​Growing up in church, I use to hear the old saints sing, "The road hasn’t been easy. I have been through some difficult situations. Nobody told me that the road would be easy. But I don't believe He brought me this far to leave” Many of us can identify with this. We can say as we look back over the year that “I’ve come too far from where I started from.” As I prepare to celebrate my born-day on April 27th I look back over the last 12 months and I can say that the road has not been easy, but it surely has been worth it.

In the past 12 months I have had to relearn how to eat, relearn how to take care of my body as well as how I respond to stress, and the pressures of life. As a result I have seen new life and healing come to this vessel that has restored my youth. I have been disappointed and had to release relationships that I truly valued as well as open myself to new relationships, opportunities and it has brought such joy, fulfillment and peace that has surpassed my understanding. Yes, I have been stretched, challenged and put in some very uncomfortable and new situations, but I can emphatically state it has produced some good fruit.

This is not to say that staying on this road has been easy but as Hebrews 13:5 says, “He has never left me, he has not forsaken me.” These are not just words of comfort to me, but they have been a lifeline to keep me on the road to destiny.

We all have been through some pretty turbulent and challenging storms along life’s road. In the book of Exodus we find the children of Israel were in some difficult and turbulent times as they were being led out of Egypt’s bondage to the Promised Land. Pharaoh had placed such heavy burden of bondage upon them that they cried out to God for deliverance. God sent Moses to be their deliverer. The day came for their departure from Egypt. What a glorious day! To leave behind all their slavery and servitude! But they came to the Red Sea! There was no way across. Pharaoh had changed his mind about allowing them to go free, and he was after them. Like sitting ducks with no defense, it looked like their doom was sealed. If Pharaoh caught up with them, they knew he would certainly make life miserable for them. But I can just visualize old Moses, standing up to comfort the people. He had just heard from God! I know the Bible doesn’t record this, but he may have said, “Now, children! Just calm down! Don’t get all frightened on me now. I don’t believe He brought us this far, just to leave us.” He may have said, “We’ve already come too far from where we started from and he has brought us to far to leave us.”

These last 12 months I have stood on the banks of the Red Sea and I wanted to sob, wail, turn back, give up and give in to the weariness that my soul felt. But as I approach the end of this 43rd year of life and look back over it, I can say with joy and authority I am still here. I can vehemently state that He has brought me from a mighty long way.

If we all look at what we have been faced with, He has brought us ALL from a mighty long way! Take a moment to look back. He has brought you and your family out of all that stuff, issues and mess too. Therefore, if you are thinking about what you wish your life was, how you think it ought to be, you are letting the enemy bring you down. Just think about how God lifted you up! That should be enough to make you go into a high praise. Remember where you were when He brought you out? The children of Israel, He delivered them out for a reason. He brought them out to bring them into their Promise Land and He continually does the same for me and He has done the same for you.

That is why I don’t spend much time thinking on how things could have been different in this year, because I know He had a plan for me. And you shouldn’t either. He had a plan for you then and He has a plan for you now! Be grateful for today, because you surely remember what yesterday looked like. Just rest assure that the God who brought you out will take surely take you in! He hasn’t forgotten me, and He surely hasn’t forgotten you. Many times, I wanted to give up in this year, but when I did I made a choice to remember “He will never forsake me” and I kept my feet on the road set before me and that is when I would experience a breakthrough that would leave me in awe of His Power.

So, when you feel like giving up right here so close to the end of your breakthrough, go into a praise because you know He is always there, His Word is true, and He has not brought you this far to not take you all the way in!

As my earthly father's earth day approaches, the 23rd of April, I have been reflecting on the days we shared looking forward to celebrating our earth days together; me, my sister, and my Dad's days of birth were all in the same week. My sister Shantell's birthday would be first in line and we would exchange phone calls and gifts until we reached my day. It was such a joyous time as my father look forward to proclaiming to the world that his girl’s birthdays were before and after his. As I reflected on these memories, the longing to hear his voice on the other end of the phone engulfed my heart. I am and will forever be a Daddy's Girl. I knew without a doubt that my earthly Father loved me, and he enjoyed blessing me with his love in many ways. It was either through providing, protecting, counseling, or instructing. He loved me at my best and at my worst. I can honestly say that I was not always great at showing my love to him. Sometimes, the stuff of life affected my judgment, but I know that when he transitioned he knew that my heart loved him deeply. And when he passed on my heart longed for that love that he showed me. It still does. But, I am so glad that I realized after my earthly father graduated to glory that I have that love and even greater love in God the Father. As I have moved from the place of heartbreak and grief into a place healing and understanding I see that my earthly father's love prepared me for my Heavenly Father's love. You see just as my earthly father’s love never gave up on me my Heavenly Father’s love never gave up on me and continues to not give up on me. My Heavenly Father’s love never failed, and it will never fail. But I had to learn to accept, develop and nurture the relationship that my Heavenly Father's heart yearns to have with me.

Do you know that God the Father yearns for you?

Not only does He yearns for you, He yearns to be gracious to you! He is constantly finding ways to shower you with compassionate love—a love like that does not exist anywhere but in the character of God. You may have lost your greatest love as I did, or you may be struggling with a wayward child who makes loving seem impossible. Or maybe you are in a loveless relationship or you may never have had much love shown to you. Today, rest in Isaiah 30:18 and know that your Father in heaven longs to be gracious to you… and He yearns to love you right now in the right way. I ask you to allow him to, it will be the best decision that you have ever made.

There is a famous quote that says, "Familiarity breeds contempt." This implies that when we have a long experience of someone we tend to devalue who they are in our life. Jesus experienced this when He returned to His hometown operating in His Divine destiny. To quote from the Bible,

‘Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country’ (John 4:44).

"Christ also said ‘no prophet is accepted in his home town’ (Luke 4:16-30)

"Only in his home town and in his own house is a prophet without honour’ (Matt. 13:54-57)

‘Jesus left there and went to his home town…When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked…Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James…Jesus said to them, “Only in his home town, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honour.”…he was amazed at their lack of faith’ (Mark 6:1-6).

The one place we might expect Jesus to receive a warm welcome is in Nazareth, the town in which He was raised. The people of Nazareth are amazed at the wisdom and power of the carpenter’s son. However, due to their familiarity with Jesus and His upbringing, knowing His family well, and apparently no one in His clan is all that remarkable or had formal education, they assumed Jesus should not be able to teach with the authority that He conveys. Yet Mary’s son is unafraid to instruct with boldness, but the Word makes it clear that their questions arise from contempt and offense. Scriptures states:

‘When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.’ (Mark 3:21);

‘For even his own brothers did not believe in him.’ (John 7:5)

‘But his own did not receive him.’ (John 1:11)

‘Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother”’ (Mark 3:31-35).

Basically they are saying, "How can He possibly act as if He has the right to do what He is doing?” They fail to discern the source of His authority. For them, familiarity has bred contempt, and they were prejudiced. Why? Because He had lived among them, they had closed ears to His message. 

There is something about familiarity that changes the way we respond to others. Often there is no love from the hometown. We tend to think differently about people we don’t know well. How do we look at the people around us? Is it possible that God actually can be speaking through them? Could they have insights that would be useful to us? Are we ignoring the people we know, and placing an imbalanced importance on people we don’t know?

The potential trap to hopelessly try to have your family, friends, those who know you to appreciate and benefit from your work, has a dangerous capacity to exhaust and destroy you. Yes, it is natural to want your family to appreciate and support your work, however at some point you must realize the futility of trying to ‘reach’ your own family and be prepared to get on with your work without their support. I know this all to well. Some of my most consistent support has come from those who I don't have years of history to look back on or have been a personal relationship with me. Some of those who think they know me have ignored, diminished or dishonored me to the point of being hurtful and disrespectful. But I have had to come to a hard truth is that the very last place you can expect to find support is from those that are familiar with you and in taking this step I drew comfort from the knowledge that all people constitute family and that my work for the Kingdom take precedence over what's familiar.

We see this all the time now. When someone who has notoriety launch a new ministry or business endeavor we are quick to get online to find out how we can support their tenth venture. We are happy for them. Congratulating them on social media as though they were close family friends. But when our own friends, co-workers or family launch a new venture or ministry we are less than enthused and our lack of support shows it and we can hear crickets. 

In your life remember that God can use anyone. Be careful not to ignore someone just because you may know them. And don’t just honor someone because they are unknown but seem to have a higher social status. 

Ask the Father to help you to be open and sensitive to His Spirit. Help you to know when He is speaking to you thru those you know and don't know. And to give you ears to hear and a heart to be support to those you do and don't know.

With each year near my bornday, I always sit down and think back over the prior year to celebrate my success and failures. I know that may sound crazy, celebrating your failures. But it's not unusual when you know the One who is ordering your steps. Yes, most people fear failure, but failure if seen through the right lens can lead to success when we learn from it. 

Failure is one of the keys to success because it teaches us.  Inventor Thomas Edison said the following while on his journey to create the long-lasting electric light bulb, “I’ve not failed.  I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” That's exactly how I feel. As I have journeyed through to destiny many of my greatest lessons, solutions and victories came through failures. After failures I guarded my heart a little better. After failures I prayed a little more. After failures I worked on how to respond to not so lovable people. And when I failed, my Father was faithful to His Word 

Failure is a part of the human experience. It can be painful and embarrassing, but it can also be the greatest teacher. God’s definition of success does not preclude failure. However, it includes a willingness to refuse to quit. A willingness to learn from one’s mistakes. A willingness to try again.

The book of Proverbs says that, " Righteous people may fail time and time again, but they continue to “rise again.” They get up and keep trying. However, when wicked people fail, however, they are led into a downward spiral that causes “calamity.” There is no recovery... no learning.

There is no failure, no disappointment, no mistake in our past that can stop us from taking a positive step forward right now. No matter how many times you may have fallen short of the mark before, success is closer than ever.  All your past failures were actually laying the foundation for your future successes. Shame over past failures can haunt and inhibit you in many ways. And the enemy seeks to steal and destroy your faith by shoving your failures in our face. God loves us. We must see our flaws. Submit them to Him and then accept His love by accepting ourselves - despite the failures. Whatever it is that you have resolved to achieve or do—don’t quit! Resolve to stay with it. Don't allow your past failures to stop you. Your failure is a setup for His faithfulness.

"The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand." — Psalm 37:23 (TLB)