Standing Firm

I have been torn over the past couple of days trying to figure out what I would write about. I kept coming up with the same topic: consistency. I have learned that consistency= dependable. If I can't count on you being at A, B, or C at the time you say that I can't depend or trust you. The Lord has been dealing with me about this particular topic as I have been on my Daniel's Fast this month. Consistency starts with your mind. If you can't be consistent in your thought; than you will be all over the place in everything you actually do. James 1:8 states "....Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." (NIV). If you want to be used of God and grow into a deeper relationship; you have to start with your mind. Make sure your actions mirror your words and thoughts. We are supposed to ask God to renew our mind daily and think on those things that will please Him. Once you do that, it will be easier to do it. But if you're back and forth, God can't bless you or use you. You have to make sure your "no" is "no" and your "yes" is "yes". Perfect example: you're either a vegan or not. Being a vegan requires maintaining a strict regimen. So you're a vegan or not. It also applies to being a child of God. You are or your not. It doesn't work if you're a Christian Sundays but Monday-Saturday you're somebody else. Either your for God or not. Pick a side and stick to it.



My prayer during my fast has been a simple one (I'm not a fan of elaborate meaningless prayers): "Lord, I love You; and I really want to please You. I ask God that You strengthen me and work in me. Renew my mind and create a clean heart in me; a heart that desires You and seeks to please You. I ask God, that You reveal to me the areas that I need to stand firm in You. I ask God that I be consistent; that I stand for You always unashamed. I want to please You and make You happy. I ask that You have total and complete control in my life and that I will not interrupt. I ask all these things in Jesus name I pray. Amen."



I hope that this helps someone like it is helping me. Be blessed.

A Weekend to Relax

Stacy, Atoya and I woke up early Saturday morning to look for Stacy's wedding dress. While getting up that early was not on the top of my list for the weekend, the fun we had was worth it. We went to Clinton Hill and DUMBO to check out dresses and did a little site seeing. I think I might consider being a Brooklynite again. Our day included a sushi restaurant (even though I could only have tofu and sweet potatoes because of the Daniel's Fast) and hanging around the DUMBO area site seeing before I had dance rehearsal with the girls. Today ended the fast and I am so happy to see that I have seen so many changes in my life and those who were partaking in the fast. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Be blessed.

Atoya & Stacy

Stacy & Me

Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Clean Up....

This week is the last week of the Daniel's Fast. The last week my cousin and I decided we will bring very specific things before the Lord: of living situations, relationships, jobs, etc. This week I feel like things are going to change for the better (for everyone). I'm home today (have been since Thursday) and it feels good to be on vacation. I am actually dreading going back but I am absolutely bored. I have decided to shift around the contents of my room. Which at the time sounded like a genius idea until I realized how many magazines I own and how little space I have;  mind you I have no closets or shelves in my room so its pretty much making the most of the floor as possible, lol. I'm not done yet but its too late to continue on.

 I'll finish tomorrow. My dream bedroom is below:

image source: homehousedesign.com

When Nothing Satisifies You.....

The song has been playing in my head all day. I guess its because I realize I'm at a crossroad: I am wondering where do I go from here? or even better where is God leading me? The feeling of being led blindly in the next chapter of my life is a sore understatement. But the good thing is that I'm not alone; I am not leading myself but being led by God. Also, many, many people have been in my place so I know the saying "been there, done that" will be told to me over and over. So the question now is not what is the next step but how can I encourage myself and others in the same situation as me. It's simple: I'll say that you can't go wrong when you go God's way. It's not easy, and it never goes as planned (that's for another blog entry) but it can't go wrong or be bad if God is in the midst of it. Today is the beginning of my Daniels Fast and I decided their will be a lot of things I will be laying before the Lord and bringing before Him in prayer. Also I didn't forget my promise to Stay Single for the Rest of the Year!  I'm excited for what the fast will reveal and do in my life. I'll keep you guys updated. Be blessed.

Experience the Glory

We have our theme for our Youth Convention: "Experience the Glory". It is taken from Haggai 2:9: "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts." (KJV). I like the theme, but it really had me thinking: have we really EXPERIENCED God's Glory? I feel that lately (speaking for myself here) we have put God on a time schedule. We speak to Him when we have the time and we want God to move when we feel. The problem with that? how many times did I mention "we"? God is God all by Himself; He doesn't need us and He won't be any more or any less with us there or absent. It's time to let God be God; to work our schedule around Him. Why can't we just let go and let God? Is it really that hard? I was thinking about how the church has lost its power lately. You hear more about being politically correct instead of going by what God has laid down as law......sigh. Maybe its just me, but I would like God to move like He did in the old days. He is still the same God but are willing to let Him be that? I'm going on the Daniel's Fast again next Sunday and I am so excited. The fast last year gave me so much strength spiritually to deal with what happened down the year. I know that I have to give up coffee (I can do it...) and no carbonated drinks, sugar, meats, preservatives, etc. but the end result will so be worth it. Some of the young women will be fasting as well and we will be praying corporately about some situations. One of the things we will be praying about is power and anointing; something a lot of us have been lacking lately. Also, strengthening of our gifts....there's so much to say on this but I feel like I rambled on enough. Be blessed.

Matching Outfits?

Happy Presidents Day! I am only saying this because I finally have a day off from work! THANK YOU JESUS! I was planning to go to the city and look for a dress for Saturday. My friends church is having a Youth Dinner, so I need a dress. Well, I don't need one but since I gave up shopping as part of my Daniel's fast I wanted to be in the stores badly. I need a fix, lol. My church went into a Daniel's fast for 21 days. From 6:00 am until 6:00 pm we refrained from food and sought the Lord. After 6:00, we were only allowed to have fruits and vegetables. It was easy except for the no caffeine and sugar part. My first week without coffee, I thought I would pass out! I decided to further sacrifice (I needed a serious breakthrough), I gave up shopping (its like breathing for me, lol) and wikipedia. Wikipedia, you ask? Yup, I read this website everyday! I love it, I learn something new everyday. if you haven't caught on yet, I am an absolute nerd. But I digress, I ended up staying home until the afternoon, I went to my cousins' job so we could go to the mall afterwards to dress shop ( I was desperate). It was there when my she revealed to me that she and her new boyfriend were going to do the unthinkable: wear matching outfits! I thought I was hearing things. My cousin is so anti-romantic I sometimes think she's a guy. But now that's she has entered courtship she has turned into a pile of gushing, always smiling, giggling, constantly talking about him GIRL! SMH, and I though she was family. I hope this doesn't catch, lol. This is 3 out of 4. I am all that's left in the single pond. I absolutely love it. But now that one wedding is months away, the next is planning hers and my cousin is now in courtship, I realize that girls nights out, group outings will now become double dating and couples outings. So now with this youth dinner looming on the horizon, and the reminder that the tickets sell as "single" and "couples" I cling to my identity as a "single" by a thread. I love the fact that I am in this stage of building and polishing but I think I am going to need new friends, lol. Who likes being a 7th wheel during bowling, movie nights, and at dinner outings anyway?

Brighter Than Sunshine

Today I woke up to that song constantly playing in my head. The song "Brighter Than Sunshine" by Aqualung was in the movie "A Lot Like Love" starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet. The funny thing was I wasn't watching the movie but practicing the bad habit of sleeping with the TV on. The title of the song is what gets me, its part of an inside joke my girlfriends and I share. I will share with you soon enough.
Anywho, today at church I was upstairs with the children teaching Children's Church. I absolutely love being around them, they're tiring but I love their energy. This month we are teaching them about Exodus and Black History Month. Afterwards, we had a bake sale. Last night I made 14 dozen cookies (oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, and white chocolate and macadamia nut) and a dozen cupcakes. I didn't finish until 3 am. It wouldn't have been so bad but my alarm woke me up 3 hours later! To God be the glory! In the evening, me and the girls did our regular routine and hung out by my cousin in-law to be house. We didn't feel like cooking so we ordered Chinese food. We went easy on the fried food since we just came off our Daniel's fast. The best thing? Knowing I can sleep in tomorrow.