So You're Here. Now What?

Hello to you from the other side of the New Year, 2016!  So, you made it!  Congratulations on crossing over!  Boy oh boy, what a ride it has been for you to get here, but thank God you made it.  Didn't think you would at times, huh?  I know the feeling....

Now that you're here, what are you going to do with it?  For many of you, 2015 didn't pan out to be the year that you thought it would be.  New Year resolutions came and went.  Commitments started, but not finished.  Life dealt blows you thought you wouldn't recover from, but you're here now.  So what are you going to do with it?  You've experienced high "highs" and low "lows".  You've been THROUGH gains and some losses.  You've witnessed and experienced love, joy, pain, miracles, deceit, answered prayers, delayed promises, mighty moves of God, peace, loneliness, new life, death, an infinite amount of chances, near death experiences, loss of jobs, financial hardships, turnarounds, abundance, lack, heartbreaks, sickness, healing, uncertainty, God confidence, fire and storms, and rainbows at the end of the rain....  But you're here now, so what are you going to do with it?

Some may call your year bipolar, but God calls it your "all things".  What do I mean by "all things"?

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

The Amplified version says it like this, "We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose."

Now, ask yourself these questions...

Do I love God?  If yes, go on to the next question below...

Have I been called out (from the world) by God?  If yes, go on to the next question below...

Have I experienced some of the highs and lows listed above?  If yes, read this next declarative statement aloud and carefully.....

IN 2015 I MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME TURBULENCE, SOME UNEXPECTED SHAKING IN MY LIFE THAT LEFT ME CRYING OUT TO GOD --> "How am I going to make it out of this?!"  BUT I KNOW THAT GOD'S WORD IS TRUE IN MY LIFE!  I'VE BEEN THROUGH THE ALL THINGS, AND THOSE THINGS ARE PERFECTLY WORKING TOGETHER FOR MY GOOD.  IT DIDN'T ALWAYS FEEL GOOD, BUT GLORY TO GOD, IN THE END IT SHALL BE FOR MY GOOD.  I WILL PRESS ON, I WILL CONTINUE TO SAY HALLELUJAH ANYHOW BECAUSE I TRUST MY LIFE IN THE HANDS OF MY EVER EFFICIENT GOD.  HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING EVEN WHEN I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT ALL.....GOD KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING. WHATEVER I'VE BEEN FIGHTING AGAINST, I RELEASE IT AND LET IT GO IN THE NAME OF JESUS.  WHATEVER/WHOEVER I'VE ALLOWED TO BE A HINDRANCE IN MY LIFE, I RELEASE IT/THEM IN THE NAME OF JESUS.  TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE AND I WILL MAKE EVERY SECOND COUNT.

I've purposely referenced "it" throughout this brief writing, but now let's plug and play.  The "it" is "your life".  You are not here by mistake.  There has not been an oversight....yes YOU are supposed to be here.  What are you going to do with your life?  Yes, man/woman has plans that we make for our own lives, and sometimes things go according to our plans, sometimes not.  But God says "For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).  Your life is NOW.  You are not your past.  You take what you need to take from it, learn the lesson, and move on.  What's so remarkable about your making it is that you didn't quit!  When it was easier to give up, God gave you a 2nd wind, and you used that rejuvenation to push on through.  You're not lucky....you are blessed.  It was God's grace AND His awesome mercy that kept you alive...even when you were acting a fool (somebody insert a "hands raised" Amen here!).

If you've not yet given your life over to Christ, I strongly urge and plead with you to do that.  Life will come with its share of challenges, but nothing surpasses the peace of God, and without Christ in your life, you are left to deal with those challenges with no Advocate.  Confess your hope and belief in the one who died for your sins and gave His life that you might have life....and that more abundantly.  If you believe and confess that, you are saved!  Saved from Satan's plans prospering in your life....saved from eternal damnation and hell.  Give it to the Lord!  Whether you feel like you were #winning in 2015 or living the life of #TheStruggle, you're here now.  So, what are you going to do with it?

Be Fabulously Blessed!

-Tash

Take Your Kid Out To Eat

Have you ever thought about what Word or what confirmation might be lying dormant in your kid(s)?

Today after church, we were standing around in the sanctuary talking, and my daughter asked if we could go on a Mommy-Daughter date to Chili's.  "Hmm...", I thought.  I knew we had to eat, but I wasn't really feeling like going out to eat.  I wanted to either find something at home to eat or pick something up on the way home and eat in the comfort of our home.  I really, really wanted to get home quickly, eat, and engage in that "after church Sunday nap".  Well.... Although we had been running allll weekend, although I felt like I hadn't seen anything of a restful and relaxing weekend, I told my daughter, "Yes, Brooklynn, I will take you out to eat.".  

We get to the restaurant and place our orders, and in true "21st century fashion" we pull out our phones and become engrossed in our devices' applications.  Our attention had been stolen.....away from each other.  I started to read a wonderful article on Mr. Sam Nelson, Brook's principal who will be retiring in June of this year.  As I read about the last 38 years of this man's life in the educational system and how he had come from humble beginnings to having such a huge impact educationally and personally in thousands of students lives, I found myself to have also become impacted by his story.  Then my thoughts turned to my daughter who was seated across from me all wrapped up in her device.  I said, "Brook, let's put our phones down."   I asked her what did "education" mean to her.  She responded that "education was great".   I asked her why, and she said because she likes learning. I then asked her what part of education she likes best....she said "math".  I asked her why is Math so important and explained to her the reasons why she needs math.

So we went on talking about education, and I stressed to her how EDUCATION DOESN'T STOP.  I told her to never stop learning and that even after she has graduated from various levels in her educational career and even after she is working in a career of her choosing and even after she is old and gray that education will still need to be a part of her life because she should NEVER STOP LEARNING.

The conversation turned to her career choices.  When asked what she wanted to be or do when she grows up, she said she wants to be a police person (she's been saying this occupation for a while now).  Then said she wants to be the sheriff because they are in charge.  I explained to her how you can't just go in the door being the sheriff, how u have to work your way up and even be elected.  She said, "a vote like for the president?".  I confirmed.

I asked her about a backup profession in case she changes her mind about being the sheriff.  She said a nurse, but the one in charge.  So I said, "oh so you just want to be in charge no matter what you're doing.  You want to be in leadership."  She said yes.  So I questioned her on what makes her a good leader...what type of character does she have that makes her a good leader.

Good leader as defined by Brook:

I'm nice (as she smiled really big).

I'm smart.

I'm gorgeous (flips her hair).

I'm fashionable (touches her clothing).  Lol!  I laughed and stopped her and told her that being fashionable has nothing to do with her being a good leader....unless she's in the fashion industry.

Then she tells me how she still wants to be an actress, make money, and be famous.

"What makes you a good actress?", I ask.  Brook says because she's always acting at home (THIS IS TRUE!).  "What do you want to do with your money when you make it?", I asked her.  Brook says, "give it to orphans".  Wow!  Ok, so this is the whole purpose of this conversation, this is why we came to eat, this is why I was led to read the article about Mr. Nelson.  It all led up to this acknowledgement of hers that left my heart so touched.  I teared up as I realized the whole purpose of this conversation and my prying her for more and pushing her to be a critical thinker in her responses.  In that moment, I blessed God and thanked Him for allowing me to take my kid out to eat.  I explained to her the importance of ministry and that giving to others, those in need, the poor was at the top of God's list.  I told her how I had just recently had a conversation with a friend about this very thing that God requires of us as He blesses us.  Had we grabbed something to eat and came home, we would've been into the TVs, phones, other electronic devices, etc...  But God allowed us this chance to sit down one on one with no distractions and to just talk so that I could hear her heart and also get a word from God in the process.  See, I'm always on my child about making sure to share with others and be kind and things of that nature.  I really try to drill it in her because I don't want her to grow up selfish and only thinking of herself.  Honestly, I wasn't sure if she was hearing me on that and thought there may have been a little bit of selfishness in her.  So, I was so thankful to hear her say that she would give her money to orphans.

I am reminded to have these types of conversations with her as often as possible.  I am reminded to listen to her heart when she speaks and correct the wrong type of thinking.  I am reminded that technology should never take the place of actual face to face interaction. I am reminded to take my kid out to eat...

#Word #BeFabulouslyBlessed

-Tash

One Decision Away

Waiting is not an easy thing to do.  
I don't want to wait in a long line.  
I don't want to wait in a queue when calling a company.  
I don't want to wait on good news/bad news.  
I don't want to wait for someone to call me back.
I don't want to wait to hear if I got the job.
I don't want to wait on the microwave to ding.
I don't want to wait on the car in front of me to speed up on the interstate.
I don't want to wait my turn....

While there are some things that I have control over when it comes to my wait period, there are some circumstances where I simply have to wait.  The wait is a part of a larger process, a larger work that is happening in me....yes, I get that, but that doesn't stop me from quitting (in my  mind) about 1-3 times a quarter.  Perhaps it's because I feel that it's so far-fetched.  Perhaps I'm not 100% sure of what I'm waiting on.  Perhaps it's because I'm just tired of waiting.  I can't give an exact answer on why I shut down and quit (in my mind) throughout this waiting period.  When I'm consumed in my thoughts, I have battles in my mind....it's like my flesh battling against my spirit.  My flesh says quit/give up/throw in the towel/move on, but my spirit hears 'wait on God'.  Agh!  It's frustrating!  I've asked God and even pleaded with Him to do things a different way....as if I know life better than He does.  One thing I am sure of is this - As consistent as I am with wanting to give up, God is that much more consistent with not allowing me to.  Each and every time that I've told God, "I can't do this", He sends me a Word that strengthens me in that exact moment, and the Word is consistently the same..."wait on Me, Tasha".  "Ok, great, God!  You won't even let me quit!"  Those are my sarcastic thoughts and conversations with God as I come back to myself.

Every day, I am one decision away from either making God proud that I've passed the test or making a complete mess of my life.....just one decision.

Lastly, as I was having "one of my moments" recently and engaged in an all-out war in my mind, I told myself how ridiculous and impossible it was.  I told myself I could do my life my way.  At that moment, I had again quit.  I wanted to pick up the phone and call my pastor to vent about my frustrations.  But as the war went on, God began to speak louder than my flesh.  I swallowed the lump in my throat as the tears streamed down my face.  Through all of this, God gave me this word...

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

Well, I suppose that pretty much sums it up.  My truth is that I dislike waiting; however, the bigger truth is that waiting is beneficial to me.  Even now as I type the words of this post, I am trembling in such a deep reverential fear of God as I know He is ingraining this Word into my spirit.  The next time you are in a battle (flesh against spirit) over a Word God gave you, please remember - you are one decision away from reaching your destiny or reaching your downfall.  If you let Him, God will carry you through.  YOUR strength may leave you, but God says, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew THEIR strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31).

-Tash 
#Word #BeFabulouslyBlessed

Keeping it 100

One of the hardest things the people of God find themselves faced with is letting someone see the real them.  The "them" behind closed doors, after the worship service is over.  The "them" that has REAL LIFE issues just like the person on the outside of the four walls of the church....and well, many times like the ones sitting next to them on Sunday morning.

What if that young girl knew you struggled with fornication more than you'd like to admit to when you were her age (and um, let's be real....after as well)?  What if that young guy knew that your pants weren't always sitting nicely around your waist....instead they were beneath your tail too?  What if we could just keep it real, and let the folks know "I ain't always been saved!"?  Who might we save from a path of destruction if we just KEPT IT REAL?  We ALL still have our secret struggles.  It may not be obvious or public knowledge....  It may not be drugs, sex, or drinking, but we come with a closet of skeletons all our on.  Come on now, transparency among the believers is lacking, and we all know why.  

"I work too hard to put this poker face on.  No way am I telling you who I really am, how I really hurt.....my struggles".  

For fear of judgment, we keep quiet as Satan seeks to nullify the work that God has done in us.  Listen, what we have to remember is that the things God allows us to go through in our lives has ALL been for our good and His glory, but it has also been for someone else.  Who are we to sit on it and not use the mess as a message?  It's too much work to pretend and try to appear as if everything is together....all neatly tucked, folded properly, crisp, dotted, and crossed, when in reality you're one more 'unperfect' thing away from your life completely falling apart.  Now, don't misunderstand....there are things you go through in private and allow God to work it out on your behalf, whatever that means to you.  People want to see you delivered before you come testifying to them about something you either are still in or haven't been through at all.  I'm not promoting telling all your business to folks who are going to take what you say and use it against you.  My reference is to what Jesus said to Simon (Peter) in Luke 22:32...

"But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers."

"When you have repented and turned to me again"....that's key.  When you come out of it, whatever IT is.  When you've asked for forgiveness (and repented - that's two separate things), and TURNED away from whatever had you bound, THEN you go out and strengthen your brothers/sisters.  Does that sound like you're keeping what God did for you to yourself?  It's so ironic that God is really dealing with me on this today, and it just hit me that my Pastor preached from Luke 22:32 on this past Sunday.  

Look at this.  I looked up the definition of "transparent" so that I can see exactly what the dictionary notes about transparency.

trans·par·ent

adjective

1. (of a material or article) allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen.

   "transparent blue water"

   synonyms:

   clear, crystal clear, see-through, translucent, pellucid, limpid, glassy,vitreous

This made me yell out - "allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen".  My God!  Do you see this?  Who is the Light of the world?  JESUS is that Light.  The Light shines through you, and those things that we've tried to keep hidden are not hidden from God.  He sees us inside and out.  He KNOWS who you are!  So, we most definitely must first come transparent before Him.  Then once He cleans us up and makes us into a vessel He can use, our job is to use those "objects behind" that we didn't want anyone to see to minister to the people God sends you to.  I have to be totally honest, while I'm not the one to pretend that my life is perfect....I'll surely tell you I AM NOT PERFECT AND I HAVE STRUGGLES JUST LIKE YOU, there are some things that I find really hard to share about myself or things that I've been through and/or am going through.  BUT, when I put things into perspective, and heed the voice of the Lord, I'm reminded that I'm a servant working for the Lord.  My life is not my own.  I belong to God, so I've got to come out of "self", and be obedient to the work He has called me to.  Sometimes that may mean I'll be uncomfortable.  Well, God did not call us to be "comfortable", He called us to be game changers, and in order to do so, that little box we put ourselves in.....yea, that won't work.

Be fabulously blessed :)
-Tash 

My Biggest Fear

I know that this post's title suggests a possessive form of my owning "fear", which of course is in contradiction to who/what I am to represent as a child of God.  Right?  I mean, Christians don't fear, do we?  All we have is FAITH!  And NEVER, ever ever ever is an ounce of fear going to be found in us.  Not in our lives, not in our thoughts, not in our words.  Ever!

Now that I've gotten that lie out of the way, let me come back with some truth.  YOU WILL FACE FEAR as a man, a woman, a person walking this Earth....and yes, even as a Christian.  What stands out most clearly to me as my biggest fear is not properly discerning the direction/will of God for my life and being led astray by the wrong voice(s).  It is very important that we position ourselves in God so that we can be led by the Holy Spirit in our life's "doings", and it is equally important that we remain in a position to continuously commune with God and get daily, play by play direction.

Notice I didn't say that fear will have you or that fear will own or overpower you, I'm simply speaking a truth that there will be times in your life where you will come face to face with fear.  Now, how you handle this face off determines if you are walking IN fear or walking OVER it.  What is your fear?  Whether it be the fear of failure or disappointment, the fear of losing out on love, losing a loved one, standing up for what you believe to be true, not being able to survive in this world, fear of not enough, fear of too much, fear of not being accepted, taking on a task you've been assigned, fear of what the people will say, etc....whatever it is, you have a choice to make.  Do you crumble under the pressure of what you faced?  Or do you speak the Word of God back to it?  Consistency wins, always!  If you continue to do a thing, it will eventually become a habit.  Every time you are faced with a fear, which is a lie, from the father of lies....Satan himself, speak the truth back to it because God didn't give you (us) the spirit of fear.  Shine God's light on Satan's darkness and walk OVER that fear. 

Nothing I've stated here is meant to diminish the power of God operating in our lives.  The Word tells us that "perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).  And who is the source of that perfect love?  Our perfect God!  What is fear?  It is a crippling, paralyzing, growth stunting, faith killing monster that is sent to keep you from what God has for you.  Do you accept that?  Surely not!  Get up, and fight back!  Many weapons have you been given....the strongest being the weapon of your faith that must come forth from your tongue.

My biggest fear.....crumbling and falling apart when not fully utilizing the gift of faith I've been given to walk over the fear that I will face.
  
-Tash
#Word #BeFabulouslyBlessed :)

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

(2 Timothy 1:7)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

(1 John 4:18)

Rerouting...

I remember driving down that narrow road feeling lost mixed with a bit of helplessness, frustration, and fear.

It happened in December of 2014 after leaving my kid's cheer squad Christmas party.  We had been in Hot Springs all day for a cheer competition.  Afterwards, we celebrated at a pizza parlor with the rest of the squad.  Then, my kid and I parted ways.  She rode back with her dad so that I could attend a friend's birthday dinner in Little Rock.  So, I was driving along the interstate, alone in the car, headed out of Hot Springs, and depending on the directions from my phone's GPS to guide me.....and then it happened.  I messed up!  I wasn't paying attention!  And I missed an Exit.  No big deal, right?  I was fully confident that my GPS would get me back on track in just a matter of two, maybe 3 turns.  Well, it didn't happen that way.  As I got off on the next available Exit, I looked down at my phone to see "Rerouting" on the display.  I stared and stared, but it didn't update fast enough so I just drove.  Then a new set of directions came up, and I proceeded to follow this new path.

This new set of directions did not immediately take me back to the interstate (as I had expected) to be on my merry way.  I had to make a few turns and travel down a long, curvy, narrow road.  As I was driving along this road, light faded to darkness.  Remember, I was just on the interstate maybe two minutes prior and the skies appeared blue and settled.  Then out of nowhere, it started to get dark all around me.  I was in an unfamiliar place, in the middle of nowhere, going nowhere fast, and the road seemed to get longer.  Picture a wooded area at night that hardly anyone travels or knows about because it is the back road to the back road....yea, that.  Although my GPS told me this was the road I needed to be on to get back on track, I still felt lost.  Then came the frustration as I blamed the "stupid GPS" for not giving me accurate directions and clearly getting me lost.  And then came the fear, and my thoughts were overtaken with the paralysis that comes with fear.....

"What if something happens and my car stops and someone pretending to help me comes along and takes me and does harm to me and then my kid will have to be raised without her mother and what about my family and what if no one finds me because they didn't know I was back here.....????  God, please help me get out of here!  Thank you, Lord, (in advance) for showing me the way out and for protecting me and covering me in the blood of Jesus!"

As my thoughts of defeat turned to thoughts of faith and praise, I came upon the main road that led me back to the interstate.  Finally!  I was back on track.

How many times in your life have you felt "off track", "traveling a road alone", and "lost"?  Undoubtedly, at least one time.....and if you're really honest with yourself, probably several times.  These things about life and the way God teaches us (His children) strikes me as nothing short of amazing.  As soon as I met back up with the main road, God immediately downloaded into my spirit the spiritual lesson behind what had just occurred.  I could have pulled over and praised Him right there on that interstate.

Sometimes we are going on in life and just living according to the status quo.  Then, we encounter varying situations that gets us away from life "as we knew it" and on a different path.  That Exit that I missed can be synonymous with things we miss in life as it relates to listening to God.  It could be that God has given us a directive, but instead of walking in obedience, we exercise our free will and conclude that we're going to do that thing another way....our own way.  As a result of that act of disobedience, we end up in a dark place in our lives that has us feeling lost and like we can't find our way.  Don't be ashamed of that place.....that place forced you to grow and here you can come to know God in a way you had not known Him before.  You're not really lost, you've just gotten rerouted.

Perhaps, your missed Exit wasn't out of disobedience, but divinely orchestrated by God.  

"A person's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way?"

-Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)

God looked at you in your "status quo" situation and saw that there needed to be a change, a transition, a shift in your life.  In order to do this though, He has to pull you off that comfortable road you're on, away from the busyness of life, away from the distractions.  It can be quite uncomfortable as God takes you through a period of transition, but trust that it's for your good.  There's no physical body around for you to depend on. God has gotten you all alone.  He has something to say.  Are you listening?

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

-Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

As you're going through, you won't always understand exactly what is happening and why it is happening, but continue to trust God in it.  There may be days when you'll get frustrated with the process.  There may be times when you want to blame God for putting you in that place.  Other times, the enemy will try to send fear to you in an effort to get you to doubt God and His promises that have already been pronounced over your life.  But what will get you through, what will keep you from crumbling is your FAITH and your PRAISE in it.  Often times, God will put us into certain situations to check our response.  Will we continue to believe Him?  Will be remain alert enough to learn the lesson He's trying to teach us?  Will we allow Him to work IN us to mold us into that person that He says we are?  I know that situation can get really dark and looking through the lens of our physical eyes, we see no end in sight.  I have wanted to turn around on many occasions when in an uncomfortable position, but God kept me there for a reason.  God has not gotten you to this place to leave you, and He didn't do it to set you up for hurt, harm, or danger.  Your "REROUTING" serves a tremendous purpose in your life.  Let His work be made perfect in you and watch the transformation that will take place in your own life and in the lives of those around you, those who YOUR testimony is assigned to.  Remember that God does NOTHING without purpose.  He doesn't get pleasure out of your misery.  So, if you feel like you're in a dark and lonely place or a really low place in life, turn your thoughts and actions to those of praise.  Be deliberate in your faith, even when you don't feel like it.  Soon, you will meet back up with that main road better than you were when you first got off of it.

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

-Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV)

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

-Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)

"I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

-Jeremiah 29:14 (NIV)

Be fabulously blessed!

-Tasha