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3 Ways to Ignite Your Prayer Life in 2017

1/01/2017

The beginning of the year is always the most exciting. It's when we're most optimistic, waiting for all our great declarations to manifest. It's when we're most dedicated to getting focused and making the best of the days to come. We become refreshed from the previous year's offsets and restored enough to tackle this year's.

Around this time new habits are formed that promise to make this year better than the last. And if prayer is on top of your list, this post is for you!

Prayer is your constant communication with God. It's how you talk to Him about your problems, how you surrender them unto Him, and how you speak to Him about your wants and needs. Though He knows them all already—He's not the all-knowing for nothing—He wants you to confide in Him. He wants you to trust Him.

While the beginning of a new year often brings restored faith, there will be battles that this year may offer that you're not sure how to deal with. Much like last year, unforeseen obstacles may arise; however, unlike last year, following the following tips will help you ignite your prayer life to create the atmosphere for a better year.

1. Be consistent.

Many of us have a bad habit of only praying when we want something. We drop to our knees when we've tried everything else, and are at our wit's end. Prayer, for many, is a last resort, not a first option. We pray one time, for five minutes, when we really need it, and afterward, God doesn't hear from us again. Not until the next time we run out of options and decide to pray again.

The key to a prosperous year, and an even better prayer life, is to create a habit of praying; create a habit of talking to God. Speak to Him about your life. Chat with Him about your greatest victories. Let Him in on your most taxing problems, and give Him space and opportunity to resolve them. To fight for you. To be there.

Creating a habit of praying allows God the 'in' He needs to move the mountains He's willing to move in your life. When you let Him in on everything, rather than one thing, you give Him the chance to shift everything—rather than that one thing. Instead of running to your friends to disclose your information (then worrying about whether or not they told anyone else), run to God. He'll always keep your secrets, and He's the only one that truly knows how to solve them.

2. Be intentional

When I first started praying, I asked for simple things. "Lord, let me get paid more. Lord, let me get all A's. Lord, let me find a man." But with those basic prayers, came basic shifts.

God is all-powerful, which means He is able to do all that you ask of Him. Get specific. Don't just ask for a raise or a new job, ask for the right job; ask for a career you're passionate about. Don't just ask for all A's, ask for overall academic success that leads to professional triumph. Don't just ask for a man, ask for the right man; a God-fearing one that will love you like Jesus loved the church, and honor you like you honor God.

If there is a battle you want God to fight for you, ask Him to. Ask Him to step in on your behalf. Ask Him to silence your nay-sayers. Ask Him to create in you a clean heart. Ask Him to shift your perception so you can see things as He does. God can handle more than just your carnal wants, He can handle your spiritual needs. He can shift your mental and spiritual self. He can do things within you just like He can do things outside of you; He can even do things within others. All you have to do is ask. 

When you pray, be cognizant of what you're asking for, and intentional in how you ask.

3. Believe.

Prayer without belief is useless. You cannot ask God for something and continue to worry about whether or not you'll get it. Whether or not He'll do it in your life. Many of the mighty works in the Bible have been satisfied by faith. And so it is by your faith (belief) that your prayers come to pass.

When you pray, walk away with relief. Leave all the challenges you've prayed for at His feet, and trust that He is going to pick them up and handle them. Know that the very thing you prayed for, God will do, deliver you from, provide, and give you an answer to.

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Weight Loss and Faith

8/09/2016

When I want a good laugh I get on the scale. I thought purchasing one a few months ago would help me restart my long lost fitness journey. Instead, it made me obsess – weighing myself twice a day, every day even when I hadn't done a thing for it to change. I must've expected this 20 pounds of "relationship weight" to disappear into thin air.

Yesterday morning I needed a laugh, so after staring at my scale for 20 seconds I hopped on. When I looked at the digital numbers that flashed across the screen, laughing was the last thing I did. "How the heck did that happen?" I asked myself in disbelief at the 8 pounds I lost. While my eating habits remained the same (pretty good), I hadn't worked out in weeks. I hadn't even driven past the gym! Yet there I was, re-weighing myself just to make sure there wasn't an error. Nope, that's 8 pounds alright. 

I spent months worrying about weight loss and fitness. Months trying to measure what I ate, pay attention to macros, and figure out how to keep my hair in good condition, but still break a much needed sweat at the gym. I tried cleanses, crash diets and the Pinterest squat and ab challenges. See, this journey wasn't new for me—I'd gone through two fitness trainers and several workout groups, I knew exactly how to use machines and modify workout—but after getting lazy, and hitting a long-standing plateau, I was discouraged. Working hard, eating right and seeing no results can do that to you.

I obsessed over what I should eat until I finally chose to be happy. I decided to stop micromanaging my diet and to instead just treat my body better. I chose to stop hating my body and learned to love it the way it was. I learned to love how the extra 20 filled out my buttocks and shaped me up a little bit more. I learned to love the extra 20 because it didn't make me a different woman than I already was. I learned to love it because doing things out of hate will never end in success. I learned to love it because when you love yourself fully, you make better decisions—this decision being my health. 

I stopped creeping into the bathroom to weigh myself. I stopped talking about how much weight I gained. I stopped feeling bad for ordering french fries to accompany my salad. I stopped stressing and let it be. And no sooner than I had done that, I was down 8 lbs.

What does this have to do with faith?

When I gave up control I got exactly what I wanted. When I stopped obsessing, things happened. When I left well enough alone and grew content with what I had and who I was, I got what I had long been praying for. When I learned to love my situation, in spite of what it looked like, it got better. 

And, while letting go of my unhealthy obsession with weight loss wasn't an I'm-relying-on-faith-for-these-changes type of thing, it is a resemblance of how faith works; of how letting go, and letting God works. 

When you stop trying to micromanage God, you allow Him the freedom He needs to do His mighty work. When you let go, you allow Him the space He needs to do miraculous things. We cannot control everything. Some things we must leave up to God. Some things, are not ours to control, fix, or lose. Some of these battles, aren't ours. And the sooner we realize that the sooner we allow His power to make the change we desperately want.

When you give up control you allow all the 'be' that is meant, to become.

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Make Me Your Miracle

8/04/2016

Heavenly Father, 
We come before you tonight to ask for forgiveness of our sins. 
To ask that you continue to heal us and make us whole. To ask 
that you bless our family and friends and guide us all towards
the promises you made for our lives. We ask that you provide 
all that is ordained for us so we can serve you in mighty ways. 
Lastly, O Lord, we not only ask that you sprinkle your miracles 
upon us, but that you make us your miracle. In Jesus' Name. 

"Make us your miracle." What a mighty request. I think to myself often, how that must be. How it would feel to have my name listed in the church bulletin as a testimony of God's miracle. I belch it at the top of my lungs when Tasha Cobbs' sings the words "make me Your miracle" — I cry tears of what those words truly mean. 

What would it be like to be a miracle? While, obviously, imagining the deliverance and restoration we'd receive, I can't help but to place extra weight on what I'd be getting delivered from. What problem in my life would God's miraculous works be resolving? How long would I have cried and begged? How hard would I have to believe? 

Because when we ask to be the miracle – when we ask to be the example – we tend to ignore how low we'd have to get, for the miracle to really happen. How far from the miracle we'd have to be for it to be considered a miracle. How we'd have to be blind, deaf or dead. How we'd have to be bleeding and bruised. See, many of us want to be miracles from an already blessed state. We don't want to be drug through the mud and come up clean. We want to be clean and get cleaner. We forget that there's nothing miraculous about that come up. There's nothing miraculous about something we could do as humans. Nothing miraculous about going from one good job to another. While blessed, that's not miraculous. And with the request for a miracle, comes great responsibility.

True miracles – true works of God – are those that are evident of God's presence. Those that can't be questioned as anything other. Those that only God could create. Those are the ones we remember. Those are the ones that have the power to change our lives and the lives of those around us. Those are the ones likely to lead people to salvation and true belief. So if you want to be a miracle, you have to be willing to be talked about. To be low. To be down. And you have to trust Him enough to turn it all around, in His name.

We want to be miracles, but can't stand being the mess that requires one to occur. If you want to be an example, a true example of God's power, submit to Him. Be bloodied; be beaten; be crucified; endure. That's when you allow His miraculous works to occur.

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Obedience and Anger: This Week in One Tale

12/23/2015

I'm upset with God. I'm disappointed in Him and my faith is wavering. The nerve of me, right? As contradictory as it may seem - me being part faith-based blogger and all - I just can't seem to erase my human voice from this post. Because being human is all I have right now and I have to hold on to what's left of me. 

I did all I could to listen. To be obedient. To surrender my pride and do things God's way. When I first received His revelation last October, I was determined to make it come to pass. I was determined to live in a way that would manifest this grand purpose He had planned for my life. I was working as tirelessly on that as I had done for this blog that was laid on my heart in May 2014. I was determined to make sure I did all I could in Christ, to fulfill the purpose in that revelation. 

So I did. I set out to be in full obedience, and while a few times I met the ground, God dealt with me. He brushed me off, spanked me on the butt and told me to fall back in line. 

Fall back in line. 

So I did; I got back up and fell back in line. I knew that at the other side of the constant turmoil I was experiencing, would be this worthwhile promise. This prosperous, joyous promise. This promise He showed me.

Only it wasn't. 

On the other side of my constant turmoil, was even bigger turmoil. Turmoil that I hadn't once seen in the vision of promise He laid upon me last October. So here I was, fighting for dear life to ensure this purpose came to fruition, when on the other end, it never would. God broke His promise. He erased the vision. He gave me a false revelation and clearly my obedience meant nothing to Him. 

Did God lie to me? 

I handled the blow like any 'strong' woman would at the time: emotionless. I gathered my belongings, packed my bag and left - both literally and figuratively. I was done. It was done. And to save myself from any more time, embarrassment and pain I placed shades upon my face and bolted to the door. 

How could God lie to me? God doesn't lie. Why would He do this? How could He do this? 

I put all my work into making this work for His kingdom - despite my own worldly reservations, expectations and standards. I ignored myself and listened to God because I was supposed to. I was supposed to surrender to His will! I was supposed to fight for my territory! And all those times I'd fallen, I was supposed to get back up and try again! He told me to! 

So why was my obedience showing meek results? Why was my obedience not good enough? And why had my obedience not rendered the results that were promised? 

I'm upset with God. And no matter how many scriptures I pray or how many prayers I recite, this feeling hasn't ceased. This anger toward The Most High hasn't left me since it began. In fact, it has heightened. Because day after day there's something else being thrown into the fire. It's as if God is requesting more wood. I hear Him: "more wood, please," making a mockery of my attempt at Godly living. At obedience. At discipline. At my promise. I want my promise!  

As the flames rise, I shrink. I shrink into disbelief, wavering faith and anger. I'm pissed at God! Because not only has He led me astray - making my discipline meaningless - and added more to the pain, He's been non-responsive. He broke my heart then ran away. He left me in the wilderness with a broken compass and no voice to follow. What everyone said He would never do, He's done. 

But what about all the other times He's been there?
I stopped and thought that to myself as I drove home from yet another challenging day. We - because we're all human - have a tendency to clench tightest the bad things. The things that cause our lives to quake. The disruptions and dissatisfactions. We remember the hatred, anger and sadness before the happiness and glory. We let the mighty madness hold our bandwidth more than the great things. 

It's possible that I'm so upset with how God has been handling me lately, because I've been ignoring the many things He's provided for me. I'm yelling at Him and cussing Him out at the way He chose to end my year, without acknowledging the many amazing things He conjured up for me throughout the year. This blog launch, these awards, MegaFest, this new job, higher salary, thriving friendships, the conception of projects and the many other feats He allowed me to tackle, I've ignored. Yet and still, I'm holding on to this. I'm erasing all the work He's done on (and for) me this year, because of these recent setbacks. Because of this December fire, I'm discrediting everything He's done between January and November. And much like yesterday's mistake shouldn't erase a year's worth of great work in our lives, it shouldn't for God, either. 

Only it is. Because, I'm human. A servant, but human nonetheless. I hope that in tapping into this not-yet-encouraging revelation, I'm able to grab myself before I drift too deep into the fire. Before I lose myself in the flames. Before I confuse God's test with His abandonment. Before I allow someone else's free will to ruin my life the way they once imagined. 

I'm not sure what will happen with the promise God showed me, nor with the obedience I now have on my record. Perhaps that's none of my business, yet. But this is my faith, and I'm going to fight for it. Even if I have to fight through the flames that God threw me in. That won't make (the human in) me any less upset, but it'll certainly strengthen my faith; I need that more than ever right now. And I suppose that's all He's ever really asked of me anyway. 

God couldn't have lied to me, and His promise just might be renewed. I simply hope these burns don't leave a scar. 

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What Have You Done For God Lately?

10/12/2015

I rewrote this post a few times. I wanted to preach to you all. I wanted to provide scripture and teach you why doing for God is so important to your development. I wanted to state the obvious that it's better to give than to receive, and encourage you to do better. I wanted to tell you to stop asking for things without doing things - without first making changes. But no matter how I worded it, it wasn't coming out right. 

This isn't an encouraging post. It's not meant to inspire you. It's not going to serve as a sermon to start your week. This post isn't meant to uplift you or provide sunshine during your rainstorm. In fact, it's to light a fire under your butt. It's the reality check you so desperately need. It's a "you better get yo'self before you wreck yo'self" post. It's a "reassess your life and the way you're dealing with God" post. 

Because you not dealing with God, is you dealing with God. You ignoring His presence until you need something, is dealing with God. You shoving Him in the bottom of your back pocket, until you need a favor is you dealing with God. That's not how you treat the Creator of all things and sustainer of eternal life. That's not how you treat the embodiment of everlasting, unconditional love. 

Perhaps that's how you deal with an acquaintance or a foe. That's how you deal with the people you're supposed to like because you work with them. Maybe that's how you deal with the people your teacher assigned you to work with on your group project. Or how you deal with the people you serve on a committee with - the ones you have to get along with but don't particularly want to. But that certainly shouldn't be how you deal with God. That shouldn't be what you choose to do with His accessibility, His love and His mercy. 

You ignoring His commands and neglecting Him, is you making a choice to do so. And just like you made choices to land you in the jacked up situations you're begging Him to take you out of, you failing to acknowledge and appreciate His presence, is a choice. It may, in fact, be the choice that landed you where you are today. 

Begging for mercy and asking for Him to revive you. The place that has you gripping to the edge hoping for a miracle - because you haven't sunk low enough to resort to prayer yet. You ignoring His power and true relevance in your life, is the reason you're suffocating and can't seem to rip the plastic bag from in front of your face. You're numb and are stuck fighting yourself, because you can't seem to acknowledge the importance of fighting the enemy instead. You've given up on life, on hope and on God. 

How do you give up on someone you've never truly given anything to? You never thanked Him. You never loved Him. Yet, because He hasn't responded to your current yell, you don't believe in Him. You don't trust Him. 

Now you find yourself tugging at the arm of Jesus' garment knowing He's never seen you before. You're expecting Him to deliver an amazing miracle, answer your prayers, milk your cow and cook your dinner, but, what have you done for Him lately? When was the last time you got on your knees to thank Him for all He has done for you? When was the last time you acknowledged His presence? When was the last time you displayed your love for Him?

What have you done that's deserving of the blessing you've been asking for? The blessing you're so quick to insult His power over. The blessing that you're willing to rip your soul from your body for. The blessing you so selfishly asked for without acknowledging whether it's in alignment with His plan for your life? 

Have you obeyed His word and commands? Have you been trying to establish a relationship with Him even if it's not quite perfect? Have you been speaking to Him outside of this "God just give me" moment you're currently having? When was the last time you spoke His name? Have you praised Him?

You have a false sense of entitlement to be delivered from your hard time knowing you've done nothing to deserve it. You wouldn't even lift your hands to pray had you not run out of other options. You expect God to give you what you want because He has to be God. "He's God. He has to be there for me." So you rely on that to be your savior, instead of allowing Him to be your savior. You do what you want all other days of the week, then when you want something you speak His name. You run to Him hoping for him to receive you; because well...you know He will. You think that His receipt of you is Him giving you what you want. You think that He owes you something. You think that you running to Him when you want something shows Him that you trust His power. But had you listened to Him in the first place, you probably wouldn't be in your situation. 

Had you tried to dive into His power, love and grace before, you'd know how far off the cliff you were jumping before you moved. You'd realize why you weren't supposed to climb that cliff in the first place. Had you sought after His presence as persistently as you're seeking it now, you would've recognized why you shouldn't have gotten in your car to drive to the cliff. You'd know why you should've sat in your house instead of heading outdoors that day. But now it's too late. Now you're at the edge of the cliff ready to jump, asking for God to bless you one second before you decide to. Now, you're in mid air asking for God to somehow snap a parachute to your back so you don't hit the ground below too hard. You're done ignoring Him and you're ready to acknowledge Him because you need something. 

But what have you done to warrant the blessing you're asking for? What have you done to make you think that God should deliver you from this hardship? He will, because that's who He is, but how much longer will you take from Him, without giving back to Him? How much longer will you linger on His front sidewalk before walking up to the gate? 

What have you done to deserve the things you're asking for? And more importantly, why do you think He owes you anything for your misbehavior and disobedience? It's time you start giving back to God for all He's given to you. It's time to listen. Time to respond. Time to pursue. Not just in hard times, but at all times. 

I urge you to enter the gates. I urge you to walk onto the porch and knock on the door. Not to ask for anything, but to simply let Him know you're His - finally. 

That's the least you could do. 

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5 Tips for Establishing a Consistent Prayer Life

5/19/2015

Prayer is one of the most important pieces of developing a relationship with God. It's your time to talk to Him, thank Him and let Him know what you may need. It's a close equivalent to "date nights" in a relationship - it's your time to be more intimately connected (mentally and emotionally intimate) with God. However, much like those date nights, it may be hard to find time to get those prayers out. With all that God's done in our lives, the least we can do is talk with Him, but admittedly, sometimes it's hard to allocate time to it. Below are a few tips to get you well on your way to establishing a consistent prayer life:

1. Designate prayer time in your schedule. "Out of sight, out of mind." If you're the busy working woman whose life lies in the calendar app on your iPhone, then scheduling things is one of the only ways to guarantee you'll be there and/or do something. Adding "prayer time" to your calendar each night, will not only serve as a reminder to do it, but it'll also keep you from scheduling something else during that time.

2. Know what you want to pray about. Sometimes we're led by the spirit to pray. Other times, we're not so sure what to say. One of the best ways to make sure you stay focused on your prayer is to know what you're praying for/about. When I'm overwhelmed with life, I jot down my various prayer needs throughout the day. When I head to my room each night (for my prayer time), I already have the items I need to pray for. That way it's easier for me to get started and straight to the point. Besides, recognizing you need prayer is a great way to get you to pray.

3. Pray on-the-go. This is a little different from the traditional ideas of prayer, but in this fast-paced society, sometimes you have to get it in when you can - even if it is while you're on your way to a meeting. Turn down the noise and open up, share with Him your plans for the day and ask Him to lead you on this day. Turning a 10-minute car ride into a 10-minute chat with God will do wonders for your day.  I used to talk to myself in the car (don't judge me!) until I realized that a better idea would be to talk to God instead. While it's not as intimate as my night-time or morning prayers are, it's still my time to connect with God on a more personal level - outside of thanking Him and asking for things. I tell Him what I hope to accomplish in the day, I tell Him what type of mood I'm going for the day and I even tell Him what workout I hope to do. God desires that type of connection, and being on-the-go helps me talk to Him outside of a "spiritual voice".

4. Create a routine. Much like your morning routine - when you get up, brush your teeth, comb your hair, then pee (in that order!) - creating a prayer routine will certainly get you well on your way to a flourishing prayer life. You'll follow this routine day in and day out, because the structure helps you flow better, and adding prayer into your routine will ensure that it actually gets done. Before I even think to get out of bed, I say my morning prayer, then again when I get in the car. At night, I start my prayers during the time I use to lock up my apartment and cut off all the lights. That way when I get in the bed and turn on my night-time shows, I don't get too consumed to forget. My routine not only helps me remember, but it ensures that I never miss a beat...or a prayer!

5. Make it a habit. It takes 19-21 days of repetitive behavior to make that behavior a habit. Designate prayer time in your schedule, jot down your prayer list and follow your prayer routine for the next 19-21 days and see how easy it is to keep going. You'll get to a point where it won't even be a second thought, you'll just start doing it. I've gotten so habitual with my prayer, that now I don't only pray in the morning and at night, but I pray when the thought of someone randomly crosses my mind, I pray when my emotions are about to go haywire and I pray when I feel a change in my spirit. I even pray over my apartment when people come and go. Y'all aren't gonna drop off any bad energy in my living room and let it stay. Nope! Seriously though, the act of praying gets much easier and becomes second nature once you make it a habit. And that's the goal - talk to God as frequently as you talk to your other loved ones. He certainly deserves it. 

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Just Do It!: Running Toward Salvation

2/03/2015

I was having an insightful discussion with a friend of mine about spiritual salvation. I was surprised when she revealed to me that she wasn't saved, considering she'd been in church her whole life - and even introduced me to church at a young age, when my mother gave up on the hypocritical saints that sat in the pews. Although, I shouldn't have assumed she was saved, I kind of figured it was a given. I suppose the spiritual ignorance I still find myself fighting from time to time reared its ugly head. She told me the reason she isn't and it prompted me to recollect back to when I wasn't yet saved; and the long process I went through with myself to get there. 

During my initial thoughts of salvation, I sought out advice from those who went to church and those who don't. Bad idea! Truthfully, when you're making a decision that effects you (and only you), it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Unfortunately, I didn't trust in that, back then. After receiving so many different pieces of advice, from so many different people, I still hadn't reached a decision. A decision that would ultimately change my existence. I battled with what would be different if I got saved. I struggled with the notion enforced by my mother who suggested that I don't have to be saved to serve God. I even uttered - like many others - "I'm just not ready to be saved". 

You're not ready?!

While one of the most absurd things I could have ever said to excuse my lack of salvation - I understand where the misconception of "being ready" comes from. 

Salvation seems like a scary thing. People interpret it as putting away all the fun life has to offer, to go on this slow, quiet, dreadful walk with Christ. But that's not it at all. 

Salvation is acknowledging Christ as your Lord and Savior and committing yourself to following Him and His word. It's not scary at all, actually. It's one of the most fulfilling journeys I've ever embarked on and it began with a simple declaration. There is no prerequisite for salvation. You do not have to memorize bible scriptures. You do not have to pass a test. You do not have to achieve 9 out of 10 commandments. You do not have to be able to recite scriptures in front of the congregation one Sunday at the 11a.m service. 

You merely have to accept Christ as your Savior. That's it. Really! 

There's nothing to truly be "ready" for. Of course, with salvation, behaviors must change. You must dive into The Word. You must use each waking day to live more Christ-like. You must cleanse your heart, everyday, in an attempt to be better. You must be committed to saying "Yes" to God, whatever it may be, and trusting Him wholeheartedly. You must dedicate your life's work to fulfilling God's purpose. But that's not what you do before salvation, that's what you do during your journey. 

You will never get it all right, before salvation. But with salvation, Christ will lead you, enlighten you and strengthen you. You will fall, but He will forgive you; and you know that, because you know His word. You know His promises. And you trust them both. 

So for those of you who have been contemplating salvation: Just do it! Make that firm declaration. Scream it to the mountaintop. Let people know. Say 'Yes' to Christ and allow Him to work on you. Allow Him to come into your life and switch it all around. Allow Him to strengthen you during the weakest moments of your spiritual journey. Allow yourself to be human and cry out for help when you need it - because you will need it. Allow him to transform your life and everything within. Christ is your savior. You shouldn't have to "get ready" to declare that. Save your soul. Enrich His kingdom with your presence. 

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