My Dearest You,

HAPPY NEW YOU in this New Year!!!

The Word of the Year for me is DECIDE, because after every decision follows an action.

You can lay in bed all day, but when you DECIDE to get up, what do you do? You get up. If you DECIDE to get a job, what do you do? You update your resume, put in applications, learn something new to help improve your chances of getting a job. If you DECIDE to lose weight, what do you do? You start watching what you eat, exercising more. Even if it’s for a little while, or for some of us one day. But you do it. Why? Because you DECIDED to.

Actions follow a decision.

Think about it. Every time you say the word “DECIDE”, the word “TO” usually comes right after it. Yep, think about it. I decided to. We decided to. They decided to. That means that after every decision an action is inevitable. Even if you DECIDE to do nothing. That’s the action you will take. The action of doing nothing. Because believe it or not, nothing is an action. What are you doing? Nothing. The act of doing no thing, but the fact that you are still breathing nothing is in motion.

As for me, I’m not going to come up with a bunch of thoughtless resolutions that don’t mean much, and that I don’t stick to. This is what I DECIDED:

• To Continually Say “Yes” To God
• To Love Others As God Loves Me
• To Be All That God Has Created Me To Be
• To Help Make A Difference In My Family And Community
• To Go And Make Disciples

What have you DECIDED to do this year?

My Dearest You,

Are you a Christian or a hater in sheep's clothing?

That is a question I often ask myself when I hear a proclaimed Christian, especially in the leadership circle, make statements that divide the body of Christ ethnically. Or, when someone, again, who professes to be a Christian insist that a person is less than based on the color of their skin.

Do you realize that we are all equal in the eyes of God? This includes skin color.

God sees us as his children, and he does not divide his children by color with one color being more superior than the other. That is something we have done ourselves.

Look at the life of Jesus as he walked the Earth.

Have you read anywhere in the Bible where Jesus did not help someone or saw himself better than someone else based of the color of their skin? Nowhere. It's nowhere in the Bible because it never happened. Jesus even helped those who others considered less than because of where they were from or sins that they had committed.

Since Jesus is the example of how we should live, shouldn't we as disciples of Christ do as he did?

God gave a commandment to love your neighbor (others) as yourself, but he knew that a lot of us would not love ourselves.
So what did God do? He gave us a better way to love in John 15:12. Jesus says, "this is my commandment, that you love others as I have loved you". So we are to love others as Jesus loved us.

I'm not saying that you should not appreciate who you are and honor your heritage, but I am saying that you should not hate someone else based on the color of their skin or anything else for that matter.

And I know, some of you may be saying that you have suffered or your people have suffered because of mistreatment from another person or group of people. You feel like they owe you because of your suffering. And I say to you, "Jesus suffered for you and me!" So if someone owes you for your suffering, then you owe Jesus for his.

The good news? JESUS PAID IT ALL!

Jesus has already canceled out our debt. Now, will you cancel the debt that you believe you are owed?

How can you do it? By loving others as Jesus has loved you. By helping others live better and do better.

There will be all shades of people in Heaven. If you want to show God that he can trust you in his Kingdom, it's important that you show him that you can love all people here on Earth right now.

Why is it important to show love for all people? Because God knows your heart, and he cannot be deceived. He knows if you are a true disciple of Christ, or if you are a hater in sheep's clothing.

My Dearest You,

Don't let other people talk you out of doing what God has told you to do. Don't let other people's hesitation or lack of belief in you cause you to not believe in God and his ability to do what he says.

No! Do what God told you to do, how he told you to do it even when it doesn't make sense.

And if you are one of the ones who stopped doing what God has called you do because it didn't make sense to you, someone discouraged you, or you couldn't see how it was going to happen. The full vision may not be clear, but DON'T GIVE UP.

Repent, and ask God to forgive for your doubt. Ask him to forgive you for your lack of faith in his goodness, his grace, and his mercy. Get out your pen and paper and let him guide you as you write down the things that you need to do to get back on course.

It is not too late!

It is never too late to do what God has called you to do. It's never too late to be who God has created you to be. Let go of what's been, and what's been holding you back from trusting God and trusting the Word that he has given you. Everything that you need is available to you through him.

It might not make sense to you now, but as you walk in faith and do what God instructs you to do, he will make the vision more clear as it unfolds the way he intended.

Don't let you or no one else talk you out of seeing the promises God has for you.

My Dearest You,

God used a situation to reveal something to me.

In this situation, there is a woman who I am connected to that I felt like was going through something. Whatever she was going through was grieving my spirit. I felt sadness and loneliness for her, but I did not know why or what was going on with her, so I called her. I asked her was she okay? And explained to her that my spirit was grieving for her for some reason and I didn't know why. She said that she was okay, but she had a lot going on and she would call me later to discuss. I told her that I had been praying for her and will continue to pray for her, and will wait on her call. She never called me back that night. The next day about midday, I reached out to her again to see if she was okay because she had not called me as she said she would. She said that she did not know why she didn't call me back, and repeated it a second time that she did not know why she did not call me back. I felt in my spirit that there was something that she did not want to tell me for whatever reason. I told her that it was fine and if she decided she wanted to talk that I am here for her, and we hung up. I continued to pray in the spirit for her and her family.

As days passed, and the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance that situation. The Lord spoke to me and said," now you see how I feel when you are doing the things that you want to do that are not in my will for you to do. I reach out to you to give you my help, but you shun me off like you don't need me. I try again, and still get the same response. And then I wait. I wait on you to reach out to me. When you do, I am here waiting with open arms to help you through the pain and to your healing.
It grieves me as I wait on you to return to me. Watching you head in a downward spiral going out of control physically and emotionally without you letting me help you. It grieves me to see my children like that. If only they will let me help them."

Is the Spirit of God grieving for you today?

You do not have to spend another minute in despair, depressed, or lonely. Reach out to God through prayer. He is waiting on you with open arms.

P.S. I talked to the woman in the situation, and all is well. Thank God for his love, grace, and mercy on us all in the name of Jesus.

My Dearest You,

Do you know that God did not stop speaking when the bible ended in Revelation? God continues to speak to us through his Living Word, his Holy Spirit.

Here is revelation that came to me through the Holy Spirit during my devotional time with God.

There is the Old Testament which is the law given by God, and the covenant with Abraham to make him father of many nations. The New Testament which is the covenant between God and Jesus. The agreement that Jesus would come to save the world and become King (Ruler) over every nation.

Now, there is the Living Testament. What? Yes, a Living Testament.

This is where we come in. It is a covenant between God and us through his Holy Spirit. How do we get in covenant with God?

When we allow Jesus to come into our lives and then we come into agreement with the Living Word of God, his Holy Spirit, and apply the Word to our own life and live the way God intended. It's when you surrender your life to Christ so that your personal life is a living testimony to God's goodness and love.

What does God agree to do for you when you come into agreement with him?

There are so many promises attached to your obedience. Here are a few: God promises to never to leave you or forsake you, to give you life eternally, to be your source and provider, and you will enjoy the fruit of his spirit as you continue to stay in agreement with him.

You must understand that God has chosen you to do certain things for HIM here on Earth. When you do what God has called you to do, there are promises attached to your obedience.

Jesus says, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10-10).

How can you have life and have it more abundantly? By allowing Jesus to come into your life, and giving up your wants and ways of doing things for the life God has planned for you.