Day Six – You’re Not Alone

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Good day! I hope to convey the essence of this blog in just two to three brief paragraphs, focusing on God’s omnipresence. He exists in the past, present, and future.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with a dear friend who means so much to me. Even though she looked a bit pale, I initially thought she had a tough week. Imagine my surprise when she revealed that her week was actually fantastic! I couldn’t help but feel concerned about what might be stressing this gentle soul.

As I shared stories about my oldest and his children, she listened intently. Then, when I touched on an issue I hadn’t realized she was dealing with, her tears unexpectedly flowed. At that moment, I quietly shifted my focus, understanding it was her turn to open up and share her troubles.

She quickly shared her “shameful” feelings regarding something she’d done. I listened, stunned, thinking, “Oh wow!” Given her character, it was hard to believe what I was hearing. My mind immediately drifted to my blog post about “Bad Advice.” I certainly didn’t want to give my friend poor counsel, nor did I wish to hear all the messy details. Yet, she revealed them through her tears and her seeking relief from pain. As her friend, I suggested we find a solution together. We talked about what led to her current situation and began plotting a plan of action despite the heavy atmosphere of her stress!

To lighten the mood, I shared one of my most embarrassing moments. Her expression turned goofy as she was surprised I could be so silly! I believe we both began laughing at once. Then she exhaled! Following that, it was clear to see her emotions of hopelessness making way to let God assist her in overcoming her feelings of shame as she and He work to address and fix the issues that imprisoned her. Over time, her shame will fade away, becoming less and less of a burden each day. Let’s pray!

PRAYER

Father God, you are not the source of confusion but the great deliverer. Please spiritually liberate those who are trapped in emotional prisons due to shameful moments. Grant them the capacity to forgive themselves. Help them fix the problem and learn from these experiences to enhance their lives and become better individuals. Amen

Day Forty Two – Removing Clutter

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”
Ephesians 3:20

Yesterday, I did something unexpected and amazing! I took down the once white faux plantation blinds in the kitchen window. Sadly they had turned several shades of brown, ranging from near white to a dark dirty scary splotchy browns. And adding to their unsightly appearance was the heavy gray dust that probably was hosting a party for germs of all sorts. Honestly, I’d seen the condition of the blinds a month or so ago from the outside and made a mental note to clean them. Yet, cleaning those blinds didn’t seem as important to me as nursing my depression, disappointments, anger, and etc. But, yesterday, as I stood at the kitchen window listening to Priscilla Shirer, I felt the spirit of the living God move within me. It was clear it didn’t matter what choir I did as long as I did something to show I was still in the game of life. So, I got the small ladder we use to climb in bed. Took it to the sink cabinet. Climb up. Unlatched the brackets holding up the blinds. Took the blinds down. I filled one side of the sink with one third of water and added a large amount of Clorox to a few drops of Dawn. The process of washing the blinds was not easy because my mind is filled with everything. Yet, I managed to clean the blinds and was blessed with a feeling of accomplishment at the end. A feeling I’ve been longing to experience but couldn’t because of my mindset of feeling overwhelmed. Let’s pray!

PRAYER:

Father God, most times we are blind to the meaning of our emotions. Please remove the scales off our spiritual eyes that prohibit us from seeing spiritually and let us see why we do what we do. Afterwards, give us your peace, your understanding and your strength to make necessary changes that will help us grow in you. Amen

Day Thirty Four – Removing Clutter

Stress acts as an accelerator: it will push you either forward or backward, but you choose which direction.
Chelsea Erieau

I notice with each coming day I silently ask myself “how did you get here!” Meaning how did my home become filled with stuff! And! Most of the stuff I often stumble over I have no clue of what it is.

Well sometimes if I’m honest with myself, I got here because of many reasons. Most of those reasons can be found under “Being The Nice Person.” The issues I face today are because I tried to be a nice person. But, should I change? Absolutely! Not! I just need to realize that you can’t help everyone. As I learn to ask myself how my decisions affect my life and those I love and love me. Hence, there’s something to playing “the devil’s advocate!” Let’s pray!

Father God, your word says, “The Lord is a safe place for the oppressed–a safe place in difficult times.” We call your words into action. We speak them over our lives and the lives of our family. We ask that they hide us in your strength. Never letting bad days rob our mind, souls and spirits of giving you praise for being our protector. Amen

Day Twentytwo: Removing Clutter

October 15, 2023

The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of His heart through all generations.
PSALM 33:11

As I write about my experiences with renovating my mom’s home and dealing with the snaky ex, I’m quickly reminded that some things perceivably hard and or bad gotta work a certain way to bring God’s plan to the forefront for our lives. Let’s pray!

PRAYER

Father God, thank you for your strength and always let it be front and center on our journey. Amen

Day Thirteen – Removing Clutter

September 20, 2023

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2

I live in Colorado and today I’ve come to realize our foothills are considered mountains in other states. And the same can be applied to clutter and or problems. My hardest struggles might be solved easily by someone else and vice versa. And! During my clutter removing journey I’m having to remind myself daily about celebrating small victories. Doing so is part of self love because loving myself has been one of the hardest things in life. Yet, many of my friends have perfected self love and I admire them for their abilities; mainly, because God wants us to love everyone including ourselves. Let’s pray!

PRAYER

Father God, hold our hands as we learn to love ourselves and others, including our enemies. Amen

The Prayers of a Black Woman

October 12

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10

PRAYER

Father God, thank you again for another day to live an abundant life. Lord, give strength to those that are oppressed by the feelings of loneliness. Free them to a mindset of living an abundant life. Show them how to meet others that are good and kind. Awaken their spirits to recognize deceitful people and strengthen them to call upon you to avoid snares of manipulative individuals. Amen

The Prayer’s of Black Women

March 16

He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Provers 13:20

When my children were young I would tell them why people were good and or bad for them before I removed the toxic person from their life. I had no clue I was teaching and laying the foundation for them in becoming wise when it came to choosing their companions. I only knew it was the right thing to do, especially since I loved them and wanted the best for them.

Strengthening my beliefs when teaching my kids about healthy relationships was an episode on Focus On The Family. A young mother such as myself prayed for her children’s future spouses. From her thoughts it appears she nor I knew what we were truly asking God. Our prayers were lightyears in front of our requests. Hindsight is twenty twenty: In order for our children to pick excellent mates for themselves they had to become wise to relationships.

PRAYER

Lord always protect me and my descendants from harm with your wise counselors. Amen

The Prayers of Black Women

March 9

Generational Prayer For Spiritual Blessings

When I was in seminary we were taught a prayer that would aid us when we could not pray. Yesterday, I published that prayer: “Lord help until you can help.” I added others to that prayer because I knew I wasn’t alone with struggling in whatever. Today is a new day and God’s mercy has given my soul peace once again.

“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.”

Deuteronomy 7:9

PRAYER

Father God, I’m so glad you’re a faithful God. It was your faithfulness that reminded my soul that had fallen into stagnation a prayer I’d forgotten decades ago. Prayer keeps us linked to you but our words communicate our desires for life and builds a strong bond between the creator and creation. And today I ask for generational favor for me and my descendants. Among my requests is that my children, their children and so forth and so on discover and worship you the true and living God for all the days of our lives. Amen

The Prayers of Black Women

February 16

Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.
Psalm 39:7

Sometimes people must learn to ride the waves of life when it comes to destressing, especially those that are born with successful instincts.

PRAYER

Father God my hope is truly in you. Light the path I must follow brightly and let me stay on it when all seems lost. For you and you alone know the plans you have for me. Jeremiah 29:11 says, your plans are to make me prosperous as you promise never to hurt me, as you give me hope and a future. Amen

The Prayer’s of Black Women

January 28

The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes,
Deuteronomy 1:30 NIV

Sometimes people lose sight of their main goal(s) when they become distracted by fear. Goals are awesome dreams waiting to be born that are sometimes aborted because of conflict supported by self-doubt. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Father God, we come to you seeking refuge. Refuge for our souls and our aspirations. Give our hearts peace concerning the fate of goals that are seemingly in jeopardy because of enemies. Block their efforts and never let us be afraid of their weapons as we take hold of your promises. Amen