Got Grace?

I woke up May 27, 2016 thinking about the GRACE of God. The unmerited favor of God which is the grace of God brings multiple blessings, empowers and causes one to be immune or exempt from the rules or standards that apply to everyone else. Hence the saying "favor ain't fair."

God's grace attracts all kinds of good things even when we deserve less or nothing at all. Because of His grace and mercy toward us God doesn't treat us as we deserve to be treated. God's grace allows one to go further, get more, accomplish greater with SEEMINGLY less.

God's grace will allow others to favor you. His grace will cause them to say "I dont know why I'm doing this for you, but..." or "the policy states, but..." God's Grace=favor, power, immunity and MUCH MORE.

GRACE is free to us and available through Yeshua Who paid an unspeakable price for it.

Got grace?

Don't Call it a Comeback!

We've all experienced loss. It's painful and potentially devastating. I've tasted of its bitter fruit. I was married one day and divorced the next. I was celebrated as a "40 Under 40" rising star one day and fired for "failure to perform job duties" the next. I was a homeowner one day and surrendered the deed in lieu of foreclosure the next.

God's promise to me and any of His children who suffer loss is this- "[I will] set everything right again, reestablish your fortunes. Even though you’re not much right now, you’ll end up better than ever (Job 8:7 MSG)." We must let go of the past and let God blow our minds with restoration and promotion as He does immeasurably more than ALL we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20).

God is doing a new thing in us, through us and for us. Don't you see it? Can't you feel it? No? Oh wait, you're looking back at what used to be and the past "glory" and success or maybe you're looking down at the loss and present-day mess. Look up. Look to God in all things. He restores and even promotes His children after times of loss. It wasn't meant to kill us. It was simply a pruning process preparing us for greater.

Don’t call it a comeback because God  didn't allow you to go through that pain and loss to simply come back to that same place where you were before the divorce,  job loss, foreclosure, or whatever it is you experienced. God says I'm  giving you double for your trouble! You were temporarily set back in the slingshot of destiny to be launched  forth to go higher and further than ever before!

Proton: Every Seed Reproduces After Its Own Kind

Próton (Strong's Concordance 4412): first, before, at the beginning, in the first place.

In every generation of every family there are those of us given the grace (divine enablement and unmerited favor) to be "the first"- first generation college graduate, first homeowner, first ordained minister, first to maintain purity until marriage, first to be elected to public office, first born, first business owner etc.

We carry a breaker, trailblazer anointing that comes with responsibilities. We must remain focused on glorifying God and lifting others as we climb. We must co-labor with God to replicate and reproduce in others what God gave us the grace to produce.

We're "the first" and cannot be satisfied with being "the only" in our lineage to attain that goal. God created us as patterns to be modeled which facilitate success of others.

There's no success without successors. I encourage you to write down every major accomplishment God allowed you to achieve first within your family or spheres of influence. Then ask God to give you wisdom, knowledge and understanding to mentor and coach others to achieve and surpass you.

For example,  I'm the first to earn a doctorate. I'm charged with raising up other doctors within my family. My desire is that unlike me they earn their degrees debt -free.

Let's Not Get it Twisted!

He was extravagant, lived a lavish lifestyle, seduced married women and young boys. He had an affair with his friend's wife, had his mother and wife executed, and as the leader of the land embarrassed himself and fellow citizens by performing on "reality TV." He kicked one of his wives to death, persecuted minorities and burned them at night to provide lighting in his garden. Yet in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Believers are instructed to pray for ALL leaders including  Nero (described above) who was the Emperor at the time and notorious for the maltreatment of Believers.

Many of us are outraged that Trump was elected as President. We should protest, march, organize, and exercise our civic duties and rights. And at the end of the day if we're Believers (this doesn't apply to you if you're not so stop reading now or you'll likely be VERY offended) we're commanded in scripture to pray for ALL leaders- whether we like them or not, whether they're "legitimate" or not, whether they're Believers or not, whether they're racist, bigoted, misogynistic, arrogant, egotistical or not, whether they were apparently dropped at birth and have the IQ of a rock or not. We are to Pray for them!

Let's not be such good feminists, good womanists, and  good Afri-Centric activists that we forget to be good Christians.

A Prayer for Wisdom

So give Your  servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart [with which] to judge Your  people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge and rule this great people of Your s?" 1 Kings 3:9Amplified Bible (AMP)

Father Lord God You said in Your  word that if anyone lacks wisdom let them ask for it.  You said in Your  word that wisdom comes from You and begins with a reverential fear of You.  Lord in and of myself I lack wisdom.  I cannot do that which You would have me to do in my own strength.  I need you.  I am asking for wisdom and I know that You are well able and willing to grant it to me. 

You said seek and I shall find.  I am seeking out wisdom in the place of prayer, in Your  holy word, by Your  spirit and through divine connections and destiny helpers.  You said ask and it shall be given.  I am asking You to reveal truth, illuminate understanding and inspire godly action. I'm asking you to empower me to walk in holiness and righteousness  in reverential fear so that I may uncompromisingly obey You. You said knock and it shall be opened unto me.  I am standing at the door that leads to wisdom, knowledge and understanding and I am asking You to open it up unto me so that I may receive the treasures of wisdom. Thank You for opening doors no man can close and closing doors no man can open.

There is a great cloud of witnesses that have gone before me.  You have used men and women of god mightily by granting them wisdom.  You are no respecter of man.  You gave my ancestors wisdom.  You gave my Elder Brother Who is my Lord and Savior wisdom.  I stand on His shoulders.  I believe that when You look at me You see Your  only begotten Son.   Grant me wisdom through the anointing of His Holy Ghost.

I am but a child.  You said suffer the little children to come unto me.  I humbly come before You as a child.  I don't know what to say, what to do, where to go and with whom without Your guidance.  I am Your  daughter crying out and seeking Your  face for wisdom.  Lord often times the children of the world are more savvy  than Your children in many ways.  Often times they know more so than we do how to navigate the world systems proficiently to achieve their goals. We have a head knowledge of Your word, but lack understanding hearts and wisdom to apply it. Father cause me to  remain humble as a dove and yet be wise as a serpent.  Teach me to work the word. Teach me to walk it out in my daily life.

I thank You for saving me, anointing me, placing Your  spirit within me and teaching me how to navigate through the spirit realm.  Let Your  will be done in earth as it is in heaven.  I know that I am not of this world but since I am in it dear Lord grant me the grace to navigate through world systems with good success.  Give me wisdom to prosper in every area of my life.  Father God grant me the grace to lead, manage, and administer effectively at home, work, in the community, in the kingdom and all of my spheres of influence.

Dear Lord help me by Your  Spirit to choose between good and evil, light and darkness, that which is of You and that which is not, that which causes me to bear Your fruit and that which causes death and barrenness.  Lord I thank You for granting me the divine ability to lead, make right decisions and navigate skillfully through life.  In Jesus' name I pray, have great expectations, shall receive, rejoice and give thanks.  Amen.

(c) 2016 Lynderia "Lyn" S. Cheevers.  All rights reserved.

Receiving Feedback and Constructive Criticism

Prov 15:32 says "He who neglects and ignores instruction and discipline despises himself, But he who learns from rebuke acquires understanding [and grows in wisdom]."  Feedback and constructive criticism can be forms of instruction or rebuke. Corporate America and individual high-performers in secular organizations and systems welcome feedback- good or bad, because it makes them better at what they do. Is feedback welcome in the Kingdom? Do we really want to know what visitors think about our ministry and the services we provide in the Kingdom? Do individual Believers welcome feeback?

Can we receive feedback , pray about it, eat the meat (examine it for merit and prayerfully make necessary adjustments) and spit out the bones? Of course we're not man pleasers. We're helpers one to another. We provoke each other unto righteousness. Iron sharpens iron just as one man sharpens another. God uses foolish things to confound the wise.

There may be some merit in complaints, criticism, and feedback. We shouldn't kill the messenger with our words and thoughts. We shouldn't  attempt to murder their character because they lovingly shared criticisms with us directly without gossiping about it behind our backs and sharing it with others. They honored the word which says "touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm." Now we must do the same.  Corporate America and high- performing individuals in secular matters  see the value of feedback. Why don't church folk see its value?  It's time out on  the children of this world being  wiser than the children of light.

Welcome feedback. Prayerfully consider its merit. Make necessary adjustments. Live together with your sisters and brothers in Christ in love, harmony and peace even after they share negative feedback. These are essential elements of operating and flowing  in an excellent spirit. Shalom!

The Banner of Malice

The Confederate flag definitely should not fly over government buildings  (federal, state, or local) because it is a symbol of treason. The only public/state owned  spaces we should find this flag are  museums, Confederate Memorials, and other historic sites. Even though I'm offended when I see it, what businesses and private citizens choose to do is their prerogative. It let's me know where they stand. I have a right to choose whether or not to patronize those businesses or associate with those individuals who fly this flag.

Personally I think those who choose to fly the Confederate flag are selfish, insensitive, and lack regard for the suffering and pain of others. I'd never display a Swastika (sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Odinism which means good fortune). Why? Because  I'm a Believer  and I empathize with Jews. The meaning of the Swastika was marred by Hitler. A symbol of good luck became a symbol of evil. 

Regardless of what the Confederate flag means or meant  to some it was used as a calling card at burnings and lynching. It was used as a calling card of those who terrorized my ancestors.  Your precious symbol of "southern pride" was marred by bloody, murderous, hateful, evil human beings who quartered people (took a living man/ woman, tied each limb to a horse and sent the horses in four directions), raped women and children, castrated men, desecrated dead bodies of those they murdered, etc. They left this flag to take ownership of their actions. Just as most terrorists leave their  paraphernalia and symbols today. I get sick to my stomach thinking about this- not because I'm black but because I'm a Believer and lover of humanity.

And finally, removing the flag doesn't change hearts and minds. Those who love this flag so much even after it was marred and became a symbol of evil and who claim to be Christian should sincerely pray a simple prayer- "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my thoughts. See if there is any pride, hatred, and  bigotry in me, and lead me in the way everlasting that I may seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with you God and all my sisters and brothers in Christ regardless of their  race, ethnicity or national origin. In Jesus ' name. Amen." Shalom.