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📖 It's a read ......................... @lisabevere nailed it. One of the hardest and most defining things is to lay down our will to accept His. Its a lot of prayer time, a lot of denying what we want in the nature of our humanity, a lot of tuning in and trusting. It's stretching. It's shaping. It's the plucking out of all the unneeded to make room for the needed. It's needing to learn that you may have reserves but that God is in this for the good. That every bit of "I'm not so sure" we may feel is just our human nature trying to convince us it knows more than abiding by and in the Spirit of the almighty God, who came down to earth as man to experience this moment... "YET not what I will, but what You will". He gets it. More than we imagine, He gets what its like to wish something away and yet still go through with it for the greater glory. He knows. He knew that abundance was in surrendering our understanding of will and to live in the sovereignty of His. That when logic calls it crazy, He calls it favored. Abide in His Spirit and will and be amazed! https://www.instagram.com/p/B2u73EBFH_CKAGufHCf2PrCPTggUxQfzH7xGUo0/?igshid=12f8a8s6jmhjd

•••📝It's a read📖••• [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]. Hebrew 12:2 AMP. I recently heard a preaching by Pastor Robert Madu that [in part] expressed: our lack of acceptance of God's authority in our lives or our unwillingness to receive His authority is the means by which we hinder our faith in Christ. He shared the story of Jesus and the disciples caught in a storm as they traveled by boat. In this story we see the disciples lack of faith as they wake up Jesus and say "we're going to die" but then they see Jesus' calmness as He uttered some words and the sea and the winds were calm. The disciples stopped in amazement and asked "what kind of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" You'd think that after seeing Jesus' wonders they would receive His higher authority, for themselves. But for a second their humanity became their distraction and they lost sight of Jesus and even questioned His authority. Instead of seeing Jesus sleep as supreme authority they saw it as despair. Have you ever been so invested in a moment of desperation that God's silence/calmness feels like He's despairing you? It is much easier to believe the miracles and wonders for others, but when threat comes against us, we lose it. We act like the disciples who instead of taking his silence and calmness as authority, they took it as abandonment. "He IS the incentive for our belief and the One who BRINGS our faith to maturity", take heart in something: Jesus will Author His way into our faith with His words of encouragement for our belief. And His ability to process our faith into maturity will make Him the perfecter of it. -"Looking away from all that will distract us and focusing our eyes on JESUS" [and His supreme authority]. https://www.instagram.com/p/BzbHO-DhIwfuRMc0405MkuiDdvd90y68v1B8DQ0/?igshid=7qkmminecj42

•📖It's a read ________________________________________ Some days are really hard. I've always been a believer of transparency for the sake of keeping it real and setting the record straight; a life in Christ has a lighter burden and easier yoke, but it doesn't exempt us from hardship. If asked, who is someone you want to sit and talk to from the bible? My answer would be, Paul. I admire his sincerity and transparency. I admire the way he pressed toward the mark knowing his imperfections and committed to DEAL with them in Christ. Its hard to deal with the not-so-godly parts of ourselves when we are trying to manifest exactly what Paul said, "To live is Christ"... But we must press toward the mark. Paul's ability to press toward the mark and to procalim that for him, "to live is Christ" came from his understanding of his weakness. It came from his understanding that he was imperfect and that he needed a perfect God to fill in the gaps of his humanity. God meets us in between imperfection and grace. He meets us where both merge, and where weakness is displayed in form of surrender. He meets us at our understanding of our frailty, where we realize that without Him we are incapable. He meets us where we are worn out to show us that His matter is durable and endures. In our weakness, He is strong. The Lord allows our debility to recompensate it, not with shame, but with reckless love and restoration. If there is one thing I have learned about my God is that He is UNCONVENTIONAL. He doesn't stick to the lines that keep him within a box. He is abstract, and it is in the abstract, unconventional, reckless love that He displays His sovereignty. It is there in that wonder where our countenance is lifted and gleams His glory. Brothers and sisters, life gets hard and our countenance may show it, it is certain that as Paul wrote transparently he was not writing with a smile on his face as he described his hardships and his weighted heart. "Why has your countenance fallen?" God asks us this where He meets us, not to shame us, but to restore His image in us. - He meets a fallen countenance; to lift and to gleam. https://www.instagram.com/p/BzXLskVFLVBv1YytWyWTowRCh1hZygMyRaqHuQ0/?igshid=kgppp8k4xn7i

It's a read... I saw this post from @curtricelwilliams and i had to #repost it because it hit home. One thing I know to be true is his keeping in my life. It doesnt hit you til you find yourself in mid chaos and ask yourself, "Yo, HOW did I not fall in so deep to the point of no rising?" There's a beautiful set of words in scripture that reminds us of God's goodness, "BUT GOD". As defective humans, we have propensity to fall and fail in times and places where resources are accessible to not do so. In full transparency, I have fallen and failed when there was a way out. And YET, there was still a way out. There are things in life that make no sense. And the extent of outside-of-God that my life has seen, Him keeping me from seeing destruction, the way I should have consequential to my actions, is a BUT GOD that makes no sense logically. BUT GOD is good, loving, graceful, and merciful and I am grateful for His divine keeping. Even if and even when my desires aren't met, thank You for keeping me. It is then when my desire didn't match Your omnipotence, and You have whispered.. "I have better".⚓ https://www.instagram.com/p/BzOB_4EBM1TARGPkkMHAi0otDMJMhTxtHEgkrk0/?igshid=1b24tayltng0e

#repost

First post in 3 years, it's been a while!

I am a writer, it's taken me some time to fully embrace that. And while embracing it, God has been working me in so many areas. I thought it would be selfish of me to not share, so here I am sharing!

As God lines things up before me, I realize that the "in between" doesn't have to be a burden, it doesn't have to be a thought to sigh at. It should be a space and time used to truly live, truly function, and truly learn to govern your life.

God is pivoting my perspectives to a much broader spectrum of what this is all really about. It took a lot of experiences to get here, some pleasant, others borderline traumatic, nevertheless I am here; ready to live, grow, and govern.

Among all the things God is showing me, one of the most emphatic is: holistic health. You know, it is one thing to enjoy solidarity in Christ and be grounded emotionally, and many times we find how spirit and soul are vitally important for one another, but we often forget body.

We are all aware how taking care of ourselves as temples is crucial. We all quote scripture when we are against the controversial tattoo debate: our bodies are temples, people proclaim. We all hear how important it is to not get drunk and not to pollute our bodies with ungodly substances.

But what happens when daily required fuel becomes a means to sin? Bible speaks on gluttony being a sin. I don't know about you, but more often than I want to admit I am guilty, so so guilty of this sin.

I am on this journey of holistic health. Spirit, Soul and Body are all equally important for well being. And I must attack the order by which I am, what does that mean? I am first spirit, I've got to be in tune with Creator in order to discern my seasons, my mission, my purpose. Secondly I am soul, if spirit is in tune with God, then healthy emotions become much more doable (this is not to say we won't feel, we aren't robots, this is to say we will have a better grip on how to manage our emotions). And thirdly I am body, if spirit and soul are in tune then it is just ORDER for my body to also be in tune. Exercising discipline through exercise and moderation for a better temple.

A holistic approach to life promotes a fulfilled holistic self image. I am just starting this journey... I am no expert on this yet. I seem to have a lot of knowledge here, and this I may have, but it is very true what is said; knowledge is NOT power, only applied knowledge is. I admit that. But I'm in my twentysomething's seeking God and fine tuning my ear to His voice, to live this whole lot of life in this whole lot of in between, the way His divine and perfect will desire me to.

I am taking the initiative to stop excusing myself from true living because of aches in my heart and my body.. all of which were due to not having a rooted spirit like a palm tree that is never uprooted, and not having the revelation to care about my body enough, as if it is not the vehicle that my sprit and soul conduct.

It's time to shine if we put in the work. And work.. its scary, but its a process with its own aesthetics to enjoy.

This is a route toward fulfillment. And I am ready to be accountable to myself and document that for everyone watching. My best sermon is not projected through words but actions.. I am learning that too.

So, journey with me toward a better IN BETWEEN.

#ImBack #TheKickOff #THEINBETWEEN

I'm dreamin.. reality checkin my vision. No fairytale, just divine minded. Collision.. His presence and mine. I'm getting solidified. As long as my eyes are set on His eyes.. the sky will never be my limit. I'm flyin.

There's this point in life when you understand that staying immobile is not an option. When you understand that half a step is more than none. When you pick your head up and look at your surroundings and feel so uncertain of everything around you. But as you look in uncertainty you feel certainty in the beating heart inside your chest. And it sparks the notion of life. There's this point in life when you embrace God's design. When you embrace the nature of Creator. When you embrace reason and purpose and choose to rise. At ONE point in life you GET IT. And that... THAT is when life begins! I'M RISING! #ChooseToRise #ItsInYourDNA #ChristRoseFromTheDead #YourHIS

#christrosefromthedead #itsinyourdna #choosetorise #yourhis

Finding joy and beauty where it's often overlooked. #DigDeep

#digdeep

It's about identifying our first nature, which is that of the spirit's, for we are ALL spirits FIRST. In the process of human evolvement we learn and become in the nature of all else BUT spirit.Therefore, for the sake of the wording used in this quote we can say, yes, life is about unbecoming everything the world has taught us. So that we may eventually be, through the unbecoming, everything God has called us to be from before the foundation of the world! #FoodForThought #UnlearnWhatYouveLearned #Grow #ToBEyouGottaUnbecome

#foodforthought #grow #tobeyougottaunbecome #unlearnwhatyouvelearned

❤

As I was getting ready to post this pic I felt a huge NEED to share a truth in my life that inspires me to not focus on the earthly desire of enhancement but on the spiritual NEED of enhancement. Here goes 👇... As women we desire to be pleasing to the eyes of people. As women we desire to be admired for our external beauty. As women we spend time trying to enhance our beauty through application of powders and concealers and bronzers and lipsticks and mascaras. As a woman I too take time to "enhance" my outter beauty. As a woman I too take pleasure in picking the perfect color lipstick for the days outfit. As a woman I too appreciate the approval I get when my looks are outside of the ordinary. But as a woman I must remind myself that Isaiah 40:8 says, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." What do I take from that? I take that, watering a flower while it's physical existence remains is necessary. But the essence of the flower was a WORD. A word God unleashed that became physical. The word is what remains! Might you consider, woman, that you were a word before you were a body? I will fade away, as a flower does. But His word which is my essence will live forever. I am the product of God's belief and while enhancing my outter beauty is a beautiful part of womanhood, it's sole purpose is not that. Womanhood is the unravel of nurture and resilience. Womanhood is the becoming of passionate and strong. Womanhood is knowing Whose you are and what your role on earth is and Who it is for. Womanhood isn't fifteen or sixteen. Womanhood is maturing in love with the One Who unleashed YOU! Womanhood is finding yourself amongst chaos and judgement and saying I'm found in Christ and founded on Him. So as much as we may desire as women to be approved through appearance, lets remember that who made us was God through a word. And that word will out live by an eternity, the beauty we strive to enhance temporarily. Let's enhance our essence. Let's define our beauty and make it bold in mind, body, and soul BUT firstly and MOST importantly in SPIRIT. Let's enhance the unleashed word we are, through the SPIRIT He instilled.

💯

For a long time I hated this sight. For a long time I fled from this sight. Now I'm pressing into the depths of this sight. Intimidation gave me writers block, fear paralyzed my thinking process. Now I face these books, and guess what? I still dread them. I still dislike them. Yet, I've grown to love their essence- stimulation, challenge, hustle, perseverance. I'm mastering my biggest battle. - The Becoming

I completely dig the way this is worded. Note how it doesn't state "one who has never offended someone else", rather "one who has never offended a SOUL". There is a difference between offending someone, and offending their emotions/feelings. In order for you to speak undiluted truth, you MUST be willing to take the risk of offending peoples FEELINGS, which pertains to the soul of a human being. We have not been called to function under feelings and emotions, if so we'd lead dysfunctional lives. And we're not meant to be vessels that can not be used. We have been chosen to step out of the cookie cutter outlines and be radical in what we do. Always being gentle and humble as Jesus was yet aggressive and raw as God appointed Paul to be. Without Spirit-led aggression and rawness we would not have the new testament of the bible- the books that speak grace, yet speak UNDILUTED TRUTH! Ever been hurt and then gone to the Word for comfort and you read scripture that just tears you up, like you just got the wind knocked out of you? I have. And in this walk discomfort is a question- what will you do? Are you gonna fall back and quit cause your feelings were hurt? OR are you gonna own that discomfort and ride out the challenge? Scientifically speaking, in order to stimulate your brain you gotta reach depths of it you usually wouldn't with intellectual workouts- Reasoning behind theoretical education. And as a society we allow ourselves to go through torturous years of school to stimulate our brains, to one day function in the careers we've chosen. Well, that's how the spirit is too. You gotta stimulate people with things outside of what they already know and outside of what makes them feel good, just as much as people, who have been appointed by God in our lives, need to do that for us. Let us be the generation that isn't afraid to speak up. Let us press forward with the truth.

The Rise Before The Fall

In the middle of watching a motivational video I came across this extremely confronting quote, “ Our deepest fear is NOT that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we ARE powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.” This took a while for me to warm up to, I felt troubled by these words, because I couldn’t figure out why we would fear our source of clarity. So I emphasized on the title of the video, “Why do we fall?” and asked myself, why do I fall? Most of the time one would say, “because I don’t believe that I can”. But is that the truth? See, for those of us who KNOW that we have been imparted a greatness, far more grand than our minds are capable of understanding, it would be silly to say, I fall because I don’t believe. We have been, almost, trained in the Spirit to affirm our beliefs and assure ourselves in Christ that we are capable. For so long my answer to someone asking me, why do you fall, would have been, “because I doubt in my ability to execute what I have been called to execute.” But it clicked today, that what really scares us is the fear of the unknown, the fear of success. That sounds straight out stupid, I know. But it’s the truth. It’s like this, we all have muscles, some people’s muscles are unidentifiable, because of lack of work; now, does that mean that those people have no muscle? Absolutely not. A person who sets their mind to work their muscle into definition is aware of their ability to gain strength, we ALL have that ability, but it scares us. It scares us because in order to step into our abilities we MUST also step into our uncomfortabilities. That means work, time, effort, consistency, attention, early mornings, late nights, pain, sweat, tears, screams, debates, speaking up, shutting up, humility, killing flesh, and I can keep naming them. Let’s look at these uncomfortabilities under a different microscope, with a different perspective, at a different angle- all of the above is what potentially brings light to your darkness, darkness is comfortable. Depression is comfortable, it’s easy, it’s even convenient sometimes, doing drugs is comfortable, drinking is comfortable, staying in a draining relationship is comfortable. How? because it’s familiar and familiar is dangerous because it’s the root of comfortability. A state of comfort is a state of paralysis. You’re stagnant, you’re no longer under function, you become stiff and with little movement you become sore and everything hurts, because you’ve gotten used to staying in one place. That is called mediocrity, it’s called FEAR!

So I ask again, WHY DO WE FALL?

We fall because we’re too afraid of the power Christ poured into us by leaving us his Spirit. We fall because the places of light that the Holy Spirit leads us to requires WORK and we’re too afraid of it. We fall because we know we can but we’re too lazy to, too incompatible with our groom, we fall because we don’t believe in what we know. We are like the child who’s in swimming lessons afraid of the water. Coach beside us, mentor motivating us, parent cheering for us, teacher reminding us and we can’t seem to let go of that wall because we’re to afraid of our ability to do it.

What is stopping you? Get up, move forward, take that step, and then do it again the next day and the day after that! Your coach, your mentor, your teacher, your PARENT is all in one- and the BEST thing about it is that HE resides INSIDE you! HE breathes IN YOU! And if that blows your mind than by all means let it! If it blowing your mind allows your mind to expand then keep that thought, THAT TRUTH, bold in your thoughts! Let your light, your truth, your solidity, challenge you into growth! Be who you can fully be, be what God has placed you here for!

And if you have fallen and you WANT to get back up remember this, falling is extremely minute compared to the power and potential you have to rise back up with an unshakable anointing of overcoming the fall!

KEEP PUSHING FORWARD!!

The story...

The story of a girl who once was careless and didn't mind to consider the consequences of her actions and the effect of the side things she'd do. A girl whose motives were driven by her emotions and feelings, screaming, "this I have, and this I have not!" "I am worthless, useless, who could desire me, who needs me?". A girl who for years was afraid to live with her chin up, she was scared that people would stare into the gaze of her stare and read the secrets that she was so good at hiding. A girl that lived smiling and saying, " I'm okay, I'm fine", when she was dying inside. A girl who laid in bed at night thinking on how to commit suicide. This girl, who didn't see the worth in continuing to exist and breathe, in fact existing is all she'd do, because living, living was never something she'd look into. She didn't know how to laugh without feeling guilty, she didn't know how to smile without feeling fake, she didn't know how to talk without embarrassment, she couldn't open her mouth without first feeling like what she was about to say was pointless. THIS girl, whose self-esteem laid on the floor, accessible for all to walk on, was a girl who MY heart beat for. This girl I describe was once the girl that defined me, this girl I describe is the being that I couldn't bear to see. Oh but my God identified himself in me. One day I was confronted by God within me, and He asked me what I saw. I stopped and stared for hours at a wall that held the image of my reflection. I was afraid to answer, I was even afraid to look. Until I said, Father I see worthlessness and abuse, hurt and discontentment, dirt and guilt, shame. I see shame, I see shame. But then.. He stopped me. He caressed my ears with His words, He assured me that for as long as I'd been hiding, he'd been seeing my worth, that for as long as I'd deny him he'd been accepting my form. The form of who I am, the form he didn't make a mistake in making. One day I realized that He defined me. One day I saw the mirror and cried and wept because he said to me, do you see me? And it all clicked, he had been living inside me. This girl whose definition was once defined by rejection and pain, this girl who was once described as timid and ashamed, this girl who people thought could never rise up from her shyness and could never be more than just a girl whose heart was that of a childs. A girl whose demeanor was described by her timidity, rose up! This girl is a woman of God who stands strong on a rock that can't be moved. This girl is a girl who was found and now lives to uplift and encourage young girls who are in the midst of the struggle of self. Self worth, self esteem, self confidence, self confrontation, self love, self motivation. This girl is a girl who found out that self is worthless without God. This girl speaks of God's truth with no reservations. This girl is excited to excel in all of the plans her Dad in heaven predestined her to fulfill. This girl's name is Leslie. This girl's Father is the King of Kings who rescued her. This girl is no longer timid nor ashamed, she no longer allows guilt to confine her, because she learned about this beauty called grace. This girl is no longer afraid, rather laughs without fear of the future. This girl is loved and loves without limitations. This girl has been found, this girl has been called, this girl is me. The woman I have become has given me the perspective to see how essential it is for one woman to stand in the gap for another, and I am willing. This woman has a lot to be molded on. This woman is not yet perfect yet strives to thrive in progress! This woman is your sister, and as surely as God worked in me and gave me courage to rise above, surely He will do the same for you! You are a gem, you are a jewel, you are His very own. His creation, in his likeness, you are in his image, YOU ARE! The story of a girl who became a woman through God's grace and love. This story is also about YOU! While there are already chapters in our book that depict our lives events, our BEST chapters have not yet been manifested. The story is continuous, the book has been gracefully written, He will not fail to lavish you with the love , care, and passion a Kings daughter DESERVES! I love you with the love of our Dad who loved us FIRST! Stay blessed , courageous woman!

The Power

It's been so long since I have felt in this position. Feeling like I have no reason to fail, but I am continuous at it! Like, there's this demand from my flesh saying, "satisfy me, NOW!" I never thought that I would succumb to such an old demand, again. I thought I had tamed it, I thought I had it under control, but one thing I've learned is that the enemy will hardly ever come at you with new tricks. But here's the thing, I can type away about how it is the enemy's fault and how it's not mine, and how I felt weak and feel weak. But the truth about this whole thing is that it all lies on me! I chose to succumb, I chose to give in! The word of God says that if we are in Christ then He is in us, meaning the infinite power he carries is living within our very lives! Think about that...

We're so quick to say, "it's hard I need this fix, now!" But we don't sit there to consider the power within us, the capacity to say no, the ability we have to reject sin, the strength given to us by God himself to abstain from acting in our temptations! If you ponder on this idea, you realize that the essence of this strength and of this power I speak of is the very strength and power that God gave His son as He was on earth. Because Jesus although fully God, was also fully flesh! Flesh is what attaches us to sin, but with the power that is within God we can overcome! If only we trust and remain consistent with Him!

I'm not saying it's easy, in fact I write this today, because I have been caught in this battle of believing in the power of God in me, or believing in the weakness of my flesh. What I'm saying is far from let's be perfect, instead I urge myself, first, and you all as well to make progress in our lives as chosen people of God, as people who have been called for great things! Let us strive for excellence, always! It's about progress not perfection, because one day when it has all been said and done, we will reach that perfection in Him. Let us push forward and not look at what we did last night, what we may have thought on doing today, the guilt we feel on all our dirt from years ago or hours ago, God is infinite in mercy, grace, and love, and neither you or I are excluded from those precious things!

Romans 8:9-11...

"But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn't it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ's! "

Love you all! Stay blessed!

- Leslie R.

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