It’s the last day of May 2025 and instead of giving you all a story, a testimony or a lesson I want to give all of you, across the now 83 countries that this blog reaches, an opportunity. It’s the best opportunity that anyone can take advantage of, especially if you haven’t in your life as of yet. This opportunity is the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Salvation is the saving or deliverance from sin and its consequences, through God’s grace and forgiveness given to us because of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. It’s not something you have to strive or work for. You merely have to receive it by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
8 For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; 9 not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].
Ephesians 2:8-9AMP
Accepting the free gift of salvation doesn’t only save us from eternal damnation, it gives us eternal life. Meaning when we leave this earth after we pass on, we get the privilege to abide in the presence of God forever vs spending eternity in the midst of fire and brimstone in hell with satan. Sounds like an easy choice to make but I never want to assume that everyone has been presented with that opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Just 2 weeks ago my husband and I lost his mother and while it is a tremendous loss for us, we are grateful that we were able to make it in time to sit with her, pray over her, talk to her about Jesus and lead her in the salvation prayer because again we didn’t want to assume she had been presented with the opportunity. Even in moments when it was difficult for her to breathe she fought through repeating every single word of the salvation prayer. Even when my husband offered for her to communicate by tapping his hand, she wanted to say the prayer out loud. Nearly an hour after saying that prayer, my mother in love went to be with the Lord. While we were saddened, we knew according to Thessalonians 4:13 that we could weep and grieve with the hope and knowing that we will see her again when we get to heaven .
13 Now we do not want you to be uninformed, believers, about those who are asleep [in death], so that you will not grieve [for them] as the others do who have no hope [beyond this present life].
1 Thessalonians 4:13 AMP
The Bible says in Romans 10:9 that when you confess with your mouth and believe with your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him(Jesus) from the dead, you will be saved. Now if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity to receive salvation, I would like for you to join me in repeating this prayer that will change your life for the better.
9 because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 AMP
If you are ready to surrender your life to Jesus, Repeat This Prayer:
Dear God in Heaven,
I thank you for Jesus. I believe that Jesus Christ is your son. I believe Jesus died on the cross, paying the price for my sins. I believe you raised Him from the dead and He is alive right now. Dear Lord Jesus, come into my heart, come into my life, save me, forgive me, and make me brand new. I repent and turn away from sin. I surrender my life and choose to follow you for the rest of my days. According to the Bible, I am right now born again.
If you prayed that prayer, I want to congratulate you on making the best decision of your life!
I encourage you to join a Bible teaching church, if you are able to, and start studying God’s word. If you have further questions, please refer to the below links.
At this point, I think I can still say Happy New Year, given you haven’t heard from me since December 2024 :-)…
It has taken me quite some time to write this particular post since the beginning of January because, honestly speaking, I have not been exempt from trials in this season. In fact, many I know have also been going through their own set of trials, almost daily, since the start of the new year. But I will say this…God’s word never said we would have a life absent of trials, it did however say that He(God) would be with us through them (See Psalms 23:4).
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 23:4
Many think when they surrender their life to God and receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, that means life miraculously becomes problem free. (* Hits buzzer*… “Wrong!”) Well, your life does get better because you receive eternal life. However, satan, as the little “g” god of this world, will still attempt to attack (See John 10:10) believers to discourage, scare or slow them down from walking in the fullness of who God called them to be and what He has called them to do to advance the Kingdom of God. This is why it is said that this world we live in is a battlefield not a playground. We have to make a daily decision to stand for and on God’s word that gives us the instructions on how to fight back against the attacks of the enemy(satan).
Speaking of trials, let’s talk about 2025. I am sure this has been a peculiar year, so far, for most but God remains faithful through it all no matter what it looks like around us. As we stepped into this new season and era at the beginning of 2025, there is one word that the Lord God keeps reminding me that we all need to take heed to. That word is…ABIDE.
Abide means to remain, continue, obey or dwell. With that said, in 2025 and beyond, we need to remain in the Lord, keeping our connection to Him while continuing to trust and draw closer to the true and living God in every situation like never before. We need to walk in obedience, following the Lord’s instructions quickly and intentionally. And we need to dwell with the Lord just as His word says in Psalms 91:1.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalms 91:1
Why abide, you ask? Because apart from the Lord, we can do nothing. No matter how much you think you know, no matter the number of degrees you possess, how clever or talented you are or even how powerful you think you are on this earth. Apart from Jesus Christ, you can do nothing (See John 15:5). This is why it is important to stay connected and abide in the Lord. Parably speaking, if He is the vine and we are the branches and we are disconnected from Him, that means we are disconnected from the life source; the source of life filled with love, truth, purpose, faith, trust and abundance.
So how do we Abide?…
I am going to share 3 key ways to abide in the Lord…
Learn God’s Ways & Character through Prayer and time in His Word
Know that God loves you ( 1 John 4:12-16) and is waiting to hear from you, no matter the circumstance or baggage you are coming with in the moment
He leaves the 99 to go after the 1 (If you are that one, He’s waiting for you with open arms- Matthew 18:10-14)
Set intentional Daily Prayer time
Prayer is just communication with God as if you are talking to a friend or a loving Father. (Matthew 6:5-15)
This can be as long as you want or as short as time allows; as many times a day as you like
Quote: “I don’t ever pray any longer than twenty minutes, but I never go twenty minutes without praying. ” -Smiths Wigglesworth
Your prayer life is not measured in minutes. Prayer is a lifestyle.
Understand and trust that the Lord hears your prayers wherever you are, even if you are in the car on the way to work (1 John 5:14-15)
Read & Study God’s Word
Pray for understanding and God given revelation before reading and studying the word of God so that your interpretation is true & sound
If you are new to studying the word of God, start with the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
When we abide in the Lord, He abides in us; leading, guiding, protecting, and ordering our steps to and through the purpose and plan He has for our lives. When we submit to abiding in the Lord, it doesn’t matter what is going on in the world or how bad things get because we have the God who created the universe on our side. Rest in knowing that.
Until the next faith lesson…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
It’s the last Faith Friday of the year and I pray you all are having a great wrap up to 2024 and are in expectation of the fullness of all that God has for you in 2025.
Today we are going to talk about resisting pride when it comes to your expectations from GOD. See, there is a difference between having faith and being in pride when it comes to what you are expecting from the Lord. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen (See Hebrews 11:1). Faith also means to have strong belief or complete trust or confidence in GOD. Pride, on the other hand, can be defined as the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance; presumption; arrogance; conceitedness; egotism; self-regard; self-glorification or haughtiness.
There are several scriptures in the Bible that talk about the negative connotation and impact of pride:
“When pride comes, then comes shame…” (See Proverbs 11:2)
“By pride comes nothing but strife…”(See Proverbs 13:10)
“A man’s pride will bring him low…” (See Proverbs 29:23)
“Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord…” (See Proverbs 16:5)
The Bible also states, that “God resists [to oppose, strive against or withstand] the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (See James 4:6)
The world will make every attempt to convince you that having pride is a good thing but GOD’s word shows us in black and white just how destructive “Pride” can be.
Let’s take a look at the story of Naaman in 2 Kings 5:1-19 to show you how pride can potentially hinder GOD’s blessing. Naaman was a mighty Syrian army commander who’d brought the king of Syria much victory yet he was suffering from leprosy. His wife’s maid servant told her that one of GOD’s prophets in Samaria could heal Naaman. Naaman told this to the king of Syria and the king wrote a letter to the king of Israel to introduce Naaman and his purposes of coming to their land to be healed. GOD’s prophet, Elisha, heard about the king of Israel’s response and told him to send Naaman to him so that he would know there is a true prophet of GOD in Israel. Naaman headed to Elisha’s house with his horses and chariot and stood at Elisha’s door. Elisha sent a messenger to tell Naaman to “go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan river. Then your skin will be restored and you will be healed of your leprosy.” But Naaman, in pride, became furious and went away stating that surely he thought the prophet would come out to meet him, wave his hands and heal the leprosy. He described other rivers in Israel being better than the Jordan river and didn’t understand why he shouldn’t wash in those rivers instead. Naaman turned away in rage and pride and would have missed his blessing if it had not been for his servants reasoning with him about the instructions from Elisha. His servants stated, “if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, “Wash and be clean[cured]!” So Naaman went to the Jordan River, dipped seven times and just like the prophet of GOD said, He was completely cured from leprosy. Naaman went back to the prophet of GOD and proclaimed that now he knows there is no god except The true and living GOD (then called the God of Israel).
How many times have you missed out or nearly missed out on GOD’s blessings because the way GOD wanted to do things didn’t meet your prideful expectation? You may have been looking for the extravagant gesture or the instant result and the Lord is telling you it’s in the process and MY still small voice. (See Reference I Kings 19:11-12)
I can recall many occasions where I wanted the Lord to do something a specific way but GOD showed me that His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts (See Isaiah 55:8-9). There was a specific instance where I wanted GOD to heal me miraculously like He’d done so many times before. I soon found out that had I not gone the medical surgery route like GOD was leading me to, I would’ve not only missed my healing but I would have missed the opportunity to minister to so many women who were connected to my obedience to share my story. Don’t worry, I plan to share that story soon in the coming year.
There was another instance years ago, where I was expecting GOD to pay off my student loans miraculously, much like I had seen happen in the past with people I know. Well that’s not how GOD wanted to do it with me and I found that out very quickly after receiving a late fee from not making a payment that GOD didn’t tell me not to make. We all make zealous mistakes sometimes but this is why it’s important to obey GOD’s instructions and not your prideful expectations. That minor disappointment was my own fault and had nothing to do with God because He didn’t instruct me to do that. Through all of this, GOD was trying to show me how to steward my finances well and proper money management so that I would know for future purposes. Well those private student loans were paid in full in 2018 and I have been able to remain debt free from student loans even after getting a masters degree and bible college diploma because I stuck with the process of the bigger lesson that GOD wanted me to learn through all of this.
Let’s finish up the story of Naaman, Elisha and Elisha’s servant in II Kings 5:20-27, to understand what can happen when you actually give in to prideful expectations.
After Naaman spoke to Elisha sharing that he now knows the only god is the GOD of Israel, Naaman offered Elisha a gift from his servant. This gift included silver, gold and clothing. Elisha responded, “as surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” Even though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused. But Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, said to himself that his master, Elisha, should not have let Naaman leave without accepting any of his gifts. In pride, Gehazi stated, “as surely as the Lord lives, I will chase after Naaman and get something from him.” Gehazi caught up with Naaman, lied about Elisha sending him to get 2 sets of clothing and 75 pounds of silver for two visiting prophets and was offered twice as much silver from Naaman along with 2 sets of clothing. When Gehazi got back to the house, he hid the gifts. Elisha asked Gehazi where he had been and he lied again, stating he hadn’t been anywhere. Elisha asked Gehazi if he realized that his spirit was there when he met with Naaman, basically letting Gehazi know that the spiritual gift that GOD had given Elisha allowed him to spiritually see everything that happened while he wasn’t physically there. Elisha asked “Is this a time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants?” Elisha proceeded to tell Gehazi, because you have done this, you and your descendants will suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever. When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin was white as snow.
Remember those scriptures on pride. This was a clear example of how Gehazi’s prideful expectation and greed that he should get gifts from Naaman, put him right on the path to destruction. While my student loan late fee is nothing compared to Gehazi and his descendants being stricken with leprosy forever, I could have dealt with a lot worse and still been in debt had I not humbled myself and listen to the instructions GOD was actually giving me on money management versus my prideful expectation of Him just making everything go away in the blink of an eye. Don’t get me wrong, our GOD is the GOD who can do any and all things but if HE did it instantly or the same way every time then what lesson are you really learning. Are you only seeking HIS hand and what HE can do for you? Or are you seeking HIS Face and learning HIS ways intimately so that He can lead and guide you to and through the purpose HE has for your life. So resist prideful expectation from God and humble yourselves according to the Lord, knowing that He may exalt you at the appropriate time (See I Peter 5:6AMP). The choice is yours.
Until the next faith lesson…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
I know it’s been a while but I hope you all have been remaining Faith filled. God has had me focusing on a few different things in the past several months, but I promise you will still see these blog posts as the Holy Spirit leads me to write.
I have noticed that the enemy’s (Satan) tactics in this season include planting seeds of “Doubt” in an attempt to make you forget the promises that God has already made to you in His Word. Promises regarding your health & healing; Promises regarding your peace; Promises regarding your protection; Promises regarding provision, purpose, clarity and so much more.
Recently, I found myself in the midst of a struggle with doubting that God would come through for me regarding a matter. If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you have seen how God has moved in my life and the lives of others in mighty and miraculous ways. So why was I doubting?! One reason is because I’m human and we have to choose and fight daily to keep our minds stayed on Jesus (Isaiah 26:3), while remembering the benefits (Psalms 103: 2-3) of our salvation through Jesus Christ. If or when doubt tries to creep in, there’s no time for self condemnation (Romans 8:1); so if this happens, just refocus and remind yourself of what God says about you and your situation.
In the midst of my struggle with doubt, God whispered the scripture 2Corinthians 1:20 to me. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” Immediately, my thoughts were flooded with the promises of God from His Word.
” For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV
Let’s break down what this means…
The word “Yes” is a confirmation or an affirmative response.
The word “Amen” means “so be it”, meaning “certainly” or “it is so”.
Therefore when you think of any promise written in God’s word it is already Confirmed, Yes, through Jesus Christ and we therefore say “Amen” to God, as a reference that “it is so” and “certain”, for His glory.
For those of you in the midst of a storm that has you doubting God’s ability to do the impossible, here’s a reminder of His promises that are Yes and Amen.
YES, No weapon formed against you shall prosper, AMEN.
Isaiah 54:17
YES, All things work together for The good of those who love the Lord and are called to His purpose, AMEN.
Romans 8:28
YES, weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning, AMEN.
Psalm 30:5
YES, By Jesus stripes we are healed, AMEN.
Isaiah 53:5
YES, God is able to do exceedingly,abundantly above all we can ask or imagine, AMEN.
Ephesians 3:20
YES, you shall not die, but live to declare the works of the Lord, AMEN.
Psalms 118:17
YES, A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall NOT come near you, AMEN.
Psalms 91:7
YES, No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling, AMEN.
Psalms 91:10
YES, God has given you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over ALL the power of the enemy (satan) and nothing shall by any means hurt you, AMEN.
Luke 10:19
YES, for God knows the thoughts that He thinks towards us, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope, AMEN.
Jeremiah 29:11
YES, for with God nothing will be impossible, AMEN.
Luke 1:37
Meditate on these promises, remind yourself who you are in Christ Jesus and never forget God’s promises are true.
Until the next faith message…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
I am sure today’s title has you wondering, what is she talking about?! The answer to what…and for what?!
Well it’s the answer to All of Your Problems!
So I’ve learned a few things over the last several years of my life; from my own experiences and from the experiences of others. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that everything you need is found in the presence of God. Where the presence of God is, an invitation of intimacy with Him begins. I’ll get into what that means shortly.
“Everything you need
is found
in MY presence.”
–From God to Me
Recently I have come across several friends and individuals, including myself, who have felt physically and mentally tired, drained, confused, emotional, frustrated, angry, anxious, heavy and down right burdened. If this is you, then you will want to keep reading. Why have they felt this way and what causes it? The answer is Life causes it! Some of us are taking things day by day and just trying to make it through the first 24 hours to get to the next 24 hours and then to the next and so on. Some days are great, others are intense, some days are joyful while others are beyond stressful. Why is that? Because Life is going to Life and then rinse and repeat. We have a real enemy(the devil aka satan) in this world who seeks to steal, kill and destroy (SeeJohn 10:10) and if you are living your life for Jesus Christ then the enemy seeks to not make it easy for you. The everyday life we live may be inconsistent but the one thing in our lives that isn’t inconsistent is God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever ( See Hebrews 13:8).
So how do we get in the presence of God to fix all of our problems? Well, the answer is we build a relationship with God and we become consistent with Him; in His word, in prayer and in communing with Him daily. Being consistent with God in turn creates intimacy with God. The word intimacy means close familiarity or friendship; closeness. It also means fellowship, communion, affection, understanding, sharing and togetherness.
Intimacy with God means closeness, familiarity, friendship, fellowship, communion and togetherness with God.
How do you become consistent with God to create intimacy with Him? Well let’s look at it like a marriage. When you marry someone and choose to spend the rest of your life with them; before you make that covenant before God and the courts you develop a relationship with that person. You spend time with them, you learn their likes and dislikes, you develop familiarity, friendship and closeness with that person and you learn the ins and outs of who that person is as a whole. That’s no different than what intimacy with God looks like. When we spend time with God in prayer or in His word, we learn His likes, dislikes and the promises He has made to and for us. When we truly seek God, we learn that the time with Him is never a one sided conversation because He certainly talks back, we just have to take the time to listen. This is what a relationship with God looks like.
What happens when we have intimacy with God? How do I begin to see God make a change with the problems I see in my everyday life? In Matthew 6:33, the word of God says “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” In the context of this section of the book of Matthew chapter 6, Jesus is telling us not to worry about our life. In not worrying about our life, He’s saying don’t worry about what we will eat, drink, wear or anything related to our everyday lives. He reminds us in this chapter to look at the birds and how the Lord makes sure they are fed; look at the flowers and the grass and how the Lord makes sure they grow and are taken care of. If we, being created in God’s image (See Genesis 1:27), are regarded higher than these things then how much more will God make sure we are taken care of. “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (SeeMatthew 6:32). Earlier in this same chapter, where Jesus is showing us how to pray, He also says “For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (See Matthew 6:8). He is all knowing and all powerful so when you have intimacy with the all knowing & powerful God, just imagine how that will change your life for the better.
“…For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
Matthew 6:8
The above may address those who don’t have a relationship with God or rather those that don’t exactly know how to have a relationship with Him but I also want to address those of you who have a relationship with God yet are lacking in intimacy with God. There are some of you out there who pray all the time and spend time in God’s word yet you still feel burdened, drained and overwhelmed as if you are carrying a weight that isn’t yours to carry. This was me and a few others I encountered recently. Some of us were so used to seeing God as just Lord and master, instruction giver, the One who shows us what to intercede for, yet we had somehow forgotten that God is our Father first and He wants us to come to Him as His child. Why? Because we spend our days trying to be the go to person for our families, the employee, the parent, the intercessor, the prayer warrior, the missionary, the minister and so many other roles we take on along with attempts to try to be everything to everyone, that we often forget that we are not and were never built for that. That’s why Jesus died for us, so that we wouldn’t have to carry those burdens.
If this is you, you may be lacking in intimacy with God and require some intimate time with the Father. What does that look like? Intentionally setting time for just you and God with no agenda, no prayer points and no distractions…Just you and God’s presence. Where it goes from there is up to you and Him. The only requirement is going to Him like a child in need of their Father, knowing everything will be taken care of, just as children often do. It can be a conversation about your day, how you feel about something or even just basking in the awe of His felt presence. Set this time with God consistently and watch a new facet of your relationship with God begin to unfold.
I made the change this year to set consistent intentional and intimate time with God with no agenda and in just the first two weeks my life changed drastically spiritually, mentally, emotionally, financially and even physically. Everything I need was and is found in the Presence of God. So, whether you have been walking with God for 2 days or 20+ years, we all need intimacy with Him. Take the first step and watch how time with Him gives you all the answers you’ve been looking for.
Until the next faith message…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
Have you ever thought to yourself how you would exercise your faith in an unexpected situation of duress. A moment when you have more month than money and you need an instant miracle just to survive. Or even a circumstance where you are dealing with sickness in your body and the doctors don’t know what to do. These can be situations when you are really trying to grasp at the smallest mustard seed of faith (See Matthew 17:20) just to make it through. In these moments, you have to be able to recall your faith reference point. I know that sounds made up but I am going somewhere with this.
A reference point can be defined as an idea, fact, event, etc., that you already know, which helps you understand or make a judgement about another situation. Let’s reference the word of God for example. In Romans 10:17, the Bible states “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. That means God’s word helps us to grow and strengthen our faith because it reminds us of His promises. When we are ill, we know that Isaiah 53:5 states,” …by His (Jesus) stripes we are healed”. When we are in lack, God’s word reminds us that “…my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” as noted in Philippians 4:19. When we are in danger, we know that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper…” based on Isaiah 54:17. These are all reference points of God’s promises in His word. Our faith is the assurance of hope that these promises are evident and will be executed in our lives based on what we have read and believe. Well it is one thing to believe yet it’s another to experience God’s promise in your life to be a direct witness of what He promised. This stretches and strengthens our faith because we now have a faith reference point of what God has done in our lives, not just what He promised. Therefore a faith reference point helps us to know, understand and recall our faith in different circumstances based on a previous event where faith was executed. What does that mean?
It means…
You know that God heals because you have a faith reference point of when He healed you from cancer.
You know God’s a provider because you have a faith reference point of when He provided rent money right before that eviction and grocery money before starvation when there was no way in sight to pay for either.
You know God’s a protector because you have a faith reference point from when He brought you out of a terrible car accident unharmed without a scratch.
You know God is faithful because you have a faith reference point from when God blessed you with that beautiful baby you and your spouse had been praying and believing for, for years, even when doctors said it wouldn’t happen based on test results.
Throughout this blog I have shared my faith reference points of God being a healer, miracle worker, peace giver, protector and restorer in my life. Today I want to share another faith story on God being a protector.
On October 1, 2017, my friend Shelly and I were enjoying our last day in Las Vegas after a weekend of sightseeing, shopping, bus tours, and an MJ Cirque du Soleil show. After a full day at the Grand Canyon we headed back to our hotel to grab our bags and prepare to head to the airport. I went into the lobby bathroom to wash off some of that Grand Canyon dust before our overnight flight. While I was at the sink next to a young lady, her boyfriend began to call for her from the hall. She was annoyed but I began to feel uneasy for some reason so I started to pack up my stuff to walk out. Before I realized, my friend Shelly ran into the bathroom yelling “Sheena we have to go! They’re shooting!” I didn’t realize it then but I went into shock as I heard the screams, shooting and people running into our hotel from the concert going on down the street. Little did we know there was a mass shooting going on at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, right down the street from the Tropicana Hotel we were staying in and across from the Mandalay Hotel where we were just the night before for the MJ show. Shelly and I ran into a bathroom stall and we could hear the screaming, running and those coming to hide in the bathroom. Shelly went into drill sergeant mode and stated we couldn’t stay in the stall because it wasn’t safe. We made our way out of the lobby bathroom and up to the mezzanine floor in a large storage closet with several others. As time passed the closet began to clear out until it was just us two in there. We began to pray. I said aloud, “Lord, I don’t know how you are going to do it but I know you are going to get us out of here and back home safely.” I had a faith reference point of when God protected me when I was held at gunpoint, years prior, so I knew God would somehow protect us. I messaged our pastor and another minister on social media so they could be praying and Shelly called her dad who spoke with someone at the front desk who said wherever we were in the hotel wasn’t safe and we needed to get to the Casino area because SWAT was on the way and that’s where they wanted everyone. We had already had this unction to move and as soon as we were about to, someone locked eyes with me from a crack in the doorway and out of fear locked us in from the outside. Once they realized we weren’t a threat from our screaming they let us out and told us to get somewhere safe. We left the closet and headed for the escalator to head down to the casino area and that’s when someone opened fire on the Mezzanine floor. We all screamed and ran while tons of people on that floor scattered. Shelly and I ran down the escalator, jumped over and hid under the bar where others were hiding. Shelly stated we couldn’t stay there in case someone wanted to shoot over the bar. We prayed as we came from the bar cover, making a run for the casino area. Once we’d made it, the SWAT team was coming in as we all had to put our hands up while they headed upstairs where someone had been shot.
Actual Footage of SWAT entering Tropicana Hotel after Vegas mass shooting Source: Youtube Video by KPCC
After an hour or so passed everyone was directed to the back of the hotel while investigations were ongoing for the crime that had now happened in our hotel as well. We were directed to rooms and hallways until the lockdown was cleared. After 3AM, everyone was allowed to go back to their prospective rooms, hotels or leave the hotel all together. Shelly and I left the hotel and had to wave down multiple taxis until one agreed to take us to the airport.
Waiting in back of Tropicana Hotel during investigations after shooting
Vegas Strip Lockdown after Vegas mass shooting
Shelly and I made it back to Florida safe and sound. Shortly after a friend from the news station contacted me about doing a story on what happened and I used the opportunity to share faith in God and the power of prayer. Shelly and I also had the opportunity to share our testimony of God’s protection with our church.
Me on the Local News after 2017 Vegas mass shooting
When it comes to knowing that God is my protector and my refuge, this testimony is one of my faith reference points to always remind me that God is faithful and He is always with us. Take this opportunity to recall your faith reference points to keep you in remembrance of who God is, what He has done, and what He is more than capable of doing again and again.
Until the next faith testimony…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
By a show of virtually raised hands, how many of you are going through a storm right now? Picture me raising my own hand right along with you.
A storm can be defined as a violent disturbance of the atmosphere; an uproar or controversy; a sudden attack; a direct assault.
If you think of this in the terms of things you may be going through, that violent disturbance of the atmosphere can be sickness in your body. That uproar and controversy can be friction with your family, marriage or relationship. The sudden attack can be on your finances while that direct assault can be blatant unfair treatment towards you at your place of employment. The storm can come in the form of many things, but it’s never about the storm itself, it’s about how you navigate THROUGH the storm. A quote by Charles R. Swindoll states, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” It’s more about how we respond versus what has actually happened to us.
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
–Charles R. Swindoll
How do you respond to the storm? What’s your attitude, your heart posture; how are you standing in faith to get THROUGH to the other side? I put so much emphasis on the word “Through” because of the meaning and the sheer hope behind the word. Through means “moving in one side and out to the other side of. The other side meaning, healing after sickness, restoration and reconciliation after family or relationship rift, financial breakthrough after a financial drought and recompense after mistreatment.
What does that look like as it relates to the word of God? The bible states in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” This scripture lets us know even when the storms arise and look to be overwhelming, we must first and foremost, Trust God. Trust that whatever the situation is, it’s in no way shape or form bigger than the true and living God. Don’t lean on your own understanding of thinking this issue has the final say or that it won’t end in your favor, trust God who can direct your path through this storm, when you allow Him to by trusting Him over what it looks like. That means walking by faith and not by sight (See II Corinthians 5:7).
Trusting God also looks like Matthew 6:34MSG where it reads, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes”. God is with you always so no matter the trials, circumstance, or situation, you can count on Him to help you walk through it to the other side.
Now that you are trusting God with that situation, your heart posture has to match by choosing joy and being at peace in the midst of the storm. James 1:2-4 NCV in God’s word says, My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience. Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need. Once you decide to choose joy in the midst of the trials, God can then make it joy because of the act of your faith (See Matthew 17:20).
My husband shared this story with me about the time he was driving one of our church leaders out of town to a conference. As soon as he got on the highway ramp towards the destination it started pouring rain to the point he could hardly see the road. He could have pulled over to the side of the road but he knew that was dangerous and could have led to another car hitting them due to lack of visibility. He preservered through the drive and before he knew it he was on the other side of the storm where the sky was clear and sunny with a rainbow reminder of God’s promise (See Genesis 9:13-16). As he looked out the rear view mirror he could see the storm behind him where it was dark, cloudy and pouring rain but coming THROUGH the storm on the other side didn’t look like what he had been through.
On the other side of the storm
That’s what it’s like walking with God through storms and trials. When you trust Him, count it all joy and walk in faith with Him through it, He will bring you out on the other side of victory, where it won’t look like what you’ve been through.
Until the next Faith Story…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
Today, I am not surprised that the Holy Spirit chose Peace to be the center of the topic. There is so much going on in the world today, seen and unseen, that peace is what most of us are striving for, trying to hold on to, or in the act of maintaining. The dictionary defines peace as “Freedom of disturbance; tranquility; the state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended.” War in this context, can be considered to be a battle or conflict. If we are being honest, some people reading this post are dealing with internal battles and conflicts at this very moment. Whether it’s the news disturbing your peace, social media comparison, family drama, relationship issues, sickness & disease, finances, or even grief; there may always be things that come to disrupt your peace, but that doesn’t mean we have to allow it. Let me explain…
In John 14:27, this scripture states, “Peace I leave with you , My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” In the context of this scripture, Jesus is sharing with His disciples that He is going away (See Luke 24:51) but God is sending His Holy Spirit to be with them, teach them all things, and bring to their remembrance things that He has said (See John 14: 25-26NKJV). This message was not just for the disciples then, it is also for us, as believers in Jesus Christ, now. Because of this written promise in God’s word, we are being told that the peace of having faith in Jesus brings perfect (complete; absolute; without fault) peace. This isn’t to say we will have an easy life with no troubles; yet its to say that Jesus is promising the perfect peace that calms you in every circumstance and gives you courage and strength to every challenge (SeeJohn 14:27AMP).
Peace I leave with you , My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27 NKJV
This is the kind of peace exemplified in scripture when Jesus was sleeping on a boat in the middle of a violent storm. In Mark 4:37-41 NKJV, the Bible states, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they (the disciples) awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!””
Remember when I said, there may always be things that come to disrupt your peace, but that doesn’t mean we have to allow it. Well I ask you the same questions that Jesus asked His disciples:
Why are you so fearful?
How is it that you have no faith?
This is not to come off as insolent, this is to challenge you to know what you have in your possession when you are a Believer. The Bible says in John 14:12 NKJV,“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” Guess what this means, the same way Jesus commanded the storm to be still and cease, you have the same authority to speak to any disturbance to your own peace, no matter what it is. You can command that news report, that issue with comparison, the family drama, those relationship issues, that sickness or diagnosis, the financial issues, and that grief to all cease and calm in the name of Jesus Christ.
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.
John 14:12 NLT
I’ll share a quick story with you. I was on a plane flying home from a work trip recently and the plane’s AC wasn’t working properly. On top of that, we started to have some turbulence due to the weather we were flying into. Because I hate being hot beyond my control in public places, I got up and went to the restroom. When I entered the stall, the turbulence began to get worse. As I held onto the handle in the stall I commanded the winds and the rain to cease and Peace Be still! I also declared that the AC will work properly in Jesus name. When I got back to my seat, I noticed the plane was cooling off and the turbulence had literally ceased. As I got comfortable in my seat to take an in-flight nap, I thanked Jesus for His faithfulness and for His promises that are always Yes and Amen (See II Corinthians 1:20).
God is no respector of persons (See Acts 10:34), He is a faithful Father who is ready to fulfill every promise in His word for us if we only believe. So the same authority that I walk in to receive God’s perfect peace, you have the same authority to walk in these same promises, you need only to have faith.
Until the next Faith story…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
Last week, I mentioned not to miss this week’s blog because it’s near and dear to my heart. Judging by the title you can tell just how dear to my heart it really is. You can also see that God actually gave me the title well in advance versus those eleventh hour revelations and 4 AM all-nighters per usual. That’s just like a loving Father; He knew the kind of reminiscing, processing and healing I would go through as I wrote this post, so He gave me time to rest in Him (See Matthew 11:28) prior to writing. I pray that those who can relate to losing a close loved one are comforted by this post.
This week makes 1 year of me losing the woman who raised me since I was a little girl, the woman who helped to shape my life and the matriarch and glue to our close knit family, my grandmother. Words can’t describe how big a loss this was to our family. Sometimes it still doesn’t seem real but the one thing I can take comfort in is knowing that I will see her again…because I know who she served; Jesus (See Joshua 24:15).
My reaction to the loss of my grandma was one that I couldn’t have expected because I thought when my grandma left this earth, they may have to put me in a padded room…But God. I’ll get to that part shortly though.
This is not your typical grief blog post. In today’s blog, I will share my life experience with my grandmother while she was living, in the midst of losing her and how I managed grief after she had gone to be with the Lord.
When I was young I practically lived with my grandparents. They kept me, fed me, clothed me and made sure I was in church EVERY Sunday. My mom worked full time and was in the Air Force Reserves so when I wasn’t with her or my dad I was with them. I was extremely close to my grandparents. So close that when my grandfather passed away, when I was in high school, I didn’t want my grandmother to be alone so I officially moved in with her. Though I saw my mom and little brother everyday, from the age of 14 through the majority of my college years, it was just me and her until I made the hard decision to transfer from my local university to finish my engineering degree at the main campus in another city. Most of my life’s decisions were centered around not being too far from my grandma. This included how far away I interned, which company I chose to work for after graduation that had locations in nearby states, work rotational assignment choices, and even where I decided to live after my job’s rotational program ended. I settled on a location just a 2 hours drive away from her and my mom since at the time, my mom was dealing with a health issue. I went so far as to pass up work promotions that were outside of close areas because I knew my priorities. I say all of that to say, family and my grandma was a top priority to me next to God.
Always by her side… Me and Grandma Circa 2016
My grandma was one of the healthiest seniors that I knew. She was up at 4 AM every day walking the neighborhood with a stick like it was her job. She was sharp with a sharp mind and a lot of sass. As the years passed my grandma had bouts with illness, knee replacements and other surgeries but always bounced back. I was there for each one of them. But last year was different…
One thing I have always been clear about was my God given assignment for the season. This particular season God let my husband and I know that we would be going on another mission trip to Peru together, leaving Oct 15th. He also opened the door to the opportunity for us to be co-speakers at the I’m Becoming Fearless Conference 2022 on Oct 8th. But there was one thing wrong…my grandmothers’ health was declining unlike any other time. During that time, I did what any intercessor (See 1 Kings 13:6 NKJV, NIV) would do and I went to war in prayer on my grandmother’s behalf. I was already feeling terrible and even guilty, if I’m being honest, that I wasn’t there with her like usual. Even though I was able to Facetime her, it just wasn’t the same. I wanted to rush up there for the quick 2 hour trip one weekend but God was leading me not to for some reason. I found out shortly after that there was something wrong with my vehicle’s front tire and it could’ve blown out while I was on the highway and only the Lord knows what could’ve happened…But God. This was a prime example of being led by the Spirit and not your flesh (See Galatians 5:16-18). That same weekend, I Facetimed with my grandma and even though I was feeling guilty for not being there, she told me she had a dream about me that I came into her hospital room, gave her her medicine and took care of her. After I got off the phone with her, I wept and thanked God for giving her that dream because only God could hear my hearts’ cry to want to be there for her.
A couple of weekends later towards the end of September, I was able to go see my grandma in person but she was not doing well. I went into the hospital room ready to lay hands on her, go up in tongues and call down fire from heaven for her to be well but in that moment I got a nudge from the Holy Spirit to just be a granddaughter that day. So I fed her as much as she would allow, cut and filed her nails and just talked to her. After leaving and seeing her in the state she was in, I told God please do not make me choose between the God assignments ahead and my grandma. Not that He was asking me to but I told God I couldn’t handle it if I was somewhere out of the country and something happened to her.
When I got home I sought wise counsel (See Proverbs 19: 20) from a trusted friend to understand how I needed to be praying over this entire situation. One thing the individual said to me was to ask the Holy Spirit what my grandma’s will was in all of this. Remember there is God’s will but we also have free will (See John 7:17). God responded to me that it was His will that grandma live to a specific age He mentioned that was beyond her current age. I knew His will always leads to life. I prayed concerning what her will was and God gave me a dream to show me exactly how my grandmother was feeling and the pain she was in. After that, I began to understand what may be ahead.
On a Tuesday morning, I received a call from my aunt telling me my grandmother had a massive heart attack. Doctors found it strange that the monitors showed she had the heart attack but didn’t feel it. The doctors stated she didn’t have much time. I asked my aunt to put her ear to the phone and I whispered some specific things to her the Holy Spirit led me to say, told her we will be fine and that I love her once, I love her twice, I love her next to Jesus Christ. I got off the phone and prayed then found out that she passed 8 minutes after I got off the phone with her.
My grandmother passed away on Oct 4th, 2022. The last thing she said to me when I saw her in person on September 22nd was “I love you once, I love you twice, I love you next to Jesus Christ. You take care of yourself.” While I was saddened after her death, I realized God had given the most beautiful gift, an answered prayer from years ago that He would prepare me before my grandmother left this earth and that I would be able to say “See you later” with no regrets.
My grandmother passed away on the 4th and there was still a God given assignment to fulfill on the 8th. I knew the devil would love for me to abandon my assignment but I was not going to give the enemy any satisfaction to take my grandmother prematurely (See John 10:10)and think I wasn’t going to fight back by fulfilling kingdom business. My husband and I ministered on the topic, This is the beginning of…The New Thing (See Isaiah 43:19). After I walked off the stage, I allowed myself to let go of the tears I had been holding all week in order to stay focused and through those tears I decided to live on serving others as she did when she was alive.
I’m Becoming Fearless Conference 2022
We celebrated my grandmother’s life at her funeral on Oct 14th. On that day I watched 12+ people give their lives to Christ because of how she lived hers. My message to our family was “Don’t die with her, choose to live for her! She has ran her God given race and now it’s time for us to pick up the baton and finish our own race. Keep running!”
Peru Mission 2022
The very next day I was on a plane headed on a mission trip to Peru where my husband and I ministered together again and saw countless people get saved, set free and miraculously healed. Again, I didn’t abandon the assignment because I chose to live for my grandmother. This was easier said than done but the way God covered and graced me during this entire time was truly beauty for ashes (See Isaiah 61:3). This was a pure testament of God’s grace is sufficient (See II Corinthians 12:9).
The loss of my grandmother taught me that God hears every prayer no matter big or small, current or past. He hears them. They may not be answered the way we want them to be answered or when we want them answered but He hears them and has a perfect plan that will work together for your good. I learned His grace is sufficient no matter the obstacle or circumstance. And I learned to never abandon the assignment because you don’t know whose life, whose next, or whose purpose is attached to it.
I will leave you all with this. If you are dealing with the loss of a loved one and struggling with grief, remind yourself of the promises of God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). May God turn your sadness into joy, your sorrow into praise, and your distress into peace. Death is not final when you are a believer in Jesus Christ. For those who believed in Christ and passed away will be reunited with those believers who are still alive when Jesus returns (I Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT). Take comfort in knowing that it’s not goodbye but rather see you later.
Until the next faith story…
To be a part of the movement, share your own faith story Here!
Last week I shared a message on the power of prayer and how through prayer we can prevent Satan’s evil plans to steal, kill and destroy in our lives ( John 10:10).
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10 NKJV
It was through the obedience of following the leading of the Holy Spirit ( John 14:26) that prompted me to pray in the middle of the night, unaware that my prayers were moving on behalf of my family, saving my mom and grandmother from being hurt or killed in a house fire.
If it’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). He doesn’t warn one person and not warn others to pray and intercede to prevent evil situations. It doesn’t even have to be people or events connected to you for you to receive a prompt from the Lord to pray or intercede. The only requirement is to Listen. The more you spend time in God’s Word and in His presence the easier it is to know His voice when He is speaking ( John 10: 2-5, 27). If this topic is intriguing to you, don’t worry, we will discuss intercession and hearing the voice of God more in depth at a later date.
God can use anyone to pray on your behalf. Based on the story I’m about to share with you today, He used my mom. Little did my mom know that when she had the strong unction to start praying over her two children every day for two weeks, she was dispatching God’s army of angels to stop an attack on her own daughter.
In August 2004, I went about my normal daily routine. I left my grandmother’s house at 4am to pick up my mom and take her to work. I left her job a little after 5am with my younger brother in the car and went back to our grandmother’s house to nap and get ready for classes. I went to campus around 9am and stayed there until it was time to pick up my mom. I picked up my mom after 2:30pm and by 4pm I was headed to work at Best Buy, one of my many jobs. This day seemed like any other day as I got off around 10:45pm but on this particular day, I was unaware that I was being watched and followed. As I was driving home, I was on the phone with a friend with one wired earbud in my ear. I pulled up to my grandmother’s house a little after 11pm. a white Intrepid turned on our quite street around the same time and parked two houses down. As I whispered to myself while still on the phone, “I thought those people moved out of that house”, a guy with a white shirt, jean shorts and a dark colored ball cap on comes running out of that white car and up to my parked car placing his gun at my driver window while trying to open the locked door. I immediately went into what I now know was shock. I put both hands up and start saying ” OK OK OK OK OK” because that’s all I could get out of my mouth. My friend on the phone starts saying, “why do you keep saying OK whats wrong with you?”. The guy continued scrunching his face and mumbling something while tapping the gun on the window. My first response was to grab my purse and give it to him. I didn’t care…He could have it at this point!! I unlocked the door and as soon as I did that, the guy did a double take to his right as if he sees something or someone. Meanwhile, there is absolutely no one on my street. He taps the gun on the window again and does another double take that prompts him to run back to his car. In shock, with a full fight or flight response, I pulled out of the driveway and drove behind him laying on my horn trying to wake up the neighborhood. My friend in my ear yells, “what’s going on?!” I screamed, ” I just got held at gun point!” and then I hung up to call the police. I turned off another street after several seconds of my “not thinking clearly” car chase to go back to my house and wait for the police that pulled up shortly afterwards. They asked questions about what happened and I reenacted everything play by play. One of the officers threw me for a loop when they asked, “Are you sure he wanted your purse?”. Not thinking through the question, I replied ” Yes that’s what he wanted and I was about to open the door to give it to him”. Then I said, in my naive 20 year old thinking, “what else would he want?” The two officers looked at each other and said we may be dealing with a predator. They gave me their card and told me to keep a look out and be aware of my surroundings because the suspect may have been watching me for a period of 2 weeks.
I called my mom after the police left to tell her what happened, and her response was “What! Thank you Jesus! God had me praying for the past 2 weeks. I knew it was about my kids but I didn’t know which one so I covered you both in prayer.” Remember how long the police said the suspect might have been watching me…2 weeks! When I told my mom how the guy ran off, she said, “That’s because he probably saw your angels there ready to protect you.”
A few days later an unfortunate article in the newspaper came out stating a Savannah woman had been raped. The description of the guy and his car were the same and that let me know that the guy for certain didn’t want my purse. It was even said that the suspect was suspected to have an incurable STD at the time of his crimes. This guy did a lot of physical and mental damage to a number of women in Georgia and South Carolina while at large, but was fortunately arrested in 2005 and sentenced the following year.
While I am grateful for God’s protection from what could’ve been an even more traumatic series of events. I continue to pray for the healing of those women affected by his actions.
The next time you get a feeling or prompting to pray for someone or about something…Just do it. You never know what lives you can be saving because of it.
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.
The Faith Travels 