The Storm is Over

"He calmed the storm to a whisper, and stilled the waves." (Psalm 107:29)

 

There will be times in your life when the storms will rage. Trouble will come seeking to destroy you. Sadness will be your constant companion and depression will always be lurking around the corner. You can literally live in a place where you feel constant pressure, disappointment, rejection and discouragement. Each time you try to lift yourself up out of the pit of despair, another situation comes and knocks you right back down.

 

Sometimes, these painful, exasperating situations that cause you to cry out to God, can last for years.

 

You can be in church, but in pain.

You can have a prayer life, but in pain.

You can sing in the choir, yet be in pain.

You can lift your hands in worship, yet feel a sense of desperation.

 

It is the statement of two realities: knowing God is sovereign and in control, yet not fully understanding why your life seems so perplexing, and why the struggle seems to have no end.

 

Oftentimes, you won't find the real meaning behind the "why" until you have come to the end of it. There's something wonderful about hindsight: it really is 20/20.

 

I have been there and what I have learned can be summed up in two words for every believer and follower of Jesus Christ: TRUST GOD.

 

Even if you cannot sense His presence: TRUST GOD

Even when you cry yourself to sleep at night: TRUST GOD

Even when you lack the strength to pray: TRUST GOD

Even when you get angry: TRUST GOD

Even when you loose hope: TRUST GOD

Even when your faith is tested: TRUST GOD
Even when you feel as if your prayers and your pain go unnoticed: TRUST GOD

Even when you cannot trust yourself: TRUST GOD

 

He ALWAYS has a plan. Even on your worst days, He has a plan. And it will be His plan (not your pain) that prevails. Even if it takes 10 years to come to pass, it will happen. Your storm has an expected end.

 

Know that God is in the storm with you and wants you to draw closer to Him throughout. Don't try to figure it out and give up trying to understand it. Just TRUST GOD.

 

In due season, the promise for every born again believer is that God will calm the storm to a whisper, and still the waves (Psalm 107:29).

 

Brokenness, heartache, sadness and despair often precede triumph, victory, and overwhelming spiritual prosperity. It's a part of His divinely orchestrated plan, but what we have to continue to do is TRUST GOD, and know that even when God seems silent, He is certainly not still. He is perfecting you even now and preparing you for your victory.

 

Hold on - due season is coming. And the storm that is raging right now, will one day be calmed to a whisper. The God you serve is in control and He wants you to know that He is the Master of every storm.

Are you in a storm? Has it been raging for awhile? Or are you starting to get a sense that it's calming down? Wherever you might find yourself, always know that you will be able to claim the victory of Psalm 107:29 when God brings your storm to a whisper and your waves to a still.

Be Blessed. Be Fruitful. Be Expectant.
The end of a thing is better than its beginning. (Ecclesiastes 7:8)

Forgetting the Former Things

This year, 2015, is a year to forget the former things. Forget what has happened in the past. Forget who did it. Forget how angry you were. Forget every heartbreak you experienced. Leave it all behind. I urge you once more, to leave it all behind. Your faith is counting on your ability to forget the former things. Your future is waiting for you to press forward. Don't be like Lot's wife and turn back. Remember the words spoken by God in the book of Isaiah:

"But forget all that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."

(Isaiah 43:18-19)

 

 

This is the Lord's promise to us of victory. God made a covenant with Israel and He has made a covenant with you, as heirs to Abraham. And just as he told Israel, He is also telling us this exact same message. The Lord, the Holy One, the Creator, the Sustainer, the King of Kings, will make a dry path for your through the sea; He will create a path through the wilderness.

 

Whatever you are going through, whatever has happened, is nothing compared to what God is going to do in your life. Even if you are in the midst of a dry place, even if you feel like you're in the wilderness, God said He will make a pathway for you and create rivers in your dry wasteland. Remember that nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37).

With God, failure is never an option. Believe God, take Him at His word, and expect that rivers will be created for you to refresh, renew and replenish you.

 

Allow the rivers to wash over the former things.

 

Allow the rivers to renew your mind.

 

Allow the rivers to heal your heart.

 

Allow the rivers to restore your soul.

 

Allow the rivers to equip you with strength.

 

Allow the rivers to put a new song in your spirit.

 

Allow the rivers to return what is missing.

 

God is a God of divine restoration and He specializes in mending broken pieces. He loves to heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds. (Psalm 147:3, Luke 4:18).

 

My prayer for you today and always, is that you would cast every care upon the Lord (Psalm 55:22, 1 Peter 5:7), knowing that He sees you, He cares for you, and He has a perfect plan for your life that is far greater than your biggest dreams.

God Bless You!

 



Never Stop Praying

Here's what I know for sure: God answers prayer.

 He answers in His timing, but He is sure to answer. 

We can never stop praying, because you never know 

which prayer is going to tip the scales of heaven. 

You literally are "one prayer away" from what you 

are seeking from God.  

As you enjoy this holiday 

season, remember to keep God close to your hearts 

and pray that His will be done on this earth as it is 

in Heaven.

God Bless You!

Dear Black America

 

 

rev·o·lu·tion - noun \ˌre-və-ˈlü-shən\ : a sudden, extreme, or complete change in the way people live, work, etc.

 

Yesterday, our nation learned that Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Michael Brown, an unarmed teen, will not be indicted for murder. As we wrestle with the emotional blow this decision brings, (the decision not to pursue the case before a jury), I pray that we will let this situation become an opportunity for transformation. Dear Black Americans: we need an ideological revolution. The White House with its black president and black attorney general is not going to save you. Allow me to lend my voice and offer some suggestions.....

 

Stop being so busy and start being productive. Mentor a child, serve your community and discover opportunities to be a humanitarian. This upcoming holiday season, you don’t need more gifts... under the tree. Trying to design a future through reckless consumerism or absentee investing is sheer madness. Instead of spending money on shoes, clothes and toys that will not fortify you spiritually or sustain you economically, use that money to donate toward worthy causes and organizations who are on the FRONT LINES of justice in this country. Delay immediate gratification so that you can maximize your spiritual, economical and political future for generations.

 

Raise your children to do the same. To be concerned with the least, the lost and the last. Instead of venting your rage, channel it into something constructive. You have a responsibility to give every child you see a charge. Charge them to become conscientious humanitarians; let that be your legacy. Instead of taking selfies on Facebook (many of you do that far too often), take a picture of the needy family you just fed for Thanksgiving, or snap a picture of the donation you just made for a non-profit in your city. In other words, if you don’t want to do the work (because you’re too busy), then support organizations that will.

 

Here’s a list to help you get started. Familiarize yourself. Become educated on the systems of governance in this country and PLEASE talk to your children in a strategic way so that they are armed with knowledge not weapons. Arm them with constructive, meaningful solutions, not emotional rage and anger. To help you get started, here are some organizations that are on the front lines of social justice, and there are many, many more:

 

Alliance for Justice

Bread for the City

Campaign for Youth Justice

Catholic Charities

Habitat for Humanity

The Leadership Conference

NAACP
National Urban League
Robin Hood Project

Let His Kingdom come and the revolution begin.

 

With Love,

Kathy

::: Give Thanks :::

We have so much in life to be thankful for. We walk, talk, see, hear, think, breathe – usually without effort. Why do we spend so much time dwelling on what we can’t do, don’t have and what is going wrong? 

We can instantly recall the negative experiences, people and circumstances without recognizing we have the ability to walk away, get away or make a change. Perhaps we have too many options from which to choose. Or it could be we simply like to complain.

Maybe if we spent just a little time saying “thank you” for what we do have, we won’t have so much time to dwell on what we lack. 

Gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving activate the divine laws of abundance. Even when it seems that the well is drying up, we can affirm, “I can hardly wait to see the good that will come out of this" knowing by faith,  that God's goodness lies just around the corner. May you be thankful on this day and every day thereafter. And in doing so, radiate God's goodness to the world.

~

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

~

Always thank God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)

I don’t like a bunch of excuses. It literally annoys me and as I feel annoyed, I also feel sorry for the person who does not yet understand that excuses do not serve anyone. They do not make amends, they do not heal, they did not sustain, and they do not empower.

Excuses are just excuses. They are empty reasons that fail to convey why you did not do something that was expected of you. They do not quicken the spirit or comfort the heart. And they are not pleasing to the ear. At the root, they are the ultimately expression of self betrayal.

The reason why excuses (not in every instance, but in many cases) do not go over well and sound inauthentic to the hearer, is because excuses cannot sustain anyone. They betray your character and cannot cover the preconceived shame or inability you have imposed on yourself to live up to what was expected of you.

I would rather an authentic person tell me NO because I realize they have embraced their personal power which has freed them from the prison of YES.

Rather than giving an excuse, simply be grateful. Be loving. And try again next time. Tell them you love them, and commit to do better. But don’t make the commitment to them – make it to yourself.

Commit that you will embrace your YES or not be fearful of saying NO. Walking in the truth and honor who you are: one who is growing, evolving, becoming and forgiven. You cannot do everything that is expected of you and sometimes you will fail to meet every expectation. Be okay with that, or continue to give excuses.

God says that a righteous man's yea, is yea, and his no, is no. In other words, your word, as one who is righteous, should be sufficient. You do not need to provide more insight or context. Just commit to doing your best and embrace the truth of who you are. Once you do that, one word is enough.

"All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12)

The secret to life and freedom is not found in a sermon, ritual or denomination. 

There is no quick-fix or 2-step that can get it for you. 

Often, it takes patience, perseverance, consistency and complete surrender. 

You cannot pay for it, pray for it, or marry into it. 

It's only found by meditating on the Word of God day and night.

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success." (Joshua 1:8)