I was having a great conversation with someone earlier this week, and the Lord dropped a thought in my heart. He said, “there’s a difference between an opportunity and a distraction.” That difference is based on knowing who you are.

Distractions look alike like opportunities. They can even keep us occupied tending to them which can give off the appearance that we are busy, and our calendar is booked, but we are distracted. Distractions throw us off course from our original purpose and assignment from God. They feel and sound good but don’t agree with God’s identity for our lives.
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The first place to identify whether it’s an opportunity or a distraction is to be solid in our God-given identity. We must know our lane. From there, we can allow Holy Spirit to navigate us. This is not to say that every invitation we don’t agree with is evil. It just simply means that it’s not always our grace to operate in. We must be humble enough to admit when someone else is a better fit for the invitation instead of operating in pride, making something be what it is not.  

We love answering people’s problems. We love having right words to say. We love helping people figure things out. We don’t know how to handle moments when we don’t have the answers.

There will be a time, if you haven’t already experienced it, that you will not have the right words to say or any at all. You won’t know how to help. You won’t know what to do.

When you experience this, that is not the time to conjure anything up or try to make something happen. That is not the moment you try to give an answer to prove you know something. That is the time to remain still, to simply listen, to just be present, to simply not do anything not led by Holy Spirit.

Honestly, when things happen, we can say and do some irrational things when our ego leads us. Our ego can even lead us to think that we’re not doing anything just because we can’t help solve the issue the way WE want to.
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A sobering truth is though sometimes we act like we are, we’re not God. We don’t have all the answers, and we never will. We can’t solve every problem. There would be no need for faith if we could. Lean on the One who knows everything and knows how to solve everything. 

“The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. 23 But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!” This is Matthew 6:22-23 in the AMP version of the Bible.

I’m reminded of a very sobering statement my husband made a few days ago. “You will eventually find what you’re focusing on.” The question now is do you want to find what you’re looking for? How is your vision? How is your ability to see God in challenge, in adversity, in trials and tests?

The Scripture talks about being spiritually blind. There’s the obvious definition of being blind, but the one I want to share is, “unable or unwilling to discern or judge.” This speaks volumes!

Here’s a potent and sobering thought. The reason why the enemy keeps sending the same lies to us is because we don’t discern or judge them as lies. We just continue to allow them to be suggested to us and they eventually live in our minds with the intent of forming a mentality! This is the gateway to spiritual blindness! As long as we won’t challenge those lies or thoughts and lead them away captive to the knowledge of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5), they will continue to come with the hopes of anesthetizing us (putting us to sleep) until we start to get comfortable with them! Then we settle in them until we build our lives around them. This is not the will of God!
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It’s time to get our focus back! Stop believing every lie the enemy brings to you! Open your eyes. God has a great plan for your life. The best is ahead of you. Stop grieving over the past and believe that God has better for you. You are loved by God! 

One of my favorite Scriptures is Ephesians 5:15-17. “Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], 16 making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.”

Living this life is not some walk in the park. It takes courage to find your identity and purpose in God. The Scripture tells us to not live vague and thoughtless lives. Vague simply means, “to not have a precise meaning.” In other words, living a vague life is living without an aim, without a reason and cause that is greater than yourself. How are you spending your time? Are you living according to your God-intended purpose?

It’s a dangerous thing to live a vague life. It’s dangerous to follow trends and not God’s will for our lives. Trends are catchy, but they’re also distracting. Of course, not all trends are bad, but good doesn’t always mean God.
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Do you know that God has a plan for your life? He wants you to be confident in being who He has called you to be so you will be able to handle what He’s called you to do with His motive. People are waiting on you to access the real you. 

Say there’s a computer with at least ten tabs open. The more frequent the computer has this many tabs open can eventually slow down the memory and speed of the computer. I liken the tabs on the computer to the tabs of the mind.

Like a computer, the tabs represent tasks performed. The more tabs we have open in our minds can eventually slow down our ability to hear the Holy Spirit and open ourselves up to anxiety. Multi-tasking is ok, but it’s much better to perform a task one at a time.
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Are you stretched doing too many things at once? Step back, look at what tabs you have open, and assess them. Will it mean anything five years from now? Does it sow into your purpose? The Holy Spirit will give instructions on how to not only balance but prioritize your life.
 

How many times have you enlisted in a battle that’s not your assignment? Do an assessment of your life. Have you found yourself fighting for those who won’t fight for themselves, or being involved in something that is not your business? Have you gotten so upset about something until it ruined your whole day, only to find out that you don’t even have a relationship with the person you’re upset about? Be careful because this is a time leak. It’s a warfare tactic to wear out the saints. I believe that one of the main goals of the enemy is to keep us occupied and busy fighting something until the assigned challenge comes and we’re too tired to fight.

Yes, have empathy. Yes, have compassion. But be wise in your choice of battles. Your purpose and assignment depend on you being led by the wisdom of God and not the flesh. Every raised tone of voice is not for you to react or clap back. I know it’s a human desire to prove to people not to overstep their boundaries with you but think about the power of a life that is focused and submitted to the Father. Be so focused on doing your Father’s will that you have no energy for old cycles and old conversations.
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The time has come for you to be who God called you to be. Your children are depending on it. The church is depending on it. The world is depending on it. God is waiting on you. Let’s go. 

It is after Christmas, but the festivities are not over! As a matter of fact, because of Christ, there is a constant celebration! And in this blog, I want to encourage and celebrate you whose reading this! I want you to know that you can, you will, and you shall!

When Jesus was born, our identity was born, greatness in and through Him was born, the ability to overcome was born. Victory was born, stability was born, peace was born. I can go on and on! Jesus made it possible for us to overcome.

I know that everyday is not sunny in your soul, and every challenge is not over with overnight, but greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world! This blog is not focusing on doors opening and opportunities coming about, though they will, but I want to focus on being able to live whole, live free, and live in the peace of God.

There is a you God created. That person is free from the distractions of this world. And what they offer of themselves is not only authentic but powerful, potent, and impactful. I challenge you to allow God to unfold His identity in you. Let Him peel the layers of hurt that have been suffocating your growth and well-being.
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You are worthy of His love and you are worthy to walk in the freedom Christ died for you to have! The lie is not stronger than His Truth. The illusions are to keep your mind distracted so you won’t see what God has provided for you. I admonish you today to decide to receive and walk in freedom today! 

You are uniquely special, an original design, one in whom God has placed a specific identity.  You’re not like anyone else and that’s how God intended. Your identity is as unique as your fingerprint.

Insecurity has been here since the beginning of time. It happened between Jacob and Esau, and it still happens today. Unfortunately, we can still exchange our God-given identity for a “pot of soup,” digesting what is not in God’s will for our lives. Believe it or not, it seems easy to stomach the lies now, but when they get into the digestive system of our souls, it becomes very bitter and grows like a disease. It can infect other areas of our lives.

When we try to be like someone else it’s saying that who God has called us to be is not enough. Spiritual plagiarism is copying someone’s every move in an attempt to receive the attention and notoriety they get. But the anointing doesn’t fall on who we pretend to be, only on who we really are in Him.
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You are enough just the way God made you. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Those who are truly supposed to be in your life will be connected to you because of who you really are, not who you pretend to be. 

 There are many lessons in nature. It’s amazing what we learn just by watching everything God created be submitted to His will and plan. One of my favorite times of the year is Fall, and something beautiful happens – the leaves change color and begin to drop off the tree over time.

Because there are changes in the length of daylight as well as cooler temperatures, the chlorophyll (food-making substance) breaks down in the leaves. This is what causes the change in leaf color. I’ve learned that there are some things I need to stop feeding. Those things started with internal frustration as an indicator. I didn’t like it, but I still gave life to it. I still tolerated it. I still allowed it. But in the Fall season of life, I’m learning how to let the chlorophyll of my soul stop feeding what is ready to drop.

After the leaves change color, they fall to the ground so in the Spring they can grow new leaves with a fresh food supply. May we understand that the sufferings (giving up, letting go) of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed.
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What are you holding on to that’s killing you? Can you receive the grace to operate in freedom from that toxic thought or relationship? The Truth has an assignment. Let Him make you free. 

Many of us have heard the phrase, “trials come to make you strong.” While this is true, it’s also challenging to have a good attitude while facing a trial. As a matter of fact, hardly any of us would like to go through any trials. But God allows some of them to happen in our lives. They strengthen us for the journey ahead.

What I’ve discovered is that trials make us stronger for the promise that’s coming. When we make our requests known we many times struggle with impatience because we think it should happen in our timing and on our pace. But when it doesn’t, we blame God or accuse Him of not hearing us. The Truth is that He heard our prayers the first time, but we must be strengthened for what we are asking for.
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See, the promise has more weight than the trial. It takes responsibility to manage more. It’s not a walk in the park. It’s not some DIY spiritual project. We’re truly being led, groomed, and matured by the Holy Spirit to handle what we’re having faith for. So if there is a promise in your life that has not come to pass yet, count it all joy because the trials you’ve gone through will strengthen you for the manifestation! Selah.