Step ONE... THEN step TWO.

All through grade school, students who didn’t get their lesson had to get held back. I remember this around kindergarten through about the second grade. For whatever reasons, students didn’t get their lesson and had to get held back in that grade until they got the information they needed. It was sad to see them stay behind and as much as they wanted to move forward, they couldn’t until where fully prepared for the next grade. This scenario happens a lot in our walk with Christ. We want STEP TEN without passing through the FIRST STEP. We aren’t prepared for step ten! A lot of our step one is spending time with Christ. When you spend time with Christ, he can reveal things to you and show you what you need to be doing and things you need to change.

Ex. You can’t expect God to bless you with a new job and you have a nasty attitude toward everyone. Spending time with God will show you that you need to need have an attitude to check because it’s hindering you from progressing forward.

See, we can’t expect to advance in our lives if we keep stumbling and failing every test that is presented toward us. I remember when I wanted to be in a relationship and I was always saying “God has the perfect man for me; I just have to be patient.” Yeah, that’s true, but what are you doing while you’re waiting? Are entertaining a guy who you KNOW you don’t need to be with? Having sex outside of marriage? Going to the club with all your goodies hanging out? Or are you spending time with Christ and allowing him to be your focus? What are you choosing do while you wait?

How we expect God to send us a man and we’re running around here entertaining and FLIRTING with sin? You’re not passing the test. So often we just expect the reward without doing the work. I am currently single and believing God for my Adam. While I am waiting, I’m choosing to be obedient and do what he says so that when my Adam wakes up, I recognize him!!! I’d be lying if I told you that at times it didn’t get difficult and that I don’t get tempted. But each time I chose to pass the test because I KNOW that I have to allow this time to prepare me for what is to come. For me, my step one is strengthening my relationship with Christ. I can’t properly be led by my potential husband if I can’t even be led by Christ. When your focus is Christ, you don’t have time to focus on what you think you need. It teaches you contentment.

An area of my life where I am truly learning to trust the process is in ministry. When I first started, I knew I wanted to speak to other women in various places, not just in Troy. But first, I had to pass step one- being intentional about my walk with Christ. Making an effort each day to have quiet time no matter how tired I was. Once I passed step one, I progressed to starting a Pinky Promise Chapter at Troy University, which was my step two. It wasn’t easy to get to that place though, I had several test throughout this entire journey! But if didn’t learn nothing else, it was to trust God. Trust him even though I can’t see what’s ahead. Trust him when I can’t see how something is going to work. You have to TRUST the process. It doesn’t always feel good, but it’s necessary. When I got quiet before the Lord before I started Pinky Promise, the Lord checked me about my friends and my attitude. Did it feel good to leave certain friend behind and love them from a distance? HECK NO. Was it easy when I had to bite my tongue and not go off on people? HECK NO. But it was VITAL that I did these things.

John 15:2 says that “he cut off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it can be even more fruitful.”

I encourage you to spend some time before the Lord and allow him to prune you and get you ready for your step 2. Don’t expect the reward without the work. Be obedient. Spend time with the Father. Allow him to help you. Trust the process, God is going to finish what he started! He will NEVER leave you.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to the completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1:6 

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5

Better Days.

#surroundingscheck

 I see people talk about how they are "praying for better days", but still continue to do the same things over and over again. You can't pray for change and not be willing to change. Your surroundings have huge impact you on. If you're hanging around drama and mess, then eventually, you start blending in with your surroundings. You'll always be in the center of mess and secretly wishing you had better friends. Do you not see that it is YOU who needs to change? We're always so quick to tell other people what they should do, but yet and still, we don't even look in the mirror to check ourselves. We blame everyone else for what's going WRONG in our lives. Sis, it's time to go after your better days. Stop WALLOWING in your mess and change up your surroundings. Sometimes, you have to go through a season where you pull away from everything and allow God to do some cleaning. Of course, it doesn't feel good, but it's so necessary.

Don't let your surroundings keep you from where God wants you to be. See, I've learned that we stand in the way of your blessings. We do our OWN thing, in own MESS and the wonder where God is. God can't bless a mess. We create our own storms and then expect God to rescue us from something he NEVER told us to do. When I was living for the world, I would be in relationships and friendships where I would get hurt over and over again. It was like a never ending cycle, hop into a relationship, enjoyed the initial thrill, get hurt, and then do it all over again. Eventually, I had to learn that I was getting into thing God never told me to get into. I was creating my own storm.  We decided to get quiet before the Lord and get my life in order, God started showing not only people I needed to stop associating with, but what I needed to change. Take sometime and allow God to change you. Don't let your pride stand in the way of your blessings. Check your friends and check your surroundings. Surround yourself with people who are serious about their relationship with Christ. Women who are not about mess and drama and just trying to be obedient to Christ.

"Be not deceived,evil communications corrupt good manners." - 1 Corinthians 15:33. 

If your friends can't support your relationship with Christ,encourage to resist temptation and you to do the right things, then it's time to change up your friends. FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS GO TO HELL. So let's choose our friends wisely are the surroundings we allow ourselves to be in. Be spirit lead!!! If you wouldn't take God, then DON'T GO. 

 Love y'all.

Lord, Empty me.

Over the past few weeks, my life has been so hectic. I had HUGE anatomy test this past Thursday and needless to say, I was a tad stressed and needed to be refreshed. So I went home this weekend and was able to breathe for a little while. On Sunday as I headed back to school, God told me that it was time to take a break from Twitter. I was like God, you want me to do it today? o_O However I was obedient and removed the app from all my devices. As I laid down Sunday night, I was lead to read Luke 10:2-4. After I read it several times, I finally understood what God was telling me; it's time to let go.

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bad or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road." 

God has a very specific place for all of us. We know that he has great plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), so we go through life believing and trusting that even though things get rough, God's plans are still great. But do we ever think about how sometimes we make our own journey rough? Sunday night, God told me that he has a specific place for me to go, but I can't keep trying to drag unneeded things on this journey that HE is leading. It's like trying to walk with hundreds of bags in your hand. When you carrying things AND trying to progress forward, it gets tough. The same thing goes for getting where GOD wants you to be. You can't try to carry everything from your past into your future. I have learned that on this journey that I can't take certain friendships with me.Why? Because not everyone understands MY calling. Everyone isn't equipped to go where God is taking me. And I'm not sure who I'm speaking to, but it's okay to distance yourself from certain people. God has already equipped you with everything you need to get to where HE is taking you. All the extra-ness will WEIGH YOU DOWN.

Secondly, you have to check yourself. Sometimes we keep ourselves from moving forward. We're too busy holding on to the fact that we think we CAN'T do it. Just because it looks impossible, doesn't me that it is! Don't trust what you can see, TRUST GOD. PERIOD. I always tell my girls in my Pinky Promise group to check their thoughts! (2 Corinthians 10:5) Make sure what you're thinking LINES UP with what the word says your thoughts should consist of. (Philippians 4:8) Our God is NOT a God of CONFUSION or DOUBT.  I once heard someone say that our imagination is the biggest nation we'll ever fight. When God told me start the Pinky Promise group here at my University, I was like... um yeah, I like the idea and all, but I can't do it. I was a "baby Christian"  and I didn't think that I was "qualified" enough to lead ministry. I was allowing my thoughts to determine how I reacted. "How could go use someone like me?" But in reality, how could he not? I have something that someone needs to here. I am an example of God's love, mercy, and deliverance. Once I got control of those thoughts, I was able to get to this place where I am right now. 

So right now, DROP THE BAGGAGE. Leave it at the feet of Jesus. Get to the place where God wants you to be. His plans for you are SO amazing. Take some time and allow him to show you what you need to EVICT from your life so you can totally available to him (:

"Lord empty me, take out everything not like you, everything in my life not pleasing you, please take it away so I can be all yours." - James Fortune. 

xoxoo,

Court. <3.

Where's Adam?

Well, we're approaching another Valentines Day and I can truly say that I am single and SO excited. I entered my single season in August of 2013. During this season, I chose to get closer to God and learn more about myself. You'll be surprised what you learn about yourself when it's just you. Now, when I say single season, I mean truly single. There was no having texting buddies because I was bored, no just in case guy friends, none of that. It is amazing y'all because you learn the type of man GOD wants you to have. Yeah, you know what you want, but does it line up with what God wants? But most of all, during this season God fills your empty void. If you allow God to fill up that void,  you will never God empty again and you will realize that you deserve the best, not just some quick fling.

Sis, you are worth more than a quick fling. You're worth more than some random. Now, what is random? "A random is someone who's just taking up space and you don't see marriage in your future." - Heather Lindsey. 

STOP SETTLING. I had a talk with some of my sisters in Christ and this conversation made all of us realize that we as women have got to do better. We're settling for baby mama, long-term girl friend, and "side-chicks". You are a daughter of the King, you deserve only the best and the highest title. Not a man who ISN'T on the same page with you and doesn't bring out the best in you. Stop settling for Ishmael when God has Isaac prepared for you. Yeah, Ishmael looks good, but remember that just because it seems good and looks good, doesn't mean it's good for you. And I'll even add this... Just because it looks good... doesn't mean you need to pursue it. The bible says, HE that FINDS a wife, FINDS a good thing. Not, SHE that FINDS a husband, finds a good thing. Trust me when I say, when you're full God, confidence, and KNOW your worth, you won't settle. You'll know when you're approached by an "Ishmael" and not an Isaac. 

During your single season, God molds you into the wife of the husband you want. You can't ask God for a Godly man if you're not the Godly woman that completes him. I love the way Heather Lindsey puts it. When God made woman, Adam was in a deep sleep and took a piece of his rib and made Eve. Adam was sleep while Eve was being created. SO WHAT YOU'RE STILL SINGLE?! Your Adam is still sleeping which means God is still creating you. You're still being perfected. A while ago, I wanted a Godly man, but I wasn't the Godly woman that would complete him. So I started saying.. "Aw, will.. He as form of Godliness... He prays... He's a CEO Church goer (Christmas and Easter Only)... etc. But I had to realize that I have to compromise my standards for man.. then it's clear he isn't the one. SIS, don't compromise your standards for NO MAN. PERIOD. So during this season, allow God to perfect you. Sure, it isn't fun. but it's so necessary. For example, I've been working on my smart mouth. God has shown me in numerous situations that my opinion or words aren't needed. That sometimes it's best to just be quiet and not entertain it. SPEND TIME WITH GOD!!!!  I kid y'all not, when I first started this single season.. I was faithfully trying to find a way to get out of it. I MEANT I was not going to be single. It didn't help to see pictures of couples on Instagram and Twitter and I was sitting there looking like O_O. But as I spent time with God, my desire for him and the THINGS of him grew like crazy. Before I knew it, I was craving GOD and his PRESENCE and NOT some relationship that LOOKS good. Through this, Pinky Promise Troy was birthed. If I would have found some random, this would have never happened.

So to my sister who feels lonely and wondering when you'll find your man, SMILE and remember he's coming to you. Take this time to allow God to work on you. Spend time with him! He will fill any lonely area of your life with his love and peace. Find some friends to spend time with! Get involved in something you enjoy doing. Go on a date with Jesus. It sounds silly, but it's a reason to get cute and go to restaurant or the movies. God loves you sis, remember your worth. <3

here's to no randoms :)

Love youuu.