30 Day Fast: The Toughest Fast I Have Been On (Part One)

30 Day Fast: The Toughest Fast I Have Been On (Part One)

First I want to say hi to those who may be new to the Monday’s Life Blog. Make sure you learn all about Monday’s Life Here. I hope you will enjoy taking this journey with us of making Monday a great day.

In the month of June, The Lord told me to prepare for a 30-day fast in the month of July. I knew that the fast was coming because then I was feeling very emotional and burned out. I was not connected to God and I know when I feel this way, The Lord wants my attention. I have been more preaching and teaching than usual and in that, every time I finish preaching or teaching, I would feel discouraged and would be very hard on myself. So imagine preaching 4-5 times in one month and feeling down after each event. That was taking a toll on my emotions. I began to question a lot of stuff include His existence. I remember at the end of 2017, I felt the same way and The Lord shifted my life tremendously by showing Himself to me. So I knew something was about to happen during this 30-day praying and fasting moment.

So before entering the fast, I had an expectation that God was really going to show  Himself to me! I mean a tangible moment. Little that I knew, the Lord began to show me myself! Ugh! The Lord began to show me what was really in my heart. He was showing me how to become a better leader. When I am faced with situations and they do not go as well, I am always very hard on myself. The Lord ALWAYS jump on my case about handling situations better and be the bigger person in an argument. Even if I am in the right! That was the hardest because I felt since I am in the right, I do not need to apologize. I did not even need their apology. I said what I said. Well, that did not sit well with The Lord and told me fix a situation that occurred during the fast. I said to The Lord, “I will not apologize!” Instantly I felt the anger of God and I heard, “You will not have good sleep until you do”. For two days I did not have good sleep! He literally placed me in a situation that I had no choice but to apologize and it literally shook the mess out of me! But once I apologized, The guilt from myself and anger of The Lord went away.

From this, He began to teach me about leadership. I would always say you will never know what type of leader you are until you are placed in situations to be a leader. I realized in many situations that I was not a good leader. Even though I had people looking up to me, I just did not handle situations in a godly manner. Even if peers around me agreed, God did not agree! God told me the one thing that I was missing in my leadership style was LOVE & COMPASSION! It was not like I did not love the people that I was leading, I did not have a drop of compassion when it came to them not carrying out assignments. My motto was: You only have one chance to mess up big or not complete an assignment when told. That sounds tough but my belief was we are all adults, we should not have to be told twice to do something and if you have a problem, lets talk about it. If you need help, let me know. God began to show me that there are levels to maturity. There are people that will be vocal with their concerns and there are those who will sit there until someone approach them to see if they need help.

If we expect the church to fully operate in its capability, we have to love one another. Love rules all! God is love. We have to show love and compassion toward one another. As leaders we should always position ourselves to learn and we should always be in a position to assist and teach. This season of my life, God is teaching me about love, and I will teach about loving others. Even the most difficult people we encounter, we must love them as well. Even the people that talk about you in your face and behind your back, we must love. My heart is constantly being changed and The Lord is always showing me to myself. I am able to slow down in situations and hear from The Lord what to do rather than reacting so fast to the point where I would miss the instructions of God. What God suggest always goes against the human grain. But I know for sure, whatever God suggests, it is right and good. It is God!

Next week I will talk about what my fasting and praying entailed…

 

God WILL GIVE you the solution to a problem

God WILL GIVE you the solution to a problem

God WILL GIVE you the solution to a problem.

I remember I had to design project that I could not figure out how to do it. God showed me in a dream step by step on how to accomplish it. As I was waking up out the dream, I said “God show me again” and He did.

Instead of me spending hours and hours on a project, it only took me less the ten minutes to do.

If you have a difficult task in front of you, pray! God will give you the solution to your problem. The answer is right in front of you.

“Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭21:19‬ ‭NASB‬‬

I Do Not Want To Hear No More Prophecies!

I Do Not Want To Hear No More Prophecies!

Lately I have been faced with issues that I know the enemy is trying to put his hand upon. Usually when attacks from the enemy rises, we instantly back down and breakdown. I refuse to allow that to happen. God has so much in store for me and there are promises that are remained to be fulfilled.

Prophesy is so important because it is The Word of God being released and in timing be active in the atmosphere. Prophesy is for the believer to edify and uplift one another. God has given all believers the ability to prophesy at some level (Numbers 11:29).

I wanted to cancel hearing prophecy over my life because at one point I was receiving so much prophecy from others and when I saw it come to pass, it was a decoy! I followed the whole prophecy from the beginning to end. I was so hurt and discouraged that I said out of my mouth, I never want to hear another prophetic word from anyone. I was that mad. I told God that if it is not from God or my pastor, I do not want to hear it. God told me to think back to every word He has said to me from this last year and follow that. I read in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-20 says that, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt  but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. So I prayed to God asking if the word was given through someone you was from You or an evil spirit.

Every word you receive, it must be tested. in scripture it says that, “Beloved, do not believe every Spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).” Even those you may respect might be under the influence and do not know it. Test everything. No matter how credible the source may be, all given word must be tested. This is through praying and asking God for discernment. I believe The Lord allowed to go through this to increase my discernment and hearing from Him.

Here are some points when receive a word from God (source: BLB)

  1. Remember a prophet must not contradict anything God has previously revealed.
  2.  A prophecy must always points back to Jesus Christ.
  3.  A prophet’s life must be consistent with the prophecy he or she gives.
  4. Because someone meets the above criteria does not necessarily mean that the message is from God. The leaders of each particular assembly should be the ones who make the determination.
  5. Prophecies should be tested, and if they hold true, they should not be despised.

I am known in my church to do declarations. Usually I would read them from a book or The Lord would give them to me hot off the wire. For this current situation I am facing, the word of The Lord began to bubble up inside of me and I began to declare.  I encourage you to used the declarations over your life.

How do we recognize these satanic agents? By discernment.

I command all organized forces of darkness against my life to receive commotion, lightning and thunder, in the name of Jesus.

All demonic organized network against my spiritual and physical progress, be put to shame, in the name of Jesus.

I command all demonic mirrors and monitoring gadgets against my life to crack to pieces, in the name of Jesus

I command every agent of frustration to loose its hold over my life, in the name of Jesus.”

I cancel the assignment of spiritual spies that try to take spoken prophesy and manipulate it in the name of Jesus

I cancel the assignment of decoys that are trying to enter our lives in the name of Jesus.

We cancel backlash from this declaration in the name of Jesus.

We confuse the assignment of the satanic agents in the name of Jesus.

I command all evil records planted by the devil in anyone’s mind against my advancement to be shattered to pieces, in Jesus’ name

O Lord, catapult me into greatness as You did for Daniel in the land of Babylon.

O Lord, help me to identify and deal with any weakness in me that can hinder my progress.

I bind every strongman delegated to hinder my progress, in the name of Jesus.

O Lord, despatch Your angels to roll away every stumbling block to my promotion, advancement and elevation.

Let power change hands in my place of work to the hands of the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus.

I receive the mandate to put to flight every enemy of my breakthroughs, in the name of Jesus.”

I shall receive the prophetic word of the Lord and test it against what the Lord has told me and the Word of God.

I shall use discernment and follow the voice of the Lord

And it is so in the Name of Jesus

The Unfinished Directive- Don’t You Have Something To Do For God?

The Unfinished Directive- Don’t You Have Something To Do For God?

This weekend I met with one of my mentors. I knew that it was long over due to do a “check-in” because I have been off in certain areas of my life. So usually on Saturdays after church, I would go and do something else such as hanging out with the saints or go do work. But the Holy Spirit would not let me do anything else except to go and visit my mentor.

The last time I met with my mentor, I could not do anything but cry. But this time I felt better than before. I recently had a meltdown but kept it between God and I. But when I talked to her, she know exactly what I was still wrestling with and it was not doing what I was called to do. But here’s the catch: I thought I was doing what I was called to do. She says to me, “What good is the knowledge you obtain and keep it to yourself? You are a teacher right?” I rolled my eyes (smile)!

How many times have we bogged down our schedule to avoid what God is calling for us to do? I never really thought that I was not doing what I was supposed to do because I was making other things happen. Good works, but not God’s Appointed Work at this time. I was doing busy work rather than the work God wanted for me to do. My main gifting is teaching. I am learning that you cannot ask God what is next in your life if you have not done the first directive He has given you. We may dance around our directive and try to cover it up with “good works”, but the directive and demand is still out there. I believe that many of us experience chaos and uneasiness in our spirits because we have not allowed the priorities of God to become our priorities. When the command of God does not fit in our mold or will, we would quickly table it or dismiss it. There are some things that are purposely on hold because we have not done the first pre-requisite required to move on. If you are delaying what needs to be done, you are causing more trouble for yourself. Delayed obedience is disobedience.

It reminds me of a video game. When you are one level trying to go to the next, you get to the end of the level and ready to move on, you cannot because there was something you were suppose to do in order to move on. So you go back and scratch your head trying to figure out what did I miss? You say to yourself that you are ready to move on, but there is one thing you have to grab or do in order to move on. It could be a small directive. But that small directive can catapult you to where you need to be. It can cause you to skip a level or advance you further than you could imagine.

If we are one of God’s children, then we must be in obedience to his will on a daily basis. Luke 9:23 says that, “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” We must deny what we think is right. We must deny what we want to do and pick up the Will of God. For God’s Word and Will will continuously light up our pathway to the way that we need to go. Do not delay the directive God has given you. If you are in a standstill and cannot figure out why, go back and make sure you are carrying out or have already carried out God’s last directive for your life.

Marriage on Purpose: Can Love Sustain Without Purpose?

Marriage on Purpose: Can Love Sustain Without Purpose?

Why Are We Getting Married?

Lately the Lord is teaching me and cleaning up a lot of “myself”. I believe God is prepping me for what is to come. But I had an interesting conversation with a dear friend about marriage. She posed the question asking would you get married outside of love? I instantly said no. But when I went home the Lord began to talk to me more about it. 

In Genesis chapter 2, God declares it is not good for Adam (the first man) to live alone. All the animals are there, but none of them are a suitable partner for Adam. God, therefore, in a special act of creation, makes a woman. Just a few verses later, the woman is called “his wife” (Genesis 2:25). Eden was the scene of the first marriage, ordained by God Himself. The author of Genesis then records the standard by which all future marriages are defined: “A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

So here is what I got out of it. In Genesis 2, the Lord wanted to find a mate that was suitable for Adam. I got hung up on the word “suitable”. In other versions of the bible it says “complement”. God knows exactly what each of us need in life and He has formed and shaped suitable helpers for each other. When the woman was placed in front of Adam. Adam did not say that he loved her. God allowed him to realize that he needed her. He knew that she played a part of his purpose. There was a need: He was lonely and nothing around him could fulfill his emptiness. In Genesis 2:22 says that,

The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”

It does not say that Adam loved Eve, God presented Eve to her and He knew exactly who she was. Adam gave her name and she became his suitable help. She became his companion. He had someone to help him fulfill the purpose God gave Him. It was a purpose on why they became one. God understood that man needed someone to be with him and fulfill a void that God created inside of him. That is why Adam knew immediately that this woman could fulfill it.  What is the reason why God gave you a suitable helper?

The first thing that God found that was wrong with Adam was that he was alone (alone- All in one; isolation). He was complete, whole, and single. The proof that Adam was complete, whole, and single, God decided that he needed a mate. Adam did not realize that he was alone and single (Gen 2:18). Adam had no complaint about being single. He was fulfilling his purpose by naming animals and other beings.

The problem is that we think we are suppose to wait until God gives us someone to fulfill our purpose. You do not need anyone to complete you. While in the midst of you fulfilling your purpose, God WILL DECIDE when it is time for you not to be alone… not you. If you cannot handle the state of being single and the disposition of singleness, you are not ready for marriage. Singleness is the foundation of marriage.

So do we get married because of love? No. We get married because of purpose and assignment. There is a purpose why people get married and love is one reason, but not the main. Love comes and develops over time. If you do not have a purpose or a vision when getting married, can love sustain you? Without a vision, the people will perish. They will wonder around aimlessly and tossed to and fro. We have heard so many teachings about marriage but I believe marriage starts with a purpose and it is an assignment from God. Men and women both hold resources that can help one another to carry out the vision, purpose, and assignment from God. If it is ordained by God, then love will come automatically. The primary purpose of marriage is for purpose, fellowship, companionship, and mutual help and comfort that will last for a lifetime.

Let’s talk! What do you believe marriage is consist of. Can love sustain a marriage without the purpose of God?

 

I’ve Fallen But I Can Get Up!

I’ve Fallen But I Can Get Up!

We all have been at a point where we had fallen in sin and it felt like we were not able to escape. We had accepted the state that we were in to a point where it became the norm. Who was there for us to show us a better way? Did we have enough faith in God for Him to provide an escape for us? Did we want to take the path of escape? In 1 Corinthians 10:23, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

I’ve been a victim of being ridiculed and condemned of past sin that I had committed. There are many that have had the same experience. Going through the ridicule may have caused one not to be open about their weaknesses. Many may have wanted to find someone to confide in, but at the same time they may had been embarrassed to share their experience. We have walked around the same mountain of disappointment and many have seen us do it over and over again. Do they intervene or continue to watch us fall?  I have come to a point in my life where I have to show compassion for those who have fallen. I have to be able to extend a helping hand rather than a whip. Easily I can fall into sin. Who can i confide in when that happens? Scripture says that, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor 6:11)

Being in leadership, it is so easy to become cocky and cold-hearted. We set standards to others but fail to follow them ourselves. We are harder on those who exhibit their flaws rather than turning the mirror on ourselves and see what is wrong with us. I am learning in leadership to show more compassion for those who are struggling. The Love of God is the only way we can win others and help them to remain in God. In Jude 1:22 says that, “And have mercy on some, who are doubting.” Also Romans 15:7 says that, “Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory”.

You can get back up again, but the choice is yours. Words do hurt at times and can cause discouragement. But we have to remain focus on the promises of God. A paradigm shift or a change of point of view can cause us to focus on what God has to say rather than our peers. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says that, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” Romans 6:6 says that, “We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” We can get back up and we have to help one another to get up. Let us continue to pray for one another. Let us continue to extend a hand of grace and be accountable to one another. We are in the race together, not pushing one down to seem more righteous than others. We need one another spiritually healthy and ready to carry out the Will of God on earth. Pray for me as I continue to pray for you.

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