Quick Note...

Hey everybody!

Just a quick note...

The blog will be back to its regular Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule beginning next week.  The first trimester of my pregnancy has been a bit rough, but I believe I'm beginning to get a little better.  Keep me in your prayers for a healthy pregnancy, healthy baby, and healthy mommy.  I'd really appreciate it.

As always, I look forward to sharing with you.  If you haven't already, send me a friend request on Facebook.  I'd love to connect, and get to know you.

In the meantime, meditate on Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Despite what it looks like, know that God is working it all out for your good.  Keep the faith!

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

Peace & Blessings,
Keisha

God Is Sovereign...He Can Handle It

Pain and hardtimes are inevitable.  All of us will experience it at some point in our lives.  I have had some extremely painful days in my life, and there were times when it seemed that not even God could handle the things I was going through.  There were moments when my struggles were so heavy and intense that I honestly wanted to die, because I believed that was the only way I could find an escape.

I remember a time during one of my bouts of deep depression, I almost allowed the enemy to convince me to run away.  He almost made me believe that my husband and children would be better off without me.  He even gave me a plan that made sense in my warped mind.

Needless to say, I didn't follow through; but it was only the grace of God that kept me. 

I now know that I went wrong by not allowing God to be sovereign in my life.  I felt like instead of God being bigger than my problems, my problems were bigger than God.  WRONG!!  God is bigger than any situation we could ever face, and there is absolutely nothing too hard for Him to handle.

Life can get so hard sometimes, and although we may be smiling on the outside, on the inside we are dying.  See, the enemy loves to see us this way.  He preys on our pain.  He makes us believe that our problems are too much for us to handle, and tries to make us self-destruct.

Oh, but we serve a God who has supreme power; He is sovereign!  There is no pain He can't heal; no problem He can't solve; no situation He can't fix; no way He can't make.

He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or even think.  All we've got to do is pray, and believe.  We don't have to walk around with problems on our back, because we can cast our cares upon the Lord. 

Don't allow the enemy to convince you that all hope is gone.  Don't allow him to cause you to turn inward, and bring harm to yourself.  Turn every problem, every pain, every situation over to the Sovereign God and trust Him  to bring healing, hope, and deliverance to your life.

No matter what you're facing today, know that God is able to bring you through.  Trust Him.

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

Peace & Blessings,
Keisha

Let the song posted below minister to you...

All We Have Is Now

On my way to take my son to school this morning, I ran into a traffic jam.  Cars were backed up for about two miles, and moved at a snail's pace.  Like a lot of people, I grew frustrated because I was being thrown off schedule.  In my impatience, I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, and let out a few big sighs as a sign of my growing irritation. 

As I slowly edged along through the traffic, I finally discovered the reason behind the backup.  There had been an accident.  When I looked to my left and saw a car flipped upside down, my countenance instantly changed.  I immediately began to pray for whomever was trapped inside. It looked horrible, and I'm not sure if anyone made it out alive.

In that moment I began to praise God, because I realized that that could have easily been me.  This morning could have very well been my moment to leave this earth, or encounter a situation that could take my life. I bet the person(s) inside that car had no idea that they'd be in that situation this morning.  I'm sure they had plans for the day, for the week, for the month, for the year...but all of those plans came to a screeching halt all in an instant.

We never know what a day may hold.  When we leave our homes in the morning, we expect to return the same way we left.  We expect to be able to do it all again tomorrow.  But guess what?  Tomorrow is promised to no one.  Today could be our last opportunity.

So many of us take today for granted, me included.  But when you think about it, this present moment is really all we have.  I believe that it behooves us all to make the most of each moment, because it can all be gone in an instant.  You never know.

I've always heard the phrase, Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today.  And it is so true.  Let's not wait until tomorrow to mend broken relationships; let's not wait until tomorrow to say I'm sorry or I forgive you; let's not wait until tomorrow to get in right standing with Christ...

All we have is now.

My intent is not to suggest that today is anyone's last day.  I simply want to convey the message that time is not on our side.  The only time we are guaranteed is this very moment.  This is not to cause anyone to live in fear; this is simply an encouragement to make the absolute best of each moment, of each day.

The reason behind this morning's traffic jam encouraged me to give my all to every moment God allows me to have. Today is a gift.

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

Peace & Blessings,
Keisha

Just Be Still

Hi ladies!

I just have a quick word of encouragement to share with you today.

I've been a bit torn about making a decision in a particular area of my life.  The impatient part of me is ready to just make a decision already and get it over with; however, the more mature, responsible part of me knows that premature decisions can be a disaster.

In the midst of praying to God for direction, his instructions were very clear:  Just be still...

Though not the clear answer I was looking for, (I was expecting either black or white; instead He gave me grey! LOL!!) I am making the choice to simply stand still until God's will for this area of my life becomes clear to me.

I encourage you to do the same.  Be still.

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

Peace & Blessings,
Keisha

God's Grace and Strength

I am in the 10th week of my pregnancy, and this week has been quite physically and emotionally challenging for me.  Any woman that has carried a child knows that our bodies go through some major changes as it acts as the temporary living space for a developing human being.  Not only do our bodies experience change, so do our emotions.  I have been so mean to my poor husband this week.  (Sorry babe.)

Physically, I have had to rely solely upon the strength of the Lord to make it through each day this week, because I have had absolutely none.  My prayer over the past 5 days has been very simple, Lord give me strength.

Between husbands, children, jobs, cooking, cleaning, ministry, business, and the million other things many women have on our plates, it can all sometimes seem a bit overwhelming.  Last evening I had so many things pulling for my attention all at once, that I became frustrated.  I flopped down on the edge of my bed, put my face in my hands, and guess what...I cried. 

I cried because, in that moment, I became extremely overwhelmed and felt that I simply could not handle it all.  Ever felt like that?

As I sat there with tears falling into my hands, I asked God to help me.  And He did.  He reminded me of 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  He reassured me that His grace and strength was all I needed.  With that, I dried my eyes, took a deep breath, and took on everything I needed to accomplish.

Life can sometimes be exhausting.  And there are times when you may feel like you just can't handle everything that is on your plate.  But know that if God gave it to you to do, He has already given you the grace and strength you need to successfully carry it out.

Sure there will be times when you may have an I-can't-do-this moment like I did, but that's only your emotions talking.  You are equipped to do great things, whether it's just the every day hustle and bustle of life, or fulfilling God's purpose for your life.

Rely on God's grace and strength, and you'll find that you've got more than enough to get the job done.

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

Peace & Blessings,
Keisha

It's Been A Year...

Today I'm so excited!! Divine Words was birthed one year ago today! I can't believe it's been a year already!

Apprehensive and unsure of how I'd be accepted, I decided to obey the voice of the Lord, and venture out in writing.  

Although writing has always been second nature to me, I never really connected it to being a part of God's purpose for my life. 

Others would often tell me that I was gifted to write.  Though I thought it was a nice compliment, I never really believed it.  So, because I didn't believe in the gift that God had given me, I never used it...at least not for His glory.  I'd write in my journal, or for my job, but that was about it.

A few years ago, I met someone who became a great friend and mentor.  God used her as an instrument to help me discover my passion for writing, and to encourage me into accepting my talent as a gift from God, designed to be used for His glory.  I am eternally grateful for the way God used my friend to push me into purpose.  She encouraged me time and time again to obey God, get the ball rolling, and start blogging.

And I'm so glad I did.  Though it started off a bit rocky, and I didn't have very many readers, I know that this is indeed God's mandate on my life - to use the gift that He has entrusted to me as a means of sharing His love and message of hope with others.  All for His glory.

I am always humbled whenever I get a comment or email from someone about how the blog serves as a blessing to their life.  This assures me all the more that I am doing what God has instructed me to do.

Here I am, a year later...the blog is still going strong, I'm a columnist for EEW Magazine (WOW!!!!!!!!), and God has given me great vision for expansion of the writing ministry.

I love to write!  And what I love even more is that I am able to share the message of Christ through writing to encourage and inspire others.  That's what it's all about for me - That others will be uplifted, and Christ will be glorified.

I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to those of you who faithfully follow the blog, and the column in EEW.  Thank you tremendously for your support, prayers, and encouragment.  Keep me lifted as I continue to yield to God's call upon my life.  I pray that whatever God chooses to do through me will be a continued blessing to your life.

I love you all SO MUCH!!

Don't be afraid to step out, even when you're fearful, if you know that God has called you to purpose.  You will not regret it.

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

Peace & Blessings,
Keisha