College Beginnings: Staying True To Your Identity

Hello ladies and gentlemen! It is that time where high school seniors are graduating and preparing for a new season of their life in college.  As I reflect back on graduating from high school and college, here is some of my wisdom that I have learned. LOL. When I started college, I was a lukewarm christian! Freshman year, I was adjusting to college life and fitting in! My courses, for the most part, were easy. As an 18-year-old in a new environment,  I said my prayers and understood God, but I didn't respect Him. It is so easy to be a lukewarm Christian and forget your upbringing. Therefore, forgetting your upbringing can lead you to be friends with just anybody! That's exactly what happened to me!


2 Corinthians 5:17 ES

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.


These scriptures should help you remember who you really are. Nothing can substitute the identity that you have in Christ. Not even a new group of friends, sorority, organization, relationship, can do that.

What are some practical ways to keep your identity in Christ while at college?

1) Have quiet time with God every day!
2) Find a new church home!
3) Surround yourself with Godly friends!
4) Know when to say no to people!
5) Join positive organizations!
6) Pray to God to make the right decisions!

The Game VS The Practice Round

There are many things that people desire. It may be a new job opportunity, marriage, house, cars, etc. Your current position is not your destination. Think about basketball players. (Shout out to the Warriors!) They spend their days practicing by conditioning practices, dribbling, shooting the ball, and different plays. They are preparing themselves for the upcoming game! Do you know what you are preparing for? That would be the first step in making sure you “win” at what you want. Pray and ask God for guidance if you don’t know what you desire. Proverbs 16:9 states, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. After you have clarity on your goals, start preparing! Do you think those basketball players practice for no reason? They have a goal of winning the basketball game! You cannot expect the win if you don’t practice! In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead-James 2:17

Productive ways to achieve your goals:

• First of all, sit at His feet!! No better way to be productive than to worship Him and be in His word!! This should be in your first priority in the morning.
• Plan out your day!
• Use a planner or your calendar app to plan out each hour of your day.
• Create a vision board
• This will help you identify your goals and keep your mind on them.
• Use a timer when doing tasks
• Tracks how long you are taking to do a task
• Get off social media and quit watching Netflix
• Yes, those are both enjoyable activities to do during your downtime. However, reward yourself with these activities AFTER you have spent time working on your goals.
• Be disciplined
• Learn to say no when you know you have something to get done. Also, say no to those things that tempt you.

Stay strong in this season of preparation! One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 12:1-2. It says, “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a]Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”

Come to the River

Hey yall! So I have a huge accomplishment that I want to share with you all! I completed my first food fast this past Lent season! For my food fast, I decided to do the Whole30. The Whole30 includes giving up sugar, grains, dairy, alcohol, and legumes.  I've done other fasts in the past, but never a food fast! Trust me....it has been attempted, but never completed!! So to have completed this, it's a big deal for me! I can bet fasting from food is a challenge for most us! However, it's the best form of fasting! The definition of spiritual fasting is to voluntarily abstain from something to gain a closer fellowship with God. When you fast, you are bowing down to God just to see Him. Again, I had fasted before, just never a fast food. Yes, it was difficult, but the outcome was worth it!

Benefits:

• Clarity- Before the fast, my mind was all boggled! Now, I’m able to think clearer and hear Him more.

• Hunger-I'm not talking about my physical hunger! LOL! Fasting has allowed my spiritual hunger to grow even more!! My soul has a burning desire for God.

• Discipline-Lastly, my disciplined has reached new heights! Granted, I had to build up to this new discipline. There were days, I had a moment of weakness! However, I can say it was a win-win situation! After doing this fast, if I can be this discipline for this, I’m excited to see about other situations!

God wants us to be the best version of us! We can only do that if our minds and souls are focused! Therefore, we all need to take a step back and fast. If there’s a situation you need clarity on, fast! If you feel like you aren't as close to God, fast! For more information, go to http://21days.churchofthehighlands.com/fasting

Love yall!

Year of Intentionality - Moving Forward

Hello everyone! I know. I know it has been way too long!! I'm back in full force this year!! 2017 was a stagnant year for me. I sat and allowed my flesh to be in the forefront instead of my faith. Too many times I sat in doubt, insecurity, and lack instead of sitting in Jesus's presence.

Speaking of Jesus'  presence, I stopped having my quiet time with God. Instead of studying in my bible and saying my prayers, I looked at the world for my comfort. Foolish, I know! However, God brought the theme of 2018 to me. I remember I was doing my normal “I forgot something at Walmart run” when God told me to be intentional with your time. He told me to stop wasting the precious time He had blessed me with! Now let me break down what it means to be intentional. According to Dictionary.com, intentionality is defined as

done with intention or on purpose; intended:

In basic terms, it means your plans are calculated! You are intentional about how and who you spend your time with. Now, don't get me wrong, I plan on having some exciting, intentional plans in 2018.

However, the person I need to be intentional about is Jesus! God loved us enough to give His only son so that we may have everlasting life! (John 3:16). Without God, I wouldn't be able to do anything!! For to us, a child is born, to us, a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace-Isaiah 9:6. I could fill up this whole entire blog on how awesome God is! Hopefully, you all get the gist. God is our everything! Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Do you realize that God has plans for all of his children? He just doesn't plop us here on Earth and say "Have fun!". There's a reason you are here! But, you will not ever receive God's plans for your life if you don't sit at His feet! This is the type of intentionality that is most important!

In 2018, I want to be more intentional about my relationship with Christ. What I mean by sit with Jesus, I mean to praise, listen, and worship God! Don't just pray a repetitive prayer and scan through a devotional, I mean really get honest with God! Put your favorite Pandora station or Youtube video list on and just bask in His presence!

Every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17). God doesn't want to leave you out of His plans in 2018, but you have to position yourself to receive them! 

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. - Philippians 3:13-14



Current favorite worship song: