Merry Christmas

December is here and in my life, it’s been the month God has shown Himself strong on my behalf. Let me boast on the Lord for a minute: December 2006 - brand new luxury debt free vehicle December 2010 - new house December 2012 - surprise day of beauty sponsored by a group of ladies December 2015 - won a corporate global award at my job December 2017 - the man who’d become my husband let it be known he was pursuing me to marry me While God is not bound by time, the manifestations of His goodness are evidence to never count Him in ANY calendar year. Especially in 2020. I’ve seen comments about people being ready to hurry up and get to 2021.  We still have twenty-four more days for God’s glory to shine! Think about it: you’ve made it this far into a year that has had our heads turning and spinning very which way. That’s praiseworthy alone! Hallelujah! Proverbs 17:22 says “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.” When we’ve had a tough year, it might be
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Are You Serving Tainted Water?

Below is the very first article I wrote for WOW! Magazine in May of 2006. Enjoy!


Imagine you're outside and it's about 95 degrees.  We're talking about Florida hot, the kind of hot where it feels like 102 degrees in the shade.  It's extremely hot and you're thirsty.  It's so hot, your water wants some water!  You ask your friend for a glass of ice water because you can't deal with this any longer.  As you anticipate getting some much needed fluids in your body you began to get happy at that thought of some ice-cold water going down your throat! You start getting upset because you wanted to move up north a long time ago and this Florida heat is getting on your last nerve, but Big Mama 'nem would have your throat if you ever left.  It seems like your friend is taking such a long time to bring you some water but finally you see her coming!  As you take the glass from her the coolness soothes your hands.  "Yes Lawd!" you exclaim to yourself as you turn up the glass towards your mouth.  Wait a minute!  Something's not right with the water.  It smells funny!  My, it even tastes funny!  You open your eyes and look inside the glass as you take it down from your mouth.  Ewwwww!  The inside of the glass is dirty.  It's covered with dirt you couldn't see from the outside.  It's filthy!  You drank tainted water and didn't even know it.  It's not your fault though.  Your friend just served you tainted water.
            Many of us walk around not realizing that the insides of our cups are dirty.  There are many things in life that dirty our cups and taint our water: sin, pride, shame, old wounds, judgmental spirit, debt and baggage, just to name a few.  Often times, those of us with dirty cups are quick to point out the dirty cups of others in an effort to mask our own shame and deceitful pride.  What exactly is "serving tainted water?"

Every time we enter into and maintain a relationship under false expectations and false pretenses, we are serving tainted water. If we don't not allow God to heal every hurt, every wound or every scar of our hearts our water will be tainted.  If we are one way on Sundays and Wednesdays, but a totally different way the rest of the week, we are serving tainted water.  Time is running out and we must get our cups cleaned.  If you know the laws of physics, no two things can occupy the same space at the same time.  In other words, God cannot dwell in your spirit if baggage, sin, pride, shame, old wounds, etc. are occupying the space.  He'll suffocate.

Cleaning our cups is not an overnight process but a necessary process.  We are to worship in spirit and in truth.  Claim your baggage and confess your baggage.  Repent from the very place where you stand.  Take some time to think about the things that may be tainting your water.  Address the "dead man's bones" in your closet.  After you have claimed, recognized and confessed, allow the magnificent power of God to clean your cup.  At times His approach may be soft and at times it may be abrasive.  Whichever process He chooses to use just be ready.  If you can't think of all the things that may be tainting your water, don't worry.  God will put a mirror right in your face and show you.  Don't allow yourself to continue to serve tainted water.  His truth is so much better than any truth we can concoct in our own minds.  As Christians we must be very careful about having dirty cups because we never know who may need to drink from them...God Bless!

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