It Makes Sense Now...

For the past couple of months, I've been counseling a young lady who has become very dear to my heart.  Everytime she opens up to me about things she's dealing with, it's almost as if I'm looking in the mirror.  Her struggles were once my struggles; her pain was once my pain; her story was once my story.  I talked to her a little while ago via email, and as I read what she had to say, my eyes filled with tears.  In that moment I realized that the pain and struggles I went through were all apart of God's purpose for my life, and He is now using my pain to bring healing and hope to others.

What I thought was pointless suffering has turned out to be all worth it. 

I am almost at a loss for words, because I am in complete awe of God.  My heart is overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  If you only knew how many times I wanted to give up and walk away from God because I felt that I couldn't handle the pain. And now, to be using that same pain to bring hope and healing to other women...WOW!!  It amazes me that there are women reaching out to me for help, when I often felt helpless and had no hope.

I am so humbled just knowing that God had his hand on me all those years when I was lost and confused.  When I wanted to walk away and give up, He wouldn't let me because He knew the plans He had for me down the road.  I never thought my life would make sense, but now, it does.  God was preparing me for purpose all along. 

He's connected me to some amazing people, (my purpose partners) who pray with me, and inspire, encourage, motivate, and support me along my path to purpose.  I am so thankful for those who saw the best in me when I could only see the worst.

I am completely amazed at how God continuously shows me that His hand is always present in my life.

I know, without a doubt, that God has a divine mandate on my life to inspire, encourage and uplift everyday women to know their worth, and love themselves the way Christ does.

Excuse me while I give God a praise...

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Always Do Your Best

Yesterday my 2nd grade son, Joey, brought home his report card.  He made all A's and a B.  Though I'm always proud of him for maintaining excellent grades, I was exceptionally proud of the B he made.  Here's why...

About a month ago his teacher sent home a mid-quarter progress report, and I noticed that he had a C in Math.  This raised an eyebrow, because he's always on his A-game.  When I questioned him about his grade, his reply was, "Mama, I just don't like Math. It's boring." 

"Well, just because you don't like Math does not mean that you're not supposed to do your best.  Do you think this is your best, or can you do better?" I responded.  With slumped shoulders and a whiny voice, he answered, "I can do better."

After speaking with his teacher, who confirmed that he doesn't like Math due to the fact that he goes to La-La land during that subject, I learned what areas we needed to focus on.  So, every evening he and I would do Math worksheets together.  As a result of his hard work, despite the fact that Math is still his least favorite subject, he managed to pull his grade up by putting his best foot forward.  You should've seen the smile on his face as he handed me his report card yesterday.  As I planted a million kisses all over his face, I said to him, "I knew you could do it. Always do your best no matter what."

The moral of the story is this:  Situations will arise in life that you don't particularly care for; nevertheless, you must always put your best foot forward.  When you do your best, despite how you feel, you'll reap the best results.

See you Friday!

Live, laugh, love!!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Quick Note

Hey everyone!

I've been battling a cold for a couple days...not feeling my best today.  However, I cannot pass up the opportunity to share encouragement and inspiration with you just because my head hurts, I can't breath out of my nose, and I'm coughing, sneezing and having chills.  Nooo, I can't do that! LOL! Y'all pray for a sista.

I want you guys to know that there's purpose in every thing you go through.  As a close friend recently shared with me, Your pain is/was not in vain.

So count it all joy, and when the time comes, don't be afraid to share your pain with others.  You never know whose breakthrough is attached to your openness.

Yes, it may hurt right now, but it's all for the greater good.  Hang in there!

See ya Monday...prayerfully feeling much better.

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love.

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Guidelines for Holy Living

Happy Wednesday!

I have a passage of scripture I'd like to share with you today.  It helps to keep me grounded in my desire to live Holy before Christ.  Enjoy!

Colossians 3:1-17, NIV

Rules for Holy Living


1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Yesterday Is History

The mistakes you made yesterday do not define who you are today, or what you shall be tomorrow.

God dropped that in my spirit a little while ago, so I just thought I'd share it with you today. 

Do not predicate the success of your life on the mistakes you made yesterday.  Yes, you may still feel the consequences of your wrong choices, but God has wiped your slate clean.  He's not holding anything over your head...He has tossed it all into the sea of forgetfulness.

Today is a new day, and tomorrow has the potential to be even better.  God has nothing less than the best for you.  And, yes...you deserve it, because the blood of the lamb makes you worthy. 

Don't allow yesterday's mistakes to hold you hostage another day. Embrace each new day as a new beginning, move forward, and reach for the stars!

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love.

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Expect Great Things

Monday morning, I woke up feeling excited and refreshed.  I shared on my Facebook wall that I was expecting great blessings this week.  I honestly believed in my heart that God was going to do something great for me this week.  There were some things I had placed before Him, and when I woke up Monday morning I knew that by the week's end, God was going to manifest His promise to me.  There was also a scripture and a song on my heart to go along with what I was feeling.  The scripture is Ephesians 3:20 - "Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us." The song - "Expect the Great" by Jonathan Nelson.

By Wednesday, nothing extraordinary had occured, but my expectations were still at an all time high.  I was already praising God in advance.  Well, by Wednesday's end, God had proven to me, yet again, that He is faithful to perform His word.  He blessed me beyond my expectations.

I shared this for two reasons - to remind you that God is faithful and will always keep His word, and to encourage you to keep believing in whatever it is you're expecting God to do in your life.

When you live uprightly before Him, no good thing will be withheld from you, as long as it lines up with His will.  Never stop believing, never stop expecting God to do great things for you.  He will show Himself strong in your life.  Expect great things everyday of your life, and go ahead and praise Him in advance.  Lift your hands and tell Him "Thank ya!"

Enjoy your weekend...and the song posted below!

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Trust In The Lord...

Hi guys! I really hate that I missed blogging yesterday, because I LOVE sharing with you the things that God put on my heart.  For those of you who may be new to the blog, I post fresh, divine words every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Looking forward to being able to share encouragement and inspiration with you!

There's a scripture that's been on my heart all week.  One that I live by on a daily basis:

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."  ~Proverbs 3:5-6~

I am a firm believer in the fact that if you trust in God, not lean to your own understanding, and acknowledge Him in ALL your ways, He will indeed direct your path.

I know because He's proven it to me over and over again.

Only God knows the plans for your life, so if you'd consult Him before making decisions, He will surely lead you along the right path.  It's so easy to do things according to how we understand, but even at our best thinking, we're bound to make a mistake.

I encourage you to trust in the Lord with your whole heart and allow Him to lead you.  His navigation system is world class; He'll never steer you wrong.

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Don't Move Until You're Sure

Lately, God has been tugging at my heart to make some changes.  Some changes I've already made and some I'm in the process of making. I have felt such a push to make a move in a particular area of my life, but it doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to me, in the fact that there are some missing pieces to the puzzle.  Though I'd already decided to seek God and wait for clarity, last evening I emailed a dear friend about it.  Not knowing that she'd been in my position before, she gave me some very sound advice.  She said:

"...if you don't know with 100% certainty, and you don't see clear provision for that decision, don't make a move."

She shared with me how, at one point in her life, she jumped ahead of God when she believed that He was calling her to make some changes.  Her premature move turned out to be a huge mistake, and it took her and her family quite some time to recover from it.

Though I want to adhere to God's plan for my life, I never want to become so overly excited and eager to walk in His purpose for my life that I jump ahead of His plan, and end up with a disastrous mess on my hands.  I am so grateful for the advice my friend shared with me in her email, because it encouraged me all the more to not make a move until I am absolutely sure that this is a move indeed divinely orchestrated by God, and clear provision is set in place.

When you believe God is leading you to do something, it's easy to become antsy and feel that you're ready to hit the ground running, but it is so very imperative that you seek God for clear direction and provision to support your decision.  Until you're absolutely sure that you're sure, it's best that you don't make a move.

The last thing you want to do is jump ahead of God, and end up dealing with a major setback.  Whether in business, relationships, investments or any other area, don't move on what you feel you're being led to do until everything is crystal clear.  Yes, faith is believing in what you don't necessarily see, but foolish faith is like driving a car blindfolded...you're bound to crash. Pray for clarity, and wait until you receive it.

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

The Blessings of Obedience

Happy Friday!  Today, I just want to share a passage of scripture with you. 

So many people think that there's some magical way to obtain the blessings of God, when all it takes is obedience.  Enjoy!

Deuteronomy 28:1-14, NLT


Blessings for Obedience

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:  3 Your towns and your fields will be blessed. 4 Your children and your crops
will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed.

5 Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. 6 Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. 7 “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!

8 “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.  9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.

11 “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. 12 The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. 13 If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. 14 You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace and Blessings,

Keisha

It's Suffocating You...

Last night my son, Jaxon, had trouble breathing through his nose.  This caused a problem for him, because he absolutely refused to take his pacifier out of his mouth. *Note to self:  My next child will not use a pacifier.* With his nose completely stopped up, and his mouth plugged, you can imagine how irritable he became with not being able to breath properly.  I don't think I slept a wink last night.

In his little mind, he didn't understand that by removing the pacifer, he'd be able to breath a little better.  All he knew is that he wanted his paci, and even if it meant he couldn't breath, he was not letting it go.  Because of this, he had a very rough night...and so did I. 

As adults, we can be just like little Jaxon, refusing to let go of things that keep us from breathing...only difference is that we know better.  Because we grow so accustomed to and dependent upon something, or someone, we refuse to let it go even knowing it's a hindrance.

As a result we suffer, and it affects those who sincerely try to help us.

Ask yourself, what am I holding on to that I know I need to let go?  Whatever it is that is suffocating you, I encourage you to take steps in letting it go.  Don't hold on to it another day, because it's sucking the life out of you.

Free yourself so that you can breath again.  As for Jaxon, join me in praying that pacifier spirit off of him! LOL!!

Til we meet again...live, laugh, love!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha

Give It Time

My youngest son, Jaxon, had outpatient surgery this morning to have his adenoids removed and tubes placed in his ears.  The reason for the adenoidectomy is to help his breathing and snoring. (He snores like a grown man!)  Before leaving the Outpatient Surgery Center, the nurse explained to my husband and I that, although the problem has been rectified, it'll be at least a week before we notice any changes. "Give it time," she said sweetly.  While sitting next to Jaxon as he takes a nap, I notice that his snoring sounds worse than it was before. "My goodness" I whispered to myself, "that sure does sound bad."  But then I quickly remembered what the nurse said, Give it time.  The steps have already been made to fix the problem; I just need to be patient and wait for it to take effect.

In life, after you've prayed and prayed for God to fix a situation, it sometimes seems that instead of getting better, things become worse.  That can be so frustrating.  I know that feeling all too well.

Today, I want to encourage you to give it time.  The situation is already worked out, but you need to be patient and wait for things to shift.  Don't worry, or fret.  Just wait for the changes to take effect.  And they will...soon!

Til we meet again...live, love, laugh!

Peace and Blessings,
Keisha