Yesterday, I had to drive home in the storm. What usually takes 45 minutes took about an hour and a half. At one point, I was on the freeway and I couldn’t see. My windshield wipers were moving as fast as the car is programmed to move them, but clearly the rain was falling too fast. At one point, I considered pulling under a bridge and waiting for the storm to pass. But I didn’t know when or if that would happen. So I kept going, moving 20 MPH. By the time I got off the freeway onto a side street, the rain became a drizzle and the sun peeked out. Had I stopped on the freeway, who knows how long I would have been siting in the storm, not moving.

No matter how slow you have to move, keep moving! If you stand still in the storm, you may do more damage than you would if you move forward. Keep moving! There is sunshine on the other side of this!

I’m dropping my son off at school this morning, and he says to me, “Mommy, drop me off at the door and I’ll go in by myself. It’s raining and you don’t have a hood on your coat.” My son Xavier probably knew what he was saying in the natural, but he didn’t know what he was speaking to my spirit in the spiritual realm. Immediately the Lord showed me the hood represents his covering of us in every storm of life. When we choose to step out from under that covering, we get more than wet in the storm–we get tossed, torn, beat up and for lack of a better term, we look a hot mess. Every day, make sure you put on your hood and even carry an umbrella with you. You don’t know what storms lie ahead throughout the day. It could be a flat tire. It could be an overdraft of your bank account. But if you’ve prayed, you’ve fasted, you’ve spent time in your word, these small storms won’t shake you. Every storm has an end date. I have not been to one city where it rains 24/7. At some point, the rain stops. The sun comes out. The grass gets green where it used to be brown. The flowers bloom. Today, I pray that you are fully prepared for the storms you may encounter this day, and tomorrow, and the next day. As my son Xavier would say, make sure you have a hood and keep your umbrella nearby just in case!

Sunkissed Clouds.

Recently I took a trip to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise. (It was phenomenal by the way! If you haven’t done one, this is a life-changing experience!) On the way home, I had a layover in Baltimore. The turbulence on the first plane was a little rough, so much so that the pilot told us to keep our seatbelts fastened longer than usual. But when I got on my final plane to head home from Baltimore, when I was halfway to my destiny, and we got in the air, at some point, there was nothing but clouds surrounding the plane. The turbulence and air pockets we hit felt like a huge pothole in the air. Passengers throughout the plane began to shake from side to side. I even fastened my seatbelt tighter! Despite the turbulence though, despite the surrounding clouds, there was a brightness from the sun that was almost blinding. Isn’t it amazing how you can see the clouds and yet, still see the sun?

This thing called life will cause some ups and downs, and its fair share of spiritual turbulence. It will try to shake you, break you, make you think that you’re going to crash, that you’re going to fall hard and not get to your destiny safely and securely. But thank God for being the pilot of our lives! He orders our steps and directs our paths. All we can do is sit in the seat with our seatbelts fastened securely and wait for the landing. Even when you’re surrounded by clouds, which oftentimes signify darkness, the sun and the Son is still there! So fasten your seatbelt, read a book, get an ice cold beverage and wait for the manifestation of the thing you’ve been believing God for. I’ll see you when you land!

For 100 Words of Encouragement, visit here!

The Graduation of Elevation.

By Guest Blogger: Melissa Ann Ricks

“John answered, ‘I only baptize using water. A person you don’t recognize has taken His stand in your midst.”‘ John 1:26a

I often wonder about the Body of Christ and why we don’t have a great impact in the Earth as we could. Do we lack the boldness of the first century church? It seems many are still somehow unaware of how awesome, all-powerful and amazing our God is.  

Doesn’t the fact that we have Jesus Christ living in us, actually working in the midst of our very being, make us more than conquerors and overcomers, just like the Bible says?  

We’d betta’ recognize!

Martha didn’t really recognize. She was unaware of whom she had in her midst. Had she really recognized who Jesus is and that everything that she would ever need to live a successful life was sitting in her living room, she would have dropped everything she was doing to “prepare” and sat at his feet, just like Mary. 

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made…, “The Lord answered, ‘You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, indeed only one.” Luke 10:39

Many people are so busy working and doing, failing to realize that it has already been done. People prepare and prepare some more, oblivious of the fact that the way has already been prepared. Many are so preoccupied with “getting ready” for God, when we fail to recognize that He is already in our midst, desiring to release more than we can ask or think.

Many are frustrated, like Martha, because they don’t seem to be making any headway in their endeavors.  I was just like Martha. “All I want is to serve you with my writing,” is what I complained to Jesus. I was so busy “doing” and “preparing”, trying to accomplish everything to move into what I believed was my destiny. 

“Don’t you know that it’s already done?” is what I heard from the Lord.

I forgot that He’d already spoken it to me, but I failed once again to recognize that it was already completed. 

“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

All we should be doing is sitting at His feet like Mary, learning more of Him from Him. She recognized the presence of holiness, power and the one person that could complete her. There was not anything else that needed to be done. She got it! It is imperative that we get it! Once we recognize that He is in our midst, victory is ours! Recognize that Jesus is everything that we need, want and could ever hope for.

Only then will we have the boldness to act on His word and cause a spiritual fire unlike the world has ever seen just like the 1st century believers. They recognized Him because they knew Him!

Hasn’t he already told you that He is the Alpha and Omega? 

He said that, “I am the Author and Finisher of your Faith!”

Recognize Jesus as…  

YOUR REDEEMER! YOUR PEACE!  

YOUR JOY! YOUR HEALER!

YOUR FUTURE!

Open your eyes and see your Savior for who He is and everything He is.

He is right in your midst!

“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him.” Luke 24:31

Recognize the awesomeness of Jesus the Christ so that you can impact the world with all that He is in you!

By: Guest Blogger, Shairon Taylor

As people of God, we can oftentimes have the wrong mentality and personal desires.  In this aspect, we need the Davidic mentality–the mindset and the heart of David, which is the type of desire he had toward God.

In Psalm 27:4, David said, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”  Desire begins with an encounter with something that captivates our thoughts and heart. True desire drives your determination to fulfill that desire. To dwell in the house of the Lord was David’s desire, and he passionately sought after that.

We desire fancy cars, big homes, jobs bringing in six-figure salaries, and even spouses. But is it the right desire? Yes, God will give us the desires of our hearts, but the contingency is delighting ourselves in Him! It’s fine to want nice things; however, our passion, our desire and initiative should be seeking God, pleasing God, and serving God with a spirit of love and humility. Matthew 6:33 tells us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

God will bless us. He desires to bless His people. But, are we obedient to Him and His Word? Are we seeking Him like we are supposed to? Are we praying and fasting like we should?

Refocus your thoughts and hearts toward God.

Blessings will come through obedience.

Scriptures:  Psalm 27:4, 37:4-5; Matthew 6:33; Colossians 3:1-2

The DNA of Change.