could remember thinking boy he’s in a good mood, I better take advantage of this. He was singing and reached out his hand and asked me to dance… So here we are dancing in the middle of our bedroom while he’s singing Remarkable (that was back when I thought he could sing J LOL ) he smiled and sang “Girl I know I done put you through some things, and I love you more each day and that aint never gon change no! If you ever left me nothing would remain…you’re part of me…no, you’re all of me…”  It was as if each word that left his lips was being permanently embedded in my heart and mind the very moment it was released, that day changed me! So I was smiling and enjoying that moment of pure bliss!  Then he got to the part of the song that Jaheim sings “How my heart begins to pound; On one knee I will go down, grab your hand and tell you now,  You will always be all that I’ll ever need much more than my baby you’re an angel heaven sent me; once was blind but now I see; never let your love get away from me…Will you marry meeeeee” And as he sang the song he got on one knee and pulled out a box and proposed by singing the song!

So here I am in the middle of my bedroom jumping up and down, flapping my hands and screaming “ O My God, O My God!” as tears of joy rolled down my face. That happened in 2002 and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

Moral of the story: No matter how bad life may seem, a great memory will always be that…a great memory!  Nothing can change the events of the past or the circumstances of the present...but there’s a lot that can be done to determine the type of future you will have.  Start today with making moments that count! Begin today creating memories that can carry you or someone else through! Life is too short to waste on negativity. Do something today that can have a positive everlasting affect on someone!

One definition of memory is a retained impression of event: the knowledge or impression that somebody retains of a person, event, period, or subject. So when you make your decisions, make sure your reaction is that of something you wouldn’t mind being remembered for!

Until Next Time…

Because of Who You Are

My sister came down for a couple of weeks recently so we got to spend some time together. As we were sitting talking a song came on, it was 'Because of Who You Are' by Juanita Bynum and I began to frown and I told my sister  “I don’t like that song” she looked at me strange and asked why and I couldn’t answer her.  All I knew was, every time the song comes on I find myself frowning and depicting the song word for word.  So I told her “I just don't understand  why she said she praise him because of who he is” My sister is rather opinionated but this time she didn’t say anything... to my surprise. 

A couple of days after that conversation I said my prayers and laid down to go asleep and in my mind I began singing… “Because of who you are I give you glory, because of who you are I give you praise” and I started frowning and then it came to me clear as day why I react the way that I do to that song.  I realized that I frown when I hear that song because that’s not why I give him praise. I give him praise because of the person he has helped me become and the person he makes me want to be.  I couldn’t wait to talk to my sister again to give her the reason why I don’t like that song and she said “Gal, I’m glad you came up with something because I was like why she don’t like that song?” Then she went on to say “That may not be your truth but it is the truth to some people; that's the only person we should praise because of who they are” and I just sat there and listened. After I talked to her I realized she was right and I was being judgmental about why someone else gives God praise and that is wrong!  Just as everyone’s struggle is specific to them so are their reasons for doing things. 

So I decided to start typing, and as I’m typing I had another revelation… I have always known God, BUT  that was never enough for me to truly give him my all and try to become a better person. So basically I didn’t understand the song because it was the fear of God that I didn’t possess. (If this were a cartoon my jaw would now be on the floor from shame)   So notice my shock right now to realize that this blog is actually to reveal a truth about myself that I never realized before.  The Fear of God is something everyone should have and understand and since I didn't have it I did not understand it. How sad is that?

So Today My Voices are checking me saying “Your reaction to some things may be about an internal truth that has not yet been revealed so don’t be so quick to judge people… YOU may be the one that needs evaluation!”

Until Next Time...

New Found Love

Growing up I was never one to really read books. My mom bought me many books, but I would start them and never finish. I never fully grasped the concept of people loving to read. They would seem so captivated by books and I always wished that I was able to do the same. As I got older I noticed that people whom read books seemed a bit more diverse. Their vocabulary and way of thinking was much different from mine…now I haven’t done a study or read anything to support my observation but this is MY take on the situation. To me they always seemed more organized and focused.

One day at work my friends Tia and Steph gave me a book and said that I would love it! The title of the book was ‘The Coldest Winter Ever’ by Sistah Souljah…this is where it all started! I can remember telling them "that book is waaay to big I’ll never finish it", but apparently they knew something that I didn’t. I not only finished the book but I loved it and it opened an entirely new world for me! One where I was able to use my imagination to transform the words on the pages into vivid images in my mind, it’s because of them that I have a new found joy of reading.

When reading a good book and I have to stop for whatever reason, I feel like I’ve paused a movie that I want to hurry and get back to. I’m soo proud of myself for opening my mind to something different and giving it a chance to become a part of me. Recently I joined a book club and I was thinking that maybe I’ll start giving a synopsis about the books I read on my blog.

I think of this as part of my journey that I want you guys to experience with me. I’ll start posting the name of the books before I read them and if you like to read and discuss them with me feel free.

Love You Tia and Steph! And if I’ve never said thanks, here’s a shout out to you! J

…Until Next Time

Yield to God

Public speaking is not one of my strong points, well I cant really say that because it's not something that i've really done before. But recently I was asked to speak at a conference, my initial response was "Me? Really?" She was like of course you, so I told her let me pray on it and I’ll get back to her. I’ve never really spoke in church before…. As I was talking to God about speaking in church tears somehow filled my eyes and begin to fall on the floor and before I knew it I starting talking out loud and said "God take my hand and lead me, I’m ready to walk with you". After that I told Geralyn that I was going to do it. It was at that time that I was instantly filled with excitement to see where God wanted to lead me next. I had no idea what I would speak about but I knew that by me yielding to God that things would work out just fine. So I felt bad about second guessing Geralyn’s decision to have me speak… Because who am I to stand in the way of her yielding to God, I honestly feel that God used her to help me obtain an even closer relationship with him. Because when I called on him something happen and the spirit has been making great moves in my life ever since. To know that God has a calling on my life and he wants to use my voice and my experiences to spread his greatness is one of the greatest blessings that I could have been given.

Growing up I’ve always heard people say "God put it in my spirit" "God told me" or "God said" and I never really understood what they meant by that…in all honesty it was confusing to hear people say that. But after a lot of praying, soul searching, forgiving and acknowledgment I know exactly what those statements mean. Sometimes we take statements so literal that we fail to realize the underlying meaning and we miss out on things. We miss out on so many blessings by focusing on what we want and not what God has in store for us when we replace faith with hope; which are two completely different things. I have always viewed God as a loving parent… all you have to do is cry out for help and he will show up once you’ve learned your lesson and your ready to do things his way! He wont show up too early because maybe you wont learn your lesson, but he will show up! See that’s all it takes John 15:7 reads "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" How Awesome is that? When God restores he re-establishies in a way that is far better than what previously existed and all because we yielded to him.

　

Today my voices are saying, Remember How you React Today, Alters your Tomorrow so do not allow your reactions to be the factor that blocks your time of restoration…work on having them being the reason for your blessings!

Until Next Time...

Restoration cont....

A friend of mine once told me "its amazing how God can restore you to your destiny at any point in your life" "this is probably the destiny that God had planned for you a long time ago but instead of doing things his way you did them your way, and now that you are allowing his will to be done and he’s restoring you back to your rightful place" thanks to her I was driving home from work one day and Restoring the Years by Donald Lawrence came on…and on THAT day, after THAT conversation THAT song meant so much more to me.

The feeling that came over me while hearing that song made my soul cry with joy. Restoration means something miraculous! As the song was playing I could hear my friend’s words reigning in my mind…. Restoring is when your heading down the wrong path and God steps in and allows a detour that will lead you back to him, Restoring does not simply mean to replace something, it also means fixing something that was broken … it does not merely consist of restocking inventory with something better but it can also mean completely revamping inventory by changing packaging (the way you dress and how you are perceived by others) and the storage place (the company you keep).

Restoration happens when your willingness to live a Godly life and God’s timing collide…then and only then will we be prepared to handle the type of blessings that God’s wants to bestow upon us. We have to be at the point in our lives where we allow him to take away what we have in mind for ourselves…and allow his will to be done (whatever that may be). It means replacing our thoughts with his thoughts, yielding to him to help diminish the power of our flesh and build our spirit… But we must first desire more than just pain being replaced with joy we must desire a closer relationship with God because then and only then will we be restored with increase like in Job 42 when Job prayed for his friends and God blessed him with twice as much as he had before… Verse 12 begins by saying ‘So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning…

So today my voices are praying that we as people remember that it is time to take self out of the equation. My voices are praying for God's guidance and my willingness to follow, because I know only then will my life and God's timing collide causing my time of restoration.

Until Next Time...

Restoration

Years ago I started something that I called my journey to self. It was a time in my life where I felt the need to get to know myself in every meaning of the word…my hopes, dreams, prayers, likes, dislikes and so on. It was something that I took really serious. It was really an eye opening experience for me, but somewhere along the way I ventured off that path and just begin to live life. I began living with no real direction, I was simply living with a level of contentment with no major goals or aspirations…you know what Christians call backsliding. Then something in me changed again and I found my way back to that journey of self and this time along with that journey came a closer relationship with God and I couldn’t be more excited! The revelations that come along with knowing myself and knowing God are amazing. Its like when you became comfortable with who you are you are able to hear God’s words more clearly (figuratively speaking that is) …When the clutter of our confused minds (flesh) is cleared out, it clears a path for divine direction (spirit) to happen in our lives. I’m saying all of this to say that God is in the restoring business.

You know that song by Donald Lawrence where they sing about restoring the years you’ve sown in tears.

The lyrics are :

Lend me your ears thus said the Lord

And know that my word, will not return void

Your time I sustained, there's no need to fear,

I'm restoring the years you've sown in tears

I am the Author, writer of time

No matter how long, things will work out just fine

Deposit this word, there's no need to fear

I'm restoring the years you've sown in tears

Lift up you hands, receive from the Lord

Your broken spirit, receive from the Lord

Deposit this word, there's no need to fear

And they go on to sing…I'm Healin you…..

This song has so much meaning …the thought of God replacing pain with joy, tears with laughter, hard work with success and so forth. People always say God is Good but God is so much better than good….He is Great!

...to be continued