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HAPPY NEW YEAR

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.

Psalms 136:1


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Welcome to 2022!!

There is so much to celebrate and give God thanks for...I will start with the fact that I have life, strength, I am able to see, walk, talk and the many other blessings I was afforded in spite of my wrongs, flaws and mistakes. I give God thanks for my daughter and her life, my siblings, parents, mentors, family, spiritual family and extended family. I could go on and on. During the last few weeks of the year I make it a point to step back and take a review of the year, what has been accomplished and what is still pending, what instructions God has given what were completed versus what has not been completed and asking God for direction and instructions for the upcoming year. It sounds easy and seamless but boy I will tell you there are many things that can become a set-up to deter me from retreating and reconnecting with God.

For example, some of the hindrances during this time have been a feeling of overwhelm, slumber and just the distraction of the season. God has downloaded a word for you, He poured a fresh anointing just for you for this new season you are going in. It is special what you are doing for yourself, making a bold step of faith to trust in God and follow His word is remarkable. I must also give God thanks for you, for connecting, following and listening...God bless you!


Let's start the year off right.


When I think about being blessed I also want to sustain the blessing and who better to study than David? This guy started off as a nobody (no money, no fancy clothes, no chariot's or carriages). His family looked down on him, he did not meet up to the size and stature as other men, he dealt with animals so was probably smelly. But out of the many capable men God looked past all of them and chose this kid, who was out in the field. He was anointed to be king (1 Samuel 16) and did not sit on the throne for years even when he should have. He was tormented and mistreated by the person he loved and looked up to. He connected with a friend that he never mistreated, loved and honored. David was talented, he was a musician, instrumentalist, vocalist and was very wise. As David began to be noticed he continued to honor, respect and have mercy on Saul-who was still king. Saul did not step down from his seat, he became angry, hurt and resented David. Seeing David probably made him feel insecure, unworthy and reflected what he was not. Let's be real, we can identify with some of these feelings and emotions in our everyday lives. Like if we are working on a job and another person gets hired who is faster than you, prettier than, has more skill or capacity it can bring feelings of insecurity. Those feelings are negative and are not of God. Identifying the feeling or the problem and asking the Holy Spirit how to handle it or if you had mistreated the person go back and apologize for what you have done (explain why you are saying sorry). David and Saul started their relationship with love and peace. David got noticed though when he killed Goliath. Imagine this new person getting a client to sign a deal that had been pending for months and you probably could not get them to sign but it still stirred up a feeling of resentment in you. Sometimes it is as simple as a friend being admired and now you are jealous and low-key mad at the friend. To Saul David was an overnight celebrity. But I want you to imagine this story as your story line for 2021. All the frustration, all the pain, all the tears but it is all learning lessons, testing your faith and understanding the seasons. David was a kid and had a lot to learn to not only be great but to also sustain greatness. Have you heard the many different stories of this person who was either a celebrity or politician who was successful, made so much money but went bankrupt or had some scandal. There is a price to pay to be great!


I am so excited for what God is about to do but before He can give you something big He has to see what you are going to do with the little. If you are stingy at paying tithes it is likely that money will continue to be an issue, if you do not respect and honor people that are in authority the possibility is if you go up it may not be sustainable if there are not proper things in place to help you. These things are overlooked and sometimes looked down upon depending on what you are dealing with like a thing called pride. Pride can cause people to do some really mean and hurtful things to get what you want.


On the other hand, David was humble. He may have been able to relate to what Saul was feeling after he had been looked down upon for years. In 2 Samuel 13-24 King David sinned, he commited adultery and murder. David throughout his passages cried out to God, worshiped, asked for forgiveness when it was needed but in spite of it all he gave thanks. I admire him so much because although he was a man after God's own heart he was a man that obviously had faults like each of us. He had sexual desires, he made bad decisions but David honored God, principles and people. If you have been praying and crying for to be blessed or for some specific things take note of how David lived. If we were to look at the book of 1 Samuel as years, it took David 15 years to sit on the throne that God had promised him, he went through so much before getting there and he remained faithful to God. We can see in David's life where he had weaknesses but it never stopped him from submitting to God.


On the contrary, when we are in the world we pay our tithes in the world. Money is spent on barley and yeast to drink at marked up prices especially at events or special locations. There is a price paid to be in the world. The exchange that is made spiritually with the different people we come in contact with that brings frustration, worry, calamity. If you are in Christ you are made new and your life has been restored. But it takes time to unlearn the things that came so naturally. Our flesh desires what the flesh desires which is sinful and in order not to allow the flesh to be in control of your thoughts, actions and pretty much your life we learn from others ahead of us in the faith.


I would like to detour a little here. I had remembered there was this lady at my church that I truly admire and respect but I heard her story of her waiting for God and I absolutely detested it for myself. I was happy for her because I thought "well she is strong and that is her story but it is not for me" and I continued on my way and tried doing it my way. I was not sinning, I was not wrong but I had someone in close proximity to me who had some things I admired. Had I been humble enough to be mentored by her or pay close attention to some principles he had in her life I would not have made some of the mistakes I made and gone around the same mountain over and over again. It really takes grace, humility and sacrifice to study and pay close attention to people who you aspire to be like or you see some qualities in them that you like. There is a couple that I know I have always admired the way they share. Honestly they have such a giving and loving heart during this winter (-20 degree weather) they took their own jacket and boots to give to someone else. I am sure they are not perfect and there may be times when it is hard but it is people who have the heart like David that reaps rewards. Many times we see the rewards but do not understand the sacrifice it took to get there or may not be willing to make the same sacrifices. David knew the promise, he knew his relationship with God, he always asked for direction. "Shall I go up to the towns of Judah?" David asked and the Lord said "Go up" but David did not just go up he inquired again "Where shall I go?" and the Lord said "To Hebron". God is alive He is not dead, He speaks, He corrects and He protects but we have a part to play and that is to inquire.


Welcome to 2022. I pray God's many blessings on your life, I pray you are able to reflect on how God has blessed you, the people around you, the lives you are impacting by taking the faith journey, by believing and trusting in God. By asking God for grace, humility and mercy to be nurtured, loved and mentored by the right people or person. To be able to look at the bible in a different way so the stories can build our faith and increase our capacity. Continue to connect with me on YouTube, FaceBook and IG God bless!


Stay tuned this week on YouTube for 7 days of prayer


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