Decrees, Capacity... iDunno, Just Talking

This blog is straight off the mental and from the heart. I am not going to take the time to make sure the layout and grammar of this blog is proper. I say that for this reason: The flow of this piece may be all over the place. Lol. Let's Go -->

One of the things that God is developing in me right now is the link between conviction and speech. He has been revealing to me that there are times that I speak something, but my heart is far from what I am speaking. As a result, I am less likely to act on what I speak. It is easy to take on the vernacular of a Christian, but it is more challenging when you have to take on the labor of a Christian. I believe this happens because we have allowed the principle :: Speak those things that be not as though they were.. to dumb down the importance of labor. There are other reasons for lack of labor, but I want to focus on this one.

Sometimes, we as Christians can get caught up in "The Decree" - the commands and proclamation of words. We expect "The Decree" that we put in the atmosphere to shape our lifestyles solely. In no way am I saying that a decree is wrong. For the word of God says, "If you decree a thing it shall be established". However, when a decree is made it should be made in faith; faith without works is dead. What I am trying to say is: Sometimes, the decree is not an end in shaping our situations and/or our lifestyles. We can begin to speak things without putting forth the labor that is needed to bring forth the decreed thing. In other words, we can get caught up in decreeing what we want for our lives, situations, and/or our ministries without being conscious of the actions we may need to implement.

Here is an example of what I saying:

Um, let's say that you make a decree about losing weight. :: Lord, I decree that I will lose weight and be in good health.

Now... let's say that your situation is something like this: You are 70 lbs over your idea weight. The decree has been placed in the atmosphere and you have faith that it will be established on earth... that it will manifest itself to you. 

Let's say that this is your routine: You do not work out. You do not change what you eat. Your diet consists of fast foods, crazy carbs, fatty foods. You eat until you can barely breathe. You constantly buy cookies, cakes, and candy. You drink sodas and sugary drinks more than you consume water. You do not fast when God calls you to, nor have you inquired if you need to. You have not prayed about what foods you need to drop out of your daily diet. BUT... you have this faith that the decree you made will come forth despite your actions. You are expecting your words to lose weight for you. You do not implement what is needed to aid you in weight loss. You do not take advantage of the knowledge that is vastly available to help you lose weight and apply it to your situation. 

My Point: Faith without works is dead. Sometimes we can speak things, but we do not discipline ourselves to line up to what we are speaking. Sometimes, the decree or the words we are commanding are not the end to a thing. There are times when we will have to bring forth some form of action.

One thing that I desire is to BE who I say I am... I want my life to line up to what I speak. We call it integirity. This is an area in my life that I am really asking God to mature and refine. I need my convictions to respond to my words. The last thing I want is for an individual to question the integrity of who I am and whom I represent in Faith. Even more... I do not want to be denied by God in ministry because I do not possess the needed character and capacity to carry out His purpose. This brings me to the main point of my blog. I know, it took me a minute to get here... but here we go.

How can we expect God to enlarge our territory when we have a low capacity? 

I will speak in general. Not all churches or individuals will fit this criteria. I am just speaking of what I have seen in churches and in individuals (self included).

Often, I hear:

1. I want to impact our community... but there is no appetite to labor for it. I want to take the community... but we do not hit the streets to empower our neighborhoods. I want to be the church our community runs to... yet, we do not know the names of people outside of our 4 walls. We do not know where the homeless sleeps in our community nor do we know the hunger percentile we face. Yet... we want God to give us a people that we have not expanded our capacity for. How can we expect God to give us a community when we do not have the power to do what it takes to accommodate it. God is not going to give us something that we do not have the capacity to contain.  

2. We believe in One God, One Faith. We want to dismantle denominational thinking, church division and prejudices... but, we refuse to participate with other congregations we do not like or with churches that do not worship like us. I want to build unity in the Body of Christ... yet we have Pastors forbidding their members to fellowship or partake in other churches' events... We pray and decree that there will be unity, but our hearts are far from it. We have the ideal words and the perfect decrees, ... but our convictions are far from our words. How can we expect God to give us influential power and empowerment power when we do not have the capacity to receive diversity? How can we unite with others and other churches when we feel like we or our church has the "exclusive" on Christianity? That alone eradicates the capacity to receive others that worship a little different than we do.

3. I want to be a leader of many disciples, yet.. we do not know the word of God... in fact, some of us have not read His word from Gen 1:1 to Rev 22:21. I want to be a platform speaker, I want a mega ministry... but we do not take the time to listen to other people problems or fervently intercede for people. How can we be major in ministry without this word being true?: For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. What are we doing to expand our capacity for a mantle like this?

I can go on, but I will stop here. 

I just wanted to blog about what I was feeling today. Part of this message was inspired by my pastor, Sheryl Brady. I am not name dropping; I am giving credit where it is due. Currently, I am at a church that has caused me to challenge my stance as a woman of God and my stance in the Kingdom of God. We do participate in our community and I constantly see how we are building the Kingdom. I see diversity and unity. I see the convictions of what is preached being implemented in daily life. I am grateful for that because I know what it is like to experience life as a Christian where my decrees did not provoke my convictions. I have been in congregations that have put a lot of faith in words, but because of no action... things remained dead.

If we want God to enlarge us, we must be willing to expand our capacity. We need to labor more, hunger more, and pursue more. Also, some of us need to dismantle our philosophies and the "church legacy (I built this)" mentality to enlarge our territory in the Kingdom of God. We cannot advance God's Kingdom with our own rudiments and agendas. If you want your community, labor for it. If you want unity... pursue it. You want to be a great leader... you have to KNOW God and His Heart. We must do better. I know that I must do better.

It is one thing to have faith, but it is another thing when you put works behind it. It becomes alive. Be careful not to substitute works with decrees and declares. We can talk all day in the atmosphere, but if we do not have the conviction to labor for change, growth, or discipline... we limit our capacity for greatness and success.

The plan of salvation is available (always) if you want to be saved; it is at the top of this page. If you want Jesus to be THE Lord of your life, pray it with sincerity and allow God to change your life and build your morals in Truth. Prayer request are always welcome! We are here to set the captive free through His grace. God Bless You All and please respond. Fellowship is awesome, not debating. LOL.

Disappointment Will Not Be My Lot!

Well, Hello There World...

It has been a long time since I graced you guys with thoughts that transpire to written words. I apologize for that. I know that I do have a select few that actually follow my blog and respond to my thoughts. I appreciate you guys and I want to thank you again for your time.

I could blog about so many events that transpired last year, but I am going to choose a different route today. I want to blog about a simple decree. This year, disappointment will not be my lot!

As most know, disappointment and discouragement becomes inevitable the moment a human inhales his/her first breath in this world. Life is full of them; they will surely acquaint themselves with mankind. Albeit this is something no person can avoid... it is not an end in itself. Well, in most cases. IMO, an individuals' perspective and course of action can help bring about great triumphs.

This is where my decree was birthed. Let's take a quick look. I will be short this time. *Inserts weird facey here* Lol... okay, let's go -->

What happens when you have stepped out on faith only to see that your expectations are no where visible? What happens when you lose more than you gain for a season? How do you continue to keep the perspective of achievement and victory when all you see is failure and loss? How do you not question God and His word? Why them and not me? What did I miss and what am I doing wrong?

All these questions became the rhythm of my song this last season. Ironically, I can still hear some of the cadences that mimic the sound of a dry background vocal with massive reverb. The good thing about that is... it is no longer the main vocal playing in my system (mental).

I know that God promises me an expected end and He wants me to prosper even as my soul prospers. My hope rests in His word. My faith and hope has been shaken greatly, but they have not been dismantled. I choose to see things differently. I choose to sing a new song. Instead of asking questions that show disbelief, discouragement, anger, disappointment, etc. as a root base, I will began to answer those same questions with decrees. Sometimes, we just got to stop questioning the process and answer it. (pun intended).

Yes, I still hear the background noise but I am changing the melody and lyrics of my song. This year, disappointment will not be my lot. I have the answers I need to help me stand on this decree. I look at how my God has proven Himself to me over my life and throughout ages. I can look at Job, Joseph, Leah (iLove Leah), Jesus, and the prophecies that are manifesting as we speak. God will restore, avenge, and give us the expected end we all hope for as children of God, #Victory. It may not come in the form that my human mental has transpired it to be, but it will definitely come in the form that God has designed it to be.

Edification: There are times when we will question God about what is going on in our lives. We may feel justified in asking because sometimes we follow the voice of God and it "APPEARS" as if it led us into the wrong direction. But, keep in mind that God drove Jesus into the wilderness. He led Abraham to Mount Moriah to sacrifice Isaac only to provide a ram in the bush. My point: TEST (Read Deuteronomy 8:2). Many will say, "Don't question God", but personally, I do not think it is wrong to ask questions because the effect of that could be answers. As your relationship develops with God and maturity takes its place, the questions we ask are more careful. I believe we start trusting more and decreeing. 

If you do not understand your current season and you are tired of hearing "Your blessing is around the corner" ... and it has not presented itself in years, LOL.. continue to hope in God no matter what. Faint not. Do not let our expectations on what we should have in life dismantle the faith of God in your life. He knows what is best for us and He will NOT withhold any good thing to them that walk upright before Him. Begin to create a new song of answers and not fear rooted questions. I am not saying it will be easy, but it is possible if you THINK correctly. Paradigm shift yourself into a new melody.

To End: This year, disappointment will not be my lot. A decree that can start the chorus of a new song.

The plan of salvation is available (always) if you want to be saved; it is at the top of this page. If you want Jesus to be THE Lord of your life, pray it with sincerity and allow God to change your life and build your morals in Truth. Prayer request are always welcome! We are here to set the captive free through His grace. God Bless You All and please respond. Fellowship is awesome, not debating. LOL.

A Quick Soliloquy

The war is in the mind, but the sacrifice is in the heart. Ask me what's my greatest war & I'll tell you "my heart". I've lost very close family members, I've battled for my health & life, I've been hurt by the church mafia, and etc... But none of these things trumps the mental war I have with my heart. It has been a crazy battle to get my desires to become God's desires and it still is. It is hard to put the word on a desire that is evident in hopes to transform it into evidence that is not seen.

Here's a truth : there are things that I want that God will never agree to. Oh but wait, let me not mention the things that I have to kill that He does not want to live. Boy of boy... that is a hard sacrifice. My mind says kill it or let it go, but my heart says... do you know the suffering you will have to walk out if  you do? Good thing is, my mind is not ignorant. LOL. I got the Holy Ghost spitting knowledge for every rebuttal my flesh tends to spit out. (Hmm, think Ima put that in a rap, haha).

Back to the subject at hand. The truth is, with the sacrifice or not... I will go through some kind of suffering period. It is part of life and the Christian walk. The word of God says: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us (2 Timothy 2:12). So, no matter how my heart feels... I have to remember to tell it what to do. Giving up what it wants (when it is contrary to God's will) presents a broken and contrite heart. Yolanda, that is what God will not despise (Ps. 51:17).

I think I'm going to end this blog here because I was venting to myself. LOL. I had to encourage myself in the Lord. No matter how hard the battle is, I must remember the truth_ the HolyGhost is living on the inside of me. He is my comforter. So, when I begin to feel the separation and suffering from the things I must sacrifice... He will bring forth comfort. If I just keep my mind on Jehovah, He will keep me in perfect peace through the war. And when I want to give in to the lust of my flesh (my emotions) the Holy Ghost always seems to whisper to me__"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul.... To live is Christ and to die is gain Yolanda". That is a guarantee KO every friggin time. LOL, but I Thank You Heavenly Father.

Exhortation in Truth: We are quick to say, Follow your heart! I do not agree with this statement. Your heart will get you into some trouble if it is not after God. I say, sacrifice it & follow the Spirit of God. Allow God to show you your heart and what you need to follow and what you need to release. For, _The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? The heart is the place of sacrifice, the mind is the battle field that will equip you to deal with such a battle.

To end this soliloquy: The war is in the mind, but the sacrifice is in the heart. Yolanda, it really is mind over matter. Walk in the renewed part of your mind, not in the part of your heart that needs to be sacrificed. That my love is destined to be a dead thing, hence the word sacrifice. Life is in the word; it is ever so alive. #TRUTH  :) ... I choose my renewed mind!

The plan of salvation is available (always) if you want to be saved; it is at the top of this page. If you want Jesus to be THE Lord of your life, pray it with sincerity and allow God to change your life and build your morals in Truth. Prayer request are always welcome! We are here to set the captive free through His grace. God Bless You All and please respond. Fellowship is awesome, not debating. LOL.

me & oh' abe

oh boi, do i feel like abraham with a collab of david? geesh! this post will be a small piece of what is on my heart. i am in this season where i am following God and i have no idea of what is going on. i have a vision of where i am going, but the process or journey has baffled me. i have been perplexed before in this walk, but this is something on a whole new level. i heard you say, "this will be a year of great faith", but God... i didn't know You was going to present it to me like this. every facet of my life is being challenged. and i mean every single one. if you are a rational or practical person, you would probably feel me on this. 

i feel like abe because of the journey im walking to get to where God showed me. i know i am not the only one, but just blogging, this may bless some of you in this season of Faith. anyway, when abraham was called, he obeyed God by going out to a place that he was to receive for an inheritance and he knew not where he was going. but that is not the part of the journey that got me baffled, it’s this part. let's go...

abraham did not have practical faith, humanly speaking. he had blind faith where he just got up, left everything, and trusted God to bring him into this land of great inheritance. im going off of hebrews 11. 8-10. so, because he obeyed God you would think that he would inherit a lot of material possessions and a lot of land. well peep this.. he did not. he dwelt as a stranger IN the promise land... (vs. 9: By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise) hmmm? 

so, you telling me he was a stranger in the land that was promised him? yup. but check this.. i believe it was by choice that he did not own any of it. i say this b/c of vs. 10 (for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God). to the practical mind, the inheritance would be the buildings, the land, the dominion, the politics, etc.. but remember, abraham did not have this practical faith. oh abe was looking at the spiritual promises of God and not the earthly rewards. 

so, how does this tie in to me? well, i feel like i am in a place where i am an alien in my current land. this includes my church, social life, corporate life, etc. it is a place where i can see the evidence of the promise land, but i cannot partake in it. this is hard to explain. there is something greater that i must live for and fix my eyes on. i'll try to explain how i feel..... 

picture this, sicily 1922.. ikidd. ok, picture a 6 figure job, perfect health, great social status/influence, a flawless home, resources or connections for anything, etc... now, picture all of this on a table before you. now, just look at it because you can't touch it... but here's the twist, this is your stuff.

meanwhile, if you turn around there is a table that has these elements: a vision in literature, a gift card to home depot, a list of phone #s and addresses of people that do not know you... now, this is the table that the Holy Spirit tells you to gather your things from.

now my ninjas, you already.... that's all i'm going to say on that. LOL.

so many times we see people obtain things with great ease. we are in this era where everything must come to us promptly. we want to see what we are investing our lives (self, money, time, etc.) into. we don't exercise authentic faith, but practical faith. i feel the promises of God all around me and there are some things that i have to decline, even if it will bring me great earthly gain. 

b/c i have my eyes on spiritual blessings, i have this crucial war going on in mind because it tends to rationalize everything. have you ever noticed when you walk in faith that everything seems to manifest for everyone around, except you? or, you can obtain the same things but God says no... not yet? this is where i am. 

the purpose for table 1 & 2: table 1 has everything you would want. table 2 has everything you need. table 1 shows you tangible & finished products. but lo.. table 2 does too but you just can't see it YET. see, on table 2 there is a vision provided. the gift card to home depot is for you to buy the necessary materials to build your home. the list of people is for you to labor and make an impact in their lives. see, you have the list.. they do not know you.

God was telling me that He has given me a vision. He knows what tools to use to bring it to pass. He knows who i need to connect with to accomplish the vision He has for me. there will be hard labor and though i cannot see the final product, i know that i have everything i need to make it tangible. the people He set before me are not just there.. He has strategically allowed me to meet people. they are not irrelevant people that the enemy throws in my way... remember, God gave the list of people.. if i choose to add to it or allow others to add to it.. then that becomes my problem because my associations would be pointless. 

the problem with table 1 lies here: it is a job that is not part of God's vision. the home is of another man's vision. social influence is cool, but when you are connected to the wrong people in your life.. your destiny will be put on hold. there is no work for table one. therefore, a lack of faith is more subject to reside. Faith without works is dead. i see table 1, but i cannot partake of it because i am led by the Spirit and obedient to God, i will continue to work so that the vision given me will be presented like it is supposed to. 

exhortation in truth: truth is, i want to cry sometimes because i want things to just fall in my lap. i wonder how much longer i got till some of my desires come to pass. but, i choose to trust God and use what He has provided for me. my career, social life, etc. should not usurp my vision of spiritual blessings. the wisdom i have gained, the knowledge i have obtained, the backbone of me that has been strengthen, the no compromise mentality that has been developed, and i could go on and on... are things that i have and are continuing to inherit in this land of promise around me. 

be like abraham in faith.... keep your eyes fixed on the spiritual blessing. physical elements does not denote prosperity or blessings. he knew that His reward was to dwell in the presence of God.. heb. 11:10. even if  you do not understand what  you are doing and you feel like you are really laboring... keep doing so.. though the vision may tarry.. wait for it because it will surely come to pass (if God gave it).

The plan of salvation is available (always) if you want to be saved; it is at the top of this page. If you want Jesus to be THE Lord of your life, pray it with sincerity and allow God to change your life and build your morals in Truth. Prayer request are always welcome! We are here to set the captive free through His grace. God Bless You All and please respond. Fellowship is awesome, not debating. LOL.