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7/8/2020 1 Comment I will respond Faith walkers! It’s been a long time since I last wrote for my blog. So much has been going on that sometimes it’s hard to keep up. There are also times when I finally get some time to relax and all I want to do is sleep or catch up with shows on Netflix and Hulu. I have to do better at prioritizing my time with work and my personal brand. If others can do it, I know I can as well!
One thing I have learned during this hiatus is to ALWAYS listen to God the first time. Oftentimes I underestimate myself when it comes to hearing God’s voice. I’ll hear God speak to me just as clear as if I was on the phone with someone and ask myself, “Did God really tell me that?” And then I’ll keep asking for more and more signs, knowing good and well I heard God the first time. I can laugh about it now but honestly, I bet God was saying, “Really Tyrah?” But I’m so thankful for his grace and never giving up on me. A month ago, I went through a bad breakup....well "ending". It was truly devastating how it ended and even harder to keep my mouth closed about it. My flesh wanted to curse him out. My flesh wanted to let everyone know my side of the story so that they could curse him out too. My flesh wanted to give up on all future relationships to save myself from getting hurt again. The flesh will try to make you do so many things out of character. As much as I wanted to get ratchet on the gram, twitter and text messaging, The Lord’s peace rested upon me. Instead of going off, I prayed. I prayed for peace and I prayed for a soft heart. I even prayed for him. My heart was hardened y’all, and if I explained the situation, it would've been justified by a lot of people. As mentioned in a previous post, I have a bible study group and each week one of us will give the word. It was my week to give the word and I knew it would be a little difficult for me, but I wanted to push through. I prayed and asked God to send me something that will not only help my friends, but myself as well. He led me to the book of Ephesians. Chapter 4, verse 29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Whew. Just when I wanted to act up God told me to relax. So then I kept reading to verse 31. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. God knows just what we need to read. After I read those verses, I was reminded how our actions should reflect our faith. Our faith pleases the Lord. At all times people should be able to look at us and see the God inside us. How are we responding to things that try to set us off track? How are we responding to our brothers and sisters in Christ? When was a time you were tested to respond as a Christian? Did you pass the test? How are we responding to our trials? Sometimes it’s hard to respond in a godly way, but it feels so great to respond in love. We have the power to respond the way Jesus would want us to. Remember that the enemy’s job is to try to kill, steal and destroy but God has given us POWER. Although it may not feel good, it’s all working out for your good! It pleases the Lord when we remain in him and respond in love. I’ve learned that God does not play about his children and will handle all trials that may try to steal our joy and peace. Like I stated earlier, I should have listened to God the first time. I did not, but I have repented and I feel so much better than I did a month ago. I am thankful for God’s peace. I am thankful that he got me out of a situation before it was too late, even when I was second guessing myself. God is so incredibly good! There is no situation too big or too hard for God to handle. He has given us the strength to keep pressing on towards our goals.
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4/28/2020 0 Comments Family Ties Hello Faith Walkers! I pray that your faith is still going strong during these uncertain times. I pray that you all are still seeking God, still praying, still trusting and still reading your word. God has given us so much time during this season to grow closer to Him and to spread the gospel. It is our responsibility to reach people and share the good news of Jesus.
This week, I would like to talk about family and how important it is to cover them in prayer. God has been dealing with me in regards to my own family and praying for them nonstop. Whether you live with your family or not, it is important to intercede for them. It is important to speak life into them. It is important to support them and give them advice when they need it. Another thing I have learned recently is the importance of being honest with your family and not being afraid to share with them things that God has placed on your heart. Ever since I can remember, I’ve always been scared to hurt people's feelings. That would mean a lot of times I would go without saying a word. Then a friend of mine brought to my attention that not telling your friends or family the truth, especially something that will help their life, isn’t healthy. God honors family and honors the love that families have for one another. The devil is tricky and hates the idea of a loving family. That’s why he tries to attack family members. How does he do this? He will try to get children to rebel, parents to divorce, anger to build up amongst siblings, jealousy to creep in, etc. Satan will literally try and do everything in his power to get the family to divide, and so we have to rebuke anything and everything that is not of God that will try to come into our family! We must fight this spiritual battle with prayer and fasting, knowing that God will protect our families mentally, physically, financially and spiritually! Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11 tells us to, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” If you’ve never read the entire chapter before, I advise you to please read it and read all about the different parts that make up “God’s armor”. We need it, not only fighting battles in our families, but in our jobs, this country and so forth. The devil tries to attack us and throw us off course but honey we serve a BIG GOD who works on behalf! This is war! Start pleading the blood of Jesus over your family. Here’s something to try. Get out your journal and write down every family member. Write down your prayer for each member and declare and decree that God will do what He said He will do over them. Even if you can’t physically touch them to agree, understand that they are just a prayer away. God hears your prayers for your family when you’re alone just as much as He hears them when you are right there in the same room. Pray for them when they don’t feel like praying for themselves. Pray for them even if they are not believers. Continue to share love and be a light in their lives. Show them that not all Christians are judgemental or hypocrites. Show them the love of Jesus. As always if you need prayer don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m praying for you all and I pray you have a wonderful week! God bless. I love you, Tyrah. 3/27/2020 2 Comments More time with Jesus One thing this quarantine has allowed me to have is more time studying God’s word. It's mind blowing to me when I think about how the world has literally stopped because of a virus rapidly spreading throughout our nation. Many businesses have closed, citizens are being advised to stay inside, major cities are on lockdown, people are going crazy over toilet tissue and parents are being forced to homeschool their kids. Boredom has struck the homes of many and people are constantly wondering when will this nightmare end? As I mentioned last week, I haven’t worked in three weeks. The COVID-19 virus has affected many small businesses and people are without jobs, but we know that God is a provider and He will make sure his people are taken care of. Since I have had so much free time, I’ve had no excuses as to why I can’t read my Bible or spend more than 30 minutes in devotion time. I have been hearing so clear the past few days and my ideas are overflowing! There’s so much I want to do as a Christ ambassador and faith influencer, but before self-distancing started, I always complained that I didn’t have time. Now, I have nothing but time! I recently wrote down all my ideas and ways to build my platform. Instead of saying, “well I don’t know where to begin”, I found myself saying, “God allow me to use the resources that I already have to do your work.” I got to thinking how everyday before this virus took place, we as a society were always on the go, especially my generation. We’re always trying to figure out how we can increase income and have side hustles that we barely stop and give our body the rest it needs. Not to be deep, but have you had the thought that maybe God wanted to spend more time with you? Before quarantine, how often were you spending intimate time with the Father? Besides a Saturday or Sunday service, when was the last time you spent more than just an hour with Him? If the answers to my questions convict you like it convicted me, take this time to spend more time with Jesus. Many churches have had to close down, so how are you being spiritually fed? Yes there are online services, but what if technology crashed today? You can’t depend on others to read the Bible for you. You can’t depend on your friends to be saved on your behalf. Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is” and they replied with all sorts of answers. Then Jesus took it a step further and asked, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16: 13-15). One of the many great things about the Bible that I love is the fact there is a solution for every problem known to man. Whatever I’m going through, better believe there’s at least five scriptures to help heal the wounds. The Bible App is a great tool to use if you may not know where a scripture is located. I recommend also buying a Bible that has mini explanations within the text to help for clarity. Once you dive in the word, you’ll be exposed to so many life changing scriptures within the text. I am currently studying the book of Revelations. What are you studying? I would love to know! Maybe we can study together? My friends and I have a bible study group that we each share what God has given to us. Let me know if you would like to be a part of it! Keep reading your word y'all, because we have to know the word for ourselves. It is our weapon! Be Blessed and stay safe. Love, Tyrah. Shirt: Madrag Jeans: Levi's Photography: @but.picture.this (Eli Elmore) Earrings: Rainbow 3/18/2020 2 Comments Corona Who???! Disclaimer: I am not sure why my quotation marks are improperly used. Will try to have it figured out by the next post :) Hello faith walkers! I pray you all are being safe in this huge coronavirus epidemic our nation is facing. If you're like me, I am very tired of hearing about it to be honest. It's to the point I have temporarily gotten off of social media and the internet so that I can focus more on Jesus and put my energy in His word. I did want to take this moment, however, to be honest about what I'm currently going through in life in hopes to help encourage someone else. This thing is real life and real people are being affected by it physically or financially. I am one of those people that have been affected by this virus financially. So as many of you know many things are closed down. Many people are working from home for safety measures, while there are some not working at all and not sure when they'll next paycheck will be. I am one of those individuals. Yes, your girl is not working and to be honest, I cried my eyes out when I was first told. Many of you also know that I am a reporter for a very small company. My job is heavily based on financial support from sponsors in which we create content for. Yes our show airs on the news, but we are in no way under the news station. The coronavirus has affected the livelihood of those sponsors which in return has affected my job and my role. To make a long story short, no sponsors equals no money for Tyrah. So I went into work Monday being told that we had to close shop until this whole thing blows over. I'm going to keep it real with you all. I cried. I went in so happy and thankful that I still had a job to go to despite the chaos surrounding me. Then reality hit and next I was home crying not knowing how my bills were going to get paid. I had such a fun time in New Orleans the week prior with my family to only be hit in the chest a few days later. Before this happened, I was not scared of the virus. I was walking around saying, "I'm covered under the blood! We got this!" But when I got home, I found myself scared. I found myself crying over and over again asking God why would he allow this to happen to me! I had no words. I was it total shock and I didn't want to talk to anyone, not even my parents. But then... After my pity party was over I got the courage to text my bible study group to tell them what was happening and that I needed their prayers. Immediately they prayed for me. I started to slowly feel the strength coming back. That is why it's important to have a group of believers in your corner to help you get through the tough times. At that time I needed prayer warriors, not someone that was going to tell me something I didn't need to hear. I started praying. I started reading different chapters in the bible to help gain my strength. In that moment I heard God tell me to go on a three day fast and just focus on him. "Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!' He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm." (Matthew 8: 24-26 NIV) I reflected on that scripture and went over to Youtube to watch a visual. Imagine Jesus big chilling on the boat snoring while the disciples are franticly trying to row a boat on their own. If I was one of the disciples I probably would've asked, "How can this man be sleeping through all of this?!" Isn't that what we think when times get hard? We ask why is God letting this happen to us? We may think that God is sleeping on our situation, but he's not. He knew this was going to happen before I even knew about my company. This didn't take God by surprise. Time and time again, God has proven to me that he is with me and will never leave me so why would he start leaving me now? There is a popular song by Deitrick Haddon called, "He Never Fails". Take a listen if you want. The video is below. I love this song so much. It's just a gentle reminder that God is right there and He's never failed me yet and He never will. I'm praying for you all. I pray that God's peace rests on you like never before. I ask that you all keep me in your prayers as well. Although this situation isn't the best to be in, I know that God is Jehovah Jireh which means, "The Lord will provide". I know God's word to be true. Keep the faith loves. We walk by faith and not by sight. It may look very bleak right now, but Psalms 91 verse 1 reminds us that, "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." I love you, Tyrah Outfit Two-Piece dark green set: SHEIN (app) Sunglasses: Forever21 Shoes: Rainbow Hair: Hair Stop and Shop (website) Fannypack belt: SHEIN (app) Nails: @flawlessbysheridyn 2/23/2020 1 Comment Sudden Impact Hey everyone! Wow I can't believe it's been since December since I've written a blog post. I'm so sorry! Life has truly been up and down since the new year started and work has me incredibly busy, but I finally sat down to write to you all. Whew! My faith has been tested on another level lately so I figured this post would be great to catch you all up to speed at what's been going on. I bet your wondering, "Why did she name this "Sudden Impact"? Well that's because I had a sudden impact (car accident) two weeks ago that has tried to alter my life and is trying to get me off track. Here's what happened....
Two Mondays ago, I was leaving my sister's house and I was at a stop sign not far from her subdivision. One car thought he could turn on the street I was on before another oncoming car came, but he couldn't. The two cars collided in front of me and the car at fault flipped over and hit me. YALL! I WAS MINDING MY PRECIOUS BUSINESS. I was so terrified, I started screaming. I was able to put my car in park, get out immediately, call the police, my parents, my sister and brother-in-law. 10 minutes prior, I was just laughing it up with my family and then boom! The whole night shifted. Before I complained though, I took a moment and thanked God. Getting out of my car and seeing no one was severely hurt was truly a blessing. It could've been much worse. It probably should've been a lot worse. It was in that moment I said, The blood of Jesus still works!" As I was waiting for the police and my family to arrive, the first song that came in my head was, "Great is your Love" by the Walls Group. The lyrics kept replaying in my mind. "Great is your love for me. Great is your mercy. Great is your grace, always covering me. So undeserving, but you still look out for me. Great is your love, always covering me." The words just kept repeating and repeating. I have no doubt in my mind that the Lord covered me and the other vehicles that night. We take for granted sometimes just getting in the car and driving off. Many people leave home and don't return. I am so thankful for God's unconditional love and grace for me. Since I was able to drive, my dad always taught me to pray over myself as soon as I get in the car and I've always done just that. Now my faith is being tested as I type in regards to the accident. I can't put what all is happening because it's under investigation, but I'll just say this...it's not fair. My patience is running thin but I'm pressing on. The devil is trying to get me annoyed but I won't give that thing the satisfaction. I know the God I serve is a way maker, miracle worker and a promise keeper. I have faith that before Wednesday, this situation will turn around for me! Despite what some people may say, I know what my God says. I have decided to turn it over to Jesus and I know He will work it out! "But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:13 NIV). This week I encourage you all to keep your faith up! A lot of times when you're trying to do better with something, it's like the enemy will try to throw you off track. For example my #1 goal for this year is to become a better steward over my finances and build up my savings account and then this happened. But we serve a merciful God who orders our steps. All we have to do is simply trust Him. When I did start to worry, I had to remember that the same God who provided when I had nothing, is the same God that will provide again. In the name of Jesus, whatever you need God to do today just lay it at His feet and believe with your whole heart he has you in his arms. Don't waste your time worrying. He's got you! I love you, Tyrah 12/2/2019 1 Comment Reset: Part Two Happy December! Here we are in the last month of 2019. Wow. If I had to sum up this entire year so far in one word, it would be “obedience”. This year I’ve truly seen how much God works when we completely obey His demands instead of obeying only the parts that’s beneficial to us.
On the previous post, I wrote about resetting our mindset. This week, this post will be a part two because I’ve learned that this walk with Christ is not easy and we all need a fresh encounter with God from time to time. We can be so focused on our everyday routines such as going to work and going to the gym, but how often do we just stop and pause and have that one-on-one time with the Lord? How often do we take at least two hours out of our day to meditate on his word? Well for me before I started working full-time, my personal time with God was something I aimed for every day. No one had to remind me to read my Bible because I was going to with no hesitation. Flash forward to now, I noticed that I wasn’t setting hours out of my day to give God praise. I started noticing I was tired and would go a couple of days without opening my word. I also started noticing my concern for other things more than I was concerned with my relationship with God. He was calling me so desperately to spend more time with Him. It hit me like a ton of bricks one night when I was reading a new plan on the Bible app called, “The Reset” and I couldn’t say anything else other than “ouch” to this question: Am I whole heartedly devoted to God? Now if you ask yourself this question your first response may be a simple yes. But for me, I couldn’t say yes because my actions were not proving that. Why you may ask? Well, for starters I realized I was giving excuses as to why I hadn’t been spending more time with God and hadn’t read my Bible. I was blaming it on being tired from work, not having enough time, even forgetting and saying, “I will make sure to read my word in the morning.” I had some audacity. Then I remembered wow, if I can make time to go to the gym, cook, scroll through Instagram, watch a show on Netflix, talk to my friends, then certainly there is no excuse as to why I can’t make more time for God. I had to really repent. I actually ended up crying that night. I just think it’s so important that as believers we don’t forget God and all he’s done for us. Now some people may look at me and say, “Tyrah you talk about God all the time, you’re being too hard on yourself.” No. Your relationship with God is always supposed to increase. Although yes I was still praying, still attending church, still telling people about the goodness of Jesus, in that moment of reflection I still felt like I wasn’t doing enough. Doing the bare minimum is like doing nothing at all. God desires more from us than just a scroll down the Bible app. Now I know there are new babes in Christ who are just starting their relationship with God and that’s a beautiful thing. As you’re seeking God, just remember never to get too comfortable. Don’t give God the least amount of your time and think you’re getting by. He wants more from us and we owe Him all the praise. It’s so crazy because I had felt that I had gotten the message on my last blog post about resetting my mind, but I had more to learn. What I needed was a fresh new wind. A fresh new encounter with God. Needless to say, your girl was feeling the conviction. I’m thankful for conviction though because that lets me know that God still loves me and will always see me though. It lets me know that He won’t allow me to forget about Him. He won’t allow me to stay stagnant in my praise. “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 This week ask yourself, “Am I still connected to the source”? If you are, DON’T STOP! Keep your guard up and even when you start to notice a slight change, pray. The goal is to always go higher in Christ! No more mediocracy. If you’re not, pray for a refresh. Jesus is waiting, he just wants to be invited in. I pray you all had a wonderful thanksgiving. I love you, Love, Tyrah 11/4/2019 2 Comments Reset Photo courtesy of @faith_focus_photgraphy Happy November! I have missed writing so much y’all. I know it’s been a month since my last blog post, but I have been extremely busy as you can imagine with working full time now. Although that is no excuse, I will say I am finally adjusting to my schedule so that I can spend time working on my personal brand. Thank you for being patient and thank you for riding along this journey with me!
As you know, I started my new job on September 30th, so it’s been a month since accepting the position as a TV show host for “In the Game Next” – a sports show that focuses on youth and high school sports. I absolutely love waking up every day and experiencing new things and ideas. I get to meet new kids and teenagers on a daily basis and sometimes it’s their first time ever answering questions for a TV show. While I’m interviewing, I always pray and ask God to bless them with whatever it is they want to do once they go off to college. Two weeks ago, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. Not because of my job, but because I hadn’t gone to the gym in a long time, I hadn’t read a book since September, (I read one book per month), I haven’t done a YouTube video in over a month and I hadn’t posted a blog. I realized I hadn’t made any time for my personal brand and it bothered me. I was praying to God that I wouldn’t become lazy but I honestly became what I feared LOL! Last week, my car engine light came on. I was shook because I just got this car about four months ago so I was concerned as to why the light was on. My car would act like it wouldn’t want to start and I would have to crank it up about 4 times before it would. Being concerned, I called my car dealer and set up an appointment to get my car checked. My appointment was bright and early on a Tuesday morning. I was so tired but pushed my way to go. After waiting for a little over an hour, the lady assigned to my car told me that the codes on my car just needed a reset. In other words, nothing was wrong. After a few tests, my car was acting normal. I had an “AHA” moment (God was talking to my dad around the same time because not too long afterwards, he called and gave me a word). It was as if God was telling me to just stop and take a deep breath. I’ve had my lazy time and now it’s time to get back to work. It was time for me to reset. I think sometimes we think we are superhuman and can do everything without God’s help. I know sometimes I forget that I can’t do everything on my own. I desperately need God every single day. I need Him even when I think it’s not a big deal or something is small enough for me to handle. Wow. Forgive me Lord! Who am I without you? Nobody at all. When you’re feeling overwhelmed or feel like you can’t balance your personal life and your work life, I encourage you to look to Jesus. He’s literally right there to help you through it. He’s just waiting on his invitation. I said, “Lord I need your help. Even if it takes one day at a time.” Since then, I’m proud to say I’ve read my word more than I had been doing, I went back to the gym 4 days straight last week and I also sat down to write this post. I hung out with my family and I even set a day to be alone and just have some time to myself. And church yesterday? WHEW! Church was just what I needed. The word was just for me! I’m feeling great about this upcoming week. I still have to work on some things for my personal brand, but I know God will guide me through it. I am extremely grateful to be in my career so you won’t hear me complaining. I just needed to reset my spirit and remember that I can’t do everything alone. I need God for everything. I need him daily. I needed to take a step back and simply just breathe. I needed to take a few moments and get inspired. Now…I’m ready! I pray you take a moment and reset. I pray that when you feel overwhelmed, God will give you strength. You can do it! We are all busy, but don’t forget your gifts. Don’t forget what you started and Don't forget GOD! I love you. Have a great week! 10/6/2019 1 Comment Work Ethic Adjustment is something that takes getting used to. It can be hard if you’ve never done what you’re doing before. But what I’ve learned is that God will help you adjust to your new surroundings if you allow Him to. It doesn’t have to be hard and stressful. Releasing it to Jesus and allowing Him to do a work in you really is the key.
I started my new job last week! YAYYYYYY! I’m so thankful for this blessing because I know for a fact this was God sent. You can read more of the back story in a previous post, but for now I will keep it about this week’s topic: work ethic. One thing my parents have always taught me is always be on your best behavior even if you feel like no one is watching. If you’re in the office by yourself, then keep the same integrity you would as if your boss was standing right next to you. If you’ve done all your work for the day, find something else to do. Always stay prepared for anything! On my first day of work, I was given the script for the show to be filmed the next day. I had no idea we we’re going to shoot so soon, but I remembered what my parents and professors always taught me about preparedness. Like the saying goes, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready”! To top it all off, I was told there was no teleprompter so memorization was key. After a few takes, I made it through my first taping! I always get nervous when I first start something (which I’m working on), but I can’t wait for it to air. Side note: I can also be my worst critic. I was beating myself up a little because I knew there was room for improvement after the first taping. I looked at the raw footage and said to myself, “I could’ve said that better,” or “I could’ve moved my hand there.” But I remember that I’m here for a reason and there’s always room for improvement and growth. Every time I began to second guess my talent, I am reminded that God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. All we have to do is be obedient and allow Him to direct our path. Everything you touch at work, church, etc., should be done in excellence no matter how big or small the task is. If the boss asks you to make some coffee, then you be the best coffee maker they’ve ever encountered. I have to interview local athletes, so each interview I treat the athlete as if they were Lebron James or Serena Williams. Whatever your job is, do it with dignity and pride. What does that show? That shows how thankful you are to be in the position. It shows God that He can trust you with small things before He blesses you with bigger things. Are you going to complain if you do a job with little to no money? Or are you going to give thanks to God for what you have in front of you? I know sometimes complaining can slip out, but ask God to help you appreciate more. I had to do the same thing when I was working at Macy’s. IT WAS HARD but every day I asked for God’s strength. “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13 NIV). Do you have a great work ethic? If not, then ask God for help. Don’t slack off at work or at church. Do the job to the best of your ability. It may seem like no one notices, but someone is always watching. Watching to see how you’ll react, think, etc. I love you, God loves you even more. Tyrah 9/20/2019 3 Comments Keep Trusting Hey Faith Walkers! I pray you all are doing well and that you’re still pushing towards your goals in life. When I sat down to write this blog, I really wanted it to be this long post about my journey of being jobless to now starting my first full-time job as a sports host (yes if you haven’t heard by now God blessed me with a job!) But listening to the Holy Spirit, I come this week with a simple message. Keep trusting in Him. To make a long story short, God blessed me with a job working for ITG Next – a sports show that highlights high school and college athletes. In May, I wrote in my Bible everything that I wanted from a job starting out in my career. During those months of waiting, I did get discouraged at times, but I kept pushing, praying and fasting. If you’ve been keeping up with the blogs and my YouTube videos, you know that it has been a long time coming and I am so thankful for this blessing. I will be starting at the end of the month and I can’t wait to grow and develop myself even more as a sports host. To know more about my testimony, you can look at my YouTube video at the bottom of the page. Now back to my message for you guys this week… I know life gets rough sometimes and I know that it may feel like your dreams are never going to come true, but I beg you to please keep the faith. A lot of times when we are in our waiting season, God is preparing us for something bigger than we could ever think possible. Sometimes He wants us to learn a lesson. However, trust that if it is God ordained, his promises will come to pass. Noticed that I said, if it is GOD ORDAINED. What does that mean? Well that simply means, everything will come to pass if it aligns with what God has planned for your life. If it’s not meant for you to have it, then God will bless you with something that you need, which a lot of times end up being better than what you originally wanted. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realize it’s beneficial to pray for God’s will than my own. God will sometimes have you do things that you simply don’t want to do. But His ways are always better than our own. You all know that I didn’t want to move back to Jacksonville, but I was obedient and God has been working everything out for my good since. It has taught me a lot on being patient, keeping the faith and being diligent. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Even Jesus had a weak moment praying to God because he knew that the time had come for him to go through being crucified on the cross. Jesus was sent in human form, so he experienced all the emotions that we go through as well. But as you read further in verse 43, an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. Allow God to strengthen you today. You will be surprised how God works everything out for your good. Keep trusting in Him. ` I love you, Tyrah  It’s a new month with new opportunities! September is a cool month because it’s the beginning of the Fall and reminds me that I still have some time to get right before the new year. Also my mom’s birthday is on the 24th, so we celebrate her all month long.
This post I really wanted to write about the importance of staying true to God and not compromising for the things of this world. This week our bible study group did a deep study on the book of Daniel chapters 1-6. As much as I’ve read about Daniel and the lion’s den, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace and other popular stories within the book, I’ve never paid attention until now about how much integrity they had and how committed they were to God. The first example is in Daniel chapter 1. To summarize, King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and later ordered that some of the men from the tribe of Judah be trained for three years so they could serve in the royal palace. Among those men were Daniel and his friends: Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (later given the names of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego). The King wanted all the men to eat the royal food while learning the language and literature of the Babylonians (verses 3-7). Now these men loved God with all their hearts and it first showed in verses 8-18. Daniel and his friends did not want to defile themselves and eat the royal food, but instead eat vegetables for ten days. As you read more, you’ll see that after the ten days, the men were healthier and better nourished than those that ate the royal food. The Lord blessed them by giving them knowledge and wisdom. He even gave Daniel the understanding of dreams. I can even go on to chapter 3 when Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship an image of gold and as a result was thrown into a fiery furnace. However, they came out of that furnace unharmed. God was with them. Another example would be in chapter 5 when Daniel was offered riches and glory to interpret a dream about King Belshazzar (who was very arrogant), but refused to accept his gifts. I give all these examples to say how admirable these brave men were to uphold their integrity by not accepting the things of this world for riches and temporary fame. If you are a believer in Jesus and put your faith in God, it’s so important that we stay true to who we are and not compromise that for the sins of this world. Trust me it’s not always easy, but think about how much God will bless you for it. It’s easy to follow the crowd, but standing out and doing what’s right in the eyesight of the Lord is what’s pleasing to him. During college, I went to so many parties simply because I was in college and felt that it was a part of the experience. However, one day I was in church and God spoke to me and told me I needed to stop because the calling over my life was too strong and I didn’t need the temptation. Now I’m not telling you to stop going to college parties. That’s between you and God (personal conviction). But I knew for me I had to stop because I knew God was calling me into ministry. Being obedient is a blessing and I’ve been blessed tremendously. It was hard at first because it seemed like there was a party going on every weekend and I was bored in my bed. I still have friends in school so they would beg me to come out and I just had to keep saying no. Eventually they stopped asking because they knew what the answer was going to be. At first I felt like I was missing out but then I realized I wasn’t missing out on anything. It was the same thing every single time anyway. What is something that God is telling you to stop or get rid of? Replace that with the royal food King Nebuchadnezzar tried to give to Daniel and his friends. What are some temptations that’s trying to get you away from God? “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. ‘Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened’” (1 Peter 3: 13-14). Never be afraid to live for God because even if no one ever tells you, trust that you are inspiring someone else to do the same. In Daniel chapter 6, even King Darius had to come and check on Daniel after he put him in the lion’s den. Once he saw that Daniel was okay and the Lord protected him, he decreed that no one spoke evil of the God that Daniel worshipped. Those around knew how much integrity Daniel had and how much he loved the Lord. That’s the kind of life I want to live. What about you? I love you, Tyrah |
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July 2020
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