Devotions & Word-Spirations with LaShanda Lewis

2.“What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?  I remember when I was a teenager I went up for prayer and there was a guest speaker she prophesied over me that I would be like a talk show and help people. She described my nature and all of that. I have to be honest with you, I honestly thought: Nope, lady you missed it! There’s no way I could have a talk show!. I was what you called a covert stutterer so many people I encountered daily had no idea I had trouble communicating. Furthermore, who would believe that I was called to speak and how could I encourage them, when I felt so embarrassed about the way I spoke? Come to find out though, in College English and public speaking was one of my favorite classes and subjects. It wasn’t until recently God brought that memory back to me. These are some of the same thoughts Moses had about being a messenger of God but one thing he did was trust God and surely enough God made a way for him to deliver and entire nation of people. Friend i want you to know God is not a liar what he said about you will come to pass. Walk in confidence that you are all He desires you to be.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.

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Risk: verb act or fail to act in such a way as to bring about the possibility of (an unpleasant or unwelcome event).

This morning God highlighted and pointed out the word: RISK. have you ever been in a situation where you felt challenged by God but it seemed like the thing he was asking of you seemed kinda risky? Maybe God gave you something to share with a friend but you weren’t really sure how your friend would receive it. Or God asked you to do a specific thing and it just seemed totally out of the box

This reminds me of the story of Abraham God told him it was time to leave and to go to the land and the city he will show him. He had a choice to move with immediate obedience or stay and sit in doubt and disobedience. His choice was to move and walk with God which brought great reward

I feel like he wants to remind me that this prophetic walk is about risk. Not in the bad way we see risk ith gambling but risking my pride and comfort zone and trusting that He is speaking to me and to follow His voice. Truly it's a risky move to trust in someone you cant see. But so beautiful to know that you can feel Him His impressions and unctions. Knowing that you won't be put to shame if you trust in Him fully.... no backup plan. Not stepping in just a little but fully diving Into the deep. Little risk= little reward... BIG RISK=BIG REWARD.

Matthew 6:31-33 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Have you ever been working on a project that had so many parts and all of them seemed equally important then you found yourself overwhelmed and worked up because if you’re like me you tried working on all of them in the same day or hour because you were worried something wasn’t going to get done.

Smh!

I came across Matthew 6:31-33 and the words

SEEK THE KINGDOM ABOVE ALL ELSE... really stuck out to me in such a powerful way.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I  find myself worked up trying to make moves in anxiety and not realizing all while being stressed out because I’m trying to do everything and not accomplishing real meaningful things.

When I sit back and examine the root it's a ridiculous reason for my hast. I love how in Matthew 6:31 it uses the words “things” if you’re reading the NLT version, that shows me that it encompasses so much more than our basic necessities. And really the point is to START with seeking the kingdom.

How do you know I you may be dealing with an episode of anxiety and worry

Honestly, the remedy is to do what the word says and seek the kingdom of God First, ABOVE ALL ELSE. be firmly planted in knowing that when you seek Him and take time to listen you’ll be right where you need to be right on time.

Blessings

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A few weeks ago I had to send my glasses back into the vision place to go some anti-reflective coating (glare isn’t cute for selfies lol) so because I sent in my new glasses I had to use my old glasses for about a week and a half ago. Now my old glasses are super cute and stylish BUT these glasses were old and neglected care. I had so many dents and scratches on the lenses I literally couldn’t see clearly. So I’m wearing my old glasses and because of the condition of the way my lenses were, my eyes had to readjust to seeing out of them which was nearly impossible! My week consisted of me complaining to everyone I could find (which was alot of just my family because of this quarantine) of a lack of (obstructed, distracted) vision and lack of clarity I was experiencing.

I recognize the old way I was seeing will not work with this new prescription I had with my new glasses.

In 2 Samuel we read many stories about David being a mighty warrior and King and all the battles he won. We hear a lot that david is a man after Gods own heart I think that one of those reasons is he stayed in the posture of seeking God for vision for his next steps. In the many battles, he fought and won, each strategy was different for each battle. (2 Samuel 8:14)

I love when God does this! He uses your everyday experiences to teach you biblical lessons and this was eye opening for me. To remember this was a new season for many of us and it’s challenging on what to focus on and what to do with what is in our laps.

Honestly, with all this free time in quarantine, I feel like a fire for the things of God has been reignited inside of me that just gets stronger each day. Having recently come out of a level of spiritual processing,  I had tried to use the same strategies from the past into this new way of thinking.

I could feel heavily that God was saying that the old way of seeing and operating wasn’t going to work or sustain me in this season. I feel this strongly for many of us. Have you seen those baby toys with the box with the cutout shapes and you have to match each shape with the hole in the box? That’s what I found myself doing. I believe many of us have tried this in one area or another in our lives. But  God wants you to know that He is calling you to seek Him in a greater way at a greater level at every step so he can give you clarity for the next season.

Pray this with me:

Father, thank you for speaking to me today help me to renew my mind and to get in right alignment with you and your purpose for me in this season. Keep my mind steady and my gaze focused. Thank you for the right vision in this season as I keep my mind stayed on you. amen.

Hey guys thanks for joining me on this episode of devotions and word-spiration episode, Be blessed!

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

At the end of last week I was feeling super sick and well obviously we are in the midst of a pandemic so what’s the first thought most of us think when there is a tickle in our throat? Yep, we got the Rona!  Although this is a real reality for some I didn’t know but I was worried. I found myself becoming overtaken by fear and The what if’s. Honestly, I had to make a choice, was I going to believe what Gods promises were over my life, or was I going to believe more in whatever I was dealing with?  One of the things I recognized after calming down of course is that That spirit did not come from God because the bible says He doesn’t give us a Spirit of fear but promises us a sound mind.

So because my family and I were studying Hebrews 11:6 I couldn’t shake that it was impossible to please God without faith. Even in sickness my heart was to please God. After Praying I was reminded of how David played for saul many times to bring healing in his moments of turmoil. SO that’s exactly what I did.  I asked my husband if he would so kindly be like David and play his piano over me while I worshipped and cast my cares at God’s feet and leaving it there.

How many times have you dealt with a situation that had you crippled with anxiety, fear or sickness? IT felt like the weight of the negative feelings were bigger and louder than what deep in your heart to be true. Sometimes life can be that way but we have to do like the word says and renew our mind with the Word.

I think a lot can be said for the way we see God in our situations and trusting in His word.  I encourage you to pray and ask God

What areas in my life show signs of holes in my Faith?

What areas in my life have I not surrendered to you to fix?

Healing, increased faith or strength to keep fighting are some of the rewards he gives when we seek Him. I want you to remember that you are His and He loves you!

Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to lead my church in an online bible study. This would be my first time in my entire Christian journey leading  a study. When My pastor initially asked me If I would lead it. I had feelings of nervousness, doubt, and second-guessing yet deep down I knew this was another level that God wanted me to step into. One thing I leaned into was knowing that I trusted my leaders. I trusted that they saw something valuable and worthwhile in me to share with others no matter what I thought about my deficits. As much as I wanted to lean on my husband to help me study and provide the guidance I knew God was the only one I could lean on to help me succeed,  I just knew I couldn’t back down from this challenge.

This reminds me of the story of Jesus when he went into the garden to pray right before he was going to suffer for our sins. He prayed and begged the Father to take this cup away from Him. I can’t imagine the anguish or the burden of what needed to be done. He understood what God was asking of him but in the end, His answer was a resounding Yes! Of course, this is the extreme case of feeling the fear and doing it anyway and don’t believe God is asking you to give up your life for another since he has already done that with Christ but I know he is asking you do do something and you feel the responsibility and the weight of this assignment.

We can learn a lot from the way Jesus handled this situation. He took time to get away from the noise and the opinions of others and laid it all out before God. God is our Father He wants us to come to him when we have a problem. Like a child that scrapes their knee run to Him and tell Him all about it let Him comfort you.

Breath. Breathe in the strength and comfort of God Duet. 31:8 says He is with us and He won’t ever leave. So understand that He has already gone before you to prepare where he wants you to go, he is walking beside you and He is inside of you!

Go for it! Understand that there is no one that can do what you do the way you can. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. Meditate on what God thinks about you and go for the Gold! Make your Daddy proud!

In the midst of all that is going on, my heart has been in a posture of bigger faith and looking to Christ. I have had questions before the Father as to what his thoughts are about this pandemic and what He says. This morning the Lord directed me to read Exodus 12 when Egypt was in the middle of plagues and famine. These are a few things He pointed out to me:

1.Now more than ever we should be concerned with our neighbors and loved ones. The Father instructed those that had more than enough for their household to find someone with less or in need to share with. The world is in a state of panic right now, we haven’t seen anything like this in quite a long time. Let us as Children of God not forget to care about those around us. We sing so many songs about God being a provider now is the time to put your faith in action, trust in God and love on your neighbor.

2. If you ask the Father for wisdom, He will not withhold it from you. God is meticulous in His direction if you just ask. In the scripture, God gave Israel specific instructions on how to prepare the food, what to wear and even when to prepare it thus to sustain them as they went through the night. Take time and listen for the whisper of God and obey without fear.

3. Stay in prayer and fellowship with the Lord. God told His people to hold a sacred assembly meaning spend time in prayer to Him with your family, fasting, sing songs of praise and worship with love. Listen and obey.

4. Peace in the midst of this chaos is 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us the spirit of fear but POWER, LOVE AND A SOUND MIND”

Rest and dwell in that while you prepare and pray.

I love you all!