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Author: Sharon Ricks

Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks

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It’s incredible to think that we are almost at the end of the year, and as usual it makes me think back over the past year. I start wondering if I’ve accomplished at least some of the things I set out to do. I know this year has been different for all of us to say the least. But, even with that, I know I have fallen short on a few of the things that I wanted to achieve. The sad part is that I can’t even blame it on the pandemic (Which seems to be the “go to” for anything left undone these days).

There are many who didn’t make it through this year. And although that thought makes me incredibly sad. It also made me realize that it is going to be up to us, the ones who have, to share how grateful we are that we are still here…

I looked up the word grateful in the dictionary, and it  lists grateful as being, appreciative of benefits received; thankful. Although, that is a good start, it just doesn’t seem like enough. Psalm 9:1 says, “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” There is enough negativity going around. We can’t keep dwelling on all the things that have gone wrong this year. Our job then is to take advantage of every opportunity to tell others about the great things that God has done. 

We have got to learn how to let go and focus on God without having an agenda. Let Him really take control. So, that’s what my personal goal is going to be for 2021. I’m going to learn how to let God be God in my life and not hesitate to tell everyone of His wonderful works. 

How many of you are ready to join me?

Until next time…

Be blessed!

This time of year

This time of year

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November always makes me feel just a little more thankful than any other time of the year. I guess it’s because the Thanksgiving holiday is on most people’s minds right now.  I am thankful for so many things…my family, my friends, my home, my work, but I am thankful most of all that God loved me so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the cross for me. When I remember that…it always makes me want to do better.

I feel like we are on the verge of something so much bigger than us. There are obvious reasons for that feeling…namely, this last election. Well, actually the last four years, this pandemic, and everything else in between. It has been a time of awakening. A time to deal with the things we have been ignoring for way too long, and it’s time to just do it differently. 

Yesterday, I spent the day volunteering for an organization called, Fayette Street Outreach. It consists of local residents who have banded together to clean up and bring opportunities to their neighborhood. I think that’s what this last season has been all about. We have to stop playing the blame game, and waiting for someone else to do it. It’s time for healing to begin in our land.

In order to get there though, we are going to have to focus more on God’s plan. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.” Good ideas are not necessarily God ideas. Staying focused is going to be important in this new season. We have to get back to the basics of loving and caring for one another. We are our brother’s keeper. What happens to you, should affect me. We are in this thing together, and it’s going to take all of us to make it better.

I am so excited to see where God is leading us, and I am so thankful that we are all on this journey together.

Until next time…

Be blessed.

Can God Really Use Me?

Can God Really Use Me?

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My last few posts have talked about our destiny, our faith, and God’s grace toward us. Thinking about that has me wondering exactly what God sees in me. Why in the world would He want to use me? I mean, I mess up…a lot. I hardly ever go from point A to point B. I like making turns. So, I usually end up taking much longer to get to places than I’m sure is necessary. I don’t know why I do it. I don’t want to do things over and over, but I find myself having to repeat certain lessons because I only listen to half the instructions, or I don’t listen at all. Pray for me…

I’m just thankful that God uses us just as we are. Even with all of our baggage, He finds value in us. God takes all of our experiences and teaches us how to use them so that He gets the glory, and we get the blessing–for ourselves, and others. God uses everything that we have been through to lead us to our place of healing, and wholeness. The crazy thing is that it happens so gradually sometimes that we barely even notice.

Our lives mean something. We are not defeated; we are not rejected, and we are not mistakes (even though sometimes it feels like it). We are made perfect through Jesus Christ. And because of that, God connects our hearts to His. He does it in a way that allows us to step out of who we are, or who we used to be, and into who He has called us to be. He uses our everyday living to slowly transform us into the image of His Son, which in turn blesses someone else.

So, I guess God can really use me. He uses all of us…even when we don’t realize it. We belong to Him, and He will always have a place for us, and work for us to do.

Until next time…

Be blessed.

Fear of Faith

Fear of Faith

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I know…that sounds crazy. How can you have fear of faith? For the last couple of weeks, we have been talking about destiny. And even though our destiny is tailor-made for us, we can delay our destiny by being fearful. I have heard people say, “What is for me is for me, and no one can take it from me.” I believe that too. But I also know that God will use someone else to do what we will not. Now, we may eventually get around to it, but by then, God will have already raised someone else up to take our place, and our destiny will still belong to us. God will never change His mind about us, or what He has chosen for us to do, but He needs people who are going to trust Him more than they fear faith. 

See, faith will tell you that you can do anything. But fear will say don’t believe that! Romans 1:9 states, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” That is good in theory, but the reality of it can be scary, right? That’s where we have to tap into God’s grace. His grace steps in to combine with our faith so that we can do all that God has called us to do. He gives us just enough faith to handle each challenge we face. That way, we won’t get boastful; thinking more highly of ourselves than we should (Romans 12:3). We have the choice right now to change our way of thinking, and to not allow fear to keep us from what God wants to do in our lives; and what we can do for the Kingdom of God. 

I believe that God is calling us to a higher purpose in this season, and we have to stop having fear of faith. In John 14:12 it says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” God has a plan for us, and He will be there with us every step of the way. We just have to let His voice speak louder than that of our fear.

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Take the limits off God

Take the limits off God

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So, last week I talked about how we can sometimes short-circuit our destiny, and it made me think about a time when that happened to me. I was at a Women’s Ministry meeting at my church and at a certain point in the meeting, the Director asked us to share our testimonies, words of encouragement, etc. Well, if anyone should have a testimony it should have been me. I was the brand new author of a book entitled, “Let My Life Be A Testimony.” I should definitely have had something to share, right?

I sat there feeling like I was going to burst, because God had been so good to me that I didn’t even know where to start, but that night, I didn’t share–almost no one did. The Director had to go around the room and just point out the different ways that she knew we had been blessed. That was so embarrassing. I will never forget that. The sad thing is that I spent many years after that doing the same thing.

That experience taught me that walking in my destiny was going to take some work on my part. First, I needed to believe that I deserved a better life. That God saw me, and had a plan just for me. Then, I had to stop working against myself. What I mean by that is that I had to be bold enough to walk in the path God was laying out for me. When God moved me to share, I had to stop second guessing Him and just do it. I have learned to trust that God will never lead me down a dead end. If He moves me to do something…someone, somewhere, needs it.

We have to stop trying to figure it all out by ourselves, and take the limits off God, He will show us things that we never even imagined and take us to places that we never thought we would go. And guess what? That’s only the beginning. He has so much to show us if we let Him. 

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Let’s Finish Strong

Let’s Finish Strong

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We are in the last quarter of 2020. It’s crazy how fast time seems to be going. But it always feels like that when it gets close to the end of the year. Many of us will begin to go back over the year to see what we did, and didn’t do. Of course, with all that has gone on this year that task is going to be a lot different. But, because God loves us so much, He has given all of us a road map in His word. We just have to take the time to read it. 

I love looking deeper into God’s word, and finding new revelation. When we do that God reveals to us what He expects from us. The Book of Esther in particular is so good. It shows how we can overcome any obstacle when we take our minds off our own comfort and do what God is calling us to do. Here was a woman who had it all. She was young, beautiful, and she had the favor of the king—and she was willing to put it all on the line to save her people. She could have kept quiet. She could have, but she didn’t. Why would she jeopardize her own life for the life of others?

She did it—because it was her destiny. She was the one. She was chosen.

What has God chosen you for? What is it that you have been sitting on that God wants to use? 

What God helped me see, was that every time we don’t do what He is calling us to…we short-circuit our destiny. That revelation was huge. The one thing we don’t want at the end of our lives is to look back and see what could have been.

It is not too late. Let’s finish strong! 

So, for the next couple of weeks I will share with you what God shares with me in hopes that together we learn how to avoid doing those things that tend to keep us from the place God needs us to be. 

Until next time…

Be blessed!

Who is on your front row?

Who is on your front row?

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I recently heard a preacher ask that question, and it really made me think about my own life. Who do I look to for confirmation, validation, or inspiration? And what will I do if the person I count on leaves? When the person I depended on can no longer be depended on. Why am I so connected to people that they have the power to command not only my attention, but also my day? Why does his/her opinion matter so much?

I know I have been freed from people-pleasing, but there is this place in me, and in many of us, that needs to know that somebody somewhere will be on our side no matter what. We were created for connection. It’s in our nature to desire kinship. It’s deeper than just wanting approval. It’s about relationships. God-centered relationships. He created us to have a relationship with Him, and with one another. But our expectations are so high sometimes that we can’t even live up to them, and yet we expect others to be able to. It’s actually a little unfair when you think about it.

God had to show me that I was putting the wrong people on my front row. We bear the image of God, but we can’t expect them to BE God. No one will ever be able to give us what can only be found in Him. He is the One who will ALWAYS be there even without being asked. He is the One that knows what we need even before we do. And He is the One who loves us even when we’re not so lovable. So, check your front row. Make sure you have the right person sitting front and center, and let everyone else off the hook.

Until next time…

Be blessed 

This new way of living

This new way of living

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I think that I am settling into this new way of living a little too much, and my old life is beginning to feel like a distant memory. I have always loved being around people. I mean I like having alone time, but there is something energizing for me about being with people. I believe I am an extrovert with introvert tendencies. That combination is typically a plus for me, but COVID-19 kinda put a stop to everything I knew as “normal” (Whatever that means). 

I am learning to be a little more creative, and a lot more adventurous, and even though loneliness stops by every now and then, I still love having my alone time. I find myself using this time to try things that I have never tried before. I am making decisions without checking with 10 people first. I am learning to depend on God more, and not so much on other people. I realized that it puts an unfair burden on folks to expect them to solve my problems and theirs too. Besides, I love learning new things. I always have, and those feelings are beginning to come back again…like an old lost friend. It feels good to spend time reading, or writing, or praying without feeling like there is something I need to do, or some place I need to be. It feels good to go to bed late, and sleep even later or not. It just feels good to be free, and I want to hold onto this feeling as long as I can.

My goal for this new season that we have all been catapulted into is to live according to God’s plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He also says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” I love those verses, and I really am loving this new way of living. Because it’s not about my plan, or anyone else’s. It’s all about Him, and that’s more than enough for me. 

Until next time…

Be blessed 

Knowing who to call

Knowing who to call

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I am so fearless right now that it’s actually starting to be a little too much. This time I decided to try adding a security lock to my front door. That’s right! I tried to do it myself…sigh. We already know that something was not going to go the way I planned. 

It took me maybe a week to attempt it. Mainly because common sense was telling me not to do it. But, I wanted to prove to myself that I could. I didn’t want fear to stop me from even attempting it, right? There are maybe hundreds…no, thousands of women all over the world who not only do repairs on their own homes, they also have actually built homes themselves. So I figured one lock shouldn’t be that difficult. The thing is…someone forgot to tell the door that.

As usual, before I got started, I measured, and re-measured just to make sure. After a little work, I finally got the first bracket up. I stood back to admire my work, and I noticed that it was a little crooked. For a second I thought about fixing it, but it wasn’t that bad, so I kept going. When I went to attach the other side to the frame, the frame started to dislodge. Why??? Why would the frame come apart? I went and found some really long nails and a hammer, and that’s when common sense kicked in, and told me to call for help. I love being one of God’s daughters. He is always on standby. He knows what we need before we do. It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try new things…even hard things. It just means that when we need help, we know who to call.

As I was praying about what to do, God told me who to call. When I called the guy, he was only ten minutes away. I know that it was only God that had the right person in the right place at the right time. I love how He does that.

Until next time…

Be blessed

Follow the Directions

Follow the Directions

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This is starting to be a thing. This week, I put up mini blinds. Yay! At first, it seemed like it was going to be pretty easy. I mean, what could be so hard, right? You drill a hole, put in a screw, and voila! Snap on a mini blind…um, not so much.

What actually happened is I typically don’t use the directions. I can just eyeball it, right? I used a ruler to measure the spot where I wanted the mini blind to hang (I did it twice just to make sure)…it wasn’t right, and I had to move it over…sigh. I drilled three perfect holes, and then the fourth hole kept on going. It was hollow. Why would the hole be hollow? Ok. So, I wasn’t going to let one hollow hole stop this show. I got out the brackets and after a couple of tries…it worked. I was so happy. A little sweaty from trying to get the screw to stop spinning along with the drill, but I digress. When I got to the second bracket, let’s just say…things took a turn. Of course, the one hole was hollow, so that screw went straight through. There was no wood for it to go into. I’m not sure what that’s about, but the second one finally went in and as long as no one fiddles with it we should be good. 

As always, God used this whole thing to show me a thing or two about myself. Even though the ladder wasn’t quite tall enough, and my arms got tired from holding them up so long, I learned that perseverance does pay off. I learned that having a plan is good, but being able to ride it out when it doesn’t go as planned is essential. Sometimes, what looks easy is really going to take hard work, but following directions will not only save time…it just makes sense. 

I really can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Until next time…

Be blessed