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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 migh...
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For the Love of Mrs. Rice

Dear Mrs. Rice, Today, your husband was released by his professional football team because he has been graphically exposed for domestic abuse. When the incident happened, he was your fiancee. Many are asking why you went on to marry him.  You may not have an answer, but perhaps my life can help you figure that out. I, too, was a victim of domestic violence.  Mine didn't start when I was married. It started before he ever asked me to marry him. It started as verbal abuse then escalated to mental and emotional abuse. By the time we were divorced, it had become physical on both our parts. Why did I marry him? I married him because I placed a higher value on the fear of what he would do to me verses how I felt about myself. I never thought it would happen to me. My ex-husband didn't have millions but every time each abusive episode ended, I kept thinking that maybe things would get better. I kept hoping it would change or just maybe if I stayed out of his way, he'd lea...
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Confessions of a Single Woman: I Wanted a Man for the Wrong Reason

In my last " Confessions " post, I spoke of meeting a guy and really believing I was ready to be married. I went on to share it didn't work out and why. God showed me that marriage would not deliver me from my issues because that’s His job. He also showed me marriage would not rescue me. Even after the Lord corrected me on all that, I still had one more reality to face. I wanted a man for the wrong reason. My reason for wanting to be with someone was birthed out of years of rejection by man after man. I wanted a man just so that I could say to people "I have someone.” I used to dream about changing my Facebook relationship status and the feeling of accomplishment that went along with it. I wanted the news to somehow filter back to my exes that this treasure of a woman was now taken. I wanted to stick it to every man that had ever done me wrong. Yes, I, Tamara, who loves God with everything in me, secretly wanted revenge. I say secretly because I would never SAY...
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Check it at the Door

Proverbs 4:23-27 MSG says Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip. Keep your eyes straight ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions. Watch your step, and the road will stretch out smooth before you. Look neither right nor left; leave evil in the dust . Walk with me for a minute…imagine your hear a ring or a knock at the door.  The person at the door is dressed very nicely and looks fairly decent. However, you wait to see what he/she wants or what he/she starts talking about. You are still on guard.  As he/she begins to speak you, they threaten you. Immediately, you close the door!  The person leaves, never to return. Friends, this is the same attitude we must have in the spirit when it comes to guarding our hearts.  When we fellowship with bitterness, gossip, angst, fear and anxiety, we are opening the door to a discombobulated life. Notice I didn’t s...
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Purification of a Queen Part 4: To Everything There Is a Season

Thank you for joining me for the last and final part of this series. It has been such a treat to let you in on the revelation God gave to me about this passage of scripture in the book of Esther. It has helped to shape me in so many ways. In my previous post, I talked about the importance of seeking, accepting and acting on godly wisdom. (click here for part 3) .  Today, I conclude the series by discussing submitting to God’s time and God’s process in your life. As we read the text that has been the backdrop for this series, Esther 2:5-14 , we learn that she is a part of a group of women selected to go before the king in hopes of being chosen to be the next queen. However, before she got her chance to go before him, she spent a year in preparation (verse 12) .  That time of preparation consisted of “six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women.”  Oil of myrrh was sometimes used as an antiseptic.  Let’s take a l...
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Be Anxious for Nothing...and I Mean NOTHING!

As a former depressed person, the enemy tries to bring that spirit back but I have learned to resist him! (James 4:7)  I have learned to use the weapon God gave me which is HIS word coming from MY mouth. Here are some scriptures that I speak for certain things. You have to know this—you shall have what you say. Life and death are in the power of YOUR tongue. The more you keep speaking “the devil is grabbing at me” or "he's on my back" the more he’s going to come at you. The Lord put him under your FOOT! Start speaking what God says about it, whatever “it” is. So, if you are feeling anxious about anything, look at these: Proverbs 12:25 NKJV  Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.  When I’m feeling uneasy or anxious about something, I open my mouth and say “Lord, I thank You for my good word.” And I keep saying it over and over, well each time the anxiety tries to rise up, and before I know it I am calm again b...
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Purification of a Queen Part 3: In All Your Getting

Last year, I started a blog series called Purification of a Queen . I intended to do all four parts back to back, but due to my own lack of diligence and faithfulness, it didn't happen. So, here we are, over a year later, continuing with part three. Please accept my apologies and let us move into today's post with excitement. Esther 2:5-14  has been the backdrop for this series. Every time I read the book of Esther, I see similarities in my own life, which inspired me to write this series.  In the first part of this series, titled A Good Name is Rather to Be Chosen, I talked about the importance of having a good name. In part two, titled Come out From Among Them , I went on to discuss the critical element of separating ourselves from those who walk in darkness or who have ungodly influences on us. Today, I'll continue the series with discussing the importance of seeking, accepting and acting on godly wisdom. In Esther 2:10 we see that Mordecai instructed Esther not...
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Be Made Whole

Today, my son broke a drinking glass. I didn't know he broke the glass until he told me. He said he cleaned up all the glass, but I know my son. So, I told him to turn on all the lights so we can see if he got all of the pieces because we wouldn't want anyone to step on glass and get cut. After we turned on all the lights, we saw several missed pieces of glass.  This time, I stepped in and made sure all the glass was cleaned up properly. When our lives are broken or we've made a mess of things, our instinct is to clean it up. We think we got all the pieces, thus we try to put our own lives back together. Friends, the Word of God is the light we need in order to see ALL the pieces of our lives that need to be cleaned up. Some of us are in relationships hurting and "cutting" other people because of the brokenness that remains. These could be dating relationships or just friendships.  We can't pick up all the pieces ourselves because friends, we don't know ...
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