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​​Lioness Queen Blog​

An ongoing series of encouraging messages to help you become totally "Residue Free."

"Still I Rise"

STILL I RISE

BY MAYA ANGELOU


You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.


You are Chosen to Rise! I believe this poem speaks to the strength of a woman and how much we fail to realize that we are chosen. Even when we do not feel worthy, God has chosen you.


Unfortunately, women have experienced so much inequality over the years that many of us do not feel we have a seat at the table. We feel like we are not worthy to even look at the table but that is far from the truth. If we think about when Gabriel came to speak with Mary there were 4 things that I want you to see in Luke 1:28 that you must also believe for yourself. He said you are honored, you are favored, you are not alone and you are chosen. Declare that over yourself. You are honored, you are favored, you are not alone and you are chosen. This is what Gabriel spoke over Mary but let me tell you that God is speaking that to you today my sisters in Christ… Sadly, many women fail to believe that they still have the ability to rise over your circumstances.


As we just celebrated mothers day this past year 2021…. There have been some mothers who have gone through the more valleys than they can even remember. Some mothers have experienced some major setbacks in their lives, had to re-establish themselves and their career, had to move multiple times in order to get ahead, had to detach themselves from people who tried their best to pull them down, had to give up dreams they wanted to open doors for their children’s dreams, had to provide for the whole family being a single mother of multiple children, had to figure out what to eat for dinner when the pantry was scarce. I mean women have had to rise over some challenging times that did not always feel like they had the courage to do so but in the end some kind of way God chose them to rise. 


When you are chosen to rise, you do not understand that there is no trial run through. When life happens, it happens and women for decades and centuries had to learn how to rise when no one taught them, had to learn how to rise when no one wanted to helped them, had to learn how to rise when the husbands walked out on them, had to learn how to rise when baby daddys didn’t want to help financially, had to learn how to rise when when work schedule didn’t always match up with day care, learn how to rise when no one else was there...they had to learn.


In this process of learning, I believe women forget all of their mothering, taking care of the family and making ends meet; they forget that they were chosen just like Mary. Because women are honored, favored, never alone and chosen. Definitely we cannot do things within our own strength but with God’s strength we can do all things. 


As the Marvin Sapp song says “Never Would Have Made It.” Yes women never would have made it, if it was not for God choosing us to be who we are. You must know that God chose you for a specific time, a specific season and a specific purpose just like Mary. Even in his picking, he hand picks even our valleys that we go through. He picks them for us because he knows what’s in us or should I say the seeds that were planted that needed to grow and harvest. Oftentimes we stay in the shallow water not realizing that we are to launch out into the deep and take down our net but fear stops us. Fear has a way of blocking and stopping the move of God in our lives to live our best lives. Sometimes walking in fear is the result of living out our best lives but many women allow the weight of the world to hold them down in a way that they stay stuck in a victim mindset and never transition to walking with a faith mindset.


God wants you to learn how to rise above your fears and the question is how do you do that?

  1. Face your fears head on. You cannot rise above the clouds until you deal with your fear. What is your fear today? Why is it your fear? What negative experiences have created this mirage in your subconscious that has led you to believe the lie? If fear is false evidence appearing real then is the fear subjective or objective. Is it a fear that everyone in the world would have or is it just you connected to a specific incident? See sometimes we need to do a fear reality check because the enemy tricks us to believe things that really are not there and are not real. Face your fears by understanding why they are there, how did it grow into a fear and what is the root? When you figure those out then you will realize you have the power and authority to face your fears head on.
  2. Believe only - this is nothing new. We have talked about believing only. Everything we go through in life requires us to believe in something or someone. Your faith mindset is indicative of what you believe and believe in. There are many things you can believe but who do you believe in is the question? You must believe that your heavenly father desires for you to be blessed, for you to love your life, for you to experience life to its fullest, for you to be loved unconditionally, for you to expand your experiences with new ones, and ultimately grow. This is the part we struggle with is growth. You know you have learned how to rise above the clouds when you filter and process every negative experience from a perspective of spiritual growth.
  3. Soar above the clouds with the wind. See we must learn how to soar above the clouds like eagles. This requires surrender because soaring doesn’t require you flapping your wings; it doesn’t require you doing anything at all. It just requires you to allow the wind to keep you afloat above the clouds or above the storms in your life. Since God has already chosen you, there really is nothing more you have to do than just jump and watch your wings grow. See God knows that you are chosen to face whatever is going on in your life right now; he knows that you are up for the challenge but in order to rise you have to let go and stop trying to flap on your own strength. There is a lot of trust required when you soar. Trusting the wind is not always reliable. Some of you do not realize that because your trust has been shattered with people there is a direct correlation in why you struggle trusting the Lord. As a result, you feel you always have to be involved in everything not realizing you are hindering yourself from soaring above whatever is going on and let God handle it.

If you think about it, we should not be rising the same way we did from years ago. There should be some kind of growth. Ask yourself. Have you grown? What is God doing in your life that has you in a place that requires you to Still Rise.


The beauty in the Lord is that he is a patient God and he is a forgiving God so no matter what he’s got you in the palm of his hand waiting to help you rise to the next level in your life. We always have to remember that God is always taking us somewhere. Sometimes the route seems like a detour, sometimes it may seem like a wrong turn, sometimes it may seem like a dead end, sometimes it may seems like a long way around over the river and through the woods but God is a strategic God who always desires for us to grow as his children.


Continue to face your fears, believe in God only and soar above the clouds so God can take you to the next level. Definitely this process can go smoothly if we just trust in the process. Rising up to our next level is a process and it may not be a pretty one but no matter what God will give you beauty for your ashes.

"Bent Not Broken"

Happy April 2021! The month of April represents so many different national holidays, i.e., Black Women’s History Month, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Lawn and Garden Month, Alcohol Awareness Month, National Child Abuse Awareness Month, National Autism Awareness month and a host of others! Happy spring Lioness Queens! I love spring time when the flowers are beginning to bloom, grass and trees begin to turn green, and so forth. It is time to spring forth just like the season and spring forth into our destiny. Amen!


Well before we get started you know how we do on the Lioness Queen podcast; we love starting out with a poem or quote to get our episode started. We love supporting others' creativity and we are honored to do so. I found a poem by: Selena Odom April 13, 2020.


"I BEND"


I bend but do not break.

I’ve been lost, but I’m not a loser.

I’m a wreck, but I’m not totaled.

I’m fractured but not broken.

I’ve failed, but I’m not a failure.

I’ve fallen hard but can get up again.

I’m isolated, but still I’m free,

I have been destroyed but will rebuild.

My heart is broken, but it will mend.

See, no matter how close I come to breaking, I just continue to bend.


This is so powerful! The first stanza starts off to say “I bend but guess what, I do not break. Then the final line says “no matter how close I come to breaking, I just continue to bend.” This poem is so on point but oftentimes life can throw us a curveball that we were not prepared for. Life can throw us a haymaker that makes us feel broken and incapable of being able to repair the pieces of getting ourselves back together.


 Many of us even use the lingo of feeling broken or we felt brokenhearted especially when someone stabbed you in your back and betrayed your trust. It’s easy to feel like your heart was broken into a million pieces but our heart has the power and ability to heal if we allow it because it is connected to our thinking or should I say mindset. The challenging part is a question that many think is not a question but - do we really allow our hearts to heal? This is where our hearts get stuck; it gets stuck in a place where we want to heal but we also want to continue singing the nursery rhyme of receiving empathy or getting attention by throwing the other person under the bus of what they did to us.


Now definitely this is something I have talked about before but this is a huge issue that we must address in all of our lives. Now I understand that there will be times in all of our lives where we feel broken like 1000 puzzle pieces from a box. You see how the puzzle may look from the box; however, you have no clue and no directions how to put the puzzle back together. If you have ever experienced putting a 1000 puzzle pieces together, it can be quite overwhelming and frustrating. I don’t know about you but I remember when my ex told me he never wanted to be married after a span of 24 years together dating and married. The initial curved ball broke my heart into a million pieces and I went through an array of feelings, emotions and even depression. I had no clue how God was going to put my heart back together and if God was going to restore my heart. I hate to say it but initially I was quite negative about my brokenness and had no answer and no hope. I couldn’t believe that my ex had the audacity to do that to me. I said, “how dare he do this to me? How dare he break up our family? How dare he force me to move from my dream home? How dare he not want me? I am a good woman! I am a great mother!” I had a full-time job as a school counselor and a part-time job as an adjunct professor. I kept the house clean, I cooked, I did my wifely duties like I was supposed to and he had the audacity to say he was unhappy and never wanted to be married. I can’t tell you how this hit me like a block of bricks. The only thing I kept thinking about was ok God how were you going to vindicate me? What are you going to do to him? What will he have to answer for breaking my heart into a million pieces. I have to be honest, this was my main focus. I had a mindset that after God hailed down his wrath and made him hurt like he hurt me then maybe God was going to restore. My ex would learn his lesson but I wanted revenge. Let’s keep it real! Definitely it is a natural emotion not necessarily the best Christian response or what would Jesus do type of moment but I was into myself, my feelings and my brokenness. This is the place we are talking about, how the enemy tries his best to keep you and keep me stuck in ourselves and what happened to us versus what is happening through us. Honestly, this is a place many of us are in right now in this pandemic; the enemy has us stuck on ourselves and what we temporarily cannot do, stuck in our feelings about different things and stuck on our brokenness which falls under 2 categories: what someone did to hurt us or a loss of a loved one. I feel those are the 2 things that get our heart to a place of feeling broken which is really all connected to the mindset.


But today we are really talking about brokenness as it relates to someone who hurt you. We are talking about what someone did to you and you allowed and gave that individual so much power and control to influence the condition of our heart. Now you may think you didn’t give approval for someone to do that to you, for someone to reject, abuse, neglect, torment, put down, embarrass, belittle, backstab, abandon. This is true, you didn’t give them approval to do it but your response is attached to how much you held onto that thing which impacts, influences, drains, and literally can suck the life right out of your heart. They’ve moved on but because of your brokenness mindset; you are stuck and it literally poisons the condition of your heart. There is nothing that comes across the Lord’s desk that he doesn’t know about before it happens. See when you are the creator and alpha and omega - there is nothing that has happened, happening or will happen that he doesn’t know about but the problem is we get so stuck on ourselves and what happened to us that we get stuck in the brokenness and forget about who we can cast our cares on; we forget that all we have to do is ask and it shall be given, we forget that God is close to the broken hearted, we forget in James that he says...hey count it all joy. We forget that although life can cause our heart to feel like it's in 1000 puzzle pieces but we forget that from the beginning the puzzle was already put together and its on the front of the box. So the picture on the front is to help you remember that the puzzle can be whole and can be put back together only if you do the work, only if you take the time to figure out what needs to be put in place and figure out that sometimes time is needed for God to help you put your heart back together.


 Honestly, I am not sure if you knew this or not but having a broken heart is a form of a syndrome called stress-induced cardiomyopathy. It is a scientific fact that you can die from a broken heart. Broken heart syndrome can strike a healthy individual. Definitely occurs in women more than men because we love so hard and put our all into our relationships but it is a sudden chest pain which is the result of a surge of stress hormones caused by an emotional stressful event.

In broken heart syndrome, a part of your heart temporarily enlarges and doesn’t pump well, while the rest of your heart functions normally or with even more forceful contractions. 


Researchers are just starting to learn the causes, and how to diagnose and treat it.


The bad news: Broken heart syndrome can lead to severe, short-term heart muscle failure.


The good news: Broken heart syndrome is usually treatable. Most people who experience it make a full recovery within weeks, and they’re at low risk for it happening again (although in rare cases it can be fatal).


The great news is that we have a heavenly father who created us and has the ability to heal our broken hearts and bind up the wounds but you have to allow him to do the inner work to heal the wound. Remember a wound needs more than a band-aid; it needs a spiritual conditioning of God’s word to fill all the dead and broken areas in your life. God never intended for the tests and trials of life to break you but sometimes they can bend you. It’s interesting that bending is a sign of flexibility and it is a sign that one can adapt in all situations only if we spiritually condition ourselves by giving our hearts over to the Lord. There will be times when people you love will disappoint you so heavily that you feel broken but feeling broken doesn’t make you broken where you aren’t useful or your heart can’t be put back together. God designed our hearts to ultimately love others as we love ourselves which requires a bit of vulnerability because God is love. He created our hearts in a way to be open to feel, filter the good vs the bad but never intended for us to feel so overwhelmed that we don’t feel useful, loveable, or even worthy anymore. For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son to this world to experience the bending tests and trials of life. I believe that is what tests and trials do, they bend our faith not break our faith. We must realize yes things may challenge our belief, may challenge who we are, may challenge our abilities, may challenge our mindset but with God all things are possible if we only believe. See if we never experience being bent, we would never see a need for God; we would never see a need to believe in him and what he can do for us. Even in the bending; Jeremiah 29:11 says it clear that 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” He is never trying to harm you because he knows there is a plan for your life.


2 Corinthians 4:8-10

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”


The word says that we will be pressed and with pressure comes a bending of our faith but we won’t be crushed (broken), despair, nor abandoned but we must be spiritually conditioned in a way that no matter what happens in our life; it is to bend us not break us; it is to strengthen us not defeat us; it is to build us up not tear us down; it is to make us grow not keep us stagnant; it is to take us to another level not regressing; it is to make us teachable not make us a know it all. See God is an intentional God and in every bend that happens in your life, just know; he is bending you on purpose for his good and for his kingdom.

Release Negativity and Rise Up Queen

You know how we do on the Lioness Queen blog; we love starting out with a poem or quote to get our blog started thinking about how we deal and release negativity. Lioness Queen loves supporting others' creativity and are honored to do so. This week we are showcasing a poem: by preservationman in July 2020.


NEGATIVITY BECOMES A CHANGE IN THE LESSON


Negativity is nothing more than lack of assurance and doubt

This is what this lesson in helping you to work out

It means take negativity and build into positivity

Think on Negativity being only a set back in how one feels

Usually, Negativity comes from Negativity given

It surrounds people that project Negativity because of circumstances that happened in one’s life

They are the one’s that always sees negativity, but never work in seeing life as positivity

You must look beyond your depressed thoughts, and suggest positivity

That negativity causes people to not succeed

Negativity becomes like a forbidden flood needing to reseed

A person is focusing on someone else’s feed

But negativity has no place face to face

In fact, it’s all a waste

The energy that one stresses on negativity, could be utilized on constructive positivity

Negativity is a barrier like a detour, but you are only staying in one place

No movement in a hopeful pace

If you say today, the response would be tomorrow

But what one is saying, they are drowning on sorrow

Negativity is mental, but one must move into motivational

Motivational is the action that will start you on your way

Negative people now should be your getaway

This is your lesson for today

Go and achieve in every way

Live on every day


Whoa! What a poem right? The part that really gets me is the part that says “negativity is a barrier like a detour, but you are only staying in one place, no movement in a hopeful pace, if you say today, the response would be tomorrow.” Whew so powerful! There are so many other parts I could touch on but when you say negativity is like a barrier but YOU…. not anyone else…. you are making a decision to stay in one place. This really hits home. For me that sums it up right there because it's like you are holding something in your hand that you don’t want and you hate but in the same regard you still choose to hold on to it like Linus’ security blanket. I am not sure if you remember the Charlie Brown cartoon but Linus was the kid that always carried around a stinky, dingy and dirty blanket. He carried that blanket everywhere like it was his pet but supposedly he was the voice of reason and extremely smart but there was some insecurity on the inside that he never let go of; he never released and as result he needed a certain prop to help him cope with his insecurities. 


Well maybe it is not a blanket for you but sometimes there is a tendency to hold onto negativity in a way that builds up a barrier and keeps one stuck in a place that stops the individual from moving forward. Of course it is easy to blame someone else who caused your unfortunate event, abuse, rejection, stress, financial set back, bullying, divorce, miscarriage or whatever the negative event that happened. You fill in the blank for yourself but one has to be careful when we give someone else so much power over the outcome from the negative event. This is the space in our subconscious that gets us caught up more in the negative event than how God can turn any situation around for your good. It is the place where we stay stuck in the hurt or what someone else did to us versus realizing God may have done you a favor. Maybe the decision of releasing them from your life was so that God could bring a healthier relationship that would be an even greater blessing for you. This space and place in our subconscious allows you to hold onto negative events longer than you should like Linus' security blanket; however, our blanket cannot be seen with the naked eye but it is there. This is what we are talking about today the importance of releasing that negativity to rise up and move into your purpose. 


Let’s think about Moses for a minute, when he follows a wandering sheep into the wilderness and comes up on a burning bush. I’m pretty sure when he saw it, he was trying to figure out why isn’t the bush burnt up by now but God spoke to Moses through this burning bush. God had to use something that would get Moses’ attention that day. So God gave Moses an insurmountable purpose that he was chosen to fulfill. God said I am sending you back to Egypt, to free my people, the Israelites which meant he would have to confront Pharaoh the man who raised him, confront his brother, and set tens of thousands slaves free. Well you know the story, Moses subconscious went into overdrive and all he heard were things God was asking him to do that he knew he could not do which made him go on a negative rant in his mindset. As a result, Moses started complaining to God about all of the reasons why he could not fulfill the purpose. He didn’t feel bold enough, he had difficulty speaking, he was scared to confront his brother, he was scared to be the Israelites spokesperson because he had lived as Pharaoh's son for so long and he was scared of the rejection that would happen if they didn’t believe him. All of these negative thoughts came up in his mind and as a result Moses wanted to stay with his family; he wanted to stay in the detour that he created but God wanted Moses to rise up and fulfill his purpose. 


Sometimes what we do not realize is that the things God allows to happen in our life puts us in the position for him to use us to fulfill our purpose. But for some of us it's hard to get into a posture to even be open for God to use us. Sadly, we are so stuck on what people did to us that we block the blessing God is trying to give because our hands are full of negativity and unforgiveness. I must say these are the two squatters that hold our minds hostage in a way that we can’t think of anything else but that. It's like we are hypnotized in a way to believe more in the negativity and unforgiveness than in what God is trying to do in our lives. We fail to think that the most negative thing that has happened in our life could be the best blessing that has ever happened in our life. You may feel that what I just said doesn’t make any sense but it doesn’t in the natural but in the supernatural realm God can take the worst of things and make the best of things. He can take bad circumstances and turn them into good circumstances. He can take ashes and turn them into something beautiful but that is if you only believe it. We have to release the negativity if we are going to move forward, walk in our destiny and fulfill the purpose God has for our life.


All Moses could think about was the mistreatment Pharaoh imposed on the Israelites, how he didn’t know where he came from, how he was lied to for so many years, how unworthy he felt as a trader to his people. All of these negative emotions continued to rise up but he didn’t realize that this wasn’t about him. This was about God’s people and Moses' purpose being fulfilled. God chose to use Moses even when his mom decided to put him in the Nile river to save his life. God knew then Moses was his chosen servant. And guess what? God feels the same way about you! Now the question is how can you release your negativity and rise up and walk in all God has called us to do in this season? God gave me 4 tips that will help you release the negativity and rise up.


1) Let go of things you can’t control. In another blog I had you do an activity about focusing on the things that are important and the things that you need to let go of. Well this week I want you to do another exercise. Take out a sheet of paper and pen. Trace your hand on the paper. Label the inside things I can control and label the outside things I cannot control. Think about things that are going on in your life right now, things you can control and things you cannot control. Once you finish, you will be surprised that most of the things you cannot control involve other people. You cannot control other people’s emotions, actions, mistakes, decisions, attitude, reactions, behaviors, thoughts, beliefs, and words. You can’t control other people but for some reason this is one of the biggest reasons why we hold on to negativity. We hold onto other people’s behaviors, actions, words and it's something we cannot control. Now what you do have control over is how you react, respond, feel, your attitude, beliefs about yourself, etc. You have control over you. See God didn’t want Moses worrying about things he couldn’t control because God was going to make provision for him, he just wanted him to trust that he was going to do what he promised. Just like for you, God will make provision for you but you must only focus on the things you can control. God got the rest.


2) Declutter your mind. Whew! I can’t say how much junk we clutter our minds with stuff that doesn’t matter, that is not important, with people who don’t matter, with things that are not that important. We clutter our minds with so much stuff where God has a challenging time getting you to believe in the promises of God. Just think about a physical space that is cluttered, junky, messy. When you think about it, it can easily make you uncomfortable or even stressed. When your mind is cluttered with information that doesn’t matter or things you can’t control, it allows your mind to hoard things from your past that you were intended to let go of. What negative things are cluttering your mind today that are impeding God from blessing you to rise up and move toward your destiny? Is it unforgiveness, anger, guilt, shame, bitterness, hurt, trauma, abandonment, rejection, or loss? It’s time to declutter and there are only 2 ways: realizing how negative thoughts do not benefit you and learning how to declutter your mind through applying God’s word to your life. 1) when you think about how the negative thoughts benefit you, you won’t be surprised by the answer. Write that question down and ask yourself how do your negative thoughts benefit me? The answer will become apparent and the words will float off the page. 2) God’s word is the agent that has the ability to really address those negative thoughts and give you another perspective for your good. It helps your mind to process things not from a negative perspective but from a positive perspective. For example, my ex husband made the best decision of not wanting me anymore after 24 years because now I am able to help women work through the rejection like I experienced and move toward their purpose. So I had to declutter my bitterness, blame, anger, revenge and figure out how 1) the negative looping thoughts weren’t benefiting me from moving forward actually they were making me go in reverse and 2) how can I use God’s word to turn the rejection around for my good? The divorce was not about me but what God wanted to do through me just like Moses. It was what God wanted to do through him. Remember I have said this before ‘things do not happen to me but they happen through me.”


3) Drop the negative attitude about yourself. I am sure you heard the phrase “your attitude determines your altitude.” You can only rise up if your attitude is pure and positive. I need to say that again! You can only rise up if your attitude is pure and positive and in order to walk that out; you have to drop the negativity about yourself and whoever hurt you. This may be a very subtle mindset and you do not really know that your attitude is foul but when you are constantly minimizing yourself and what you can do; you have a negative attitude about yourself which is what Moses did. He didn’t believe anything God told him he wanted him to do. He negated it all and you never know how God will turn your situation around to give you a seat at the high table to do great things for the kingdom. Eyes haven’t seen, ears haven’t heard so why are you so judgmental about yourself? Could it be that others have been judgmental about you or did you grow up in a very judgemental home environment? Whatever the case, you have to release the attitude because it will hold you in one place, on one level and you will be stagnant in life until you release it. You must monitor your attitude about yourself and challenge the negative thoughts with affirmations affirming who you are in Christ. There will always be things that don’t make us feel perfect and that is ok because Moses was no way perfect but God still used him and God can still use you.

4) Let Go of the Toxic Relationship - relationships are a great resource for providing support but sometimes relationships can cause stress as well. Sometimes we get into relationships and stay in them because of longevity versus being healthy and fulfilling. One of the biggest reasons for this is due to that little four letter word “fear.” We typically are afraid of ending relationships even when they are toxic and when they are like leeches draining the life out of us. Leeches drain blood from your body and that is what toxic relationships do, they drain your life so you do not have enough in you to fight your way out. As a result, toxic relationships cause you to think negatively about yourself and the other person so much so it impacts how you feel about yourself. If the relationship stops bringing joy, and instead consistently makes you feel sad, angry, anxious or “resigned, like you’ve sold out,” it may be toxic.? Nevertheless, toxic relationships can be challenging to get out of but one should always evaluate the situation and seek help if needed. There is always a way of escape if you need it. Please seek out resources because they are there to help you.


I’ve provided these tips for you but the question is are you going to do it? It is so easy to blame others for where we are, for how our life turned out, to blame our parents, our spouses, friends for why we haven’t gotten further ahead but no one and I mean no one has that much power over you to stop your destiny. The only person who can block your destiny is you. Now maybe someone else's decision did add a detour in your journey but with God all things are possible. Now is the time to stop holding onto the negative things people have done to you and release it to God so he can raise you up in the place he destined for your life. Repeat this with me...no more excuses, no more excuses, I am enough, and my Abba Father has destined promises for my life that no one can stop or block. I give myself away to you Lord and renounce what _____ did to me. I will not keep them in my subconscious any longer. I will not let them be squatters in my mind any longer without paying rent. I’m going to let go of things I can’t control, I am going to declutter my mind with negative looping thoughts that do not benefit my mental well-being, I am going to drop the negative thoughts I think about myself and I am going to release all toxic relationships that are unhealthy. It is time for me to move forward, not hold onto negativity like a security blanket, not be stagnant in my negativity and rise up for the kingdom. 


NO LIMITS

Well before we get started you know how we love starting out with a poem or quote to get our episode started. I love supporting others' creativity and I am honored to do so. I found this poem as I was trying to find something related to the theme for the day and found this creative poem called “Beyond Me” written 9 months ago by Rory Vigne.

Beyond Me


I honestly wish to know who I am, because if I know things will become clear. Things will become easier.

At least this is what I believe.


Walking a path blind is beyond my soul.


Oh, How I wish to know?

Oh, How far can I climb?


Is this a ladder of shame or a ladder of success, that’s what I want to know?

As much as I chase I believe I won and only climb part way.


Still questioning in my life is this what I’m really after, because after I’m done.

What’s next?

I want to go far.


I want to go beyond, but I can’t do it on my own.


When my flesh desires more sin I listen, but I want to change who I’ve become.

I want to leave my old life behind, and move forward to accomplish my dreams.


Pride, Lust, Greed, and Gluttony, Drugs, and Pornography. I do not want these things to hold me anymore.


Jesus, Jesus I pray to you now. Please take me beyond and please guide me to my purpose.


Because when we have nothing left but God, we discover that God is enough.

Let’s go beyond ourselves.


Let’s walk on the waters with faith, and believe the Lord is with us.


No more fear in our hearts.

Lord please take me….BEYOND ME.

Whew!!! Powerful right, I am sure a few things touched you as you read the poem. Even the title itself indicates that in this life there are things beyond me, there are things beyond my control, beyond my skill set, beyond my experience, beyond what I know that I have to let go and let God do. I love the part that says let’s go beyond ourselves and let’s walk on the waters of faith, and believe the Lord is with us. This is our inner struggle that fights our minds day after day and it is because of the finiteness of our abilities.


 We cannot limit God because of our limitations but it happens especially when things are so far beyond our control. Although our creator has so much more ability, authority and power to do impossible things as Luke 1:37 tells us to be; we are programmed in a way (sidebar it is Adam’s fault-in a nutshell sin caused our minds to be limited in a way that we do not have full capacity of our brain usage). There has been controversy over the years about the specific percentage of how much of our brain we use. Some researchers say that we only use 10% of our brain capacity and others disagree but whatever the case, we definitely do not have the brain capacity that Adam had in the garden of Eden to name all of the animals in the land and sea. We do not have the brain capacity like Adam that helped him to create things for survival in the garden. Adam had to have an extraordinary memory not to mention a way to even communicate with the animals in order to live amongst them. I’m just saying! Nevertheless, he had full brain capacity and we do not have that advanced level of capacity. There is no comparison! I know what scientists have said but Adam was created from God himself; he was created from the breath of God and that is enough to know that our brain capacity just is not the same. Amen! So as a result of our limited ability of using our full brain capacity, our brain has been wired in a way that looks at limitations first, hope second. As a result, we tend to:


- look at the past first and the future second.
- look at the negative first and the positive second.
- look at how we can handle a situation first and how God can second. 

It’s almost like our brain is on autopilot, very under the radar but it is the tainted blood from Adam after he sinned that shifted how we think and process events in addition challenges our capacity to believe in who God is and what he can do.


The poem goes deep in an area of what I dream to be and my limitations. Those are 2 varying dimensions that have different guidelines and prerequisites. Oftentimes we fail to believe things because of our limitations. It is like our minds are programmed in a way to believe only based on what is in the confines of what we have seen or heard before. Believing beyond what we can do for ourselves is a challenge but that is what this poem is getting to the root of the thing and that is...there are things beyond me that I cannot control but God can. It is about going beyond my limits and tapping into God’s ability. It is all about resetting my mindset to believe more in what God can do than in what I can do.


 We get so caught up with what is not working, or what didn’t go well, or what didn’t happen yet or what hurt me, or what didn’t work out for me that we miss that God wasn’t using you to begin with. Having “free will” has given us so much authority over our life and some things that have happened to us but we tend to forget that there will always be circumstances and situations that are beyond our control. And we need to trust God enough to fill in the blanks when you don’t know the answer. Can you trust God enough to solve a problem that you don’t know how it can be resolved? Can you trust God enough to mend your hurt, when you feel your heart has been broken in so many pieces that it can’t be fixed? Can you trust God enough to restore everything you lost when you don’t even have the financial means to financially support yourself? This is what God is saying in this season, “I need you to reset your thinking to trust me beyond you, even when you don’t know how the wind will blow, how high the wave will be, the depth of the valley, the height of the mountain. I need you to trust that I got you and whatever you need.”

Even in this new year, what are you believing God for that may seem like an out of the world dream or that may seem beyond you? If God is not using you, stop limiting him with your way of thinking. It is the limits you set on him that blocks the flow of God and what he has been trying to do in your life. Oftentimes we think it is God holding back the blessing but God is waiting for you to line up and reset your thinking in a way to believe “not my will but thy will be done.” What is the purpose of believing if you don’t hold onto what God is trying to do in your life now? Definitely, God doesn’t always need to give you a breakdown of what he is doing but God wants you to have a faith where you believe beyond yourself and take off the limits.


 Another issue we have with believing beyond ourselves is timing. Once a dream or goal doesn’t come to pass within a certain time frame we set up and establish, then we throw the dream back in the pool for someone else to grab hold onto. It is like we will believe until our deadline passes and then we make assumptions that since the dream or goal didn’t happen by a certain time then it must not have been for you or maybe the dream was too enormous that it’s not even reality. Maybe you have not said this out loud but you have thought like this and some of you are thinking this way right now.


You should know by now that everything happens for a reason and in a specific season. Let me say that again, that blessed even me. “Everything happens for a reason and in a specific season.” We must realize that God’s ways are not our ways, his thoughts are not the same as our thoughts and everything has a purpose. Romans 8:28 is clear that anything can turn around for your good. God wants us to understand that his best work unfolds in darkness, his biggest miracles happens when there is no possible way in the natural, he is the God who works beyond a dimension your subconscious can’t even keep up with all that he is doing in the land and even doing for you in this season and in this year. Many of you didn’t even understand the purpose of January 6th and what God was doing. There is purpose in everything that happens or what God allows to happen. See this is the year that God wants to move you into your purpose and destiny but he is not using anything he has used before. Stop looking for it, stop looking for how he is going to do it and just believe that this is your time, your turn, and your season.



HINDSIGHT IS 2020

We love starting out with a poem or quote to get our Lioness Queen blog started. I love supporting others' creativity and I am honored to do so. I found this quote by Soren Kierkegaard and when I found it I said…”you betta say so.”


The quote says: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” WHEW!!! Do you get it? Do you get it? When I found this quote I couldn’t believe the creativity of just how powerful a few words on a page could help your perspective. Today’s blog is all about your “Hindsight is 20/20.” Just saying these words leave me speechless because the year 2020 has been hindsight in a certain regard but the question always is “what did you learn in 20/20 about life, about yourself, about your relationships, about your relationship with God, about your growth (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually)?” And what connection did you make with what was and what will be because God is a forward thinker God who sets up the past to push you into elevation, promotion, and growth.


Looking back at our past always gives one, a different view one didn’t see when life is moving forward. It gives one a different perspective and allows one to evaluate the good, the bad and the in different but that is with anything. I truly believe God is asking you what did you learn from 2020? Yes we survived, we lived it moving forward but there were a lot of nuggets that God was trying to get you to see supernaturally so that you could embrace and walk in the new year, the new level and the new you. 

I know I always talk about the children of Israel as an example but I’m telling you there are always things that they did or they didn’t do that we can learn from for our spiritual growth. Right! The goal is to have a spiritual mindset in this journey we call life. And so if you think about it...before God changed Pharaoh's heart to let God’s people go, the children of Israel were enslaved, in prison, in bondage, living in probably inhumane circumstances, worked in deplorable conditions, and this went on for years, decades and centuries. There is no way we can compare the year of 2020 to the years they went through being in bondage. Can you imagine if we as a world and nation lived through multiple years of 2020, restricted, limited in what we could do and what we couldn’t do? But we only experienced 1 year so far and we still feel the remnants and residue that is extending into 2021 but we do see a light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine...right but since the new year started we feel more hope than ever before but we must keep that mindset no matter what. 


I truly believe that it was God’s love for the children of Israel that was so insurmountable, unexplainable, and endless that protected them but they didn’t fully grasp and appreciate it. They rejoiced when they became free and for the first time, hope became a reality right. But did hope remain their mindset? We have experienced that as well when God blessed us and our hope became a reality initially but then it fades when things don’t work out the way we think they ought. In the same regard, we have been excited by embracing the new year with a vaccine and hope became our reality initially but what happens when CoronaVirus numbers go back up? When it comes to reality there is so much excitement in the beginning but when time passes and things don’t line up the way one may expect in their way of thinking, it is easy to forget what God did and begin to doubt God and turn away from God. This is what the children of Israel did. They forgot about the hope that became their reality, they forgot about that first day when they left walking in their freedom, they forgot and turned away. Like how do you turn from the one who freed you and the one who freed you no matter what? How do you turn away from God when all of them probably were not living exactly the way they should, they all weren’t perfect people. I am sure some of them had some ways that God wasn’t pleased with but even in the midst of their flaws, faults, sins, mistakes, failures, lack of faith; God still bestowed his unadulterated love for them because they were his people. Just because...that’s what I love about God, he does things just because you are his child...whew….don’t let me get started because that is blessing me right there! God does things for me just because I am his baby girl! So what are you saying Rev. Dr. Marisha? I am saying that Titus 3:5 says it all…Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.


God doesn’t make you work for it, earn it but just because! This should make you get excited. But this was God’s position when the children of Israel were freed, he just bestowed his love to free his people but in the midst of all of the blessings God provided and protected them through and through. God wanted them to look backwards and learn some things from where they had been and where God was taking them. It’s a connection! It’s a connection! This is all what looking backwards is all about, seeing your past in a way of what God did for you in the storm and where you are now. From then to now, my question for you is how have you processed your past? What has your perspective been when you look back? Hindsight into 2020 is all about what God did for you in the storm and where you are now? Here are some questions to think about..... 

What did you learn in the process about who God is? 

What did you learn about what God is doing in your life right now?

What did you learn about yourself?

What did you find out about yourself that needed to change?

What did you discover about yourself that still needs to be healed?

What areas did you realize needed to be changed?

Who in your circle did you figure out is hindering you from moving to the next level?

What did you learn?

What did you learn?

What did hindsight from 2020 teach you about yourself and life? This was the missing link for the children of Israel. Now I know Isaiah 43:8 says remember not the former things which is clear because God is doing a new thing everyday. But God didn’t want the children of Israel to look back as a way to want to go back to bondage and glamorize their life of what was done to them but he wanted them to reflect on what God was doing through their lives which is a reflection of God as Emmanuel. He is a God who is always with you, no matter what! So even in the midst of their darkest and lowest points in their life you must remember he was their keeper, sustainer, way maker, doctor, provider; he was everything that they needed in the valley. When they became free, he wanted them to make the connection of who kept them when they were slaves and who was keeping them in the wilderness. Unfortunately, they never made that connection. Hindsight is never about what happened to you, it’s all about what God was doing through you and you are never alone!


God is saying “I need you to have the hindsight from 2020 and make the connection that I have been with you, I have kept you even when you didn’t see it, even when you didn’t feel God was around, even when you weren’t aware of how you were going to get out of the situation, I am a keeper just because you are my child.” See when you are a child of God you have special privileges but often times we fail to remember that we have special privileges just because we are his child, we have favor in our life just because we were created in his image, we have access just because, we can walk in total freedom just because, our spirit lives forever just because he sacrificed his only begotten son for little ole you….so do not fret, do not get weary in well doing because in due season you will reap if you faint not.


 Now I am only talking about 2020 but God wants to know what about the hindsight from your past? Past failures, past trauma, past mistakes, past heart breaks, past abuse, past losses, your past good, bad and indifferent. What did you learn? Definitely in the year of 2021 God is elevating his people like never before to possess the promised land but you must evaluate and reflect on the past in order to have the right mindset for your future. If you don’t make the connection then you will be afraid of the giants. It is time to stop making excuses, stop allowing someone else to control your future-you are responsible for you, (Amen), allowing your mind to go down into a dark alley with negative and unproductive thoughts and take control of your life. The enemy wants you to believe that you do not have control over what happened to you but that is far from the truth because God has already overcome your past but if you keep using it as an excuse for not growing spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically then how will you be fully equipped to be elevated to a higher level? God wants to perform miracles in your life and take you to a place that eyes have not seen but you have to do the work. You have to use this time, use your hindsight vision to give you clarity on where God is taking you in this season because he is taking you somewhere. You can’t believe it, if you can’t learn from your past.


Make the connection today. Make the connection today. Your past was not a mistake; it was a setup for God to move you into a higher place that will build up the kingdom for his glory. Amen!

VISION BOARDS DO NOT WORK

You may ask yourself why would I say that Vision Boards do not work. Definitely it seems like something visually would spark one's mind to keep track and help remind individuals of what goals they are setting for the new year. If does seem quite reasonable and logical to think this way but creating a Vision Board often times is just like creating New Year's Resolutions. If we were honest about our New Year's Resolutions for the past 5 years, can you honestly say that you have completed every goal you set? I am pretty sure the answer is "no." It happens to all of us. We set goals and forget to take action on what we are trying to do.


Well here are the 3 top reasons I feel that Vision Boards do not work. 


  1. SPECIFIC - Vision boards are typically created from cutting out things from a magazine, newspaper or even from something you printed. You can purchase creative paper, stickers, cards, paint, etc. to help make the vision board attractive to the eyes but oftentimes it is not specific. Without a goal being specific about what you are trying to accomplish, it doesn't serve any purpose. It is like having a dream but no details to really make the dream come into fruition. It is like deciding to change jobs to earn more money and you never put in one application. Unfortunately this is the norm, we set goals but without specificity to make it a reality.
  2. FEAR/OUTSIDE OF THE BOX - Now this reason may seem strange but let me explain. Oftentimes we include things on our vision board based on either our own experiences or things we know we can accomplish. How many of us really add things to our Vision Board that are so out of this world that they cannot even believe they could dream to that magnitude.  We limit so much in what we believe that we fall short in the possibility of what could happen. When we create a ceiling to our faith of the possibilities of what could happen extraordinary in our life, we limit of what could happen beyond our faith. As a result, we keep something safe on our vision board that we say we can accomplish but oftentimes we fail to follow through. 
  3. ACCOUNTABLE - Vision boards typically show these amazing goals we want to accomplish but no accountability as it relates to something that can be measured and something that has a deadline to push you to get it done.  Sadly what happens to all of us is that January 1st comes along and we blink 5 times and it is June 15th not realizing that nothing that we set out to do on our Vision Board has been accomplished. As you went through those months you kept saying to yourself looking at the vision board that "I have time this is only January" not realizing how fast time does go by.

As a result of these 3 things, I created a new way to set goals for the year that will be beneficial to you called a "Golden Vision Board.' You may say to yourself "I have never heard of a Gold Vision Board?" Yes, this is a new concept that I created to help individuals create vision boards that are specific, measurable, accountable, reliable and time specific. Well you may have figured it out but a Golden Vision Board encompasses SMART goals that helps individuals take action steps to achieving their goals along with setting goals that are extraordinary but with SMART action steps.  As you can see from the picture in this blog, my Golden Vision board has some of my own personal goals that I want to do this year. 


I believe the easiest way to create a Golden Vision board is to create SMART goals every month that you can handle but on the flip side we should also add goals that are outside of the box. Yes create goals that are attainable but also create goals that supersede what you could dream is possible because dreams do happen everyday and you never know this could be your year. If the goal is beyond what you can do within yourself, set goals every month to work toward that goal. By the time you get to the end of the year you will feel so fulfilled and confident that you will be ready to try a new set of goals for next year.


Create your Golden Vision Board today and do some new things that you always wanted dreamed of doing. Learn some new things. Explore some new innovations. Travel to places you have never visited. Live life to it's fullest. This is what God wants us to do; live life and experience the NEW things he is doing everyday for you to experience, explore and enjoy. You only get one chance at this life so live it like it's you last chance. Many people didn't survive in 2020 and so live life in a way that you experience all of the beautiful things God has created for you in this world. This is the year that we all should live life like it's GOLDEN and take action on making our dreams and goals GOLDEN!


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Hindsight is 20/20

January 12, 2020



“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”


by Soren Kierkegaard


When I found this quote, I couldn’t believe the creativity of how just a few words on a page, full of so much power but the quote is all connected to looking back or should I say hindsight.  Just saying these words leave me speechless because the year 2020 has been hindsight in a certain regard but the question always is what did you learn in 20/20 about life, about yourself, about your relationships, about your relationship with God, about your growth (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually)? And what connection did you make with what was and what will be because God is a forward thinker God who sets up the past to push you into elevation, promotion, and growth? Ask yourself those questions?


Looking back always gives one, a different view they didn’t see when life was moving forward. It gives one a different perspective and allows one to evaluate the good, the bad and the in different but that is with anything but I truly believe God is asking you what did you learn from 2020? Yes we survived, we lived it moving forward but there were a lot of nuggets that God was trying to get you to see supernaturally so that you could embrace and walk in the new year, the new level and the new you. 


 I know I always talk about the children of Israel as an example in my podcast but I’m telling you there are always things that they did or didn’t that we can learn from for our spiritual growth. Right! That’s the goal right, to have a spiritual mindset in this journey we call life. And so if you think about it...before God changed Pharaoh's heart to let God’s people go, the children of Israel were enslaved, in prison, in bondage, living in inhumane circumstances, worked in deplorable conditions, and this went on for years not just one year like 2020 but decades. Can you imagine if we as a world and nation lived through multiple years of 2020, restricted, limited in what we could do and what we couldn’t do?  Although it has only been one year, it sure feels like we lived multiple years like 2020. The bondage and conditions that the children of Israel endured will never compare to what we are going through but we complain like it does. Sadly it has built up so much residue especially with all of the loss that it is challenging to even see any possibility of the world going back to normal.  God doesn't want us to build up residue but realize that he has been trying to get us to see more of him and not be distracted.

What is fascinating about the children of Israel is the fact that Gods love for the them was so insurmountable, unexplainable, endless...but they didn’t fully grasp and appreciate it. Definitely there was appreciation, excitement and elation initially when hope became a reality but something shifted shortly after. We have experienced that as well when God blessed us and our hope became a reality initially but as time goes on we don't hold onto that initial feeling we had.  Just like in the beginning of the year there is a hope you have that soon the hope will become a reality. When it comes to reality there is so much excitement in the beginning but when time passes and things don’t line up the way one may expect in their way of thinking, it is easy to forget what God did, begin to doubt God and turn from the one who delivered you initially. This is what the children of Israel did. They forgot about the hope that became their reality, they forgot about that first day when they left walking in their freedom, they forgot and turned away. My question is how do you turn from the one who freed you and the one who freed you no matter what? How do you turn away from God when all of them probably were not living exactly the way they should, they all weren’t perfect people, they all didn’t have Christian values and morals, but even in the midst of their flaws, their faults, sins, mistakes, failures, and lack of faith, God still bestowed is unadulterated love toward them to let all of them just because they were his people. He did it just because! This is what I love about God, he does things just because you are his child. Whew!!!! Don’t let me get started because that is blessing me right there just typing it. God does things just because of I am created in his image. God does things for me just because I am his baby girl! So what are you saying Lioness Queen? Titus 3:5 says it all. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”


There are no prerequisites! You don’t have to work for it, you don’t have earn it but just because you are his child he will do it for you. This should make you get excited. But this was God’s position, when the children of Israel was freed, he just bestowed his love to free his people but in the midst of all of the blessings God provided and protected them through and through. God wanted them to look backwards and learn some things from where they had been and where God was taking them. It’s a connection… It’s a connection... This is all what looking backwards is all about; seeing your past in a way of what God did for you in the storm and where you are now. From then to now, so my question for you is how have you looked back... hindsight into 2020 in a way of what God did for you in the storm and where you are now? What did you learn in the process about who God is, what did you learn about what God is doing in your life, what did you learn about yourself, what did you find out about yourself that needed to change, what did you discover about yourself that still needs to be healed, what areas did you realized needed to be changed, and who in your circle did you figure out is hindering you from moving to the next level? What did you learn? What did you learn?


What did hindsight from 2020 teach you about yourself and life? This was the missing link for the children of Israel. Now I know Isaiah 43:8 says remember not the former things which is clear because God is doing a new thing every day but God didn’t want the children of Israel to look back as a way to want to go back to bondage or glamorize their life or refuel the fire of what was done to them but he wanted them to reflect on what God was doing through their lives which is a reflection of God as Emmanuel. He is a God who is always there no matter what! So even in the midst in their darkest and lowest points in their life that he was a keeper, he was a sustainer, he was a way maker, he was a doctor, he was a provider, he was everything that they needed in the valley and when they became free he wanted them to make the connection of he kept them when they were slaves and did not even have the right to keep themselves. He is still the God who could keep them when they were in the wilderness but they never made that connection. They forgot! Hindsight is never about what happened to you in the past, it’s all about what God was doing through you. What did you learn?


God is saying I need you to have the hindsight from 2020 and make the connection that I have been with you, I have kept you even when you didn’t see it, even when you didn’t feel God was around, even when you weren’t aware of how you were going to get out of the situation, he is a keeper just because you are his child. When you are a child of God you have special privileges but often times we fail to remember that we have special privileges just because we are his child, we have favor in our life when just because we were created in his image, we have access just because, we can walk in total freedom just because, our spirit lives forever just because he sacrificed his only begotten son for little ole you….so do not fret, do not get weary in well doing because in due season you will reap if you faint not. 


Now I am only talking about 2020 but God wants to know what about the hindsight from your past? What about your past failures, past trauma, past mistakes, past heart breaks, past abuse, past losses, your past good, bad and indifferent. What did you learn? Definitely in the year of 2021 God is elevating his people like never before to possess the promised land but you must evaluate and reflect on the past in order to have the right mindset for your future. If you don’t make the connection then you will be afraid of the giants. It is time to stop making excuses, stop allowing someone else to control your future-you are responsible for you, Amen! You do not have time to allow your mind to go down into an alley that is dark, negative, unproductive and take control of your life. The enemy wants you to believe that you do not have control over what happened to you but that is far from the truth because God has already overcome your past but if you keep using it as an excuse for not growing spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically then how will you be fully equipped to be elevated to a higher level? God wants to perform some miracles in your life and take you to a place that eyes have not seen but you have to do the work. You have to use this time, use your hindsight vision to give you clarity on where God is taking you in this season because he is taking you somewhere. You can’t believe it if you can’t learn from your past.


Make the connection today, make the connection today. Your past was not a mistake; it was a set up for God to move you into a higher place that will build up the kingdom for his glory. Amen! Thank you for reading this blog.  For you taking time to read this blog, check out this free Keto recipe book just for you below:  



Detour of 2020 ​

October 6, 2o2o


You know how we love to start out our blog with a quote or a poem and I thought it was so appropriate to start with a poem called:


A Thousand Steps

By: Wilma Neels (2011)


A thousand steps in between

who I was and who I am now

do I wonder about the detours?

do I wish I took the dirt road instead?

Would my path have been smoother if I said no instead of yes?

Would the worries have been less then what they are today?

I guess I’ll never know,

unless I go back in time

choose a different path

choose the least attractive offer and run with it

pipe dreams that is all my journey back in time would be

‘cause I would not have met you

and you would not be reading these words....

Everything in life boils down to an immaculate plan,

it may not be my ideal plan or yours

but in the end the voyage continues

whether we want to or not…

‘Cause it is all part of the bigger picture

and

in that image is your life and mine...

We just got to embrace the journey

no matter how uncertain it might be.


This month we are shifting our focus to a new theme called the detour of 2020. I truly believe that this year has been a detour we didn’t expect. I remember New year’s Eve at church, there was such an expectancy that God was going to do something great in the year of 2020 that you could feel it so strongly in the air. People were excited about what God was going to do for them and something felt powerful about even the double 20 digits as well. It felt special in some sort of way that everyone had high expectations of God moving mightily in their lives but something happened in the beginning of the year that shook the world and that was when Kobe Bryant died on January 26th. As a whole, the world was in shock, went silent and this is how the year detour 2020 started. It didn’t start out the way we thought but we still kept believing.


So as we reflect on this poem by Ms. Neels, I love the part in the poem about there are “a thousand steps between who I was and who I am, do I wonder about the detours?” I can just stop right there because the title of the poem is called “A Thousand Steps” which makes me think about the scripture 2 Peter 3:8 that says “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” This means that God’s timing is different from our timing and sometimes the things that we expect may not happen on our time and may not even happen on our terms but God is always trying to show himself strong in your life which is why sometimes he creates detours. The detours are never for your demise but always trying to build you up more to believe in who he is and what he can do through your life. See its not ab0ut you… Say that with me… it is not about me! Remember he has to show himself strong but he must use you to manifest and display his deutmas power and glory so others and you will believe he is a God that never fails.

Then the poem goes into if I choose a different path would my destination look the same or different? This part is crucial as well and this is what I want to focus on today as it relates to the detour of 2020.


When the year started especially in the month of March when we found out the disease had already spread to America we were devastated. I mean the world was in shock, disarray, disappointed, trapped, scared, worried, terrified, unsettled of the unknown disease called COVID-19 that we thought just came to our land; the land of the free, the richest country in the world.. which now the people who are free had to quarantine in their homes for months. This is what I am calling the detour of 2020. This is not what we expected this year to be like. We did not expect this year to pan out this way where we are stuck at home, couldn’t work anymore, couldn’t go out and socialize with others, couldn’t have celebrations birthday parties, couldn’t have graduations and graduation parties, couldn’t go to school, couldn’t celebrate the life of even of a loved one who died, couldn’t go out to eat, couldn’t go to gym to work out, and even couldn’t go and fellowship with other believers at church anymore. Everything was on a halt, everything was on pause, everything was on hold and we felt trapped, blindsided, stuck, and helpless, hopeless just like the children of Israel felt at the red sea. Laugh! See sometimes God takes you on a detour in your life or should I say a journey that is 1) unfamiliar; 2) sometimes uncomfortable and 3) sometimes takes a little longer to get to the desired outcome or to where he is leading you to be. And just like the children of Israel didn’t understand the detour and didn’t understand the red sea; many of us do not understand the detour of 2020 either. Yes this is our red sea experience just like the children of Israel and we are blaming everybody and the kitchen sink for allowing this to happen the way it did. We are blaming Trump for not acting or responding sooner, we are blaming scientists and researchers who knew this virus was coming especially when Coronavirus is on the back of the Lysol can, can I get an Amen microphone...right….so we are placing blame on everyone when we fail to forget the destination has nothing to do with the journey. God has always promised the destination; but sometimes the journey or should I say the detour is a miracle in disguise…


Remember God told Moses to lead the children of Israel through the desert toward the Red Sea versus traveling through enemy’s land. This journey was a detour and a longer way to their destination and made Pharoah think that the children of Israel was confused but Pharoah didn’t know that there is always a miracle in the detour. Amen! Yes and this applies to our detour 2020, there is always a miracle in in the detour but unfortunately we lack the faith to believe in the detour because it was not what we expected, not what we have experienced or even heard of before in our lifetime but never base your future on what you see in the natural, what you see in your present situation, what you see in what is going on in the world, what you see in other people’s lives, what you see in what decisions the government is making or lack thereof because there always is a miracle in the detour when God orchestrates it.


The children of Israel felt Moses was to blame, leading them into a trap where the Red Sea was to the east, the mountains were to the south and west and the Egyptian army was coming from the North. As a result, the children of Israel felt trapped with nowhere to run and nowhere to go but they failed to believe that the detour that Moses took was a miracle in disguise. Instead the Children of Israel complained and murmured about being in a place where they were trapped with nowhere to go and nothing they could do on their own merit. Since Moses led them out of slavery and it appeared that they were free without any resistance or backlash but there was a reason why God led them that way. Here are some reasons:


  1. God knew that there was a shorter route but they would have had to walk into the hostile Philistine country “For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.” (Exodus 13:17–18) As a result, many would have gone back into slavery if they went the short route. God knew that they were not mentally, spiritually, physically and emotionally prepared for this encounter so God chose the detour. Just like the detour of 2020, God knew that there may have been an easier way for the pandemic to unfold but it is not about the how but it is all about God’s protection even in the midst. He is always looking for the best way to protect you, keep you, and sustain you in all situations even in the detour of 2020. It may not feel like it, it may not seem like it but God has always protected your from dangers seen and unseen and if you don’t believe me just trust and know that COVID was in America before the shut down and GOD still sustained you along with other illnesses you could have got not because you made the best decisions with your life but because of his grace.
  2. God was trying to teach the children of Israel, there is no going back to bondage; however, God knew based on their mindsets of being enslaved, he needed to reprogram their minds in a way to trust God daily just like they trusted the Egyptians. Now our detour of 2020 has tested our freedom especially being forced to stay home for months. The question lies in, are you free in your mind. See freedom from God’s perspective is all about how you think and process your Red Sea experience. When we are brought into a place of new life in God but are not yet living as a new creation, we need to learn to depend on the LORD daily, and this is what God was trying to teach them and what he is trying to teach you. God sometimes brings us through Red Sea experiences so that we will not turn back to our lives enslaved to former things we were dependent on. What do you think the detour of 2020 has taught you? It should have taught you that we need to trust God daily as our source. It is more about us staying grounded in who we are and realize how much he wants us to depend on him for everything even now more than ever.
  3. Lastly, God wanted the children of Israel to know without a shadow of a doubt that they were the chosen nation. It was all about God’s love for them and fulfilling the promise to the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Ultimately, being the chosen model nation, God’s purpose was to serve others as a model nation reflecting God’s statutes showing God’s love but sadly their disobedience led them to their demise by not keeping the covenant. But no matter their unfaithfulness, God is a God of a second chance. He is a God of grace and mercy. Every Red Sea experience is a reminder that we are chosen for the experience. The one thing that is so important to remember is that when you are chosen, then whatever Red Sea experience comes up in your life is not based on one’s own strength but it was all about how God was going to use them to show off his strength only if they believed.

We can learn a lot from the children of Israel of what not to do because this pandemic is our Red Sea experience. This pandemic has made us all feel in between a rock and a hard place. It has made us feel stuck in a position and place where there is no other place to go but to depend on God. Sometimes God allows his chosen people to be pushed into a corner so that we can come to the end of ourselves. It is during this vulnerability and nakedness that we are in the best position to move into the passenger seat and let God figure it out because he was the one who ordered our steps in this direction. If God planned this Red Sea experience or should I say the detour of 2020 then he has already figured out a way of escape beyond what your finite mind can conjure to believe. Faith without works is dead and when you realize that God ordained this journey, led you to this time and season, planned these trials and tribulations in this detour of 2020, then you can have a revelation that miracles, signs and wonders can be revealed in this detour 2020. It is time for us to stop, questioning the Red Sea but thanking God for the miracle in the midst of the detour. It is time to realize that he already figured out a way to escape before the pandemic came, before you got in your jam, before you lost your job, before you get sick, before your marriage issues, before your children started acting out in school, before the loss of a loved one….but you must put your faith into action. How do you do that? It is just believing that God can do it. You know how when you use your legs to walk. There is a belief that you already know that your legs will support your weight and hold you up. In the same regard you must believe that God is your legs, that God has the power, authority and dominion to keep you standing. God has the power to keep you during this detour 2020. He didn’t plan it for your demise but he planned it just to show you that he performs his best work during Red Sea experiences only if you stand on his promises. God wants you to remember that the path was already chosen not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future only if you believe. 


Regenera​tion Can Happen If You Just Stand 

September 30, 2020


As we end the last day in September, I want to talk about the significance of how the regeneration of a tree is connected to its ability to stand during the changing of seasons. As we are entering the season of Autumn, I thought it would be so appropriate to talk about this object that the scriptures metaphorically talks about as it relates to our perspective. 


Let's start off with a poem that connects with our theme and topic.   


“Autumn”

by June Kellum Oct 1973

There’s nothing as fine

as an autumn day,

with the smell in the air

of fresh mown hay.

Each tree is a wonder,

of beauty, untold.

Each leaf brushed with color,

a sight to behold.

There’s a nip in the air

-crisp, cool and clear-

to remind us that winter

soon will be here!

But for now we have autumn,

the ‘Show-Off of seasons!

My favorite, by far,

And these are the reasons!


This poem walks one through their 5 senses in a way that you see, hear, smell, taste and feel the season of Autumn through these words from June Kellum. I love how descriptive it walks us through all of the changes that transpire within the season. The question I have with the particular season is that “does the season ever get used to all of the drastic changes it experiences?” For example, do trees get used to the drastic changes that take place year by year? I know trees are not humans but even as an inanimate object, does it do anything to prepare for the drastic change internally or is it something it deals with year after year? How does it feel year after year to lose all of its leaves that have grown and become accustomed to the new growth over the past few months?


If you think about this time during COVID, we have experienced drastic changes and lost a lot of family members, friends, and co workers during this time. Losing people we love and care for is always a challenge and a change that is hard to bounce back from. Just last month we lost Chadwick Boseman, the Black Panther and the world was absolutely devastated by the loss but sadly death is all a part of life.


It would appear that both of those words death and life should not even coincide with each other but they are so connected in God’s eyes that we fail to see the beauty in both. Just as a tree loses its leaves, we lose loved ones that we hold dear to us and rightfully so. There is an emptiness when something is lost and there is an uncertainty of how one will recover but no matter the trials we face, no matter how overwhelmed we feel, no matter the heaviness or weight of the loss; God is always close to the brokenhearted! Although trials and tribulations are not comfortable to say the least; there is comfort in knowing that we never go through things alone. We are never alone. AMEN! We must remember that this world is not our permanent home. We have a home not made by hand but we have become so accustomed to this foregin land we live in and it gives us a false security of this place and space. The false sense lends itself to the fragility of humanity in a natural sense but it also lends itself to the beauty in eternity which we all have an invitation to if we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

A few months ago in the Lioness Queen podcast, I talked about being like a tree from Psalms 1:3 but this week I wanted to emphasize on another area from that same scripture that God showed me as we are talking about the seasons changing especially the season of autumn. The scripture reads “and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” When you look at Psalm 1, it is all about righteous versus unrighteous; good versus evil; blessing versus curses. David gives us in the first two versus an understanding of what righteous living looks like and as a result of this conditioning; one will be able to stand, grow, regenerate and prosper.


It is interesting David and Jeremiah use the same metaphor perspective of comparing humans to trees and it is also used in other accounts in the scriptures. The beauty for me in this metaphor is the underlying premise of regeneration of the tree and ourselves which is all connected to the source. As you think about the most critical time in a tree’s life span; one is easily prompted to think about the seasons of autumn and winter. It is the time of the year when a tree experiences the most drastic changes due to natural elements caused by temperature, moisture, sunlight, soil, etc. This does not mean that trees don’t experience natural changes during other seasons but autumn and winter are times when trees are the most vulnerable.


Research does show that trees have this inner mechanism that alerts them of the changes that are coming to protect themselves but at the same time trees know that if they stay connected to a source then their life can be regenerated even more than the previous year. Now if God can regenerate a tree; how much more can he regenerate you and what you are going through? It is all about our perspective!

Now the scriptures are clear in John 16:33 that in this life we will experience troubles but trust God because he has already overcome the world. This scripture alerts us that yes there will be things that come up in our lives that will throw us off. Every major obstacle that you have ever experienced in your life has all revolved around one word “change/seasons.” Acts 1:7 indicates that it is not for you to know times or seasons that will come up in your life but God has the final authority over them. If God has foreseen your future and if he is already aware of the changes or seasons that come up in your life then why fret because if he’s seen how it starts; there is also comfort in knowing he’s seen how it ends. What a powerful statement that if we stay connected to the source, we never have to worry because in the end there will be a brighter day. WE MUST HAVE THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE!


During this pandemic many believers have been scratching their heads in how could God allow this to happen? How could God allow all of these people to die, how could God allow leaders to be in a position that do not have a love for all people, how could all these innocent people die violently from individuals who are in authority positions to protect and serve communities, how could God allow all of this injustice to happen, how could God allow all of these family owned businesses to unfold and bankrupt, how could God allow all of this domestic violence to happen during the pandemic, how could God allow all these people to lose their jobs? There are so many questions that possibly could lead one to feel discouraged, disappointed, fearful, isolated, overwhelmed, uncertain, revengeful, hate, blame, shame, disillusioned, etc. but Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is very clear about times and seasons. The beauty in that scripture connects to a mindset that one must have and that is the mindset to STAND like a tree.


A tree may have the inner capacity to know a season is shifting but the tree doesn’t know year after year how bad the elements will be or even how bad it will lose parts of itself, leaves, branches, mold, diseases, and/or parasites. However, the only thing the tree knows how to do is to STAND; that is how God commanded and created it. The was only instructed to just STAND!!! Whew!!!! Yes just stand! See we on the other hand, have the Holy Spirit which is our inner mechanism that can provide comfort and help us to stand. What does stand indication; it indicates our faith. Standing is equated to faith!

The tree knows that no matter what life may throw at it; there will be another season; there will be regeneration at some point that God will restore whatever was taken, whatever was lost, whatever was damaged, whatever was destroyed, whatever was thrown away and Lioness Queen's that is called a faith mindset. Now trees do not have a mind like we do so why are we so caught off guard when the seasons changes, when a little wind blows in our life, when life throws us a curveball and we are thrown off balance? Consequently, we fail to stand, we fail to believe, we fail to trust in who he is, we fail to believe in his authority and we fail to know that he has already foreseen the end before the beginning. The question God is asking us today is what are you standing for? Often times we think standing involves us being an active participant but when a tree stands the only thing it does is stand; the only thing it does is wait for God to move; the only thing it does is anticipates a change in seasons, the only thing it does waits quietly while God shows himself strong but this is something humans struggle to do. We equate standing to being involved in the matter or situation when that is where we fail. It is not in the doing but the right perspective or mindset.


In this pandemic, how have you been standing during this season? Are you more fearful or are you believing in God’s unadulterated word that all things are working together? Are you doubting what you are seeing and hearing more than believing that God is a God of restoration and regeneration? If we have the mind of Christ (his perspective), we should be able to remember that God is a God of reconciliation, he is a God who can create from nothing, he is a God who can restore more than what was lost, he is a God who can give you back everything that the locust has eaten and consumed from you only if you STAND! In other words you must believe Lioness Queens.


There may be things going on right now in your life that have you unsettled, discouraged, fearful and doubting who God is but I am here to declare to you that God is a God of regeneration, restoration, and reconciliation only if you believe or should I say Stand! When a tree stands, it just indicates that the tree believes in its source that a brighter day is coming. God doesn’t ask much from the tree and doesn’t ask much from you either. God is only asking you to believe in him, he is not asking for you to be strong, he is not asking for you to help him figure it out, he is not asking you to use your skills or your money to help, he is not using you at all but this is the problem we face in living in this foreign land so long. We feel so independent in this life that we often think we need to do something when God just wants us to stand. Unfortunately, this pandemic has tested our independence, faith within ourselves, everything that we have believed, our financial source that we thought we had, our relationships or lack thereof, the fragility in mankind but the testing of our faith produces steadfastness (the ability to STAND) which is a faith mindset….which is the only perspective God wants us to learn during this season. Definitely this season was never intended for your demise but to wake us up in knowing who we are, who we believe in and who God is to us. Amen!!


Regeneration, restoration and reconciliation can only happen when we come to the end of ourselves and realize all we need to do is STAND! It is okay to be vulnerable and show your fragility because God doesn’t need any superheroes; he just needs people to deny themselves, surrender to him and lay naked before him in a way that shows your surrender so you can be all he called you to be. What is your perspective today Lioness Queens? Do you have a perspective that no matter what life throws your way, you know what you are dealing with right now is only temporary? Say it to yourself! What I am dealing with right now is only temporary. Say it again! What I am dealing with right now is only temporary. The season you are in right now is only temporary Lioness Queens, God just wants you to STAND today! Your perspective should only be to STAND and let God fight your battles for you, let God do all the work, he just wants you to get out of the way so he can do it. 


Lioness Queens, God is going to use you like never before but regeneration, restoration and reconciliation is coming only if we stand. It is time for God to build up your spiritual immune system for the purpose in your life with the right perspective!

 "Do You Have the Right Perspective?"


September 10, 2020


Our theme for this month is all about perspective. It is so critical on how much our perspective determines how we process our life, process life around us and process how we view God. This topic is so relevant to everything that is going on in the world in this season of 2020.


If you have ever listened to one of the Lioness Queen podcasts, you already know Rev. Dr. Marisha loves starting out reflecting on a poem that connects to the theme for the month. Here is a poem that gives a great insight on the thoughts we fight in our head that can shift our perspective about ourselves.


"A Life in Progress"

By: Krista O’ReillyDavi-Dagui


Fear is loud and bossy.

She can be vicious at times.

And the worst of it is that

She is often mingles truth with fiction

But you must learn to challenge

The stories she feeds you.

You get to be the boss of your thoughts.

You can learn to question

Whether or not

Everything she tells you is truth,

Whole truth,

And nothing but the truth.

Since you have done the work

To deepen self-awareness

And self-compassion,

When she throws all your past failings

In your face you won’t crumble

Because you already know you are imperfect

AND you are beautiful

And resilient

And worthy

Of a building

Thoughtfully crafted life.


This poem is a great segway into the theme for the month with having the right perspective. The part of the poem that says “we must challenge the stories she feeds us, and we get to be the boss of our thoughts.” Yaaassss!!! We need to be more in control of the things we think about especially as it relates to negativity. This is where we have the most trouble with our perspective because we often believe the lies of the enemy and false narratives not realizing we always have control of your thoughts. God is a gentleman. He is a God of freedom and so he doesn’t use manipulative ways to control us. This is indicative of our free will; we have control over ourselves but often in our lives there is a specific word that gets us stuck in a place where we feel inhibited to do things. The inhibition to do, to conquer, to overcome, to heal, to forgive, etc all stems from this little word. As you read the items below, you will be able to identify with some of these sayings that we have all said either verbally or to ourselves that have inhibited our perspective.

  • I cannot stop certain thoughts
  • I cannot change the bad experience
  • I cannot stop what they are doing
  • I cannot stop being addicted
  • I cannot stop feeling this way
  • I cannot get a handle on my emotions
  • I cannot stop thinking about it
  • I cannot stop things from happening to me
  • I cannot change what they did to me
  • I cannot stop the negative thoughts

I am sure you figured it out but the word “cannot” sadly has infiltrated our subconscious in a way that we think and say more about what we cannot do than what we can do. If that is the case then who is actually in control? When we say we can do all things through Christ but consistently contradict God’s word, what happens to the power in that word? Have you ever thought about how many times you have said or thought the word ”cannot” versus what you can do through faith. Honestly, I believe all of us would be flabbergasted as to the amount of times that word has come out our mouth. In God’s eyes this equates to the number of how many times we have discounted his word. The question is why does that little word have so much power over us? Where did we learn the word from? Why does it have the ability to change your perspective? Have you ever thought about who controls your thoughts, emotions, feelings, and behaviors?


Let’s go all the way back to our childhood. Think about when you were growing up and how often you hated being controlled by your parents especially if you were a strong willed little person. The rambunctious child who never wanted to follow the rules or even the sneaky teenager who thought they knew everything. But no matter what, you knew that one day, you would be in control of yourself. You knew that one day you didn’t have to follow any rules in your house. One day you would live on your own, not required to make up your bed after you get up, not required to clean your room once a week, or didn’t have to wash the dishes after you ate. If this was your thought process as a child then there was an element in you that wanted to have the authority to control your life: mind, body and soul. When we were children, we weren’t afraid of anything until a circumstance altered our perspective. Normally as young people we are unstoppable and could believe in anything regardless as to what we saw or heard. We didn’t even realize the faith mindset we had as children but sadly often family, friends, and even authority figures have been the reason for the shift in our perspective.


Honestly, there shouldn’t be a difference in wanting to be in control of your life as a child and being in control of our life as an adult. What is the disconnect? Why do we allow circumstances to alter our perspective in a way that strongly influences and controls aspects of who we are? How is it that we allow experiences to shape how we think, how we feel and how we behave. We even allow the experiences of others to shape how we think, feel and behave. This perspective has the notion that we are our circumstances, trauma, tests, trials, and tribulations. Some kind of way we have allowed our subconscious to believe that we are our circumstance which is far from the truth. The reason for the disconnect is all about our faith or lack thereof. Sadly, this perspective has been taught to us subconsciously and we didn’t know it.


Let’s look at the scripture

2 Peter 1:5 - 9 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.


In this scripture, Peter gives the christian virtues that everyone should pursue. Remember perspective is all about a disciplined faith mindset that God has already made provision for you to be able to accomplish as a believer. During this time, Peter is addressing a lot of the false teaching that was going on during that time. I honestly believe over the years, there has been a lot of subliminal deceptive teachings and ideologies that have gone forth in the world and even in the kingdom to water down the truth in God’s word. As a result, due to the deception and subliminal subtle messages, many have believed the false narratives and lies in their identity and their relationship to God. And this stance or belief system in the subconscious, opens the subconscious in a way that exacerbates our feelings, emotions, thinking and behavior over the truth in God’s word, over who we believe in, over who we are connected with, over our discipline to have the mind of Christ, over how we are suppose to pursue specific virtues because we are his children but it only can happen with the right perspective or in other words a discipline faith mindset.


The scripture starts out with that we are supposed to supplement our faith with and that is God’s “virtues.” The first virtue the scripture starts out with is “knowledge” which encompasses who God is; he is the living truth. Then the last virtue Peter talks about relates to God’s number one commandment and that is love. He starts with the word and ends with how we are to love others as we love ourselves. Having God’s virtues privies us to have access to everything we need. When you live based on God’s truth and walk out your life in love then your perspective will realign with the right perspective and a disciplined faith mindset.


We must be reminded that provision has already been made to handle our thinking, feelings and behavior. If this is the case, then why do we allow circumstances to shape these three areas in our life when we have access? In 2 Peter 1:1, Peter mentions that faith is given; it is a gift to believers and so it is the acceptance of this faith that walks us into a perception of who we are in the world and the power we have within. God does not require us to have faith without him and it is through him that we have the right perspective and disciplined faith mindset.


Now at times we can feel overwhelmed, anxious, traumatized, devastated, lost, and fearful for various reasons. This happens to all of us; no one is exempt from trials and tribulations. 1 Peter 1:6-7 says that sometimes our faith is tested and tried but on the other side of the coin it is strengthened as well and through this strengthening we have the ability to control our thoughts, emotions and behaviors but it requires the application of hearing and walking out the word of God which ultimately shows our character, it shows who we re in him. This is faith! We cannot allow any circumstances we go through to control how we think, feel or act when we use our faith. Our response to circumstances proves the character of our faith which shows our fruit or lack thereof.

In addition, when we do not have faith then we become nearsighted and allow subliminal and carnal messages to begin to take root in our subconscious. As a result, we fail to believe, fail to walk in God’s character virtues, fail to believe in who we are through him and fail to believe in what he can do. In other words, our nearsightedness of our circumstance can impact how we attach the circumstance to our identity. We attach it almost like it's another person living inside of us. It is a label that for some odd reason we want to carry the load and burden of it. Almost as if the attention from the negative circumstance boosts our self esteem in a way. Everything boils down to our faith; the gift God has given all of us freely… When we appropriate our faith leaning on his understanding not our own then we will begin to have the right perspective. What perspective do you have today about your life or your circumstances? Do you have a nearsighted birds eye view or a broad farsighted view?


If you think about God’s view from heaven. Is he really looking at your circumstance with a magnifying glass so that he can see things close up or is he looking from a broader objective perspective or view knowing that the circumstance will work together for you good? Now let me be very clear; God is concerned about everything that concerns us. He is a God who walks with us every step of the way and intercedes for us when we are so overwhelmed and do not have the words to say or pray. God knows that circumstances can be overwhelming just like they were overwhelming to his son and Jesus asked 3 times to take the cup from him. But even in the midst of our trials, God is always with us. We must be reminded that faith is an assurance that provision has already been made for you. It was made for Jesus before, during and after his death and it has been made for you. So when we face circumstances here are some things I would say from a Romans 8:28 perspective pops up in God’s faith mindset that he is asking you:


  • What did you learn about you that needs to change?
  • How can the circumstance bring me glory?
  • How did you grow spiritually?
  • How did the circumstance bless someone else?
  • How did you bless the one who hurt you?
  • How did you change your mindset to believe more in the supernatural power of God?
  • How did the trauma from your childhood push you into your purpose?
  • What fear did you overcome?
  • What did you learn more about who I Am?
  • What did you learn more about what I can do for you in your weakness?


I could go on and on but when you are too close to a circumstance you are blindsighted from seeing all of the endless possibilities, opportunities and blessings that can evolve as a result of experiencing the circumstance but it is all about your faith and it's your faith that determines your perspective. My question for you today is how is your perspective on your life right now, on the world and on your faith in God? If you are allowing the circumstances in your life to shape your thoughts, feelings or emotions then you have a nearsighted perspective.


Here is an exercise I want you to do.

For the next 6 days journal about the following ways how God can help you gain the right perspective over your life. It is not enough to know God can help you in any circumstance but we forget that it is not based on our strength but his strength. The energy from faith comes from him as your source not from within ourselves but it is the connection you have with him. Oftentimes we need to be reminded that when we have the right perspective then God can show himself strong in our lives.


Day 1

Knowing God has already made provision for you. Write about what provisions God has made for you over the years past, present and future. Reflect on these provisions and remember that if he did it before, he can do it again. He is a God that doesn’t have favorites; you will always be his special gift. Remember the right perspective is receiving the gift of faith and applying it to your circumstance.


Day 2

Knowing all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 is a powerful scripture with the right perspective. Write about a setback you experienced that the enemy tried to stop your from moving forward. Then write down all of the miraculous wonders that came as a result of your experiencing that setback?


Day 3

You are never at the mercy of your circumstance because God’s grace is sufficient for you and his strength is made perfect in your weakness. Write about a circumstance in your life when you felt your weakest. Then write how God came in and showed himself strong in the circumstance without your help, skill, or ability. Remember your weakest moments are the times when God endows us with the strength we need to believe and have the right perspective.


Day 4

Philippians 4:8 tells you what to think about and if you look at the list. The first item God tells you to think about is his TRUTH=THE WORD OF GOD! If you look at the list of ways we are supposed to think from this scripture, write about what you think is the most challenging to do and how you can surrender this over to God to do it. Always thinking positive is challenging especially when you are not facing the best of circumstances. There are things from this scripture that will not always be in the forefront of your thinking but when the negativity thoughts arise declare the word of God over that circumstance immediately. It is time we stopped listening to the voices in our head and declaring the word of God over our life. Just as the world was spoken into existence, it is time for us to speak life into ourselves in a way that triggers our subconscious to line up.


Day 5

Renew your mind daily in order to be continuously disciplined in your thinking. The enemy will always try to get you offset and distracted. Write about a circumstance you thought you were delivered from but then a trigger popped up in your subconscious and took you 10 steps back. Write down your triggers and ways you can overcome them with affirming God’s word. Remember the enemy is always on his J-O-B but it is your job to know that he has had the same tricks since the garden of Eden. He cannot make you do anything against your will. The only trickery he has is to plant suggestions and seeds to see if they will grow. It is your job to know how to fight his devices with the word and the armor of God. You have a uniform but we need to use it.


Day 6

Remember you are not your circumstance! Lastly, list 25 affirmations that are contrary to your circumstances. God never intended for circumstances to become our identity but when we do not have the right perspective we open our subconscious up to believe something God never intended us to believe.


Lioness Queens it is time to use the gift God has given us to have the right perspective about our life, the world and who God is to you. We are too consumed with what is going on in the world right now and do not have the right perspective about the pandemic, political, racial, health, disparities, inequality issues and the biggest issue we always say is that “we will never get back to norm.” Again it is all about our perspective; maybe God wanted a better norm, a better appreciation for all people, a better healthcare system, better police departments, better school system, better prison systems or even better political system. No matter what, it is time to use our faith and believe God has everything in control and that should be our perspective….it should not be what we “cannot” do but what we can do through Christ.


Amen!

Tribute to Chadwick Boseman - "The Right Perspective"

September 1, 2020

I want to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman. Due to the unexpected passing of this young man, I felt the need to pay tribute to him and who he was. Although I didn’t know him personally I truly believe that he gives me a perspective on life in a way that you must treasure every movement and live your life to the fullest. The only way to do that is with the proper perspective. I truly believe how we think and how we believe is all based on our perspective on ourselves, our perspective about the world and our perspective of God.


I love poems and quotes but I found a poem on google with an unknown author that I feel epitomizes how Chadwick Boseman lived his life.


“An amazing thing happens when you get honest with yourself and start doing what you love, what makes you happy. You stop wishing for the weekend. You stop merely looking forward to special events. You begin to live in each moment and you start feeling like a human being. You just ride the wave that is life, with this feeling of contentment and joy. You move fluidly, steadily, calm and grateful. A veil is lifted, and a whole new perspective is born.” Unknown Author


This poem was truly heartfelt and gives us insight into how Chadwick Boseman lived in a way that we must embrace every moment. Of course it is easy to embrace the high moments but we also must embrace the low moments as well when we don’t feel like it; when we don’t see it; when we struggle to believe it; we must still embrace the moment and the only way to embrace the moment is to have a certain perspective about life.


Everyone was so caught off guard by this young man’s unexpected death. Although it's unexpected to us; things are never unexpected to God. He knows our death date even before we are born. The dates have already been set but the question is for you “how thick is your dash?” What I mean by your dash is the line that people see in between your birth date and your death date. What have you contributed to the kingdom? What difference have you made in the world for the better? Who did you help along the way? What change agent did you become to create something new? I can go on and on but sometimes it is not about how much time we have in this foreign land but it is the thickness of the dash that makes the difference.


We all can attest to experiencing Chadwick Boseman’s dash… He had some amazing roles representing some amazing African Americans in our world...i.e., his roles in 42 portraying Jackie Robinson, Get Up portraying James Brown, Marshall portraying Thurgood Marshall and let’s not forget our remarkable portrayal of T’Challa in Black Panther. I have been researching his life and it’s extraordinary how many celebrities commented on him as a man. People who knew him raved over the free spirit this young man had; how noble and humble he was; what a generous and awesome human being he was; what a light he was to the world; the big heart he had; and a brilliant and one in a lifetime talent. Let me share what Oprah Winfrey said "What a gentle gifted SOUL. Showing us all that Greatness in between surgeries and chemo. The courage, the strength, the Power it takes to do that. This is what Dignity looks like."


This man dealt with an aggressive illness while STILL creating greatness all at the same time. This gives me goose bumps…. This is what I call perspective. Chadwick Boseman had a perspective before he was diagnosed and even after diagnosis and still did not discount his perspective. He realized that everyday is a gift, everyday should be embraced but more importantly he realized that everyday was an opportunity for him to shine his light.


After hearing that this man had been battling over the past 4 years with colon cancer and still pressed his way to making 5 star eye dropping movies leaves me speechless. A man who did not allow an illness to change his perspective of who he was and who he could become. He made a conscious decision to not take roles that would portray him as a negative stereotypical African American male. He wanted to make a difference. He wanted to make a change and wasn’t willing to settle just because. He had a perspective that one day a change would come; one day he would get roles where he was portrayed in a positive way; one day he would be someone young African Americans could look up to. One day he believed that his purpose would be fulfilled. This is what you call perspective! And what was the perspective, you ask? His purpose being fulfilled and believing even when you can’t see, believing even when you don’t have the money, believing even when you feel your lowest, believing in spite of the distractions going on, believing even when your body is in pain and believing even when evil is all around. It is your perspective on you, the world and how much you trust God in the storm, in the adversity, in the loss, in the pressure, in the trauma, in the set backs… Your purpose is birthed from pushing, contractions, pressure, tiredness, pain….and this man pushed his way to greatness.


In this life the word is very clear that we will have trials and tribulations but then it says no matter what life throws at you be of good cheer for God is with you… I am not sure if you are familiar with cancer, surgery, treatment but it takes a big toll on your body…. If we think about ….we will never really know how his body responded to chemo treatment, how the strong medicines made his hair fall out, how strong the medicine was that upset his stomach, if he couldn’t keep food down and didn’t have an appetite, if he was constantly nauseous from the chemo, if infections occurred from all his surgeries, if he had headaches and migraines, difficultly sleeping, and how weak chemo made him. We will never know because this honorable man had a perspective that no matter what was going on with him, everyday when he got up was an opportunity to create greatness. In the face of adversity this man still knew there was a purpose to be fulfilled. He still knew he needed to let his spirit shine. He didn’t allow his condition to dictate his purpose because he knew a God that would give him the strength he needed to fulfill why he was placed on this earth…. What about you? Are you going to allow your situation to dictate your purpose? Are you going to allow you loss to stop you from your destiny? Are you going to allow your setback to stop what God purposed you to do?


We need to learn from Chadwick Boseman because it was his perspective that helped him create greatness in the midst of adversity. What about you? When are you going to stop wallowing and complaining about stuff that does not matter. Chadwick Boseman was a man who fought the good fight of faith, who created a legacy for young people of color, who impacted the world, who was a change agent to change how African Americans are viewed in society but what about you? When are you going to stop complaining about things when you can be creating greatness yourself. There is always a seat at the table for everyone but only if you have the right perspective to believe you are purposed for destiny. You can’t believe if you do not have the proper perspective about who you are, your purpose in the world and your faith in God.

I must say as I am reflecting on my life and the things that I have been through, I must say that I have no reason to NOT work on my dash, my purpose, and my destiny. What about you? We have no excuse… It is unacceptable to sit back and watch life go by when there is greatness in us to change the world.


So today Chadwick Boseman we honor you, your legacy and your humble spirit that changed the world better. We appreciate your sacrifice, your impeccable gift, your incomparable talent; your unstoppable grit, your never ending drive, your supernatural creativity, your stunning wit, your flawless character, your determination to not fit in the status quo, your unmeasurable love to change the world for your community. I can go on and on but you will always be a hero and not because you portrayed Black Panther but perspective on yourself, on the world and your faith shines brighter than any Marvel character. You are a true man of valor whose character will always shine onto future generations...that my friend is a true superhero. Thank you for giving hope to young people that shows them with determination, grit, drive, and sacrifice; dreams do come true. Thank you! We love you! We will miss you but I truly know that we will never be the same because of the dash you left the world. 

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