Join me on Saturday February 27th!

My Award Speech

With all the recent award shows, I started thinking about what would I say if I received an award? This all started when Denzel Washington received the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes. When He took the stage he said he was speechless and He forgot his glasses. It was a great moment in History and he was overwhelmed with emotions. As he began to speak, He went back to the beginning. 

One of the greatest mistakes I think we make is forgetting the role people played in our lives. Whether they left your life right or wrong, you can see the role they played in making you who you are today. Looking back over my life, I can see all the people who helped me become the woman, mother and wife I am today. I may never be on a stage for the world to honor me nor do I have that desire, but here is my award speech in bullet points!

·  To Jesus Christ who is my Savior and Redeemer. I am who I am because You knew me before I was formed in my mother's womb. 

·  To James and Daisy Mckinnon! My Daddy and Mommy! You taught me love goes the distance! Thank you for always placing your children's needs ahead of your own and teaching us that it's not about being knocked down by life, it's about getting up again! 

·  To my Sisters Shelia, Natalie & Audrey- For the Love, support, car at graduation, and my college degree! I would not have been able to achieve my goal if it was not for you taking Tylyia as your own! 

·  To my big brother Rodney- I love you "stupid"!!! 

·  To my brother Mark - You act just like your daddy:) I love you! 

·  To my baby brother Justin, who was my best friend growing up! I love you so much! 

·  To Mrs. Bright my 2nd grade teacher who did not settle for anything less than the best! 

·  To Krystal Henley V. my sister from another mother, Louis Everette, the late Emmitt Holloway, Q and Phillip Johnson, Jamillia Smith & Crystal Matthews Mosley and my babies - Friendship is forever and you are always in my heart because of your friendship! 

·  Crystal Johnson and Chessie Allen! Meredith College! For believing in me and supporting me even when I was making all the wrong decisions. 

·  To Charley- For always speaking the truth to me. To being the first person I told I was pregnant and your love and support made me see this was going to change my life but I would have a testimony! 

·  To Sherry Walker my mother-in-law and pastor- For asking the question that changed my life "What do you want and how bad do you want it?" 

·  To Iris Triggs- For being a woman of God! For telling me YES you will have the child! For the love that brought me to the place of surrender. I would not have even been at the right place at God's time to hear the message that changed the course of my life if it was not for you! Thank you! 

·  To Keith- Thank you for Tylyia and thanks for being a good Dad to her. 

·  To Kizzie- you have always been more than a hair dresser. You were my best friend and I learned to have tough skin but a big heart from you! I love you and thank you for being my solid rock when life seemed to be falling apart! 

·  To the woman who thought me how to pray through everything, for your food stamps:), for Rock-and-Roll Cafe, for your fight, for my babies, for your laugh, for your love, for your support, & for putting up with me!  - Faith McRavion, my sister

·  To Deborah Medlin Hemby-Pink, candy corn, my nephew, your love and trusting me to be apart of your life when you returned from VA.

·  To Crystal "JA-REV" and Mauricia- For teaching me love endures! You are great mentees but most importantly you are my sisters!! I am so proud of you! 

·  To all the young ladies who have ever been apart of GUTS! (Sovereign, Anesha, Quanna, Britt, Ariel, Diamond, Key (cookie monster), Hannah (Keyaria) and the ladies from Shaw U to name a few)   Thank you! I learned a lot. I did not always get it right and I did not always say it right but I thank God for grace and for teaching me every step of the way! Remember you are called and chosen! I see some of you making moves and it's amazing to see the dreams and visions you spoke of coming to past! 

·  To Debbie Medlin- Who opened her house to me for the first GUTS meeting! Thank you for being in my life and allowing me to be apart of your family- I love the "Watkin/Medlin Bunch" (B -Watts!!) 

·  To Ann Surles- Words can not express my thankfulness for you! For opening your house to me for GUTS, for loving me and pushing me to keep going when I wanted to give up! For your friendship and for being my sister! For being there for me and Tylyia (Mary).  

·  To Gwen Vincent - For giving me the combo book "Power of a praying Woman, Mother and Wife." It changed my life! 

·  To Stephanie Knowlin - What can I say! Your are one of the most mature women I know. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for showing me how to stand when things are Hard and what forgiveness looks like. 

·  To Paula Grange - Thank you for listening when I needed biblical truth! "He loves me" 

·  To Tracie S. - I watched your faith manifest into 3 children in one year! Thank you for always reminding me what God has for me is for me and to keep trusting Him. His timing is perfect. Thank you for your friendship! 

·  To Charles Gordon, Pastor M. Bankhead (My big brother), Elder Tony Foster (my other big brother), Apostle Joy Allen, Pastors Russ and Bonnie, Poppa John and Ma Judy- Your lifestyle before the Father has changed me and you are a great examples for me  and others in the Body of Christ 

·  To Pastor Duncan and Kate Smith - My marriage! Thank you for marrying us and speaking life into our marriage.

·  To Karen Lassiter, Mrs. Lennon & Ma Sallie Carr- Prayer!!!! Thank you!!!! 
·  To  Tonya Joyner the greatest wedding planner! Thank you for your love, My 2nd mission trip to South Africa (paying the balance), and your faith has inspired me! 

·  To Carl Trice! Thank you for sowing into every mission trip I have been on!  

·  To Pastor John and Joy and my GCF family! This past year God has used you to breathe life into me, my marriage and our ministry. Thank you for your love, friendship, prayers, mentorship, and grace! (Mrs. Donna and my Titus 2 sisters- Thank you!) 

·  To Esther- for rebuking and showing me I do not wrestle with flesh and blood! I would not still be standing if it was not for your love, prayers and Truth. 

·  To my Ma Josie and Daddy Ron! Thank you! Your love is felt from miles away! 

·  To the Smith Family- My Aunts, Uncles and Cousins - Life just wouldn't be life if was not for the Gift Tommie and Dossie Smith gave us all. A family full of faith, endurance and love! 

·  To my GPF family- I love each of you and would not trade one moment. My greatest lessons in life have been learned through our family. I am so happy to be in a community of believers I can cry and laugh with!

The last two are my heart! I have saved the best for last.

• Joshua, thank you for loving Tiffany and Tylyia. It was a package deal and you took on the calling! You are an amazing husband, father, friend, and man of GOD!
• Tylyia, who I call Mary, you are a gift from God and you changed my life for the better! I love you both!

Take the time to look back and remember. It may even help you to walk in forgiveness. It's easy to keep rehearsing over and over again the disappointments. It's easy to allow one situation to cause to forget the heart of the people God has placed in your life. 

I may never be able to tell the world this on live TV but from my heart to yours......I say thank you! 

Sin and Salvation

I started this study months ago and thought I would share it on my blog. It’s a long blog but I hope it challenges you.

GUTS stands for “Give up the Sin.” After salvation, I wanted to really walk in a way that pleased the Father. After 7 years of living in sexual immorality and other sins my struggle was real but I also knew that all of heaven was on my side. After three years of sexual purity, the Lord placed GUTS on my heart. I am by no means an expert. I believe things are revealed in part and this is a portion of what the Lord has allowed me to read and understand in the word. Please go to the word for yourself and test everything you read here in this blog. (All Scriptures are New King James Version)

Question: Can someone who is in sin still be saved?

Point #1 We all sin and have fallen short of the Glory of God

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

1 John 1:8 "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

As long as we live in this flesh we will sin. We all have and will sin, even after we receive salvation.

Point #2 We are saved by grace not by works (righteous actions)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

We MUST understand salvation is a gift. It is freely given to those who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We do not have to work for salvation. It is because of salvation that our works  start to line up with the word.  I dare to say Salvation is about a confession that causes a reaction in your lifestyle.

Rom 10: 9-11 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’”

We confess with our mouth and receive salvation. It is the believing in that confession that changes the way we live. With the heart one believes to Righteousness. Righteousness means living upright.

My Question to You: Who receives such a great gift and does not use it fully?

Point #3: Grace is not a license to keep sinning.

Romans 6:1-3 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?”

When we receive Jesus Christ as our lord and savior we are dead to sin and alive in Christ.

Point #4: After salvation you have been called to holy living and obedience.

1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’.”

Point #5: There is a difference between being a sinner and falling short.

Think about the words “Fall Short”. If you never reach out for Holy living, you will have nothing to fall short of.

Confession is so important. 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we fall short of the glory of God we confess. After our confession we begin reaching for Holy living again. We overcome sin issues in our life by reaching for holiness and righteousness. 

Point #6: the life we lived before salvation should be counted to us as rubbish

Phil 3: 7-9 “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;”

So, I want to go back to the original question. Can someone who is in sin still be saved?

After reading the word I have concluded your salvation is a gift and it keeps you in a positon to be able to come to the throne of Grace when you sin. The only sin today that is a FREE ticket to hell is continued unbelief. (John 3:16) There is no sin, as long as you are alive, God cannot forgive. We have to be willing to come before God, confess sin, repent of it, and accept God’s promise of forgiveness. 

Some may ask about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. I say read the story of Paul. Some may ask about suicide and I will repeat “There is no sin as long as you are alive.” I believe that suicide is one of the greatest tools the enemy uses to kill, steal & destroy. He knows it is a sin you cannot repent from. That is why we must pray for our mind to be in Christ Jesus continually.

The real question to ask: If you are IN Christ Jesus how can you live IN sin?

You will sin while IN Christ and because you are IN Christ the Holiness of the Father will convict you of your sin. At that point you are called to WALK OUT of sin. Our confession to salvation is saying Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He is our master. When we receive salvation we are no longer slaves to sin and our flesh.

Rom 6:12; 17-23 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts… But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Sin will bring spiritual death in your life. When we sin it will not bring eternal separation from God but, like all sin, if it goes on without us repenting we will have consequences.

John 5:16-21

“If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen”

Do not make excuses to stay in sin and to keep on sinning. Keep yourself from the idols of this world. (Matthew 6:24) Grow in your confession  and make your calling in Christ sure. (2 Peter 5-10) In the end you get God so GO AFTER GOD! No, your salvation may not be taken from you, but who wants to take the chance of missing out on inheriting the Kingdom of God? Who wants to have a confession on their lips but no real transformation of the heart and mind? (Matthew 15:8)  

Allow the word to renew your way of thinking and live your life as one that is holy and acceptable to God your Father.

Rom 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Welcome to 2016

Happy New Year! It seems like yesterday we were bringing in 2015. The year has gone by so fast. Time does not wait for anyone.

In the past, by December 1st I would have had my vision written down, my vision boards up and a diet plan ready. This year I woke up on December 30th and realized for the first time in 10+ year I did not have my bullet point vision written.  I felt the weight of panic hit me in the stomach and I got a sheet of paper to start praying and writing. The Holy Spirit spoke one word to me, "Contentment". I sat waiting for more. The word came to me again "Contentment".

Then I went to the word of God and two scriptures came to me: 

1 Timothy 6:6-11 Now Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lust which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through many sorrows. (NKJV) 

Matthew 6: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV) 

For 2016 I want to encourage you to seek first the Kingdom and to learn that in whatever situation you find yourself, be content. Paul called it a secret in Philippians 4. Paul said he learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. The secret is having complete trust and dependence on God. Paul said "I can do ALL things THROUGH HIM that STRENGTHENS me." (Philippians 4:13)

Many times we go after more godliness and more righteousness but we forget to walk in the place of contentment. I call it the place of continual praise. It's the place of knowing that GOD is GOOD all by His self. I have been around people who live holy and righteous lives but they complain all the time. God can never do enough. I have been there. This year let's go after God and a heart of thanksgiving first. Then we can hear Him clearly for the vision He has for us in 2016.

Remember ONLY WHAT WE DO FOR GOD WILL LAST. 2 Tim 4:7-9 " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, Finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." 

Here are some things to help as you pray into what the Lord has for you. 1- What are 10 things you most enjoy doing?2- What are 5 of your most important values? 3- If you never had to work another day in your life, how would you spend your time? 4- When your life is ending, what will you regret not doing, seeing, or achieving? 5- THE BIG QUESTION! Are you willing to forget all that you think you should be doing to do something God is leading you to do? 

God has a desired target that He has intended for us to hit (Jeremiah 29:11). Becoming all that God has purposed is an act of worship to Him. Present yourself to the Father and watch what happens. He will transform your thinking and you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing, and perfect will ( Romans 12: 1-2 ) Forget the past and move forward. This year press towards the mark. Press towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called you heavenward in Christ Jesus. ( Philippians 3: 12-14) 

Pray this prayer with me. Parts of this prayer are from Stormie Omartain's The Power of a Praying of Woman: Lord, I thank You that You have called me with a holy calling, not according to my works, but according to Your purpose and grace which was given to me in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 1:9). I know that Your plans for me existed before I knew You, and You will bring them to pass. Help me to walk worthy of the calling with which [I was] called (Ephesians 4:1). Help me to live my life with a sense of purpose and understanding of the calling You have given me. I don't want to miss out on Your full purpose for my life because I did not walk the way you wanted me to. I repent for the times I haven't fully lived for you. Help me to live the way You want me to from now on. Lord I know all things work together for good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). I don't want to presume I know what that purpose is. Nor do I want to spend a lifetime trying to figure out what I am supposed to be doing and miss the mark. So I pray You would show me clearly the gifts and talents You have placed in me. Lead me in the way I should go as I grow in my gifts and talents. Enable me to use them according to Your will and for Your glory. Amen.

Happy New Year and Happy Vision writing!