Let’s Make A Deal!

Today when I came home, I followed my normal afternoon regimen which involves attempting to bring Max , my dog, from one designated area into another section of our home with me.

Well, Max has a big red, dirty, stuffed teddy bear that at one point held a heart in its hands (oh the irony).  Max is only allowed to play with his bear in a restricted area because it is absolutely filthy and Max is aware of this boundary.  Despite this awareness, Max tries to resist letting this stuffed animal go when transitioning away from the designated area at times.

To trigger Max’s obedience I will state specific commands and even close the door to indicate that in order for him to cross the threshold, he must release the bear, which is tightly clenched in his mouth and gripped by his paws.

Usually after one or two of these indicators, Max will surrender the bear and walk across the threshold.

Well today Max was relentless after several commands, door closures, and my even walking away and returning after several minutes. It was clear to me that Max had made his decision and I had no choice other than to leave him behind gripping onto what he deemed important.

After what seemed like a dreadful laborious experience for this tired pregnant lady, God revealed a Word and this was the metaphor.

How often do we humans miss out on what God has for us simply because we do not want to let go of what we have held onto in our past…. and somehow snuck into our present?

The interesting thing about this in most instances is, that which we are holding onto may be stinky and filthy just like Max’s teddy bear in God’s eyes, but we are in too much of a fog to realize it.  

This fog maybe due to some form of fear, possibly fear of the unknown or fear of future rejection, and sometimes fear that we are not deemed as valuable enough by others, and on some sad occasions, even not deemed worthy to ourselves.

Even moreso, though it is not a very popular word these days, this thing we are clinging to is sinful. This can be sinful in essence or action and simply because of the direct or seemingly indirect disobedience to God. 

It is important that we understand first and foremost that God loves us! Allow me to make this personal, God loves you!

Everything that God has designed in God’s perfect will is so that we might prosper.  Not because God is some game show host who is trying to make you choose one crappy prize from behind a choice of three doors just for kicks! Do you really believe that our God is that cruel?

I assure God loves you more than anyone else and much more than you could ever imagine.  If you choose God today, God only has the greatest intentions for your optimal development. This is true, no matter if you are experiencing a season of prosperity or a season of test and trials.

God is not the boogie man and just like I knew there was much more for my dog Max on the otherside of the door, though his limited intelligence did not tell him so; God has much more in store for you!

So Let’s Make A Deal! Only you know this time that the host does not have any gimmicks up his or her sleeve. Why don’t you release that teddy bear from your mouth today.  I promise…it’s filthy.

See these scriptute references for your personal study:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 NKJV

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

God Bless you & go in Peace!

About Last Night: A Revelatory Dream

More frequently, God has been speaking to me in the format of dreams.
About Last Night…

I dreamed that there was a rowdy crowd of unfamiliar people in my home. This group was comprised of mostly men. What was even more troublesome, these people were crowded in my bedroom misusing my belongings with much disrespect. To make matters worst, my husband was home and did not appear to have a problem with these individuals invading our space.

God revealed that this dream had a message, but it wasn’t until later today that God provided the interpretation.

Many of us human beings are particular about protecting our belongings. Oh you know, we are mindful of our cell phones and our purses. We alarm our cars and even our homes. We are very careful to not leave our belongings around people we deem untrustworthy for one reason or another. Most certainly we are sure to not invite untrustworthy individuals into our physical homes.

But you know what’s funny? God allowed me to realize that while we are careful to do the above, we rarely guard our hearts and minds in these same ways.

Let’s discuss this in a way that resonates. How many of us have been having a “good day” where we have been in a great mood and it felt like the sun was shining all over the place? Then you walk into someone who says something to you that is interpreted as rude, they tell you “no”, or they criticize you about something that brings or reminds you of some sort of pain?

Well God is urging us to think in the same way about mental intrusion as we do about the intrusion upon our physical property. While we so readily guard material possessions that are physically replaceable, we should secure our beautiful minds even moreso, especially since we will only be granted ONE for the rest of our lives. Furthermore, this “one” mind that we have operates in a fashion where memories are stored and built on top of previous ones that are then reconstructed and in-turn shape our behaviors. These memories also shape the way we perceive things, how we interact and engage (or not engage) others, and so on for the rest of our lives.

In my dream the intrusive people can reflect mind intrusions (negative words, curses, or other disrespectful occurrences projected on us by other people & even what we choose to expose ourselves to experiencing on a day-to-day basis). Also in this dream, my husband (who protects me in my real life) represents security that was off duty for some reason or another.

In response to a recent Facebook post I made regarding comments received from others, my husband stated the following: “Looking good babe. Everyone has an opinion. CHOOSE who you listen to.” His word choice in this instance truly resonated with me. In most situations similar to this one people will repeat the all too familiar phrase, “be careful who you listen to”. But there was something about Jerrell’s decision to say “choose”. Knowing, loving, and breathing the same air as this man on a daily basis, I know that he is one who always stays true to self. This is a quality of his that I strongly admire and strive to emulate; yet I have historically struggled in this area. This “ole” open and fun-loving soul of mine has been misjudged and even abused in some instances, and I have unfortunately allowed some things to linger for too long.

Don’t get me wrong, God has been working on me with this, but I still have more ground to cover in this process. Today I say, “No More,” and I encourage you to join me on this journey.

Heard a negative word? Dismiss it.

Someone tries to curse you (knowingly or unknowingly)? Rebuke it.

Someone’s behaviors suggests that he or she dislikes or is jealous of you (at no fault of your own)? Ignore it.

Through all these things maintain your integrity and press on to accomplish the will of God in your life.

Please do not misinterpret what I am saying, there of course will be times when you are called to speak directly to an individual’s words against your life. During these times it is necessary that you pray (yes you have time to say a quick prayer in the spirit (to yourself), or you can pray for discernment about when and how to revisit something later) and ask the Holy Spirit to provide the words that are necessary so that God’s work might be done through you and for you.

Let us join in together to make a pledge to liberate ourselves from yet another form of spiritual bondage today! This is necessary so that we might be free to do the work that our Lord has called us to complete.

God Bless You!

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”.

Real Love

I am so in love right now!

I cannot tell you by simply using words how many different thoughts about parenthood, childhood, and the great expectations I have about my son’s arrival.

I am currently 31 weeks 1 day (approaching 2 days) pregnant & I am absolutely ecstatic. Some of you know my story and others may be new to my writings. Either way, I am 4 years, 3 months married and my spouse and I have been a couple for 8 years. Geesh that sounds like a lot of time to me being in my early 30s. My spouse and I have experienced 3 confirmed miscarriages, though I believe there were more, and needless to say, the road to parenthood  has been difficult and sad for us.

Well in the midst of all of the love  I have been feeling, I have been doing a lot of reflection, and I have come to the realization that the painful parts of my journey have caused me to receive God’s love and appreciate God’s blessings even more!

I now realize with the life that I feel growing and moving inside of me that my priorities have completely shifted, it’s like nothing else even matters at all.  Allow me to be clear, individuals who know me understand that historically I am a very ambitious woman with many goals, and I typically have no problem with pursuing more than one project at once.

Yet something is quite different this time. It is as though I have tunnel vision and laser focus about the life of this child God has blessed me with and all other former priorities will have to “get in where they fit in”.

I remember my younger years and the plans that I had for myself, even back in high school. My plan was to attend a four year university, be married by 22 upon graduation, have my first child by 25, and you get the picture.

I don’t even know where those arbitrary timelines came from, I guess somewhere in my young teenage mind they sounded nice.

I didn’t stop there with the goals though, once I was actually married at 27 years old, my husband and I set a goal to have children by 3 years in.  This meant somewhere around year 2 we would begin trying. Because we were on birth control, I heard somewhere that it may take a while before we would find success once we came off it. You can only imagine the shock I felt when I experienced my first pregnancy shortly after! Truth be told, I can recall sitting on my living room couch in utter terror thinking something like, “we’re pregnant…what now?”

In other words, somewhere in my gut I felt we weren’t ready & I know as embarrassing as it is to say, I wasn’t ready to love as hard as I am now. I just desired to have a baby because it sounded like something married people were “supposed” to get started on by that point in marriage & besides “I wasn’t getting any younger.”

I mean who makes this stuff up anyways? We humans can truly be a piece of work on ourselves at times. Thank God for mercy and grace.

Would you know me, formerly “Ms. Socialite” & “be all to any and everybody” now finds her greatest joy being at home with her husband and dog, all while holding onto her belly with visions of her baby?

God is completely awesome! What is my point? Even this blessed pregnancy that shall result in victory has contained trials of its own, yet I am able to count it all joy simply because of God’s majestic design.

There is really much truth in the saying that “rainy days allow us to appreciate God’s sunshine”. Lord knows I am a “living testimony”.  Furthermore, things that I thought were simplistic in nature before have now become the things I value most in life.

And that my friends is my definition of REAL love.

Your take away: before you run off to pursue your laundry list of plans, ask yourself, “why is this important by this time?” “did I check with God?” “what will I gain or lose?” “Can this wait?”

God Bless.

Girls > Sex Entry #6: Hollywood & your Glamorous First Time

I watched an old movie today (the name is unimportant) and I was reminded of a conversation I had a few days ago with a friend. It is amazing how Hollywood & the entertainment industry at large glorifies sex as something as casual as sipping iced tea. Furthermore, how some tween & teen movies, along with those geared towards adult audiences glamorize this false idea that as long as you feel something magical (i.e., lust, a natural biological stimulation towards another person) then sex in its raw form, outside of a marriage covenant is special.

To this notion, I toss up my hands and say, “Chile Puleeassee!” As I vividly recalled my own first time with this friend as she shared her own story, I said something along the lines of “Ooh that story isn’t too great huh?” She replied, “And who does have a great story about losing their virginity (as in what woman outside of a valued marriage covenant with a husband who mutually loves and respects her enough to commit to her before God and man has a story that she is fully proud of)?”

Now maybe she exists somewhere, but in the Kingdom of God this has not been our experience. It is time for some one to tell young ladies out here the truth.

In some instances, peer pressure has been the culprit, some rites of passage to prove that one is big and bad or woman enough to do the deed. In other situations, women have allowed themselves to be set up in romantic environments (i.e. why is this man in your bedroom in the first place? why are you in the den at night playing slow love songs?) You get the picture.

In other tragic moments some women have been forced against their will. God Bless you my sisters.

Whatever your circumstance, no matter your age, no matter how many times you have participated in the act, God has eqipped you with the tools you need to stop TODAY!

Don’t allow the enemy to whisper his lies to you any longer! “Oh you’ve already lost your virginity, so you may as well keep doing it.”  “Oh your first time was crappy, so you have to do it again to redeem that experience.” “Oh, you’re a grown woman, it’s 2014 & how else do you expect to keep/catch a man?”

I could think of Satan’s lies and excuses for you to take less than God’s best for you all day long, but I know you, my smart cookies, already get the picture.
; )

The Bible tells us that “for every temptation there is a way of escape” (Google it for yourself).

Don’t believe this is actually true? Take a moment right now to pause and think back on the last time you did something you weren’t comfortable with……Now remember the moment prior to taking that action when you decided you were going to do it. You get my gist?

Come on Sis! Walk out of this bondage today! You can completely do it! God has God’s loving arms fully extended out to you! Go ahead and allow yourself to be embraced by God’s healing touch today! God is all powerful!

Be Blessed & Love Yourself Right Now!

Girls > Sex Entry #5: Words from an Overcomer of Sex Addiction Part 2

In the most unlikely circumstance, I have been privileged to cross paths with an 86 year old man who feels a calling to share his story with overcoming what he attributes to be a spiritual battle with sex. He has requested to remain anonymous, but feels so strongly about this calling that if any man desired to converse with him due to an experience with this same struggle, he is willing to make himself available. If this is you, please feel free to submit a message to the following email address, GIRLSGTSEX@GMAIL.COM. Your email questions/concerns will be provided to him and replied to accordingly. Below is his story in his own words. ~V. Thompson

For those of you who have been following our Girls > Sex (TM) Ministry, you may remember our inaugural post concerning this issue featuring the words of an overcomer. Well he has decided to share more. His story continues below in his own words:

The Day My Life Changed

My name is X. In April 1932 in Ohio when I was four years old my life was changed. My mother left my brother (age 2) and sister (6 months) with me. I was afraid, but she did return. My father came home later and a neighbor told him what she had done (I learned later she had gone to a movie with a man). He went and bought a gun to kill the man. He returned and put us three kids in our bathroom with our toys. I heard them shouting and when I heard the first shot I came out and saw him shoot himself. I couldn’t be afraid or cry and I had to keep the kids in the bathroom. Some people looked in and left.

Later four men came and carried them away on stretchers. If I would cry, the kids would too so I blocked the door to the bloody room. Later some people came and took us to a large building and we ate and slept there. My mother survived and when she recovered they called her parents in Iowa. I think we were there for four nights. I was placed in a baby crib with the sides up out in a hallway. At the end was a lighted exit sign. Each night a man sneaked in that door and plunged a knife in my heart ( I had this dream for years and only recently have I placed it in context).

My brother and sister were adopted, but no one wanted me so Grandma raised me. I was abused and ran away several times. My mother remarried and my step father didn’t want me so I didn’t know a place to run to. My grandparents moved seven times during my school years and I struggled, but finally graduated.

I’ve married three times and divorced twice. At age 55 in deep depression, I accepted Christ as my savior and began the long road back. I only relived that day recently and the raw naked fear rolled over me like ocean waves and I finally cried. I learned recently that I am addicted to fear, anger, control, and lack of trust.

Perhaps, I might meet someone and we could help each other toward healing.

May his story and testimony provide you with peace as you overcome your own battles.

God’s Blessings and Peace to you my friends!