Ishah C. Whipple's Blog

Tonight as I sat in bed watching the OWN network’s “Where do we go from here?”, I hit a crossroads. Where DO we go from here?

I remember growing up in New York City. I lived in the projects of Chelsea mixed with all colors. I myself come from a Black father and a Puerto Rican mother. I can say my parents were more hippies than anything as most of my childhood was filled with family bible studies and singing in the living room while my dad played his guitar.

We were always taught to love people. Simply people. It didn’t matter the race, economic status, or lifestyle. We loved them.

I watched my mom take in random homeless teens and we spent our holidays taking food to people in the neighborhood. I never really saw color. I saw people.

I didn’t have much of a relationship with my dad’s family. To be honest, I always pegged them as those bougie Black people who felt we weren’t good enough to claim. Always claimed to be so Afrocentric, constantly mentioning our history, but never taking the time to teach us because it was “their history”. It hurt. Made me want to know more, but made me angry knowing they wouldn’t take the time to talk. I wasn’t good enough. To me that said, I wasn’t black enough.

Most of my happy memories in childhood came from my mom’s side. The family dinners, talks, random dancing, and so many laughs. They constantly spoke of family past and present. They made me feel proud to be Puerto Rican.

When I moved to South Florida as a teen, my first memory of church was being called a nigger by one of the kids as my grandfather drove the church van. He did nothing. He himself didn’t think much of black people, but I guess we were the exception since we were related.

My first marriage was a nightmare. The only good thing that came from it was my children and my persistence to have a better life. I remember living in Alabama for four years and seeing first hand what it was like to live on the black side of the train tracks. I had eleven cases of domestic abuse under my belt provided by my ex, but was always dismissed by the court because that was considered the “way of life” out there. At least on the black side. I vowed to get out and raise my children to be different; to break the status quo.

I’m now remarried to the most amazing man. And yes, he’s Black. He’s also smart, caring, a great protector and provider. He’s my best friend. We have four beautiful, smart and caring children. We’ve taught our children to love and respect all people regardless of color, economic status and lifestyle…but has that been enough?

These past few weeks have been sobering for me. It’s brought out feelings I know I’ve tried to bury all my life. Fears I’ve tried to overlook because I know I’m a good person who works hard and respects all. But is that even enough?

I sit here and I find myself praying constantly as my black husband drives over an hour to work. Praying he gets there safe. I find myself avoiding teaching my 16 year old black son how to drive because that means he’ll be out alone with his friends and at risk to be the next George Floyd. I feel like I’ve failed them simply because I chose to avoid the elephant in the room.

I’ve had so many talks with God. So many questions. Why this? Why now? Why is this even something we have to live through and not a memory in the history books that we can look back on and know it’s over? How do we have these talks? How do I tell my kids that they’re at risk of getting looked over, getting followed in stores, being assumed guilty, or even being randomly killed by the very people who are supposed to protect them…simply because they’re black?

My heart breaks with every moment as I watch and hear everything happening. I want change. We NEED change. Not just for us. Not just for those who have come before us. For our kids. For their future.

I refuse to believe that my kids have to grow up and live as adults who still have to tolerate the same poison as previous generations.

The Bible says that people perish for lack of knowledge. To me that says it’s not a choice, but MY OBLIGATION as a parent to teach my kids that racism is not only wrong, but sadly, still exists. It’s also my job to teach my kids to not be of the world, but to be transformed by God and show His unconditional love to ALL PEOPLE.

So can we be mad? Yep. Should we demand justice and equality? Of course! But don’t allow your anger and disappointment in the things happening change your character. We ARE children of God, but God knows, we have feelings. We hurt, get disappointed, become enraged….we’re human.

This is a season where people’s true colors are coming out. Whether it’s friends, family, coworkers, politicians, whatever. See the truth and take it in. Feel all the feels. Cry it out. Scream it out. Talk to God and let it all out. He’s God, He can take it. But when you’ve done all you can do, get up, wipe the tears off your eyes and the snot from your nose, and keep going.

Have those talks with your spouses, your children, your friends and neighbors. If they don’t understand, help them. Not everyone has the same experiences or upbringing. We can’t fault them for it. Stand up for what you believe in and don’t allow fear to keep you silent. Be the best YOU you can be and continue to love through all this hate. It doesn’t matter who’s on your side as long as you can lay your head at night in peace knowing you gave it your all. That’s what matters. Whatever it takes to keep your peace and your path to God clear.

That’s my truth for this season.

Until next time, Be Blessed.

Ishah Whipple

Hey y’all! Long time, no….write?

I’ve been working on a few projects of my own that I’ll reveal a little later, but I wanted to stop in to share a story with you.

There’s this case worker named Kirah. She’s worked as a case worker for years in various settings. She’s had the pleasure of helping people of all backgrounds and loves what she does.

While working to help others, Kirah decides to do something for herself. Something she’s always dreamed of doing, but never quite had the time. As time goes by, she finds herself with a lot of extra time to finally do it, but starts to doubt herself. She starts to listen to the voices in her head that tell her she’s not good enough, no one will want to hear what she has to say, no one will care…so she tucks her dreams under the carpet and walks away.

Little by little, Kirah finds herself feeling insecure and sad. She begins to sulk in disappointments, not in anyone else, but in herself. She’s surrounded by a great host of family and friends, yet can’t seem to shake her sadness to the point of depression. Kirah drowns herself in her work knowing she is helping others, but at the same time, she’s lost herself.

One day while preparing to meet with one of her new clients, Kirah finds herself overwhelmed. She’s heard so many negative and complicated things about this client, that she finds herself dreading the whole appointment before she can even meet him. Regardless of how she feels, Kirah presses on to the appointment.

Kirah shows up to the client’s home, walks up to the door, takes a deep breath, and knocks. The door opens and Kirah is led to the client’s bedroom. Not knowing what to expect (but having so many predetermined thoughts about the client), Kirah is stunned to see a frail bodied man laying in his bed with the warmest smile on his face.

As Kirah sits down to start her assessment, the client begins to run down his life story as to what brought him to his current life situation. He begins to speak about being born with a birth defect that caused him to have no use of his upper or lower limbs. About living a life bed or chair bound with no way of doing anything for himself. About having to be carried everywhere, dressed, spoon fed, and cleaned by someone else his entire life.

Kirah sat there with the biggest ball in her throat as she took notes and listened to what seemed like the world’s most unfortunate life. Her heart began to sink with sorrow and sadness for this man she thought she would dread working with.

Then as Kirah was knee deep in a pity party for the client, he stopped talking. At that point, Kirah was looking down at her paper trying to get herself together to finish the assessment. Confused by the silence, Kirah looked up and noticed the client was looking at her with a big smile. When Kirah asked if the client was ok, he replied in a way that would change Kirah’s perspective for the rest of her life.

He goes on to say, “I’ve spent my whole life being taken care of like a baby. I’ve never known what it is to use or feel my hands or feet. I have no privacy. I live with caregivers day in and day out in order to complete any tasks including eating and using the bathroom. BUT I BELIEVE IN A GOD WHO IS FAITHFUL AND LOVING! I may not be able to use my hands, but I’ve gotten a Bachelor’s degree and have published a book and I’m working on my next one. I may not be able to walk or eat on my own, but I have a mouth that works just fine and I use it to speak and encourage anyone and everyone God places in my path. I’m a life coach and motivational speaker and I’ve had the honor of speaking at events all around the globe. I may have been born with a birth defect, but I am blessed beyond measure and refuse to allow anything to stop me from doing what I’ve been purposed to do by God.”

He then continued to speak and encourage Kirah concerning her own purpose. Kirah left that appointment refreshed, encouraged, and ready to grab those dreams from under that carpet and run!

Moral of the story? We all have a purpose that God has placed in our hearts. We spend so much time wondering who will care or listen, but that’s not our job. God said “Be fruitful and multiply”. He didn’t say what to do with the fruit, where to put it, or who will eat it. All we have to do is BE FRUITFUL and He will take care of the rest.

When looking from the outside in, that client didn’t have much to live for and had what most of us would consider a miserable life. BUT! He chose to see his life through God’s perspective. He chose to be fruitful with what he was given, his mouth and his heart.

So let me ask you a question…..WHAT’S STOPPING YOU?!

Until next time my lovelies,

Be Blessed…and Stay Tuned! Mwah!

So I’ve been gone for a spell, living life and making moves!

Since my last post ending the summer series, I’ve moved into my first home and took some time to get my family and home adjusted and settled in.  Who knew it would be so crazy?! I’m definitely blessed and completely humbled by God’s work in me and my family’s life.

Since the new year I’ve started to be intentional about my health and by that I mean physically, emotionally and mentally.  The older I get, the more I learn how extremely important it is to be intentional about taking care of yourself and those around you.

One of the many habits I’ve started was reading through a chronological Bible that I bought right before the New Year.  It’s crazy the new revelations God can give you when you read something for the umpteenth time!

As I began reading my passages daily, I found God speaking to me in so many ways.  Reminders, new revelations, and just little details I never knew about different stories I grew up learning in the church.

I found myself making notes and writing all through the Bible as God laid things on my heart and I felt the push to share them with you all.  I truly believe it’s important to share what’s on your heart. NO ONE goes through this life alone. Or at least they shouldn’t.  It’s taken me years to finally buckle down and commit to reading the Bible from front to back and it is my intention to share little bits and pieces of what I read.

SHARING THE LOVE!

So until I’m done, I will be blogging once a week on the latest readings. It’s my prayer that you will be blessed by each post and that you will go the extra step to share them on your various social medias and even via email. Take a moment to subscribe to my blog so you can take this journey through the Word with me!

Until next time,

Be Blessed!

LadyWhipp

No time to read? Listen HERE

Throughout this summer, we’ve examined various characteristics of God in order to reflect on who we are. We’ve learned that we’re loved, seen, all good, at peace, healed, secure, confident, strong, and never alone.

We’re seeing ourselves in a more truthful light as the image of our Father.  We’re walking taller and becoming more aware of Whose we are which is showing us WHO WE ARE.

I felt it necessary after all that to wrap this series up with the complete truth.

We Are COMPLETE.

Because God is the Great I AM, we are COMPLETE.

Colossians 1:15-20 says:

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (NIV)

God is the Great I Am!

I love how the Message Bible writes this very same passage:

15-18 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

18-20 He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

God is the original purpose in everything created.

Everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.

He was there before it all began and holds it all together.

From beginning to end, He’s there.

Every broken and dislocated piece gets properly fixed and fit together in harmony because of His death.

He is God.

He is life.

He is love.

He is the Great I Am.

Anything and everything we can fill in the blank with, God is!

Because He is everything, we are complete in Him.

I AM is meant to be followed by whatever we need them to say and whoever we need God to be at any given moment. That’s Who He is!

His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, NKJV)

He is El-Shaddai, God Almighty. Genesis 17:1

He is Yahweh, the Lord. Exodus 6:2

He is the Lord who heals us. Exodus 15:26

He is merciful. Exodus 22:27

He is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Exodus 34:6

Be still, and know He is God. Psalm 46:10

He is the Lord who made all things. Isaiah 44:24

He is the God who comforts us. Isaiah 51:12

He is the God who is near. Jeremiah 23:23-24

He is the Lord that does not change. Malachi 3:6

He is the Bread of Life. John 6:48

He is the light of the world. John 8:12

He is the good shepherd. John 10:11

He is the resurrection and the life. John 11:25

He is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6

He is the Alpha and Omega, the One who is and was and is to come. He is the Almighty! Revelation 1:8

My prayer for us this week and forward is that we will walk in the completeness of God.

That we not just read about all God is, but that we will apply and walk out those very same characteristics in our daily lives.

I pray that as the days go by, we will continue to study and build an ever growing relationship with Christ so we can learn more about who we are and Who we come from.

I pray that as we grow and walk in our identities, we will become beacons for others who are needing a reminder of who they are. That we will be beaming examples of God to all those we come into contact with. Whether at work, school, home, the grocery store, or driving the roads, I pray we will live lives that cause people to wonder what’s different.

I pray the way we live our lives causes people to wonder how we’re so blessed and confident so much so that they want to try God for themselves.

I pray we not only walk out our true identities, but that we walk victoriously into our destinies all at the same time.

I pray this not just for us, but for all those who will encounter this series in the future. I pray lives are changed, situations are turned around, self-esteems are transformed, and a boldness comes out like never before for the sake of the gospel.  I pray this series works as a catapult for those struggling with identity crisis or self-esteem issues.

I pray the spirits of doubt, pride, rejection, shame, confusion, and self-hate are suffocated throughout this series and God’s image expands in such a way that anything that is not of God will be exposed and thrown back to where it came from.

Because He is Love, I am Loved.

Because He is Omniscient, I am Seen.

Because He is a Wonderful Counselor, I am Never Alone.

Because He is Jehovah Jireh, I am All Good.

Because He is Jehovah Shalom, I am at Peace.

Because He is Jehovah Rophe, I am Healed.

Because He is Infinite, I am Strong.

Because He is Jehovah Nissi, I am Secure.

Because He is Faithful, I am Confident.

And finally, because He is the Great I AM, I am Complete.

Better yet, We are COMPLETE!

Until next time,

Be Blessed my friends!

LadyWhipp

No time to read? Listen  HERE

In all of me and my family’s moving, one main theme God has proven over and over again has been His faithfulness. Every time He’s spoken, we’ve moved. Even when we didn’t know how He was going to work it out, we knew He would prove Himself faithful. He’s never failed us yet, and He never will!

The Bible has so many stories of God’s faithfulness. For me, Noah’s story is my favorite. Why? Because here’s a man whose heart is being obedient to God regardless of what man thinks. Noah lived unapologetically. It takes a lot to obey God even when everyone around us doesn’t seem to get why.

He was literally building a boat in a dry place. Not a drop of water in sight. All Noah had was a word from God and that’s all he needed. Noah walked with God and trusted God would be faithful to keep His word over him and his family.

Because Noah walked with God, he knew God to be faithful. Because God had shown Himself faithful to Noah, Noah wasn’t deterred by the mocking of those around him. He wasn’t moved by their comments and laughs because he knew if God spoke it, it would happen.

Noah was confident.

Just as God spoke it, it did happen. The rains came, the people perished, but Noah, his family, and the animals made it through 40 days of floods.  God was once again faithful in His covenant with Noah.

When God initially gave my husband and I the word to leave Florida, we had no clue what was coming.  We were on the brink of divorce, evicted four times in two years, had just walked away from church, and had no clue what to do with our lives.  God spoke so clearly to the both of us that we couldn’t deny it unless we blatantly disobeyed God, and we both knew better than that!

When we got to South Carolina, things started off rough. Everything that could go wrong, did. We had all reason to turn back, but knew if God said it, we needed to ride this thing out.

After 3 years in South Carolina, our marriage was healing, our finances had improved, and we were ready to settle down.  God had other plans and spoke a word once again to move. The last thing we wanted to do was move, but we knew if God spoke it, it was time.

The first few months in Arizona proved to be the hardest season in our lives.  We had so many doors we could have walked through to go back to South Carolina, but we choose to stay.  Not many people understood what was happening. Heck, not many people understand it now. But we knew what God spoke, and we’ve grown to see God’s faithfulness through this whole process.

There are times when God will allow things to happen in our lives to show others His faithfulness. But there are also times where He simply wants to show US His faithfulness. In seeing that, it becomes easier to trust and obey God because we’ve come to know Him and walk with Him.  We’ve come to learn of His faithfulness and are able to move and obey more confidently knowing His word will come to fruition.

Because God is faithful, my marriage is restored.

Because God is faithful, our finances are better than they’ve ever been.

Because God is faithful, doors are opening.

Because God is faithful, we continue to walk in confidence knowing He has the best in store for our family’s future.

My prayer for us this week is that we will trust God to be faithful. That we will remember what He’s brought us through and believe that He will continue to prove Himself faithful in our lives. That we will not be moved by people’s opinions and remember that our faith walk is different from those around us.

My prayer is that we will be confident in our obedience to God knowing that if He spoke it, it will come to pass regardless of how crazy or inconceivable it may be or even how it looks.

That we will remember that God’s faithfulness endures to all generations (Psalms 119:90)

That He who promised is faithful and we can hold fast to that confession of our hope (Hebrews 10:23)

That God is not a man that He would lie. If He spoke it, he will make it good. If he said it, He will do it.  (Numbers 23:19)

That He will never leave or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6)

And that even when we mess up, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and purify us. (I John 1:9)

Because God is faithful, we are covered.

Because God is faithful, we can rest assured that He will come through.

Because God is faithful, we can trust and obey His every word knowing He has the best of plans for us.

Because God is faithful, we are confident in all we do with Him by our side.

Until next week,

Be Blessed!

LadyWhipp

No time to read? Listen HERE

Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our Banner. When I think of banners, I think of big signs used to attract attention to a place or business, a sign used to honor or celebrate a person or occasion, anything that demands focus and attention to whatever is written on it.  They’re unmistakable and demand to be seen.

In speaking of God being our Banner, I’m reminded of the Israelites when they went into war against the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-16.

In this passage God shows Himself strong through Moses as our Banner, the One who goes before us in victory.

I like to think of it as a parade. I grew up in New York City where we have the Macy’s Parade every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Before any of the bands move forward, there is always a banner to introduce who they are and where they’re from.  That’s what God does for us, His children.

Regardless of what we go through, whether good or bad, God is always there to be our Banner and show the world Whose we are and where we come from.

On the good days, His banner displays the One who blessed us with what we have and where our joy comes from.

On the bad days, His banner goes before us in declaration of His strength, limitless power and our secured victory.

On that day in the battlefield with the Israelites and the Amalekites, the Lord showed Himself as their Banner through Moses. As long as Moses held the rod of God steady, their victory was a sure thing. When Moses grew tired and lowered his hands, the Amalekites began to overtake them. The moment Aaron and Hur stepped in to help hold Moses’ hands up, Joshua and the Israelites were able to defeat the Amalekites.

You see, God is our Banner in the good and bad times.  We just have to stay focused on Him.  When things are good, we have to acknowledge that those good seasons are because of God. When things are hard and we grow weary, we have to remember that God is our Banner and goes before us to pave the way and bring victory. We have to constantly be reminded that we cannot do things in our own strength. It is God who empowers us to conquer our battles.

My prayer for us this week is that we will ask God to show Himself strong as our Banner. That whether we’re in a good season or a trying season, we will allow God to be the Banner that goes before us to show the world what He’s capable of.  That we will look to God for strength and help in times where we feel exhausted and unable to stand on our own. That we will remember where our help and our blessings come from.

I pray our lives bring honor to the Banner living within us. That people will see our lives and know there is something different about us. My prayer is that God will shine so brightly through us that His Banner attracts all people not to us and what we can do, but to God and all He can do in and through them if they’ll let Him.

I pray that we will be careful to surround ourselves with people that will help to remind us of how limitless our God is. People who will pray with and for us to help hold our arms up when we’re tired and can’t do it for ourselves.  I pray that we will be walking billboards for God in all we do, wherever we go.

Because God is our Banner, we can bring Him glory in our good times.

Because God is our Banner, we can be encouraged and claim the victory on our lowest, most exhausting days.

Because God is Jehovah Nissi, our Banner:

We are victorious,

We are covered,

We are encouraged,

We are secure,

Our lives bring Him glory, and,

We WIN!

Until next week,

Be Blessed!

LadyWhipp

No time to read? Listen HERE

When we look at the main picture for this series, we see a young child on the shoulders of a strong man.  To her, the man is her hero. He’s strong, and embodies everything infinitely heroic in her eyes. When he places her on his shoulders, she feels on top of the world and as strong and powerful as he is in her eyes.

As children of the Most High, that’s the exact way we should see God.  The Bible describes God’s infinite power in Romans 11:33, “Oh the depth of the riches both of wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and His ways past finding out!”

There is no depth or height that can out span the power and wisdom of God.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes the word infinite as immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive; subject to no limitation or external determination; extending beyond or being greater than any preassigned finite value however large.

Just think about it.  When we’re playing on a team and we’re confident in the abilities of our teammates, do we not walk in a bit more confident than normal? Don’t we seem to have the strength of Samson when we know we have a teammate that is big enough to have our back?

That’s how we should be with God who is Infinite in all His ways.

We should live with a sense of strength knowing the Great God that lives within us has our back. He’s infinite in all his ways and with Him, we can’t fail!

Not because we’re so awesome, but because God is Infinite in HIS ways.  It has nothing to do with us!

I don’t know about you, but man, I’m so glad about that! If I had to depend on my own strength, I’d be all messed up!

The Bible reminds us so many times of God’s infinite strength and power:

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in time of need. Psalm 46:1

The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. Habakkuk 3:19

Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Psalms 81:1

The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him. Exodus 15:2

This week my prayer is that we will take hold of the strength God gives us daily as we walk this life out with Him.  That we will remember that God is our refuge and strength always ready to help us when we’re in trouble and cry out to Him.  That we will be strengthened in the Lord’s strength and power.

That God will strengthen us according to His word. I pray we will hold fast to God’s mighty hands and submit every area of our lives to God. That we will remember that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We are weak without Him, yet mighty and strong with Him living and striving on the inside of us.

And finally, I pray that we will be strengthened by God’s infinite covenant over our lives and walk out our everyday lives mirroring the strength of the man who’s shoulders we happily sit on.

Because God is Infinite, we are stronger than we could ever imagine!

Until next week,

Be Blessed!

LadyWhipp

No time to read? Listen HERE

Exodus 15:22-27 speaks of when Moses brought the Israelites into the Wilderness of Shur. How they went three days and could find no water.  When they arrived at Marah, the water was so bitter, they couldn’t drink it and they began to complain to Moses asking what could they drink.

Moses then cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed Moses a tree. When Moses cast that tree in the waters, the waters became sweet and the Israelites were able to drink it. Moses then then gave them a word from the Lord saying:

“If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you” (vs 26).

From there they traveled to Elim where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees.

What I love about this passage is that God announced Himself as their healer from a couple aspects.  When we think of God, our Healer, we think of being healed from a disease, sickness or disability.  But I have to say, sometimes the very healing we need isn’t a physical one, but a spiritual, mental, or emotional one.  It’s not always about what someone did to us, but what we’ve allowed to happen to ourselves.

The Israelites had been delivered from captivity, yet had gotten to a point where they were complaining about everything.  They didn’t just need water. They needed to be healed from the inside out.

Even with their nasty attitudes, God still took the time to speak to them and give them a chance at redemption.  He gave them a chance to make things right while pointing out the fact that He was in fact saving them and healing them from dangers and diseases seen and unseen.

He took the time to remind them of who He is and what He is capable of so they could refocus and continue moving towards their promise.

How many times do we allow the past, hurt, frustration, and anger to get in the way of what God is trying to do in our lives and hearts? We hold on to so much and allow so much to move us and distract us.  We talk to the world and look to everything and everyone for the one thing only God can give us.

HEALING.

On March 17th, 2018 God healed me from Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia. I had endured close to 3 years of doctors, tests and heart wrenching thoughts of the possibility of my husband and children having to live without me.  When I got the call of confirmation of healing from my doctor, I felt like my whole life would completely change.

It did in a sense…. but in another way, it didn’t.

You see, although God had healed me, time revealed there was a lot more that needed healing within me.

I not only needed the physical healing, but I needed healing in my heart from the anger and hurt I endured through the process.  The people that walked away, the employers that treated me a certain way, the anger I felt at the thought of losing my children.  I needed an inner healing that didn’t just disappear the moment I knew I was healed.

When it all hit the fan and I felt lower than dirt, God spoke a very similar word to me as the Israelites…but in my language, of course.  He said, “If you would just shut up and listen for MY voice, seek ME, and obey what I’m trying to tell you, I can heal you from the inside out. Why? Because I am Your Father and your Healer.”

I’m not gonna lie and say I was like, Yes Sir!  I honestly rolled my eyes and wondered why I had to go through it all to begin with.  Can I just be real??

As the days and weeks went by, I battled within myself.  I wanted to just give in and seek God, but another part of me wanted to stay hurt and mad. I felt like I deserved the right to be mad and hurt.  But I was only hurting myself and delaying God’s plan for me and my household.

I can’t say I’m completely healed right now, but I am a work in progress.  I get up every morning choosing to make better decisions than the day before.  Choosing healing over hurt.  Choosing to incline my ear to God over the voice of the past or even present frustrations.

My prayer for us this week is that we will choose healing over hurt.

That we will choose joy over anger,

gratefulness over complaining,

and God over the opinions of the world.

I pray that we will take time to be real with ourselves and God about where we’re at in our journey.  If we’re feeling stuck, I pray that God will show us the very things we have been holding on to that are becoming obstacles to our path.

I pray that we will be diligent about heeding the voice of God and inclining our ears to His voice. I pray we will seek God’s Word for guidance and be readily obedient to all He has to show us and ask of us. I pray we will be open to God’s healing touch both in and around us.

Because He is Jehovah Rophe, WE are healed. Not just from our sickness and disease, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Until next week,

Be Blessed!

LadyWhipp

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The story of Job has inspired generation after generation.  The fact that he lost everything and everyone dear to him and didn’t lose his mind is a miracle in itself!

The same underlined message is preached every time I hear of Job: Trust God even when you lose it all and He will give you double for your trouble!

That’s all good and well. I’m sure in some way or another, we’ve all experienced God’s blessings after trusting Him through some valleys.  However, this week I want to highlight a different aspect of this story.

Job’s life brought us different lessons:

You don’t have to be a bad person to experience hard times.

We should always trust God, no matter how things look or feel.

Man will ALWAYS fail us, but God is faithful and ever present.

We may mess up and even fail others, but God is always in control and ready to forgive us when we repent.

Those are great lessons, but there was a theme to Job’s story that God took the time to show me during my own time of feeling like things were slipping through my fingers.  No matter what Job went through, no matter who walked away, God remained faithful as Jehovah Shalom, God his peace.

The Bible says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”  This means the peace we get from God isn’t the same as the peace we think we can get from this world. Peace from the world is temporary. It changes more than a person changes underwear, or a child changes their mind on what they want to eat.

Now the peace of God, it’s eternal, never failing, always readily available for all who will accept it.  God is a God of peace. The mission of Christ was to bring peace to a messed up and flawed world and apart from Him, there is no true peace.

Job caught on to that. Even though he saw everything and everyone around him going away, Job chose:

To acknowledge God in the midst of his suffering  Job 1:21

To remember the words of the Lord Job 5: 17-18

Hold fast to his integrity Job 7:3-5

Job chose praising over worry,

Integrity over doubt,

Godly wisdom over bad counsel,

Faith in God over what he could see in the natural,

Job chose the peace of Jehovah Shalom over everything and everyone.

Was he crowned prom king or voted most popular? No. People walked away just as they do now when we chose to stand up for Christ even when we look like we’ve lost it all…including our minds.

But where did that get Job? Let’s take a look:

“And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers.

After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.”                        Job 42:10-16

Because Job chose peace throughout his suffering he was blessed more than he could have ever imagined.  God showed Himself strong as Jehovah Shalom throughout the process and Job was able to pull strength, integrity, and courage from that peace.

Because God is Jehovah Shalom, we have strength.

Because He is Jehovah Shalom, we can keep our integrity in the midst of a compromising world.

Because He is Jehovah Shalom, we can boldly stand for what we believe in.

Because He is Jehovah Shalom, OUR Peace, We are at Peace no matter what comes our way.

My prayer for us this week is that we will embrace God as Jehovah Shalom, our Peace. Not a temporary, wavering peace that comes and goes as the wind blows; But an eternal, everlasting, ever present, ever sustaining peace that comforts us when we feel beat up, holds us up when we’re on the brink of falling, reminds us of the hope we have in Christ Jesus, and keeps us unmovable and courageous when the storms of life try to knock us over.

I pray that we will be intentional about keeping our minds focused on God so that He will continue to keep us in perfect peace. I pray that when we have our moments of anger, frustration and hurt, we will go to God for our counsel so He can turn around and fill us with His never ending peace that passes all understanding. I pray that we choose to reject doubt, confusion, drama, gossip, opinions of others, and anything else that would try to steal our peace.  That we make peace a priority in our lives so we can in turn, share that peace with others who need it.

God is the Prince of Peace and we are His children. Just as our children share our characteristics and mannerisms, we should walk in the very same characteristics of God, our Father.

Choose to take on Peace today. Choose to allow Jehovah Shalom to fill you with peace to the overflow and let it spill out in your home, job, school, and anywhere else you go.

Until next week,

Be Blessed!

LadyWhipp

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Probably one of the first names of God taught to me as a child was Jehovah Jireh, God our provider.  I never quite understood the depth of that name as a child, but then again, we think everything just appears.  We never really understand how life works until we ourselves are living it.

I remember when I first came to know the Lord, I thought Well now I don’t have to worry about a thing. God’s got me. He knows what I need and want. I’m all good.

That’s true, in a sense. But what happens when we are in need and don’t see provision happening immediately? What happens when our perceived microwave provision doesn’t pop in on time to save the day when we feel it should.

The thing about God being our provider is knowing that HE KNOWS what we need and WHEN we need it.

Genesis 22 speaks of Abraham’s faith. God tells Abraham to take the son he had prayed for and offer him up as a burnt sacrifice on the mountain of Moriah (vs 2).  In obedience, Abraham got up that next morning, gathered the supplies, saddled his donkey and took two men along with his son Isaac where God commanded him.

Three days of traveling and they get within eyeshot of the place. Abraham tells the two men to wait there while he and Isaac go to worship, “…and we will come back to you” (vs 4).

Abraham then takes the wood, the fire, the knife and Isaac and heads to the place.  Even when Isaac asks him where the lamb for the burnt offering was, Abraham replied, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (vs 8).

Once they arrived at the place, Abraham built the altar and placed the wood.  He bound Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.  Just as Abraham stretched out his hand with the knife to slay his son, an angel appeared and stopped him.  The angel told Abraham not to harm his son and that he had shown himself faithful to God (vs 12).

Abraham looked up to see a ram caught in a bush. He took the ram and used it for his burnt offering.  He called that place The Lord Will Provide (vs 14).

The angel of the Lord came back with a message for Abraham:

“By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (vs 16-18)

Y’all, we all spend our days living out the very words God speaks to us and over us.  Whether we spend minutes, days, hours, weeks, or years, we go from one word to another. My pastor once said, “When you feel like you’re looking for the next word from God, remember the last one and stick with that one until the next word comes.”

Abraham was given a word.  A command from God.  Did he like the word? No. Did he want to fulfill the word? Of course not! This is his son that he prayed long and hard for! So why do it?

Abraham had an intimate relationship with God.  He understood God’s ways were greater than his and God’s thoughts higher than his. Abraham knew if God was asking him to do something this hard, God would provide.

Because Abraham’s confidence was in the God of love, he was obedient even against his own heart and mind.  He was ready to do what God asked of him regardless of how it made him feel or what he saw. He had such a confidence in God’s love that he knew God wouldn’t allow him to go through with it. He also had so much confidence in God’s provision that he was willing to play along until the very end, just for God to once again show Himself strong as Jehovah Jireh.

How many times does God ask us to do things that are seemingly impossible?  Things that we can’t even fathom like walking away from a relationship, a job, letting our children fall and learn lessons, or even saying no to an opportunity we swear is life changing.  We can’t for the life of us understand why God is asking us to do these things and toggle between anger and hurt trying to decide if we will be obedient or just go with our hearts.

But because God is love, we can walk confidently knowing He wants and has the best in store for us.

Because God is Jehovah Jireh, we can rest assured that He WILL provide ALL of our needs.  Not according to what we think or want, but according to HIS riches in glory.

Because God is our Provider, we can step out in blind obedience knowing God ALWAYS provides what we need in the timing we in fact, need it.

Because Abraham had that relationship with God, he knew even the craziest of commands would be provided for and worked out for his ultimate good.

My prayer this week is that we will come to know God personally. That we will see Him as our Father who knows all and sees all.  That we will learn to listen for God’s voice, for the voice of a stranger we will not hear or accept in our hearts and minds.  Constantly reminding ourselves that if God can feed the birds of the air and clothe the lilies of the field, surely He will take care of us, His children.

My prayer is that when God speaks, we listen. When He asks of us, we freely give. When He instructs, we obey.  Not because we’re scared. Not begrudgingly. Not kicking or complaining.  Not doubting or giving guidelines to how and when it should be done.

That we will do as God leads no matter the cost, knowing God WILL provide in whatever way He deems fit.  And however way that is, my prayer is that we will learn to be content and grateful.

Finally, my prayer is that in all things, we would remember the word of the Lord to Abraham in verses 16-18 and use it as a reminder of what happens when we trust the Lord to be our Jehovah Jireh.

Because He is Jehovah Jireh, we truly are All Good.

Until next week,

Be Blessed!

LadyWhipp