If you want to take in the magnificence of the world our divine Lord has created, watch the “Life” miniseries on Sundays, on Discovery and most other learning channels, its amazing stuff. God is the greatest artist above all great artist. This world, you, me, us, we are his masterpiece. I’d give all I am to be at least 1% the artist he is, and paint a colorful, joyful, fulfilled life for myself and my loved ones.

 I started this year with one mission in mind. My mission is to become a better me at the end of this year, than I was in the beginning. Actually, that is my all time life mission, to grow, keep moving and changing, and to get better, healthier; sexier; smarter; wiser; more blessed; gifted, and talented with every new breath. I want to take in the moments, to feel love and be loved, to be kind and receive kindness; to give of myself via service, encouragement and my abilities. I want to dance and sing all the days of my life, and I want to teach my children to be the same.

I’ll bet for some of you who are taking the time out of your busy schedule to read this article, probably think that sounds like a fairytale. Not according God’s word. In Jeremiah 29:11, a very popularly quoted bible verse, God declares His plans for our life. If we read on, he tells us how to get it. Seek Him with all your heart and He will prosper you. I haven’t a single doubt about it that everything in my life is working for my own good; to help shape and develop me into the “me” version of the “Proverbs 31” woman. So I’m going for it. I am absorbing every moment like it is my last. I am  going to spend quality time with my kids while they still want me too, I’m going to enjoy my marriage, I’m going use my time wisely here on this earth and live everyday like it is an amazing adventure. What are you going to do?

There is an illustration used in many sitcoms that we often find hilarious; but it kind of accurately depicts what goes on regularly, if not always, inside our thoughts and spirit.

 There are two versions of ourselves, one on each shoulder; one wearing a fiery red devil costume with a pitch fork in his hand, trying to convince us to embrace our wicked side; the other wearing a glowing white robe with wings on his back and a halo over his head, ever so sweetly representing the good in us. Then you have to decide which one to listen to, whenever you need to make a decision.

 I often feel as though they are two mes. One which is a vibrant, confident, powerhouse of a woman ready to take on what life throws at her; ready for adventure; rolling with the punches; and getting back up and dusting herself off whenever she falls. She often hears a voice whisper in her ears; “You are wonderfully made, you are loved, you are significantly blessed.” She doesn’t over-explain or over compensate, and she doesn’t apologize for who she is. She loves God, herself, her life, her family, her children, and everything that she is and represents. She is healthy physically, spiritually and mentally. She is always wrapped in the warmth of Jesus’ embrace.  I could describe this woman forever, because she is my favorite. Yes, I said it, I have a favorite.

 Then there is the other one; who lives in darkness all the time, her thoughts and attitudes are always toxic. She is always angry, afraid, worried and anxious. She hears voices that lie to her everyday; they say things like; “you are worthless, stupid, and incapable;” and she believes that smut. She walks around in despair all day which makes her unable to do or enjoy anything in life; and she is never able to grow because she never steps out of her comfort zone. Satan has her under tight lock and key in the darkness, so no light could ever shine through.

 These two mes are both fighting for dominance, and I know which side I’m routing for. However, it is going to take more than just sitting on the side lines and screaming to the top of my lungs; “Go Latisha, go; Go God go.”

I have to make a choice. I have to be the one to hold all my thoughts captive and make them obedient to God. I have to choose confidence in God and not in myself; and cast my cares and fears on HIM, because he is better equipped to handle them than I am. I need to choose happiness and joy; and pray and believe I can move mountains with faith as small as a mustard seed. I have to do what I can, and trust God to do what I can’t. I have to believe that I am wonderfully made in God’s own image.

 God’s Word:

Psalms 139 (NIV)

 For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

 ¹ O LORD, you have searched me
       and you know me.

 ² You know when I sit and when I rise;
       you perceive my thoughts from afar.

 ³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
       you are familiar with all my ways.

 ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
       you know it completely, O LORD.

 ⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
       you have laid your hand upon me.

 ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
       too lofty for me to attain.

 ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
       Where can I flee from your presence?

 ⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
       if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

 ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
       your right hand will hold me fast.

 ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
       and the light become night around me,”

 ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
       the night will shine like the day,
       for darkness is as light to you.

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

 ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

 ¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
       How vast is the sum of them!

 ¹⁸ Were I to count them,
       they would outnumber the grains of sand.
       When I awake,
       I am still with you.

 ¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
       Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

 ²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
       your adversaries misuse your name.

 ²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
       and abhor those who rise up against you?

 ²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
       I count them my enemies.

 ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
       test me and know my anxious thoughts.

 ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
       and lead me in the way everlasting.

Nor, “The Facts of Life;” “Past Life;” “This Emotional Life” (a documentary which premiered in January on PBS) or any other song, game, book, movie or t.v show that has the word life in the title. I watch a lot of t.v, can you tell?

Anyway, I’m referring to life closer to home; my life. I love my life, I really do. I love life and what it stands for; even though everyday I hear a voice in my head telling me different. I probably hear “I hate my life,” “I want to take my life,” “Life sucks,” “Life is unfair,” in my mind more times than I should. Really, I’m not an angry person; a sad person or a depressed person, not by nature anyway, but those thoughts and emotions do get the best of me sometimes, I am human after all.

 However, life is a beautiful thing, a gift from God and despite all the evil corrupting this world and trying to destroy God’s magnificent masterpiece; life. We can live a full, happy, healthy, adventurous life.

  Psalms 91:5-10 says

 ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
       and under his wings you will find refuge;
       his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

  ⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
       nor the arrow that flies by day,

  ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

 nor the plague that destroys at midday.

  ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
       ten thousand at your right hand,
       but it will not come near you.

  ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
       and see the punishment of the wicked.

  ⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling—
       even the LORD, who is my refuge-

  10 then no harm will befall you,
       no disaster will come near your tent.

Life is good. Life is love; life is joy; life is adventure; music; movies; books; happiness; art; architecture; culture; travel; tasty food; dance; sports; discovery; I could go on forever. So what’s not to love?

 Last year, life brought me a miscarriage in January; the birth of my handsome son in November; and nausea; fatigue; and no appetite in between. My mom, Dad and three of my five siblings visited me; and that was an adventure. Last year, I celebrated birthdays; dedications; baby showers, and so much more. Last year, like every year I have been alive has been an adventure, an experience that could be compared to a roller coaster ride.

This year, I started off planning with one purpose in mind and received a big surprise. I had to rethink my plans. Life doesn’t always, in fact hardly ever goes according to your plans.

 Right now, as it stands. My heart is filled with the desire to grow; learn; understand; overcome; teach; bless and be blessed. I desire to build a deeper bond with the lord and study HIS word. I desire to raise my children excellently. Prepare them for the very challenging road this life provides.

I am a BIG dreamer. Are you?  Some of my dreams are to travel the world, taste it, touch it, feel it, explore it, and discover it. This world is a stunning and majestic place. I want to experience as much of it as I can before I leave it behind. It is God’s incredible creation after all. I want to experience it to the fullest with my precious family.

Other dreams not yet fulfilled are; to see Theater productions, e.g “The Little Mermaid;” “The Lion King;” “Dirty Dancing;” “Beauty and the Beast,” etc. Some of those productions have been so close to me I could easily catch a train and go downtown to see them but alas I could not afford to go. Life is heart-breaking some times.

 I desire to be a writer and own my own magazine publication among other things. Life is hard-work. I desire to be a confident; happy; healthy woman who will be a blessing to others; and whose life and family will be blessed because of her faith, hard-work, prayers and kindness. I want to add to this world and leave a legacy behind; as well as paved a smoother road for my offspring to travel. What are your dreams? What do you want to leave behind?

Life is faith; hope; believing in your dreams; hard-work; challenges; trials; triumphs; risk; passion; creativity; art; poetry; accomplishment; visualizing a future; dreaming, and more. Life is ongoing; always changing; and always moving. God is like that too.

 God designed us with a plan and purpose; and it is not to be stagnant. It is to keep planning; growing; learning; discovering; creating; developing; and so on.

 So keep doing those things, as well as pray; praise God; study HIS word and be patient. Your time will come. Your children will be alright, your loved ones will be divinely blessed because they are covered in your prayers and your actions.

Besides life is good; life is God; God is life.

 Have a Blessed Day.

 Talk to me, I’d love to hear from you.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
.
Refrain
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Then there is the song featured in the movie “White Christmas” and sang by Bing Crosby; that also warms my heart; it goes like this:

When I’m worried and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings

My life may not be exactly where I’d like it to be right now. My children aren’t perfect (so logic tells me); my husband isn’t and neither am I. My finances, forget about it. My cupboard and fridge aren’t filled with the foods I’d like them to be filled with. My closet doesn’t have a plethora of fashion choices. I don’t have many friends. There are a lot I don’t have and that aren’t the way I’d prefer them to be.

However, I do have my health; my husband and two children, who are also healthy; a place to call home; caring and loving friends and family who love us; food; clothing; books to read; a t.v to watch; water; warm beds; and the list could go on and on.

Above all these I have a Father in heaven that loves us; provides for us; guides us; feed us; clothe us; shelter us; forgive our sins and this list goes on and on too.

So I’m grateful.

When my children, husband, friends or family do something absolutely terrific.

I’m grateful

I’m grateful to be alive.

What blessings are you counting today?

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria
Did you know God had a plan for you before the foundations of the earth? He created you to be holy and blameless in His sight. Why? He chose you to be His ambassador, His representative on the earth. God created you to reflect His glory. He created you to reflect His character, His righteousness, His holiness. Think about that for a moment. Part of your purpose on this earth is to be a representative for the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That should make you want to walk a little differently. It should make you want to talk differently. It should make you think a little more carefully about the places you go and the things you do.

Are you representing God’s holiness today? Remember, God will equip you to do whatever He’s called you to do. If there are things in your life that you need to change, God wants to empower you to overcome those things. Receive His strength and might today so that you can walk in holiness as His ambassador and live the destiny He has prepared for you.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, thank you for choosing me today. I ask You to search my heart and remove anything that is displeasing in Your sight. I accept Your holiness today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

To receive Today’s Word with Joel & Victoria in your inbox daily, click here.

I was already growing into an extremely fearful person, now as a parent and a wife my fear has drastically increased. Now I’m not only afraid of the bad things that can happen to me but to my husband and children as well; and believe me, I can imagine 1’000 or more ways bad things that could hurt them and then me.

Living in fear is a toxic disease, one that I with God’s direction could cure. I want my children to grow as well a glow and be all they were designed to be. I can’t raise them to be that way if I am controlled by fear.

Fear is a useless but vicious stronghold. The bible talks about fear numerous times and advices us to “fear not.” God knew that fear could be a man’s biggest downfall. It is a slow death of the spirit that drives us to shine.

I believe all children are born with that spirit burning inside them and we as parents slowly extinguish it. We send them out into the world with what’s left of it; and as time goes by, the world completely puts it out or covers it up with so much smut. It would take a lot of soul-searching to find it and get it burning again.

Fear could really set up shop in the midst of us trying to raise our beautiful; wonderful; optimistic; adventurous and bright children; and we allow it to make itself right at home.

We listen to negative self-talk whispered into our ears by an unseen force and we believe all that negativity. We believe we are sucky parents because we haven’t got it all figured out. We are afraid we are going to really screw-up our children. We are afraid to send them out into the world without us. We are afraid that we can’t protect them out there, we can’t even protect them in here. We have much to fear as people, let alone as parents.

That’s why we have to surrender these fears to the Lord and let him carry them for us. That’s why the bible says in Psalms 55:22, “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”

Fear is a stronghold I know very, very well; it is paralyzing; it keeps me from living at my very best. I am a woman full of dreams; talent and a potential for greatness (I believe we all start with that potential) but my spirit fire is partly extinguish. I know I have some changes to make, that are proving to be easier said than done. How I am going to combat my fear is another article in itself.

I know what I have to do. I just need the discipline to do it. I have to do it, not only for my own happiness and victory but for the happiness and success of my children; as well as for the lives they will change because they walk in victory.

 Excerpts from Chapter One- Confidence

 “A Person without confidence is like an airplane sitting on a runway with empty fuel tanks. The plane has the ability to fly, but without some fuel, it’s not getting off the ground.”

 “People with low confidence, on the other hand, are not sure about anything. They are double-minded, indecisive people who constantly get frustrated with life. If they do make a decision, they are tormented by self-doubt. They second-guess (and third- and fourth-guess) themselves. As a result, they don’t live boldly. They live little, narrow lives, and they miss out on the big, rewarding life God wants them to enjoy.”

 Sounds like who I would completely become, if not for the encouragement of my husband to step out into very uncomfortable situations (outside my comfort-zone).

 Another excerpt from this chapter:

 “Fear is a dangerous virus, because a fearful person has no confidence and can never reach her potential in life. She won’t step out of her comfort zone to do anything-especially something new or different. Fear is a cruel ruler, and its subjects live in constant torment.”

I know these words well. I live these words, but I don’t want to anymore. For the sake of my kids I have to break free, break this cycle before my little all-stars never get to shine or live the way God intended.

 In Chapter Two and Three; Joyce Meyer discusses women in ministry, discrimination against women, the Women’s Right Movement, the bible verse in which Paul says something to the affect of woman being silent in church and more. Not from a feminist stand-point but from a biblical perspective (her interpretation of God’s word). 

 In Chapter four; she list and expand on seven secrets of a confident woman.  Secret # 2 stuck out to me most because that is the stronghold I struggle with most.

 Excerpts from Chapter Four- Seven Secrets of a Confident Woman

Secret # 2 – A confident woman refuses to live in fear.

 “The Bible says that God has not given us the spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is not from the God; it is the devil’s tool to keep people from enjoying their lives and making progress. Fear causes a person to run, retreat, or shrink back.” 

“Satan is a liar. He lies to people and places images on the picture screen of their minds that show defeat and embarrassment. For this reason, we need to know God’s promises (His word) so we can cast down the lies of the enemy and refuse to listen to him.” 

Joyce Meyer had her fair share of emotional turmoil and bad experiences; and she pull through to become a renowned bible teacher and author. If she can overcome who she use to be; with all she experienced; and live out God’s plan for her life; so could we.

Next Chapter: “The Woman I Did Not Like”…………