Exposing Who I Truly Am

Reflection defined is a thought occurring in consideration or meditation. This may sometimes cause you to shy away from the one person other than God, that knows the truth about who you are beneath the surface. If you are wondering then yes, that would be you. Most of our lives we live to please others when the reality is that generally does not constitute happiness. But because of the fear of being rejected we sometimes live a lifetime of unhappiness. The ambitions we have are placed in a file entitled "not now" or "it's just not meant to be", because we are afraid to embrace the gift God has so graciously given us. 

According to 1John 4:18 ~ There is no fear in love, and perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 

Time alone with God has re-birthed a liveliness in me that I will no longer take for granted. I will follow his every instruction as it pertains to my mind, body and soul. I will no longer live to please those that are not worthy of all I possess. We can sometimes allow those that seemingly need rescuing to enter into our personal space, and not realize they are there to do us harm.

For the bible says 1Peter 5:8 ~ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I am indeed a Queen in my own right and I will live up to that challenge. My life will begin to unfold and blossom into an open book. My smiles going forward will truly be for that reason and not to hide the uncertainty that plagued me for so very long. My eyes will be wide open to the possibilities that await me, and I will take full advantage of every single one. 

Matthew 17:20 ~ He said to them, because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain 'Move from here to there', and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

My circle of friends may become smaller, but I am confident that will be a blessing. My time will be consumed with living my life my way, or rather God's way. This has been a year of new awakenings, and the upcoming year will continue to serve as my canvas as I create a portrait defining me as I see me, and not what others perceive me to be.

Ephesians 4:29 ~ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is  good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those that hear.

So as you bring in the new year maybe it will be wise to "Reflect" instead of bringing about a "Resolution." I pray blessings of prosperity to everyone that reads these words.

Happy New Year!!!

Lady 4.0 

The Power of the Unknown

Sometimes it takes someone you do not not know to give you a true revelation of your interpretation of yourself

Your innermost secrets resurface begging for clarity and your mind becomes inhabited with thoughts of old

The person you have born anew is challenged by the distant fear of the person you used to be

In theory it is said that time will ultimately heal all wounds, but what of the wounds you are unaware you possess 

Those that are so deeply hidden you actually believe they are the pains of someone you have encountered

Your mind is partially shielded because you are afraid to bring forth the truth, not the truth as you know it but the truth as it actually transpired

You are mentally numb from tirelessly abandoning any association of your previous life

The reality of it all is that in order to embrace your new found freedom you must address the demons of the life you attempt to leave behind

The pain runs through your veins like deep dark molasses suffocating you with each and every breath 

The idea of slumber is far away in the distance and evidence of your rescuer is nowhere in sight

You silently cry out  to God for what seems to be a lifetime of agony and your chest burns with the intensity of a four alarm blaze

Darkness is what surrounds you and silence is your new theme song

You awake with a new sense of purpose and realize God was the answer to your dilemma all along

Be Blessed,

Lady 4.0 

Your Role as a Mother

At what point do we start to take responsibility for the actions of our children? As parents God gives us the task of nurturing and caring for our children, to ensure they are taken care of during their formative years. All too often we lose sight of this because society has groomed us to believe the best way to become a good parent is to be your child's friend, by convincing them you are their equal. There are a few different definitions of equal, but two of my favorites are (1. of the same rank) and (2. evenly proportioned or balanced). If you were born in 1965 and you are two years from being half a century old, how is it that you are evenly proportioned or balanced with your child who is exactly 27 years younger than you? According to

 Proverbs 23:13-14 
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.

Now granted a good majority of us were not saved, or maybe saved but were not actively following the guidelines God had set in place for us when our children were born. When we were young and naive we thought being a good parent was to provide the necessities (food, shelter and clothing) and an occasional extra if we could afford it. We had no idea we were suppose to be protecting our children's souls and teaching them the fundamentals of the bible. I mean how could we teach something we knew little or nothing about? I grew up in church like many of you and during that time I can honestly say I was going through the motions. In other words I only went because I was required to attend. I had no idea of the reasons and purpose at the time because during service my mind was mostly occupied with what I would be doing after the service ended. Now that I am attempting to comply with God's purpose for my life it has been extremely difficult to make that transition. I was never one to fall into the parent/friend trap with my children and as my children will attest they did receive corporal punishment when needed. I think my biggest flaw was attempting to compensate for the missing parent. According to

1John 3:18
Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth

So for me working two jobs to accommodate a lifestyle I felt my children deserved was number one on my priority list. In doing so that allowed my children a great deal of idle time. Since I was not regularly reenforcing God's plans and expectations for their lives, and I was trusting them to do the right thing based on what I had taught them about right and wrong. I did not understand that I should also be preparing them for the possibility of influences outside of our home. But God has given me the privilege of a second chance.

Isaiah 43:18
Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old

So basically I can not change what has already occurred. However the relationship with my children going forward is based strictly on God's principles for my life and my role as their mother. Never lose sight of your true purpose. The devil can paint a picture so vivid that will having you thinking all is a lost cause. Do not feed into that lie. Your child's soul is definitely worth fighting for everyday. Just remember someone had to fight for your soul to get you to where you are today.

Lady 4.0

Sister to Sister

When my day seems bleak and my worries are many I am taken back
by the power of your promises

Thank you God for allowing me to cry when I need to, fall when I get
besides myself, elevated when it's my season, and stand firm against
opposition, and above all staying committed to the "One Man" that
loves me unconditionally, "You!!'

Today I will thoroughly digest a situation before making an effort to
verbally smooth over the rough edges especially if my response may
not be well fancied

I try best as I can to maintain a level of integrity and self respect,
but sometimes that is a difficult task because those that are unsure
of themselves tend to challenge me to bring me down to their level

Unfortunately I will not allow you to take up negative space in my
mind or suck the life out of me with your never ending drama filled existence

I pride myself in being a woman of God, I carry myself as such, and
expect you to recognize

No matter how insecure you are with your self image that will not
change the way I feel about myself

However because I do not believe in kicking a person when they are
down, I will continue to pray for you, encourage you and lift you up
when I can

But I can not do that as long as you allow yourself to be mistreated

If the man you love does nothing to encourage your dreams, puts you
down every chance he gets, belittles your accomplishments to make
himself look great and never acknowledges you in public you are on a
fast track to misery.

Truth is if he was never taught any better is is sometimes difficult to
expect him to do better. Even though it may be extremely painful,
sometimes you just have to walk away for the sake of saving yourself
and allowing God to heal you.

In God's eyes you are wonderfully and beautifully made and He will
always love you unconditionally no matter what.

This season in your life is only temporary and God will use this time
to strengthen your relationship with Him to show you firsthand what
it feels like to be pursued by a man that genuinely loves you

I haven't always been the woman you see before you, but because I
was once where you are now, I know how it feels

So from now until you tell me otherwise I will be your sounding board
when you are unsure of your purpose

I will be there to dry your tears when the pain becomes unbearable

I will hold you up when you can no longer stand on your own

And I will pray for you consistently so that your self-worth is once
again elevated

And when God has brought you through your season of healing, I will
gladly pass your this baton

Then you will feel the excitement I feel now when it is your turn to
"pay it forward" when the next sister comes along and needs a rock
on which to stand

Be Blessed,

Lady 4.0

RadomThought

The definition of deceive is "to lead astray or to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid." Be careful of where your faith lies. When you become a Christian the devil and his army will be more persistent in causing havoc in your already complicated daily life situations. If you are not careful this can sometimes cause you to give someone else control over what you learn and believe in regards to Gods expectation of you. God expects you to engage in a close personal relationship with Him by reading, studying and meditating on His word, and dedicating daily prayer time with Him to know for "Yourself" what the "Bible" says along with joining and becoming an "Active" member in a church that "Preaches and Teaches" the "Truth" of His gospel as it is written. You have to be able to distinguish God's voice above all others. (Isiah 5:13) plainly states "Therefore my people will go into exile for a lack of understanding; their "Men of Rank" will die of hunger and their "Masses" will be parched with thirst. In this scripture reference to "Men of Rank" would be the (Shepherds, Men of God, or Pastors) who are called to "Preach and Teach" God's word. Reference to "Masses" would be the (Sheep, Flock, or Children of God). According to (Matthew 7:15) "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." In other words looks can be deceiving or in this case words can be deceiving and cause you to misinterpret the scriptures true meaning. (Matthew 10:16) says I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. The beginning of (Matthew 10:17) reads "Be on your guard against men." Shrewdness is definitely perceived as a negative connotation. But God is saying in order to avoid the deception that can be imposed on you by someone else you must keep your guard up and have a good solid fundamental spiritual foundation of "Biblical Knowledge." You must keep your guard up and protect your "Spirit" against those that are attempting to use the "Bible" as a way of conforming you to what "They" believe, not necessarily what the "Bible" is teaching. As innocent as "Doves" is what takes place when you except "Jesus" as your Lord and Savior and you are washed by the "Blood of the Lamb." Your eyes are then opened to see and think more like "Jesus." Just as I have offered up these scripture references it is still your responsibility to research for yourself to confirm the validity of the information provided.

Lady 4.0

Patiently Waiting

I'm tired of my sistahs seeking love with
blinders on. Mistaking love for a few sighs
and moans. Physical stimulation is all you
get. Never thinking once "That's Not It."

You allow yourself to be used on his
terms. Truth is he could care less about
you. When will you learn? So you pray
to God for a man to come into your
life. With the soul purpose of becoming
that man's wife.

Whose to say that's God's plan for
you. God may have another agenda
set forth for you to pursue. So God
is patient and will never roam and
even when you've lost your way,
he'll allow you to come back home.

God is also generous even when you
may have doubt. If you heart is
breaking He'll mend it on the spot.

He never gives a second thought to
the things He has to do. Ultimately
His main concern is taking care of
you.

Make no mistake God will sometimes
allow you to have what He knows
you don't need. In order to get you
aligned with Him, and that you
still can't see.

He wants you to know He loved you
first. He wants you to know He can
quench that thirst. He wants you
to know everything you desires He
holds in the palm of His hands. He
wants you to make Him your
number one man.

So He waits and He waits for you
to grab hold of His hand. Then He
sighs and then He cries because
He's doing the best that He
can. As He continuously tries
to tell you no man can love you
like He can.

But you continue to choose physical
fulfillment, and you think that is
okay. But when your heart and soul
are broken again, the good news is
He still won't turn you away.

Be Blessed,

Lady 4.0

The Choices We Make

The choices you make will often dictate the life you live the world

may be your oyster but that does not mean that life cannot lose its zeal

There are those on the fast road to success but because of your lack

of patience and wanting to save time decided to make a deal with

the devil for a few extra dimes

Now that the contract has already been signed you realize everything

that glitters isn’t always gold and it’s too late to turn back because

the devil has your soul

He uses your talents and gifts for his own purposeful greed and when

you finally get the courage to stand up for what you believe in he

throws that contract at your feet

The frustration becomes overwhelming and you fall to your knees and

you cry out for God to save you hoping He will give you a reprieve

All you hear is silence and God’s voice is nowhere to be found and the

devil keeps pulling you in deeper by the shackles he has you bound

You close your eyes and you pray and apologize for all of those you’ve

done wrong which was never your intention was the title of your song

As you sit and reflect over all the choices you’ve made during your

life God whispers “this is what happens when you attempt to reach

my designed destination for you well before your time”

Now I must take you back to square one to ensure you are mine

When I am certain your heart is genuine and you are worthy of the

riches I hold you will once again be “King” of the mountain but not

before your story is told

Be Blessed,

Lady 4.0