What's To Be Said About You?

I got a chance to visit a local church with some dear friends on yesterday. A young man (27-years old) brought forth the Word, as they were completing their Character Series at this particular church. His message was on the "Selflessness of Tabitha". When I looked at the leaflet for the service, I had no idea what I was in store for!

As he talked about Tabitha and her life, he gave her "two sentences": "In Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha; she was always doing good and helping the poor." (Acts 9:36)

When you look at the latter part of this description of Tabitha, it says that she was always doing good and helping the poor. Tabitha was a servant of the Lord who loved Him. She also graciously served poor people, especially the widows. In the midst of all of her "doing", she still prioritized RELATIONSHIPS! The preacher said: "Don't be so caught up completing tasks that you neglect relationships." I must say this was a serious point to ponder for me.

How often do we get so busy with work and outreach and just doing that we forget about or don't put as much effort and thought into relationships? Even in the midst of working, do we think about the lives we're impacting? I love my job, and I love my employer, for example. There are times where I consciously tap into the personal side of me in a meeting just to let the person(s) I'm meeting with know, that it's all good. We're talking about work, but I'm not neglecting the fact that we're all human. You know?

This message sparked something in me that had just subsided for a moment - focus on relationships...the RIGHT relationships at that :) I know I've gotten to a place where I've just stopped talking to some people. Then there are just some people that I don't talk to as much. Then there are those that I don't put as much effort into the relationships as I should. But all along, I've kept my hands to the plow working like it's nobody's business. Not only that, I HAVE been consumed with tasks. So...it's time for me to regroup!

At the end of the message, he asked us to think about our "two sentences" in the story that God is writing. I'm still thinking about mine, but I want to encourage you to think about yours, too!

In Him,
~Tee

No Need to Panic

I recall growing up in the heart of South Memphis. We went to camp at the community center EVERY summer. It was hot as ever, but it was so fun (playing watermelon seed, sliding on the aluminum slide, and lunches in the Styrofoam containers)! We would oftentimes take trips to the pool that was just a few steps from the community center. Before I knew how to swim, I made it a point to not go near the 12ft end, which is where the diving board was. Even if I were in the 5ft, I had to be so careful to not "slip over" into the deep end because I didn't know whether or not I'd panic or be able to hold myself up.

Spiritually, we find ourselves in this very situations sometimes...not wanting to launch into the deep things of God. He already tells us that our ways are not His ways, and our thoughts are not His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). But that doesn't mean that we can't dig deeper and want more of Him! We run into problems and panic when we lose our focus.

I'm reminded of the story in the Bible where Jesus bid Peter to come to him as He was walking on the water. The moment Peter saw the wind, he started panicking and began to sink. As long as Peter kept His eyes on Jesus, he, too, was walking on the water. Likewise, the more we keep our eyes on Him, the author and finisher of our faith, we will move forward and not sink! Glory to God!

Ephesians 3:20 (NLT): Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.


Psalm 121 (AMP): I will lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah]—From whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield]. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. 

While we may think sometimes we can't hold ourselves 'up' when we're going through or running this 'race', know that we have a comforter who's there...bidding us to come! Look to Him...He won't leave you nor forsake you...no matter how bad the storm is raging!

Be blessed,
Tee

Learning to be Content

I was in a work meeting earlier this week with a brother in the Lord. Close to the end of our meeting, I said to him that I just want my analysts to be "content" (pronounced kənˈtent) with a particular process. I honestly don't know where the word "content" came from other than the Holy Spirit, as I've never used that word in one of these meetings before.

When we hear the term "contentment" or "content", we think of it as a negative. Being content means being in a state of peaceful happiness. In Philippians 4:11, Paul said that he had learned to be content with "whatever state he was in". Here's the passage in context: 

Philippians 4:10-13 (NLT)
¹⁰ How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Think about that for just a moment. If we take the time to be content with where we are and/or with what we have, we'll be much better off. We may not have as much money as we want. We may not have the exact job we want. We may not even be in the type of relationship we want to be in. But when we embrace the fact that all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28), we know that it's really okay.

I think sometimes about where I am...the place I'm in. The moment I begin to allow the place to get me down, something stirs on the inside and reminds me that there's someone in a worse position than I'm in. So, my mindset and mood change almost instantly!

You may be asking yourself...'How do I learn to be content?' I know it's a lot easier said than done. But here are a few suggestions:

- Wake up every morning giving God praise and thanks for allowing you to see that day
- Focus on where you're going
- Literally look at what the Lord has done in, through you, and around you
- Look for the positive in every situation; think about what you can learn/gain from it
- When in what seems like a hardship or difficult situation, praise God right there and ask Him to sustain you

In summation, I'm learning (still) to be content with whatever state I'm in. You ought to try it. It's not as bad as you think. It's just a part of the process :)

Be blessed!
~Tee

Remember Whose You Are

As I stood in line today at a local Walmart, a lady dropped her keys in front of me. She began to stoop down and stopped. Seeing she was an older lady, I stooped down and motioned to get her keys. Looking me straight in my eyes and with the most evil tone, she said, "I don't need no strange person doing nothing for me. I can bend over." She then stomped her foot over her keys. I had the most shocked look on my face. She proceeded with her transaction, which was cashing a check. She then began staring at me...looking me over...and then threw a broken rubber band my way. The entire time, I had this shocked look on my face. I was thinking to myself, "It's so good to know Jesus cuz if this would have been a long time ago...". I'm sure some of you can finish that sentence! LOL!

When it was my turn, the young lady at the counter let out a loud "Whew" and began talking about how mean the lady was. My response - "She was evil." Both me and the young lady didn't allow the spirit in this woman to affect us. The young lady working in Walmart delivered good service to this customer regardless to her haughtiness towards her. I kept my composure and didn't "let this lady have it".

We are all going to be in situations where the spirit of God in us is tested. It is at these times where we have to remember whose we are. It's so easy to let loose and "let someone have it". What is this really going to accomplish? The reality of it is, while we may feel better emotionally, it's probably a missed opportunity to win someone to the Kingdom of God. I know...it's a lot easier said than done :) But we are encouraged to not repay evil with evil, but with kindness (1 Peter 3:9).

While it took me a minute to calm down after this, I was rejoicing spiritually. This was a sign of growth. For those that know me personally, they know that I have no problem telling someone how I feel or how they have affected me. This time was a bit different, though. I'm so glad the Holy Ghost in me STOOD UP at this very moment. The longer I stood in line, the following Scripture came to mind -

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13:1-2)

This encounter today has encouraged me to do just what the Word of God says...show hospitality to strangers. For all she knows, she encountered an "angel" today and didn't even know it! The principle of sowing and reaping is real (Galatians 6:7-9). I hope this posts plants a good seed in someone. Keep on doing good no matter what, remembering whose you are - a child of the Most High!

Abundant blessings,

~Tee

The Second Half...

For some reason, I'm elated the first half of the year is over. I had so much going on last month, for instance, until I didn't know whether I was coming or going most days. But yet and still, I persevered! And so did you! I feel so good about July and the days to come. I set some personal goals while on vacation a couple weeks ago, and I know that it's time to just get 'er done!

When I woke this morning, I literally heard, "SECOND HALF". I began thinking about a game and what usually happens in the second half. I'm inclined to share with you what dropped in my spirit as I tried to make sense of this 'second half':


You've come to a point where you have to step it up. You have to work harder than before, focus like never before, and undergird yourself with the Word and a different level of determination. There has been a point in this process where I spoke to you and gave you clear instructions. I gave you the plan to move forward and WIN! It's now up to you. You thought you were losing. But in actuality, you've been winning. Don't worry about them, they're just about wore out. They exercised all their energy trying to "get you". Now...here's what you do. Stick to the plan. Seek Me and yield completely to My will. You may very well get a little behind, but no worries...you'll come out with the victory. Listen to Me and trust Me.


Whew...now with that said, I feel a shift in my spirit today. And it's all for a good reason. I refuse to look back, turn back, or even run. I'm excited about the 2nd half, and I know that greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world! I know that my latter is going to be greater than my past. And my past will NOT speak to my future (thanks, Mom!).

Let's get ready for the challenge, (wo)man up, and give this second half all we've got. After all, it's all a part of the process.

I'm ready. Are you? Let's get it!
~Tee

Adversity...We All Have Our Share

Let's take a look at a few adversity quotes:

God brings men into deep waters not to drown them, but to cleanse them. ~James H. Aughey

Without a struggle, there can be no progress. ~Frederick Douglass

Adversity borrows its sharpest sting from our impatience. ~Thomas Hartwell Horne

No man can smile in the face of adversity and mean it. ~Edgar Watson Howe 

Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters. ~Victor Hugo

Every one of us is experiencing some type of adversity. Adversity is defined as a state, condition,or instance of serious or continued difficulty; hard time, difficulty, trouble,problem, frustration.

When we think about it, none of us want to deal with adversity. None of us want to go through a hard time. None of us want to be faced with the inevitable when we just feel like we’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. But know today that there IS hope. Know today that you can actually GET THROUGH.

There are many examples of those who dealt with adversity in the Bible - 

One example of adversity is exemplified in the life of Job.  Job was a rich, blessed man who feared God and lived righteously. In Job 7, Job said ’my suffering is comfortless’.  Verse 1 says - "Is there not a time of hard service for a man on earth? Are not his days also like the days of a hired man?"  Job clearly felt like a slave under tyranny of his master, longing for relief and reward.

Then over in Job 17, Job prayed for relief. He said…my spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me.  Job was going through and dealing with some serious adversity. But he continued to remain steadfast. He continued to be obedient to God. In the end, God answered Job.  The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning and he lived 140 years (Job 42:10,17).

Another example of adversity exemplified in the life of Jeremiah. When Jeremiah questioned God because of the adversity he faced, the Lord said in Jeremiah 12:5 - “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?"  God said to Jeremiah - How do you ever expect to face big challenges if the little ones weary you???

Life was extremely difficult for Jeremiah despite his love for and obedience to God. When he called to God for relief, God's reply in effect was, "If you think this is bad, how are you going to manage when it gets really tough?" Think about that for just a moment, if you think this little test is something, what are you going to do with the BIG one comes? I think about Sanford & Son. When Lamont would do something really crazy or Grady would just spur something on Fred, he’d say, "Oh Elizabeth honey, I’m coming to join ya. This is a big one!" LOL!

You may be going through what seems like ’the big one’, but God is telling us like he told Jeremiah - this is nothing! You’ve got to learn to cope with the little things so you’re able to cope and deal with the big things.

You may still question God sometimes as to why you suffer. Well, this is probably the only way God gets some of our attention sometimes! In suffering, we give our all to God because we want it to be over. It hurts so bad, and we just want it to stop. But…we suffer, and we are going to continue to suffer. 

A lot of times we think we suffer because of what someone else did. In churches a lot of time, we hear about generational curses. But…we may bring suffering upon ourselves. Dissipation and lack of discipline bring unhappy consequences. Long-term abuse of our bodies may bring on sickness. Wrong choices come back to haunt us.

Sometimes God is taking corrective action because of sin and disobedience. God will correct and discipline His own. Through chastening, He proves that He loves us and that we are truly His own (Hebrews 12:5-11).

God may permit suffering so we learn to respond to problems in a Biblical way.  Scripture tells us that Jesus “learned obedience from the things he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

Sometimes God permits us to suffer to teach us that pain is a part of life. Nowhere does the Bible say that the Christian will not suffer adversity! Paul points out in Philippians 1:29, KJV, that it is “given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” Adversity can be a gift from God.

God may permit suffering for our well-being. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV).

Sometimes God permits suffering to speak through our life and testimony to comfort others.   God might work in your life through suffering to inspire others by your example in adversity. Those who endure adversity can sympathize and identify more effectively with others in the irsufferings. We comfort others in the way we are comforted. 
Let us learn to not frown upon our adversity, but relish in knowing that it will only add integrity to our testimony. Hang in there...we're gonna make it! God will not bring you to it and just leave you there; He's going to bring you through it!

Blessings,
~Tee

Some Encouragement for Today

For the past week, I've started my day with Mary Mary's "Go Get It" by Mary Mary. Yes...I BUMP it bright and early in the morning, and I'll keep doing so every single day! It honestly makes a difference in how
my day goes!

We hear a lot about it's our time or it's our season. Sometimes, we hear that over and over and over again until we just believe that it's cliche'; it sounds good! It's your time or your season only if you believe it! Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there's a time for everything. So that means that everything that we encounter - weeping, joy, mourning, reaping, harvesting, etc. - is a part of God's divine plan for our lives.

We never know why we struggle or why we go through. I want to admonish you today that in your time of suffering, stop and think about something - there's someone that in worse shape than you! You can make up your mind to do something different and make a change FOR YOURSELF! If you want your financial position to change, establish a budget and stick to it. Use coupons, plans meals, eat out less (and/or use coupons!), save your change! Those are just a few tips I thought I'd throw out :) If you want to be more healthy, start exercising and changing your eating habits. You'll be surprised at how much a difference the smallest changes make!

So, get up. Dust yourself off. Pull out your vision board or your journal, and begin to speak what thus saith the Lord over your situation, over your life!Pray and ask God for direction and wisdom. Ask Him to order your steps and grant you favor, grace, and mercy along the way. Pray for discernment like never before. Pray for strength to endure! Go ahead my friend...go 'head and get your blessing. IT IS YOUR TIME! Are you ready? I am!

Abundant blessings,
~Tee