Revelation is defined as an act of revealing or communicating divine truth. If we go even further, divine truth is an inspiration proceeding directly from God.
Why do we wander in our own wildernesses? Do we have the power or even the strength to find a way out?
It seems that often times we do not even realize we are in the wilderness! Furthermore, we are often the ones that keep us aimlessly wandering in our own wilderness instead of seeking and finding our way out!
Wilderness is defined as an empty or pathless area or region. Your wilderness can be a number of desert places: Habitual sin; financial overload; being a workaholic; depression; ignoring that health problem; lack of self disciple; a complacent marriage, or the never ending diet. The list goes on and on. Wilderness wandering seems to bring some of its own revelations: lack of motivation; loss of joy in everyday life; resentment in your career or marriage; or being consumed with the bitterness of your own created misery. Does any of these things mentioned sound familiar? Only you can decide if you are in a wilderness. How? The bible states that you have not because you ask not. Prayer is where you start. Ask the father to reveal if you are wandering in your own pathless region! Is there an endeavor or goal you have been striving for but seem to be no closer the longer you work!
You are growing extremely tired and your motivation and will power are nearly nonexistent. Cry out to the Lord on your knees and confess that you need him to help you to finally walk out of your wilderness and to start living in your promise land. There is something extremely powerful in verbally making your requests known to the Father! Of course he already knows every intricate detail of you and your life, so why cry it out loud? For your own clarification! It becomes tangible when it is made verbal. When you outwardly confess what your wilderness is and that you are ready to walk out with his help, you will be absolutely amazed the burden that is lifted from you; physically and spiritually.
Let us learn from the Israelites! They wandered and wandered and did not take the promised land due to fear and lack of faith.
Fear is a powerful emotion that can prevent you from doing and receiving all that God has in store for you. You conquer fear with faith and faith is strengthened the more it is used. Trust in the Lord and his promises!
So in 2019, walk our of your wilderness and into the promise land that God has designed for you!
I can say that this revelation was revealed to me over the past couple of months and I am finally, with the help of the Holy Spirit, walking out of my wilderness. I will leave you with this thought, your time in the wilderness may be to shape and prune you into someone that is ready to fully accept and appreciate your promise land. Trust in the Lord and with his guidance and deliverance your land of milk and honey can be right around the corner!

Happy New Year
Until next time

As the season of Thanksgiving draws near, maybe you and those around you will take a moment to thank the Lord for your blessings. I certainly believe that the Lord takes pleasure in our praise, but can we truly comprehend the extent of grace and mercy the Lord extends to us? I believe that this truth will be revealed in its fullness when we get to glory!

It is easy to thank the Lord if everything seems to be going our way; when we are experiencing life from the mountain top if you will. While you are looking at the landscape from a mountain overlook, everything seems to be “right” with the world. There is a sense of clarity and majestic reverence! The air is refreshing and the trees seem to dance!

For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 NKJV

Then all of a sudden you feel closed in and you can not breathe. Out of nowhere, you realize you are in a valley and you have no idea how you got there. A sense of hopelessness sets in and you have no clue on how or when you will get out! Anxiety takes over and your defense mechanisms become engaged.
Is it ok to ask God why? Absolutely! He is my Father and I can ask him anything!

Since you are now God’s children, he has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts. The Spirit cries out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:6 ERV

How do we live life in the valleys? For some of us, the valley can seem to be our home for entirely too long! Every time that you think you are about to climb out, you get knocked or pulled back down! For example, in a four year span, I have dealt with a child that stayed sick more than well , I failed two clinical exams that has turned my two year nursing degree into a four year degree, experienced such loss through a natural disaster and walked through a season of depression and hopelessness with my teenager. How can I sit here tonight and give all praise to my God? You see we can become strong in the valley or we can wander in wilderness of self pity.
If we allow Christ to be our strength when we are weak, his power is revealed in us! It is his mercy and grace that keeps us upright when the valley seems endless.

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 HCSB

You literally have to submit everyday to him and ask him to be your strength where you are weak. Then when you have surrendered control, you are able to give him all praise and glory for your endurance! The focus is shifted from you to Christ. Then in turn you can help someone else in their valley.

Praise be to the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Father who is full of mercy, the God of all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble so that when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I leave you with this song.

Until next time

This blog will be a little different from the ones to come. I truly believe in order to establish and maintain a relationship with God, there has to be a certain degree of transparency revealed within yourself. In my future posts, we will discuss certain disciplines, topics, and experiences of life. We will explore the power to put one footstep in front of the other in order to endure or even overcome certain trials and tribulations of this life.
How do I know there is a God?
That is the only explanation of me being functional today! As we begin this pilgrimage together, I will give you a little of my testimony on how I know that God Almighty lives and that He walks with me daily!
To say that my childhood was dysfunctional is certainly an understatement. My mother was a bipolar schizophrenic. Instead of seeking professional help, she self medicated with alcohol, prescription pain pills and even misused over the counter medications. She died by her own hand at the age of 54 when she took a handful of pain pills for the last time. I was 26 years old. She seemed to be so engulfed in her sicknesses that she never stop to take a look at the impacts impressed on me. I experienced years of mental, emotional, and sexual abuse in an environment that was supposed to be safe and loving. It was anything but.
My biological father was a Vietnam veteran that also had a bipolar disorder. In addition, he suffered extreme PTSD. I guess that is why he literally drank himself to death! Needless to say, I have lasting effects, some positive and some negative.
In our journey to come, I will elaborate on certain portions of my testimony as it relates with our discussions. Unfortunately most of my relationships in my life were unhealthy as the people involved seemed to take instead of give!
How do I know that the Lord is real?
By the world’s standard, I should be bitter, hard hearted, and blame all my struggles on my abuse. BUT NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH! I have a heart for my fellow man! I have been on mission for my God for over 20 years and continue being on mission daily. My forgiveness of ones that hurt me and the realization that my trials of this life have made me strong comes from the Holy Spirit living in me!

“But I will send you the Advocate-the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify about me (John 15:26).
It is Christ who is my strength where I am weak! He can also be your strength!

Our time together will always end with a link to a song that speaks to my soul and I hope you find comfort as well.

I am looking forward to our journey together! Until next time!

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge , my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. Psalms 91:1-2 NLT