Today is April 27th and it is the anniversary of the day I was born. In my immediate family we make a big deal of about birthdays, because my father, sister and myself, were all born in April and our birthdays are in the same week. Isn't that an amazing feat by my parents. We don't know how that happened as it was not planned but we do know it makes my dad and mother the sho nuff truth. And at each birthday I always make it a habit to look back at the past year to see how I faired with the time I have been freely given on this earth. And this birthday will not be any different. When I look back over this year, I see that God has kept me in His plan of hope and future by His grace. I brought in 2020, sitting in a hospital thank God for being on time by allowing situations to occur to prompt me to move and discover some things about my health that had the potential to be life threatening. While laying there, I prayed for more time on this earth because I was just getting started. You see, at this stage in my life, I am working to make up time as I wasted a lot of time. And I promised that I would not waste anymore time on anything or anyone. I wasted a lot of my 20's and parts of my 30's seeking my purpose outside the church, as I did not want anything to do with church other than going to get a Word and coming home. Being a preacher's kid jaded me on church. What I saw and experienced from the whole church "operation" within my immediate and extended family had me running to every door of destiny except my own and I wasted valuable time. 
​
We hear so much about living in purpose and finding purpose but we never hear much about being on time for purpose. But what do we know about this appointed time? We surely do not hear much about Kairos time in our society as we are regulated by “chronos” (kronos) time, which is chronology. Chronology is a valuable tool in the hands of human beings. Chronology is a human attempt to structure the order of God's creation. Chronology is mankind’s attempt to measure time in an orderly fashion within God’s creation using external resources which makes us unconscious of those times in our lives when it is “our time.” Chronology is determined by flesh. Kairos is time determined by the Eternal Creator. Chronology is concrete. Kairos is intangible.  We get so caught up in the chronology of our necessities that we miss our Kairos. 
 
When I look back at when I heard from God that it was my time to move out of the comfort and convenience of my life and walk into faith and actively begin to work the vision of The Sanctuary, my natural self was not in agreement. In my analytical logical mind, I knew the circumstances of my life were saying loud and clear that it was not a good time. The logical and natural order should be for me to remain on my job for a few more years, take care of some pressing needs and just work on the establishing The Sanctuary on the side. That would be the safest and more stable solution. But my spiritual self was saying that I had to look beyond my circumstances, what I could see in the natural and listen to the voice of God that was speaking loudly to my Spirit. It was time to take my faith to the next level because as it was my time…my appointed time. And I made the decision to seize my Kairos moment. 

Now you must understand that Kairos is perpetual, meaning that it is continuous when you remain in the perfect Will of God. When you remain in your “kairos,” your divine purpose will be manifested just as the Samaritan woman at the well. And it will be a movement in your life that will not only affect you but those around you. Case in point, because I seized my Karios moment and left my position, it allowed me more time in prayer and in fellowship with my Creator seeking answers and direction. One night as I was crying out to God, wondering if I made the right decision, I saw the vision of The Sanctuary very clearly and I stepped into that role on January 2011 and here we are 9 years later reaching the kingdom locally and abroad. Covenant partners committed to the vision in the four corners of the earth. We are reaching them by streaming our worship services across 9 platforms. We were doing this virtual ministry before it hit mainstream as it is today. We are bridging gaps between generations, and repairing brokenness in homes and reaching people right where they are with the Word and the Spirit of the Most High. 

When I stopped fighting and questioning God's timing that's when I  arrived on time for my appointment. When you arrive your attitude towards your Kairos moments determines the outcome, the question is, are you open or aren't you? Many of us are concerned with the proper time as I was. But what is the perfect time? Who determines the perfect time? God! He is the creator of chronology, He existed before recorded time and will continue long after time ceases. God is the master of Eternity. God is the determiner, deciding the moment, people, and places to advance his purpose. God is the one who determines the Kairos. He has a time for everything. His word says, "there is a time for everything; a time to be born and a time to die; a time to begin and a time to end; a time to let go and a time to hold on; a time to start again and a time to quit; and a time to fight back and a time to defend." (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11). You may have no external indications of the kairos of opportunity, no visible signs, warning bells, whistles, or alarms, but you can discern the time by being in relationship with the Timekeeper.  And the Great Timekeeper is saying run me my time. You will not be successful trying to do it on your own time, you may get things done but it will be the hard way. I encourage you to develop a woman at the well consciousness, and become aware of kairos opportunities. Your kairos moments are in the hands of God. Become a person open to God kairos time…open to His time. A person in His time has learned to live by the promptings and leading of the Holy Spirit to let one know when to move out of the way to see what God is doing. Become a person that is not driven by the human structure of time. Yes, be mindful of its usefulness and constraints but learn that when it’s God’s time, things F.L.O.W. easier. Learn how to get your Fellowship, Love, Obedience, Worship. This will help you to know your kairos moments. The Samaritan woman did have one hope that one day things would change, and she kept going to the well to fetch water at noon every day. She had a flow. She may have felt down, she may have felt angry or ashamed, but she got up and went to the well. She took a risk and spoke to Jesus. And that changed everything. She went from being a woman carrying empty vessels, a woman with a sketchy past people condemned and gossiped about, to becoming a woman of belief, of action, of value and that changed her community and a generation. She became herself a vessel filled and overflowing with Good News as have I. I have come to know just like that Samaritan Woman that being in His time will make you on time for your purpose! Run Him His time! It doesn't belong to you anyway.

What I have realized as I determinedly pursued destiny is that our interpersonal interactions with people fall into two basic categories: those who ignite and leave us with energy, inspired, elevated, and motivated to grow. Then we have those who leave us drained because they have taken this opportunity to unload their problems, issues, and unsolicited advice. We all have friends, colleagues, or family members who possess the unique ability to cast a dark shadow on any moment we may be sharing together. For some reason, we can’t or don’t want to remove them from our lives. We’re aware of their perpetual “negativity,” their propensity to blame, their desire to choose pain over joy, and their tendency to think that it’s someone or something that has made them unhappy. They are constantly speaking negative of people and situations.  They prefer to see what doesn’t work rather than what does work. They are constantly complaining. They're always sharing news that makes them the victim, never taking personal responsibility for their actions that got them into the mess. Then they use your energy to pull themselves out of the dark pit to make themselves feel better. They suck you dry then they eventually move on to pull the life force out of someone else. Yet, we often provide them with the green light to deplete our energy reserves over and over again by offering these energy suckers “well-meant” words to try to quell their pessimistic, frustrated, cynical attitude. 

I have come to this very rich realization, that we’re all connected to one another through the very core of our being which is matter​. If you could see yourself under a powerful electron microscope would see that you are made up of a cluster of ever-changing energy in the form of electrons, neutrons, atoms, and photons. Our Intelligent Creator made our bodies with the most beautiful and intelligent configuration that is made of pure energy-light. And it is scientifically proven thru quantum physics that this energy can be exchanged between people – we literally give and receive energy. With this knowledge we must be mindful and take responsibility for our actions and take responsibility for the energy that we allow into our spaces and the energy that we bring into other spaces

God created our world with  energy, time, space,  matter, spirit, mind and body. The word energy comes from the Greek “en” (in, within) “ergon”(work). In the simplest definition energy is defined as the capacity, ability or power inherent within to do work or produce change. The Bible speaks of energy especially within the Old Testament, it can be linked to energy being something with the inherent power to do work or create change. In Genesis 1, we are introduced to the Ruach Kodesh (Holy Spirit) hovering and moving over the face of the deep and darkness of the world. This energy moved a created light, the earth, animals and mankind. The New Testament speaks of this energy as "Ruach," the spirit, breath or wind which would be an example of kinetic (movement) energy. John 3: 8 states that:“The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” God’s Spirit has a voice and moves to and fro, it is an active element of the triune nature of God that enables for His Word to be fulfilled through us!

For this fulfillment to manifest, this requires us to clear people out of our life whose energy is not supportive of who were are designed to be in this world. When I looked around my world, as far as I could see were energy suckers. People that were not taking responsibility for their energy, and I came to a realization that I had to take responsibility for the energy that I allowed into my space as it was literally draining me DRY!! I made a decision early in my destiny journey that I will never be or do what I am supposed to be in this world if I continue to buy into the energy suckers! I quickly realized  that I could not continue to go level to level, experiencing Glory after Glory if I am surrounded by energy that brings me down and sucks the Glory from me! I had to identify the energy suckers and do a clearing of "toxic energy suckers" from my space - that meant people that were leaving me depleted for my divine assignment. 

We are also responsible for the energy that we bring to a space. Sometimes in a stressful period, we can change from an energy giver to an energy sucker. We all get tired and can be drained. This can be triggered by a short periods of great stress - but rather than suck another person’s energy, that's the time to boost our own reserves.  Your goal is to become so energized that you are positively radiating The Light that empowers you to accomplish His Word that's been spoken over you!

But you must protect your energy, by being aware of the energy suckers in your life.  Notice if you feel tired and drained around certain individuals. See if you can discover a pattern.  Ask yourself, when do you usually feel this way, who are you with? What is happening then? What are you doing? By noticing how you are feeling, you are in a better position to decide what you are going to do to conserve your energy. Be it changing your thoughts or choosing what you are willing to accept and allow into your life.  Decide for yourself what you can do to maximize the way you maneuver your energy in your daily life to safeguard it for the people and things that are destined for you. That may require you turning the lights off to conserve your energy.

How much are you worth to you? You are most certainly valued by God but how much are you worth to YOU?

Why is investing in yourself so powerful?

This world sometimes leaves us feeling as though we have been kicked around, empty, and wondering if it’s all worth it—or if we are worth it. We get stuck into feeling guilty that all of our energy, time and efforts should be placed on our marriages, our children, in our home and on a whole host of other things before we can even begin to invest in ourselves. Our Father is concerned about our well being. Investing in ourselves, physically, emotionally and spiritually is crucial for a thriving and abundant life!

Investing in yourself, sends a powerful message to yourself and others that you value you and the potential that you possess. You are showing you and others that you are important enough to use the energy, space and time to grow and create results. This is a valuable lesson that I learned for myself. I was a person that invested so much time into my family and those I loved and often times put myself on the back burner. I was saying yes to their needs and no to my own. And after I saw very clearly that putting that much energy into others consistently and never investing into my dreams and desires, I was allowing myself to be victimized, and being the victim ain't hot all the time. I had to learn to say yes to me!

When you’re willing to say yes, and take that leap of faith to invest in yourself, the Father will provide you with amazing rewards. His ROI (return on investment) will exceed your expectations. And I am a living witness to this, I have accomplished quite a few of my goals by investing into what matters to me most.

You are precious, your worth caring for and investing in yourself can be one of the best returns on investments you can have. Whether it’s investing in learning a new skill, pursuing your passion, developing yourself personally or professionally, tapping into your creativity or hiring a coach; it is our responsibility to take the time to develop our gifts and talents, so we can best serve others.

Investing in yourself is an example of loving oneself, and backing you boo is the best investment you can ever make!
-

Have you invested yourself physically, emotionally or spiritually? I can help you invest in you to get the best out of you. Visit my Empowerment and Mentorship page to find out how you can put faith with your works to get your abundant life!
⁸

As I think back over that epic weekend and the success of The Ingathering, I realize that if I had started questioning my capability to pull off this momentous HIStorical event, questioning the support and the resources needed to move this risk to completion could have instantly paralyzed me and could have ultimately prevented me from taking the risks to advance and serve the KINGdom and its people. There are so many stories of risk takers in the Scriptures and all of those stories involve a degree of dependence, that was on Him. However, the enemy tries to get our thoughts in a loop of fearing right or wrong choices so we never move forward, but we must not lean to our own understanding and make the choice to do His Will. When we take the risk for the right reason that's when we see the desires of our heart, we experience joy, favor leans in our direction and we become more than conquerors. 

​I am overjoyed I took the risk and followed through, The Ingathering is by far one of the most FULFILLING events I've ever hosted in ministry. And Yo-Yo showed up just in time to remind me of who I was and have always been - a divine risk taker whose never scared because she knows who holds the key to every door and the spaces at every table. Leading up to that day everything was not smooth and easy but the day of we experienced an intimacy that allowed peace and fellowship to flow, the sessions were fire, folks testified of being set free by the truth, some found their identity and the Word brought new life!

Yes, this is risky business but it is very rewarding!
​

This memory showed up in my Facebook memory this month and it surely reminded me of the journey to finding the real me.


On 9/11/09 I wrote this with this picture:


I have been contemplating cutting my hair for about 6 months....and today I woke up feeling the need to release some things and claim a new me...so I did it. No pomp and circumstance...just a meeting with my hubby to discuss it...got his approval..and than to the bathroom...got the scissors and began the cutting process. Next...to the barbershop to seal the deal! I have been through every valley imaginable this past year...and I just needed to declare that this is a new season for me...no more holding on to the past...AND THE CHANGE BEGANS WITH ME!!! I feel soooo FREE!!!
__________________
​
That freedom for me came on September 11, 2009.

September 11, 2009 started as any normal day for me. Shortly after my aunt’s passing in December 2008 I was laid off from my contract job so my daily routine was to pray and spend time with the Lord in my Sanctuary. After my morning prayer time, I felt different. I was anxious and unsettled. I called for Monte and told him we needed to have a family meeting; we call these meetings periodically when we need to seriously talk. He walks into our bedroom and I sit him beside me on the couch. Now picture this, my hair was all over my head as I was preparing to relax my hair and I expressed to him again my need to cut my hair. 
 
He tried to talk me out of it again. 
 
Then suddenly he stops and looks at me with a look of concern and says, ”You know what, I am tired of you saying that you want to cut your hair. CUT IT IF YOU WANT.” I went directly to the bathroom and grabbed the scissors; he sat down on the edge of the tub. I looked at him and said are you sure, He replied, “go ahead if you want to.” I grabbed a section of hair and *SNIP*! The look on his face was one of astonishment. I grabbed another section and *SNIP. * He looked at me and said, “Wow, no turning back now” and I said with assuredness “I don’t want to.” 
 
The more I cut, the better I felt. 10 years ago with the snip of the scissors a cutting away happened in the natural and spiritual. It was something I needed to do to discover the new me after the storm!

That storm started on July 19, 2008. My life changed forever.

My beloved father passed away then shortly after the passing of my father, my maternal aunt, who was my pastor at my home church passed away December 9, 2008. My father was my rock and my aunt was an anointed woman of God who had such spiritual insight. They were my spiritual covering. So can you imagine the grief and pain that my soul was in when I lost them both in a four-month time span? There was a five year period of my life that I was losing loved ones one after another; my maternal grandfather, my paternal grandfather, a paternal aunt by marriage, my dad and then my maternal aunt, all this while still pressing through all loss in our personal lives were occurring. God was still providing and showing up but in those quiet moments, I would become depressed. The grief ate away at my soul and I began to relive the pain of loosing them over and over again. I was carrying the weight of grief from the loss of my dad and aunt, insecurities, anxiety, feelings of abandonment physically and emotionally, feeling victimized by those I trusted - my soul was longing for healing. Then the Spirit began tugging at me to do the big chop and I conceded. After I snipped, the Father sent me to the book of Job and I read that Job had a similar experience. Job 1:20 says, 

"Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped."
 
We all know the story of Job. He was good and faithful servant. The scriptures states that one day when the son’s of God came to present themselves to him, Satan came with them. And God asked Satan where he had been.  Satan replies, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” God than asks Satan what did he think of his servant Job as he was pious, upright and blameless. Satan told God that Job is pious because he (God) had a “hedge of protection around" him and he "blessed" his favorite servant with prosperity; but if God touches "his possessions" then Job would surely curse him. God gives Satan permission to test Job. So than Satan attacks Job and all of Job's possessions are destroyed and a wind causes the house of the firstborn to collapse killing all of Job's children who were gathered for a feast. Job does not curse God after this but instead shaves his head, tears his clothes and says, 

"Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return: Lord has given, and Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of Lord" 

As Job endures these calamities he did not curse God but he praised him through it all.

That one snip of the scissor 10 years ago began a spiritual journey for me just as it did Job. 

I learned is that in your worst, you respond in prayer and a praise!  

As you can see this decision was not one of vanity but a spiritual one. The grief was just too much for me to carry. And just like Job, I tore my clothes and shaved my head as a public display of the sadness and grief. But once I did that, joy came just like Job.  I fell to my knees and praised Him for what He was doing and what He was to do in my life. And not only did it strengthen me spiritually, it strengthened my marriage. It caused my husband to look at me differently, he loves the natural me more than I do! 

​My family thought I was crazy. My friends didn't understand my decision. But  I took the journey to being natural and learned the real texture of my hair, I discovered the real YOLANDA. Looking back it was one of the BEST decisions I ever made to reclaim ME. Plus, the versatility my natural hair has afforded me has been gratifying. ​This journey to  being natural has been a mountaintop experience that brought transformation,  renewal, freedom and liberty.

To fully understand God’s system of transfer of wealth here in this Proverbs, believers must realize that every blessing of God has a “God-side” and a “man-side.” God has a part to play and we have a part to play. We know that God is always going to do His part. And the reason why many are not walking in the wealth and prosperity that God wants us to walk in is because we're expecting checks to magically show up in the mail, relationships to flourish with no work and our health to prosper with no self-control. There is no easy path to the blessings and harvest that has been promised.

YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO GET SOMETHING.

For example, when a parent teaches his or her child how to ride a bike, he or she puts training wheels on the bike and stands next to the bike while the child rides so that the child will not fall. The parent is there to support and help the child as he or she learns how to ride the bike; however, the parent will not be able to help the child unless the child first starts to pedal. If the parent says to the child, “Come on, baby, let’s go,” and the child doesn’t move, but they respond “Let’s go, Momma! How come you aren’t doing anything?” That is not going to work! The child needs to pedal as the child pedals the parent can help. Well there are a lot of believers sitting on their bikes so to speak saying, “God, where is my harvest? Come on God, I’m waiting for my abundance. You said my barns would be filled with plenty. In response God is saying, “Pedal. I need you to work with Me, My child. I need you to do your part. When you do your part, I can do My part, and you can be reap a harvest. And the harvest from God's standpoint is not limited to currency. You can cause the gospel to be preached across this world. You can flourish in rich relationships.

We have to learn how to cooperate with God.

This Proverbs draws a contrast between the good man and the sinner. The former takes care of his money in such a way that he leaves some for his kids and their kids. The sinner, on the other hand, spends every dime he makes, and he and his family have nothing. What happens to the money? The good people end up with it. They were positioned for the transference. How do we position ourselves to reap the harvest? Here are a few tips of wisdom:

1. Apply the many principles of giving that are found in God’s Word, these methods have proven to bring a return on investment.
2. Remember - the measure to which your life is build up or broken down is based on character building principles that you apply to it.
3. Avoid making debt and if you are in debt, do not make any more debt. That is the first step in becoming debt free.
4. Think big and activate your God-anointed creative imagination because it will kick-start streams of income and a sense of fulfillment in your future.

This revelation that I have received and shared I have applied to my own life, and tgey will cause His blessing to flow into your life, causing you to be blessed and to become an even greater blessing to others in the days to come! When you act on the God idea that God has placed in your Spirit, you can expect a bountiful harvest to come, so that you may be blessed and a blessing to others! And the harvest you reap of Biblical proportion must be based on speaking and living lives of high integrity, serving with intensity, giving generously and succeeding with humility.

People say they want money like Oprah, a body like Serena, an enterprise like Bill Gates, hits like Beyonce, sell books like James Patterson and a mega ministry like TD Jakes, but they don't want to do what it takes to achieve their ordained level of success -- it takes consistent emotional and spiritual work and a major sacrifice of time. It's not going to magically appear while you're wasting valuable time watching Lee Butler build an empire or Shonda Rhimes teach you how to get away with murder. It's not going to manifest spending countless hours in fruitless conversations, scrolling aimlessly on social media, wasting time watching YouTube, taste testing a chicken sandwich you are not getting paid to market or with you complaining about what they did to you and who won't support you.


Get it all in context.


Faith without energy being expended is dead. Put in the time and do the necessary work in you to find your unique road of success and watch the unseen and unheard of happen. You never know whose watching you behind the scenes and will openly reward you for your efforts. I recently experienced this when I won the 2019 Co-Author of the Year for "Sharing our Prayers," from the Indie Author Legacy Awards sponsored by Black Enterprise and Purposedly Created Publishing. When I was nominated I was absolutely shocked as this was my first published work EVER. I didn't think I would be on anyone's radar to be nominated for such a prestigious award. I didn't think my work was worthy, but as I sat at the awards gala on June 23, 2019 in Baltimore, MD I learned that it was not just my writing that afforded me this opportunity to sit amongst these amazing group of people, but also the work I put into sharing my story of hope, encouragement and breakthrough. I didn't allow the minimal support deter my heart efforts. I worked, worked and worked what little I had in my hand and it reaped this great reward.

You never know who is watching you work. That's why in everything you do, you must do with the RIGHTEOUS motives and with a sincere genuine  heart unto God. When you do, trust, you will receive your just reward.