If you are reading this, you might as well shout! You made it to another year. (Cue shouting music). Lately, I’ve been noticing that many people still feel a sense of hopelessness, even during a new year. Today, during my quiet time, I read this scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:16: “So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day”.
After reading this, I got this revelation:
I think hopelessness becomes strong as we end a year and start anew. It feels like a failure… that the conquer we are to be is lost somewhere, or doesn’t exist. But I think this is because our human nature wants to keep yesterday in today. Ok… let me bring clarity. We keep saying we surrender, we let go… but reality is…we just change the packaging of things. We feel like if we do enough tweaks and changes, it will make us feel better. Not realizing that we are not making room for the manifestation of GOD’S promise to do something new. He can’t do new with old. He is not in the business of refurbishing. New today is just that. Something we have never experienced, no knowledge of, or awareness of how to move through without Him. I think that’s why He gives us new grace and mercy. It’s an opportunity for us to trust and lean on Him.
Prayer: Daddy, help us to make room for your new by being ok with the fact that we don’t have to know or understand it to embrace it. Help us understand that trusting and leaning on you is all you need from us. We surrender our imperfections, perfectionism, and doubt to you. You never see our mistakes and failures as we label them. You see them as opportunities for detours and recalculations to get us to your will, assignments, and perfect peace. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!
So, today’s blog is brought you by the words “they are watching you”.
Over the the 4th of July holiday I ran into a person I went to college with. In our conversations I learned so much about him that I did not know. I was honored that he shared a personal testimony with me. During our exchange I told him about my own testimony. When I told him, his response was…. “Man, girl you spoke that thing into existence “. Now, I’m trying not to look shock as he hug me to congratulate me on the manifestation of the testimony.
I know you wondering, why were you shocked? Well, it is because I never knew he was watching me. I never knew he saw my struggles, the tears, the faith, and my desperation to trust the GOD process. It really blew my mind! I hold him in high regards. (I do not think he knows that). He was so sweet to me as a freshman and always made an effort to speak to me on campus no matter how big he got or who was around him.
As we part ways he asked me to keep him in my prayers (which I do) and told me how excited he was.
Meditating on that moment made me realize that their are people watching me. They are encouraged by the process of my testimony and truly will root for me when I share my wins.
I wonder how times how you missed the opportunity to encourage someone else because you think your testimony has no purpose, power, or value beyond you.
Today, I encourage you to consult with the Holy Spirit, and ask him to reveal to you who you need to share you testimony with.
Prayer: Daddy thank you for reminding us that the process and finish work of our testimony is not only for us, but for those watching us. Daddy continues to work in favor of those wondering is the process worth the work. Encourage those losing hope, desiring to give up, and overwhelmed by the discomfort of blind obedience. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!
If you have ever watched any version of The Wizard of Oz, this message will hit you like a ton of yellow bricks. Get your notebook out because you are about to be blessed as we break down Dorothy’s journey and her ability to get back home.
Look at me posting three posts in one month!!! LOL This is going to be a good year. The other morning during my quiet time I got a revelation about GOD. The revelation didn’t make sense until I started thinking about one particular scripture…Psalms 23:4 “Even when I walk THROUGH the darkest valley, I will not be afraid (NLT). That word THROUGH stuck out to me like a sore thumb. It rang in my spirit and I to do more research on scriptures with the word THROUGH. Now these are just a few but they hold true to the revelation that I got.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk THROUGH the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. (Isaiah 43:2)
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.(Phi 4:13) The verse most people know
Do you see the revelation? Ok, Maybe not. The Through of GOD is the power of His resiliency, the grace of His peace, the unconditional actions of his love, the limitlessness of His Mercy, and the reminder of your purpose. The Through of GOD creates a space of stillness. It reminds us that we have to be in a place where we make space for GOD to do His job. The Through of GOD allows you to be in a place to see His hand at work in real time.
This revelation of the Through of GOD is deep and it really has allowed me to realize how to apply the THROUGH of GOD in real-time, especially during these difficult times and unknown spaces. Today, I challenge us to active the Through of GOD so we can be beyond the space of survival to the place of victory and live in the blessings of GOD found in John 10: 10 “I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” This scripture emphasizes the abundant life that can be found THROUGH Jesus Christ.
Prayer: GOD right now let us work the power of your Through by letting good of our expectations of what we want things to look like for our lives. Help us to take hold of your stillness, bask in your peace, walk in the purpose of your will and love, and expose our struggles to you. We trust your GOD and we thank you that in your Through we can do the mind-blowing things you called us to. In Jesus Name! Ament
You hear me say it every year… “I am going to do better”. Well, I have too many accountability partners to fail this year!
If you are new to this blog, welcome! If you are a faithful reader, thank you for being with me through the journey. Disclaimer, this is an imperfect blog. Yep, I have grammatical errors, properly misspelled words, and some thoughts that may seem unGODly. But what’s the trend…”WE Listen (read) and DON’T Judge”! (LOL)
Ok, now that the preliminaries are out way let’s talk about this year of 2025. So, I want to first say that this is going to be a year of “mind your business and drink your water”. If you didn’t know, now you do. This is a year of true focus not from a selfish standpoint, but one from where is GOD calling you. I think a lot of times we are minding our business, without action, without purpose, and without listening. We find ourselves so caught up in what we should be doing based on our own will that we forget about the will of GOD. Been there and done that so many times, I should be tired, but unfortunately, I find myself going back into the cycle.
This year we will learn. We will take from the years past and apply the lessons, not the responses. We will do the uncomfortable things, with boldness, with grace, with joy, sometimes with tears in our eyes, and hesitation in our hearts. We will do the obedient things, trusting the plan and process of GOD. I am calling this year, the year of #outthebox. We will not do what we feel like we should be doing, or what fits the agenda of who we see ourselves to be. We will do things that make us grow with frustration, yet it births patience and peace. We will sow seeds of faith in the midst of doubt. We will meditate on joy in the midst of grief. I know these all sound like contradictions, but they aren’t. They are moments of training and reality. The reality is you will have doubt when you don’t know the outcome of the situation. You will grieve the feeling of no and rejection while finding joy in getting a bigger blessing. I mean who wants to let go of something that makes them feel good, to gain access to something they barely know if it will work. 2025 is about to be the year of “GOD you said you would, so I will too.” Listen, and read this out loud, IT WILL WORK if I COMPLETE MY PART.
You praying to GOD to do something when maybe GOD is waiting on you to move something, do something, sit somewhere, and be still. “Faith without works”, is not about the action of faith, it’s about the obedience of your stillness sometimes. You think the work is action when the work could be surrender. As a matter of fact, the work is ALWAYS the action of surrender. GOD can’t get you what you need and ask for if you are filled and full of what you want, and won’t let go of it. You asking for healing when GOD needs your action of forgiveness. You can’t ask for wealth when you not sowing something… Maybe you are not at the place where your faith will allow you to sow 10%, but sowing something is better than sowing nothing. Let’s move beyond that maybe you struggle to say no, so GOD can trust you with his yes. The list can go on and on, but the point is you have to let GO of something to gain access to what you want to possess.
In 2025 do me and yourself a favor, make room, let go, trust GOD, build community, sit still, become uncomfortable, surrender even if you go it handled, and tell your truth to DADDY before you do man.
Prayer: Daddy this year is about to be different, not only because we speak and believe it, but because we understand that we must be different to get to the next level you have in store for us. We realize that surrendering is uncomfortable and out of our control. We realize that we are control freaks, and it hinders You from taking control of our lives and the situations we are praying about. Help us! Help us be still, help us be obedient not by force, but by choice, and help us see your will, purpose, and plan working for our good in the tough moments.
It has been a while I know and that is because life has been lifeing. I have had so many changes and challenges while still trying to keep the faith that Daddy says that it will all work together for my good and will bring him glory. But where is the glory in disappointment and delays? OOOO…. that just hit me like a ton of bricks. I am sure I am not the only one who has asked that question at least once in their life. However, we are in a new year and you know the saying “new year, new me”! I don’t always agree with that, because there are some things from the previous year that I probably still need to work on in this new year. With that being said I am inviting you to come on a 21-day journey with me as I fast from personal things. I am doing something new and including a video with the blog. GOD is really creating this fast as I work on developing it. The fast will start January 22-February 12, 2024. I know you asking now Shawndrika what’s different about this fast, versus the one that I am doing with my church or small group. Well, this fast is personal.
Let me explain, I have fasted on numerous occasions with my church, friends, and small group. Though it yielded some great fruit, it had me hyper-focused on dos and don’ts versus the GOD will and have your way. Let me be honest it didn’t feel personal. It didn’t feel like what I was giving up was a sacrifice that could move the heart of GOD to see how committed I was to making room for Him in the area(s) I didn’t trust him with. Yes, the Daniel fast is great, but because it’s one of the popular fasts it starts to feel like a cliche that we do as a church at the beginning of the year. Translation it is a routine to add to the many routines we already have. This fast creates a level of accountability and self-examination. It dives into a space of personal sacrifice on an individual level versus that of a collective, while still creating discipline, community, and consistency. This fast will make you evaluate how you trust and see GOD in this present moment and cause you to start your own record book with HIM. Listen, I am getting excited thinking about it. I am in a place where I have to take GOD out of my comfortable box of how I know Him and expand how He wants me to know Him. In other words, I can’t keep limiting my intimacy because I fear the process that comes with it. *So if you are curious about this fast join me on the 22nd and see if this is for you. If not that’s cool. However, I challenge you to check how you box GOD. Does your relationship with Daddy cause others to be curious about how to get to know Him?
Prayer: Daddy, we thank you for this new year. Help us not to box you to our comfort level, allow us to meet you where you desire us to see you. Let us never become comfortable with our level of intimacy with you. Help us desire more of you in a world that is forever changing. In Jesus Name, AMEN
Great Day DDC Readers! It’s the last day of Black History Month and I want to go out with a bang. As you know I am working on being more consistent with blogging, by at least writing a blog once a month. I thought today would be a perfect day to address something as we deal with what’s going on in the world. But, before we dive in I have a question for you. Have you checked out Jesus+Therapy, Sis on your favorite podcast platform? No, what are you waiting for? Just Click Jesus+Therapy, Sis, and join the conversation. Now, that the announcements are out the way. Let’s dive into the word and message.
So, currently, as I write this Urkinane and Russia are at a place of war. The news is reporting everything that is going on, and we see that there are some racial remarks being made. We also see that the African citizens of Urkinane are being denied the ability to get on trains or subways in order to get to a place of safety in Poland. I have a sister who is Jamaican and she reported that there are Jamaican students who are walking 14 hours with the HOPES to get to a safe place. Yes, the HOPE to get to a safe place! This breaks my heart that in 2022 racism continues to have a global reach in the midst of a major war. WOW! During my prayer and meditation time, I was reading my Bible plan, and this scripture
1 Peter1:6-7 (TPT) came up and read me.
“6May the thought of this cause you to jump for joy, even though lately you’ve had to put up with the grief of many trials. 7But these only reveal the sterling core of your faith, which is far more valuable than gold that perishes, for even gold is refined by fire. Your authentic faith will result in even more praise, glory, and honor when Jesus the Anointed One is revealed”.
I know you are wondering what about this scripture read me. I am glad you ask. Let me break this down for you in verse 6 it says “even though lately you’ve had to put with the grief of many trials”. With everything that is going on in the world, the grief is thick and the trials of life seem to feel unbearable to me. It feels like GOD has forgotten about His word. That Daddy is not listening to His Daughter. It has really caused me to think… Am I valuable to Him, like He says I am, or am I making this up? However, verse 7 is the read “But these only reveal the sterling core of your faith, which is far more valuable than gold that perishes, for even gold is refined by fire. Your authentic faith will result in even more praise, glory, and honor when Jesus the Anointed One is revealed”. Did you see what I highlighted? The true read of this verse is the theme found in these two highlighted sessions. YOUR FAITH! These moments of grief and trials are to produce the purity of your faith in its most authentic form. This is not about the situation. This is not about the circumstances, people, or even the emotions and feelings you are feeling about it all. It’s about, you having the FAITH to trust Daddy. Do you have the FAITH that no matter what trials, tribulations, or grief moments you endure that it will result in praise, glory, and honor to the Father!?! Receiving this revelation made my life change! It reminded me that what seems like a dark night is really a fire that creates another level of next level and FAITH in me! It makes the scripture Proverbs 30:5b more clear “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning”. Listen the joy is found in the strengthening of our FAITH.
So, don’t allow the grief and trial to derail you from the process of the fire. The fire’s job is to take your faith to the next level that you can experience the unmeasurable joy of the LORD.
Prayer: Daddy we thank you for the fire that we call trials and grief. We realize that these moments give way for the manifestation of next-level Faith that will produce praise, glory, and honor unto you. You are might Daddy and though we may not see the trial and grief as a moment of Faith, we ask that you change our view and vision to see it that way. Let us respond to these moments knowing that you are about to take our Faith to the next level. Let us responds with joy and gladness in our hearts, trusting you in the process. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN!
I know it’s been a while and I do apologize. I am realizing that in order for this thing to really work you all need to hear from me. So today you, my readers are my accountability partners. That’s right I have given you the task to email me at: shawndrikaLcook@gmail.com if you aren’t getting a blog once a week. See we must realize that we are meant to do life alone, and sometimes strangers, people we don’t know are for us will hold us accountable. So welcome ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERS!
With that being said let’s talk about transition! So for the past 4 months, I have been in a place of total transition. I went from working a full 8-5 in my field, to leaving there and doing ministry full time!! Yep, ministry FULL TIME!!! Now I know you are wondering what causes me to make this move. I mean I just passed my licensure examine only a year ago, I have not been a private practice therapist at all, and now I am in ministry. To answer the question of why, is simple, obedience. But, in my obedience, the walk and the focus of my next has been hard. I find myself feeling lost, confused, out of place, ill-prepared, hopeless, distraught, and discourage. Any negative feelings that a human being can express… This girl expressed them and more. I know you are wondering why did you experience all these negative emotions. I mean you were being obedient right? Well, here is the thing with obedience comes sacrifice, thought 1 Samuel 15:22 states, “Obedience is better than sacrifice”. There is a sacrifice that comes with obedience. Maybe I shouldn’t say a sacrifice, there is a surrendering that comes with it. To some that surrendering position can feel like a sacrifice. I mean give up everything you know just to be submerged into something you know nothing about.
So, here I am in the 5th month of the transition and I am stuck! Yep, stuck like a truck in the mud. I am not writing this blog from a place of overcoming this time. This time I am writing to you while the process is still going. While I am still in the place of getting to the prize or the next that GOD has called me to. I am in that, “I have to more trust GOD moments”, rather than “I will figure something out moments”. I’m at a place where I need the manifestation whether than being on ok with waiting for the manifestation.
I know someone who is reading this is wondering why am I telling the story as it is happening? Well. it’s because you need to know the process of transitioning. When you are in a place where the transition is not by choice, but assignment there are certain things you can’t control or deal with because you truly trust Daddy to guide your every step. For instance, I can’t control the demands that my assignment has on my life. I took a $2500 pay cut, yet I have not wanted for anything for real. I have tried to apply for a second job with the conviction that I couldn’t because of the demands of this assignment.
Why tell you the now of my transition for real?!? Because you need to know that transition is worth it!!! It’s worth leaving something that you do know for something you don’t know. It’s worth moving beyond you to get to Daddy. It’s worth the process… OOOOOO!!! That’s a word PROCESS!!! The process will be the foundation of your transition. How you see your process will determine how long you will stay in your transition. If you see your process as a burden, then your transition will last longer, because you are not able to receive the benefits of the process. But, if you see the process as a purpose, that it pushes you to your next, stretches you to another level in GOD, and betters your faith and trust in Daddy. Then the transition will be short and one that you can talk about as part of your testimony. Let me say this I don’t care what kind of transition you experience good or bad, no one likes the discomfort that comes with it. No one likes being in limbo where you aren’t sure what’s going on, but you know where you are going. No one likes looking at the preview of their promise and wondering when they will get there. These are the feelings of transition.
Today, I want to encourage someone to keep pressing in their transition!!! Keep enjoying the process no matter how uncomfortable it gets. Remember this transition is not about you, but about those who are looking at you. You are the only manifestation of GOD they may see! This is about your legacy, your future, your next…DON’T FORFEIT IT!!!
Prayer: Daddy transition is not easy. It can be uncomfortable and stressful if we don’t allow You to guide us. Today we say guide us!!! Open our ears to your instructions. Open our minds to the thoughts that you have towards us. Remind us that your thoughts towards us are good and they have the outcome of your perfection. Open our eyes that we don’t see things in the natural but in the spirit. Let us see the manifestation of the prayer that the Prophet Elisha prayed for his servant in 2 Kings 6:17, where he said: “LORD open his eyes so he can see”. Daddy open our eyes so we can see. Let us see your hand of protection and provision on us. Let us see your wisdom, knowledge, and understand. Let us see that your plan is great than our process. Daddy, help us with our words. Help us speak the words that line up with your will, word, and way. Let us not get so frustrated in this transition that we forget the power of our tongue. That we speak life when we feel like death is trying to overtake us. We respond to situations and people with a soft answer. Daddy, be our Jehovah Shalom and let us experience your peace like never before. Be Jehovah Jierha so we can know that you will provide and meet our needs and wants. Daddy, we thank you that we will be the examples we need to be during this time of transition. In JESUS name AMEN!!!
I wrote this four years ago I hope it blesses you like it blessed me on today.
Lord teach me how to love the ones that hurt me, to forgive the ones that offend me, to pursue peace when I’m pissed; to move beyond the moment into the lifetime. Help me father to remember it’s not about me, but your kingdom. Help me to stop making temporary permanent, and please help me find words of wisdom, compassion, and understanding to give to the ones that refuse to hear my heart. Father create the atmosphere to rebuild the relationships I destroyed and rebuild me from relationships that destroyed me. Open my eyes to what you are showing me and let me not take this assignment in vain. Give me your presence that I may move at your pace, and father when I become impatient with the present task can you remind me of the future promises you have for me. Cover me father from my own ignorance and allow me to not be blinded by my own thoughts. Let me focus on your voice, walk in your faith, trust you at your word, and hold fast to your presence with the power of your love. Father I’m an available vessel waiting on your instructions and though I have a couple of cracks and there are places that I still don’t want to explore about me, hold my hand and remind me that you can use anything and anyone all we have to do is surrender to your will. In Jesus Name Amen! #teamlostforwords
It’s been a while since I post something and I saw this on my memories on my facebook page and thought it would be a good thing to share with my blogger especially since it was written 7 years ago.
Well Do you see it? Is your vision as clear as you think it is? Even with my glasses or contacts I couldn’t see it. I couldn’t see that my vision was off and that I been placed in a category. No one place me there but me, and now I’m having a “How in the Heck DID I GET HERE,” moment. Have you ever had one of those? I had to do a vision check and in my check I realize that there are three different visions.
Clear Vision: the ability to notice and acknowledge the facts but activate the faith.
• When you have clear vision you understand that failures are the cosigners to success.
Blurry Vision: knowing and focusing on the facts with the knowledge of what faith can do.
• Placing your failure in the position where they outweigh your accomplishments along with the element of ignorance will cause you to have blurry vision.
Blindness: faithfully doubting
• Can’t see pass your past, because the pain is still in your present
I realize that I had blurry vision only because I couldn’t see pass my own failure and embrace the lessons that were attached to them. It’s so crazy. I would have rather stayed in a place of ignorance than embrace the knowledge. I would have rather stay in a place of comfort than to move into my place of destiny. But now I realize that my vision must improve and I must realize the greatness of the element of my vision when I set my dreams, goals, and faith into action.
My challenge to you: analyze your vision and make sure you are seeing the right thing.
Prayer: Daddy today we come to you asking you to speak to our vision. We have been in a place where our vision may not have been so clear or it was clear but we did not act in the clarity of it. Daddy we asked that forgive us of our disobedience and remove any thing that my hinder the clarity of our vision and remove our will from your plan. Daddy submit ourselves to your vision and we yield to what you have called us to. Give us vision clarity right now that we may move in the things of you . In Jesus Name. Amen!
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