Why I WON'T Be Participating in the "Blackout"

I'm over y'all.
My thoughts at 10:44pm. Just about 4 hours after they announced the Grand Jury's decision NOT to indict Darren Wilson for the murder or 19-year old Mike Brown

Less than 5 hours and I am completely over y'all.
And by "y'all", I mean my peers. My fellow black adults; old and young; I'm over you all.

From riots to peaceful protests to "#NoJusticeNoPeace"... I am tired.
I'm tired of everything being a trend, a fad, a bandwagon for you to feel included. I'm tired of the news & "#Ferguson" being all but MIA with the Mike Brown case for... (how long ago was Mike Brown killed? 100 days?) so... for approximately 95 days.
I'm tired of bootleg protests and makeshift petitions.
I'm tired of basic reposts of a repost of a tweet that you ONLY reposted because it sounded cool, but you didn't even bother to go on Twitter and at least look at what was being said, in full context, by the person you reposted.
Better yet, join the conversation.
but no... That's a little too much. Maybe it requires a little bit more knowledge and work than you think is necessary.
We ALL know this is a crisis, right?
If this is how you act in a crisis... Remind me to identify some alternative hotlines.

I'm tired y'all. My heart is heavy and I want to speak, but I feel like a moment of silence is more needed.
I feel like a moment of more than 1 hour of planning a protest is needed.
I feel like a time to come together and get on the same page, in person, not via repost, is needed...

I love the age of technology. The message and the news spreads so quickly, but just as quickly, the fire burns out.
I can't deal.
We can't deal, or grow, or be... Like this...
I NEED to get involved. Life is TOO short, my weekends are TOO long.
Although I claim this as a lie every Monday... THIS Monday is a little different.
Today, I'm tired.
And not just because my day at work was long, but because I discovered, or rather it was reaffirmed, just how long this has been going on...
Not just the hate; not just the cycle of discrimination; but the cycle of passive aggressiveness amongst my peers.
Within myself.
I can't deal like this y'all.
There's far too much love, too much PASSION inside of me to go on like this.

I'm not saying stop... I'm saying DON'T STOP!
Don't stop paying attention just because it's no longer a trending topic.
Don't stop just because no one liked it as much.
Don't stop.
Do not stop trying.
If we really care about this, seriously care. Then at some point more moves need to be made than running into a store and looting.
More moves need to be made than screenshotting an awesome post so that you can post it too.
MOVES need to be made.

And that means time and effort needs to be given.
Time like the time put into The Montgomery Bus Boycott (because Rosa Parks was handpicked to sit there, FYI).
Time like the time put into preparing for sit-ins and Freedom Rides, & school integrations.
Not the time it took you to read this (and yes, I'm aware this is "long").

I'm done just watching everyone fall off then not saying anything until the news brings it up again.
I'm ready to get involved.
I mean, INvolved.
because I'm SO over the alternative.

Because I LOVE the fire, but the smoke seems to last longer these days.

Well... I CARE! || NAMI Walk 2014

On Saturday, October 18th, I will be taking a great step in not only my fitness journey, but in general my life journey. On that day, I will be completing my first 5K by participating in the NAMI Walk.

I'm really excited about it.

Mental illness has been a huge part of my life. My mother has had bipolar disorder since I was a young child. Andcas a child there's one thing you learn about mental illness... You don't tell anyone about it. It was likely that kind of culture that led to me having my own challenges with anxiety and depression. Nonetheless, feeling unable to control my life and seeing my mom become someone else throughout my life, while suffering in silence led to my vowing, in high school, to never work in the behavioral health field...

Fast forward to 5 years later and I ended up becoming a behavioral health case manager for youth.

Funny how God works.
Over the years I realized that all of the things I witnessed and experienced were there to equip me for what was to come. I've managed to remain at this job for 4 years (in December) and each day I grow and learn and appreciate my life.
Through the years I've developed a passion for mental health awareness, so being a part of this walk is an expression of that.
I've participated in the NAMI Walk for the past 2 years and this upcoming walk will make it 3. I don't think I've ever asked for donations for my participation in this walk, but there was something about this one that I felt a need to go a step further.
With the way mental illness has played a part with my entire family over this past year, I felt that it was almost symbolic of me to not only participate in the walk, but to do my first 5K as a part of the NAMI Walk.
It's all ironic, but I'm really excited about it all.

I say I'm a rebel with a cause (or 5) and this is just one of them.

So... Click the link & Sponsor Me Here if you're able. NAMI is such a great resource for so many of us affected by mental illness that it's so worth it to support. Giving even a dollar will provide this organization and families out there with needed resources and supports to end the stigma on mental illness and educate others on mental health.

Stay Blessed y'all.
❤❤
-Benita (:

Dating Jesus || Don't Let Fear Prevent Praise

This weekend has been crazy. I'm still not sure exactly how i feel, but... I feel much better after writing this.
I can be pretty open, but these past few months have been difficult for me so I've been pretty shut off, hence my not writing. However, these days, in spite of my increased feelings if anxiety, I feel better. Mainly because I'm seeing more and more that if I say what's in my head... I can likely get someone to shine some light and speak some life into me. So my peace increases.
With this, I figured I'd share one of the recent lessons I learned and try to work on continuing my "Dating Jesus" series.
Here ya go and I hope this helps.
Also, I'm going to reference some of the scriptures that are helping me rebuke the lies and embrace His truth.

So... I got a new car yesterday...
And instead of being happy about the blessing that is the ability to be on the road again (including, but not limited to: being able to run my needed errands w/out the task of defeating feelings of pride & guilt, being able to do my job better, AND getting back to receiving my mileage reimbursement) I found myself depressed, disappointed, guilty, and still anxious.

Then today, while expressing my thoughts for the 10th time or so... I realized what was happening...
I was allowing fear to begat fear and, in tern, prevent me from praising God...

I was feeling completely wrong because my action WAS made off of fear so I felt that it was only just that God allow me to fall so I didn't thank Him... At all. I'm not saying that this was all blessed by God, but I AM saying God will bless me.

I'm not perfect. There are times when I have and probably will foolishly ignore wisdom or fall victim to my lack of faith, but God is my Father. He is my guide and He is not in the business of letting me fall [Psalms 55:22, Hebrews 13:5-6]. This may be a lesson, but in the midst of it, I can't refuse to thank God for giving me what I asked for... And ultimately this is Grace activated.

He's over here preparing me and even allowing me to see how I can be better in the future; who i can talk to; how to move forward, but I was focused on things I can't change anymore.

He has given me victory, peace, joy, grace, and He has promised me that all things will work for the good [Isaiah 12:2, Philipians 4:7 Psalms 46:10, Matthew 21:28, Ephesians, Psalms 119:143, Romans 8:28]. I'm NOT going to allow fear to override my praise. I'm NOT going to forget that God is able to do WAY more than I can ask or think [Ephesians 3:20]. And I'm NOT going to forget that God chose Me so He's got me [Romans 8:28-30].

Stay Blessed y'all
❤❤
-Benita

National Suicide Prevention

I haven't written in a WHILE. Not since starting my true fitness journey in July. Today, however, I felt drawn to type about my car on Facebook; just to vent, and then it randomly turned into me exposing a little more about myself than I wanted to. But... With the way my year has been set up... I felt the need to make a little bit more noise...
Below you'll find what I posted, but since this is home I wanted to add a little more...
Mainly that this year has truly taken its toll on me. 

From my mom, to my job, to my friendships and my weight; I have felt terrible way more often than I have felt good. And although this is still a struggle, I finally see light. Some of the light has scared me and affected me in ways that brought feelings I still can't describe. Then there's the light of simply knowing that God has got me and on top of that... I cannot give up. 

I declared this year the year of Never Giving Up. And I forgot that, but yet it still took hold in my spirit; In my soul. 

I refuse to give up. 

And that is truly ALL GOD. 

And in knowing THAT brings me so much random bits of peace. Something else I can't describe.
So yea... In the midst of my sorrow and fear I'm grateful to God for instilling HOPE in me. And through hope I become resilient and strong and joyful...

My Fb post.
My car has been out of commission for almost 2 weeks.
Which means I haven't been able to go to church for 2 weeks and effectively doing my job has been THE struggle. I have been on one of the worst emotional, financial and spiritual rollercoasters of my life for 2 weeks.
My pride, my faith, my love, & my ability to cry have been tested several times this year and this was like the icing on the cake.

But I realized that no matter what happens to me...
(And as a person who struggles with anxiety, believe me when I say I thought of everything that could happen)...
I will ALWAYS declare Jesus is Lord;
God will ALWAYS be my Abba Father;
and I will ALWAYS remember the many ways God has shown up and showed out in my life.

I thank God for just being able to hold on to something. My past victories; His promises; and just Hope.
People don't always feel like they have those. Any of them.

And during National Suicide Prevention Week and more specifically this being National Suicide Prevention Day...
I felt that it was important for people to understand the power of Hope. The power of Faith. and the power in His Love.

There are people who struggle EVERY DAY living in their own heads. Tortured by the thought that, not only does life suck right now, but that there is no way it is going to get better or that the pain is not tolerable enough to hold on until it does.

There's that wonderful quote out there, I don't know who stated it, but it was a great truth.
"Suicide doesn't end the chances of life getting worse, suicide eliminates the chances of it ever getting better."

And what people don't realize, sometimes, is the absolute Joy that you feel when things actually get better...

If we can, as a community, focus more on just instilling hope and strength and light into one another. If we could just be there for each other. Not to give advice all the time or correct all the time, but simply just listen and speak Life into each other...
Then prevention, instead of what always feels more like awareness... Would feel more attainable.

Just praying for people out there right now...

Be Great y'all.

❤❤
-Benita (:

Dating Jesus || In ALL things... Have Grace

If I've learned one thing during my weight-loss journey it is the importance of having grace for myself.

I know this series usually focuses on my relationship with God, but for me, my weight-loss/fitness journey is my visual representation of my walk with Christ. For me, I can see no difference between how I take care of my body & how I worship God. After all, we are called to worship and honor God with our bodies [Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 6:20]. So it only makes since that I use this example when talking about grace.

Currently I am in this place in my weight-loss journey that I've seen before. Feeling a little hopeless. Hopeless because of countless attempts to eat better and exercise but I keep allowing myself to be distracted or unmotivated. I fail. And because I keep telling myself that I'm failing or I suck at this, I remain in this pattern of self-hate. And that's unhealthy.

So, I had to step back (and really I have to do this often) and remind myself that I truly can start over at any time. And although I might be operating in fear right now, God has given me grace and victory over anything. I have to remind myself that every error I make is just that, an error. It's a part of the journey and I can't hold onto a false belief that I'm going to get everything right the first time I try. I spent 20+ years creating bad habits for myself. One day won't immediately erase those habits.

You have to have grace and allow for mistakes because in all realness; You're learning how to live again.

The same thing can be said for your Spiritual journey. You're a new creation which means old things are officially in the past, but this doesn't mean old habits just end. It doesn't mean old beliefs that we held on to just go away. And this doesn't mean you will automatically be able to do everything you're supposed to do the first time you try. This is why I choose to emphasize this as a "journey".

Ultimately God intends to work on us as individuals and as a Body until the day Jesus returns [ Philippians 1:6]. This means there will always be areas of growth and improvement. And this means that there will also be times where we fall short or even give up. That's the human in us. The goal, however is that, eventually, we become completely Spirit led.

The thing about that is, we have to put in a lot of effort and time throughout our lives in order to know God's will for us and in order to do His will. Again, this is where error is expected. And this is why God's grace is sufficient. We just don't want to become dependent on Grace when we can do better with His Spirit in us. God's grace is what has frees us from having to live in sin [Galatians 5:13; Romans 6].

So... today, I'm going to walk in God's grace and forgive myself for the mistakes I make along this journey to full health. I will proclaim victory over my entire life because God has graced me with it. And I will NEVER give up on myself because God chose me and adopted me. Because God needs me to help Glorify Him. And God loves me so much that he allowed Jesus to be crucified for me.

I will rebuke any thoughts that attempt to keep me trapped in my old ways and rebuke myself if needed.

I pray that in all things... we ALL experience and dwell in God's grace & glory.

Stay Blessed y'all.

♡♥
-Benita

Dating Jesus || Staying Committed

I have a confession...

I have a problem with commitment.

Not in relationships... well, I guess in relationships, but not the kind you're probably thinking of.
You see, I have a problem with committing to myself.
With committing to changing myself fully; with committing to accepting my purpose; and really, with committing to my personal relationship with God.

I'm a faster... as in, I fast, kind of often... well, at least I try to.
In 2012, when I did my first fast, I must say, although it was a challenge, once I got the hang of it & made it a habit with purpose, I was good. At one point I fasted for 40-days. I'm not bragging, because the circumstance kind of required it, but I'm just saying...that was me over a year ago.

But then...2013 came. Last March I wrote a piece on "No Compromising Season"... that was the season I was in. During that time, it was my intent to fast again because I'd noticed a few things and I felt my flesh getting too strong. I had started to lose control.
Before I move on, I feel that it's necessary to reiterate that when it comes to my relationship with God; my physical health is pretty much my visual indicator of how I'm doing. (And on a funnier note, I've kind of used my natural hair journey as an indicator too).
So last March when I noticed my weight gain + my hair breakage I was perplexed. I had felt that I was doing the right things in my walk to at least maintain a healthy weight (and healthy hair), but my body said otherwise. So when I wrote "No Compromising Season" I had a few revelations. The biggest one being... I was allowing myself to be content with mediocre efforts.
The reality was, although my eating wasn't horrible,  I was inconsistent. And didn't go to the gym. And when it came to my relationship with God, I went to church, but had stopped meditating on God's Word as soon as I felt that His Spirit was no longer responding to the effort.

I had become lax... I had started comprising during the process. RIGHT when I had to start making a little more effort, I fell off. And that is how I became vulnerable. The minute I let go of what worked was the minute the enemy crept in and presented me with opportunity after opportunity to forget where I was going and why. And with some of the smallest of thing. God had continued to tell me I was in a season where I couldn't compromise within the journey, but the longer I ignored that voice the easier it was to give in and indulge in things that weren't good for me. I, in essence, started cheating on God. I couldn't see it though because it was nothing "major". I still attended church & served, & listened to Christian music every morning. I just listened to my secular music the rest of the day and had stopped making efforts to improve my service or even make sure I did it to glorify Him instead of myself. 
As a result... eventually I couldn't even tell whose voice I was hearing; who I was really devoting myself to; whose spirit I was really walking in.

And I'm still in the struggle. It's better, but after a year of compromises, I've found that the things that I used to do, like fasting, take 4x as much effort a day than it did that first time. And that's a scary place to be.
I said a while ago that I will never give up on my fitness journey and this goes for maturing in Christ as well.
He didn't create me to be mediocre. He created me to glorify Him. He created me to be His child. He created me to be set apart. And for a God that loved me so much that He died for me... I can never give up allowing my flesh to die for Him. And for the God who rose from the dead for me... I will always take each day to rise out of my failures for Him.
It won't be easy, and that's ok. Because I am His I receive victory. Because of His Spirit in me & His grace, I have strength & wisdom. Because of His Word I have all the weapons I need to be an overcomer.

And the same goes for you! Today you may not be the best "Christian" you can be or life may generally suck; that doesn't mean you can just do the "fade away" with God. One, He's good for chasing after you. Lol. And, Two, He deserves better. 

How can you get re-committed?

Seek His face... get to know who God is; how he operates; for yourself. Take a little time (5 minutes never hurt anyone). Read His Word & pray. Keep a verse in your head for the day. Learn who He is.

I personally love Psalms 119... longest book in the Bible, but probably contains something for everyone. One verse from that can reveal your heart. Give it a try... you have to start somewhere. 

Ok.
This is way longer than I thought it would be, but... this is me at 12am on a weekday like I don't have to work in less than 8 hours.

Stay Blessed y'all.

♡♥
-Benita (:

The Evolution of Lola || That Moment You Realize You're NOT "Tender-headed"

*tug tug, POP*
"Ooouucchh-a!"
"You better hold still! I don't know how you ended up so tender-headed, but you're gonna have to grow out of it..."

I laugh as flashbacks of my BP (before perm) days play in my mind... I can remember being 8 or 9 and having exhausted ALL of my resources (aka my cousins) for getting my hair done. Everyone tried because they loved my hair, but like dominoes they each dropped & gave up, pledging to NEVER do my hair again.

You see... I was the tender-headed one between me and my sister (ok... in my family). Technically, we'd both cringe whenever a comb was raked through our kinks, but by this time my sister had a relaxer and I... was officially "the cryer".
My mom would always compliment my hair and tell me she never wanted me to get a relaxer because she didn't want my texture to change. But as I got older (and she as well) and baretts on 6 random braids was no longer considered an age-appropriate hairstyle, we started to run out of options for my hair. So, in 1999 at the ripe age of 11, I finally convinced my mom into letting me relax my hair. We decided to stick with children's relaxers (PCJ then Just For Me) because "they wouldn't mess up my texture". We're going to save that discussion for another day though.

Life was grand after that. My hair kept growing for the most part and, thanks to some middle school classmates, I learned how to wrap my hair on my own.

Fast-Forward to 2010 and I decided that my September relaxer was going to be my last one. I had to have my hair fresh for my birthday (in October) and I had already started waiting 6 months in between relaxers so... it was time.

It took me almost 7 months into my transition to learn about "transitioning" and all the other information online regarding natural hair and the journey to it. Like everyone else I became a little obsessed with researching and styling and hair maintenance.
And, like most of us, one of the first things I learned was the appropriate way to detangle and/or comb through my hair...
This is when I discovered the truth.
The truth being... I'M NOT TENDER-HEADED!!

I'm not sure how many of you had this discovery, but I promise I feel bamboozled and gyped from my childhood.
And then after I finally cut off my relaxer... and REALLY started styling my own hair and discovered my curl pattern. .. Yea I felt like I had been played my whole life. I mean really, for the first time in my life I saw that it was EVERYone else who was crazy and not me.

That moment you realize that your hair, in all of it's kinky, coily, glory, was never made to be raked through like leaves. That an afro comb is not really your friend. And that Blue Magic is not "Everything". That moment you realize that your mom truly just had no idea what she was doing to your hair...

Yea... THAT moment.
It's almost liberating. It's as if the weight of shame you felt because you just couldn't help but cringe in sheer pain each time that afro comb attempted to make its way from root to end and back again through your dry, but blue magic coated coils.... has veen lifted!

Yea... that moment.

I love that moment because I know that I will be able to pass on the knowledge to not just my peers, but also my Mom (who has been rocking her natural for a few years now) and anyone else.
And... I did...
The following summer I helped facilitate a discussion about hair care with the teen girls at my church. And it was Awesome.

So... I just wanted to let you naturals-formally-known-as-tender-headed that you have won.
And if you actually have a sensitive scalp...??
Well...
then...
this wasn't for you. Lol

Later people (:

♡♥
-Benita

When Fear Becomes You

Fear is such the little punk. It may just be one of the worst things to exist. It's a catalyst for disappointed, doubt, and self-destruction. And it's also pretty powerful. There have been so many times when I have let fear dictate my life and I realize that it is truly THE struggle.

I've feared failure, judgement, rejection, & even success. It's funny though, because even when I recognize the fear for what it is, I still manage to ignore it and the accompanied need to change my thinking. This, of course, leads to the  originally feared result.
A self-fulfilled prophecy if you will.

Even with me doing my blog, okay, especially with doing my blog... I get afraid of ALL of those things. So, as a result nothing happens and then I get disappointed and mad because I didn't put myself out there. The same can even be said for my weight-loss journey. In the past I mentioned that I feared success when it came to this area and although I reached a few milestones in the past, I let fear (and pride) come back into my life and I've reaped the results.
This has been me for the past few years.

As a writer and as a person I've seen my growth, but I've somehow convinced myself that it's not worth exposing. I've had many successes (and failures), but i allowed doubt to grow in my mind and didn't share what I've veen learning. I love that so many of us have the ability to inspire & encourage one another and I've become passionate about being a part of that. But still... i didn't stay committed.
As this new year gets into full swing I have been increasingly confronted with not only the need to change, but the idea of just working towards fulfilling my destiny.

So... here I am, continuing this journey of destiny fulfillment and I'm making it a point to focus on those things I've grown to be increasingly passionate about through the years. Those things that I've determined I will never give up on, no matter how many times I may fall.
And I'm making it a point to not stress over the things I can't control, but rather I'm just going to be honest and do what I do best.
God has given me gifts & with that I have a responsibility to do what I can with these gifts to glorify Him.

And that is exactly what I intend to do.

2 Timothy 1:7 NLT || For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

♡♥
-Benita (:

Becoming Me: "No Compromising" Season

So… I found myself getting a little too comfortable with being mediocre. Or should I say… I got content with doing nothing exceptional.

When I say this, I’m talking about my fitness journey. But, I’ve mentioned before that there’s a positive correlation to my fitness journey and my relationship with God. In other words… when one gets better so does the other, but on the flip-side of that… when one is bad, so is the other. As such, here I sit, looking at the buttons on this shirt gaping simply because I’m sitting down and I find myself thinking…

Where the heck am I slipping?!

I’ve been noticing my weight gain for the past month, but I’ve pretty much ignored it. Or rather… avoided it, because you can’t ignore your weight gain when you’re a person who stares in the mirror as much as I do (lol) or examines your body as much as I do. You can’t ignore the fact that you’ve started to allow yourself to eat fried food and Cheetos again, after saying how you can’t eat those things right now. And… you can’t ignore the fact that the clothes that you have been complaining about being way too baggy, now fit more than a little too right…

Yea… there’s no ignoring that. So avoided. Yea, I’ve been doing that.

The funny thing is, ok, maybe not “funny”, but the interesting thing is… I’ve been praying about this thing for a while now. As soon as my 4-week gym challenge was over and I decided to take a “break” from the gym, I probably started praying a week after that. Simply because… I never went back to the gym. lol But seriously. I saw the shift occurring in my mind, so, I started praying. It was probably a preventative prayer because clearly I still went weeks without hitting up the gym.

But the issue didn’t just stop with the gym. At the very end of my church’s corporate 3-week fast, I got the urge to listen to secular music. Now, those who are close to me know that I haven’t willfully listened to secular music since about early November, October (except when I went to the Lauryn Hill concert on Nov 28^th). So, when I got the desire to listen to secular music, I immediately questioned, Is this okay? This has GOT to be something the devil is tryna pull while I’m fasting. So I ignored the urge… until after my fast. And immediately I felt convicted.

The thought was Why do you think you have the right to compromise because you finished the fast when before the fast you didn’t?  

I did ignore that voice.

I did ignore that conviction because I wanted it to be okay since it was “just music” and I didn’t understand how others had the ability to listen to it and be okay, but I couldn’t. I’m just condemning myself…

Or so I convinced myself…

The reality was… it took maybe a week of alternating between secular and Christian music (‘cause I have to start my day off with Him in mind) for me to begin thinking about the times I spent listening to those songs before. It took me back to memories that I had actually forgotten about.

And then the voice came back:

You don’t have the right to compromise right now.

I listened this time. Accepted what He was telling me because I didn’t like where the alternative was taking my mind. So I let the music go and went back to my usual rotation, but decided to add some variety to it. Found some good songs on Amazon too. (:

But I was avoiding that other thing… I still wasn’t going to the gym.

The place that I knew I needed to be at if I wanted to, at least maintain my weight. Then my eating habits started getting worse and then shift in the scale exceeded my 5lbs warning zone…

But yet… I still avoided the issue. But, there went that pesky conviction: Why exactly do you think you need to “maintain” anything? You haven’t even hit your SHORT-TERM goal yet? Why would you want to maintain… this?? YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMPROMISE! This is NO COMPROMISING SEASON.

Since then the thoughts have entered my mind weekly…

No compromising season.

Don’t get comfortable.

STOP getting comfortable

You don’t have the right to “maintain” anything right now

You need “consistency”, not comfort.

I think the reason I rebuked these thoughts was simple:

laziness and… doubt.

All schemes of the devil.

I found myself questioning why I couldn’t stabilize a little, maintain for a while before I worried about taking the next step?

But, the proof is in the pudding… well the reason is in the product.

My gaping shirt

The increasing number on the scale

My less than healthy appetite

And… in other areas of my life where I have been slacking.

Here I am, questioning why I can’t “maintain”… mediocrity. Why I can’t compromise my form of worship. As if, I have the right to slack on something that is supposed to be my way of glorifying God. I’ve been told before “Don’t lose the revelation” when I found myself in a similar situation last fall, and I guess I lost it again.

I’m human & God’s grace is sufficient so this is not me condemning myself. This is how I

1) motivate myself.  

2) hold myself accountable and

3) hopefully motivate someone else.

Those of us in the journey to lose weight, be healthier, or just change, can often get to a point where we just think This is getting too hard or redundant. So we lose focus, inevitably allowing Satan to enter our thoughts and we lose the revelation of why we started our journeys in the first place.

But when you hold on to what God has told you. When you constantly check yourself, your situation, and remind yourself that your goal is realistic, desired, and in some cases, REQUIRED, for you to be the best you… Then you can decrease the likelihood of losing that revelation and can call out the devil for who he is-- A liar intent on stopping you from fulfilling your purpose.

I say… Access DENIED Satan.

In this life… There’s NO ROOM for Compromising, especially in the Year of the Miraculous…

No… We ain’t got time fo’ dat

Stay Blessed,

Benita Angela (: