6/25/23 "Check Your Behavior "

6/25/23

5 Minutes of Focus 

"Check Your Behavior "

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:19-20 NIV

"He had in mind to divorce her quietly." That part.

Now, If the truth be told...Some of us don't want to be quiet or to do things in a quiet manner.

Instead, We want to shout it from the root top and let everybody know how that person hurt us, how they did this, this, and this to us.

But not Joseph, He wasn't interested in getting back at Mary. He didn't want everybody to know that Mary had cheated on him and gotten pregnant (or at least that's what he believed to be true at the time).

If you have ever been cheated on or suspected a loved one of cheating...THEN you know, Joseph had to be hurting, but yet he was CHOOSING to behave quietly, to behave respectfully.

And Because of the way Joseph was planning to handle the situation: Quietly, Respectfully, NOT WANTING Mary to be disgraced...God came to him in a dream, in the form of an angel and told him what was really going on, and to NOT be afraid to take Mary as his wife. 

God came and eased Joseph's fears, came and put his concerns to rest. 

But why hasn't He came and done the same for some of us?

It's because of how we are planning (in our head) to handle the situation. God knows, if we have our way...

It's not going to be quiet, it's not going to respectful and somebody just might get hurt.

You see, Your behavior is always a choice despite what has been done to you, and UNTIL we learn to behave better,  to make some better choices; some questions will have to remain unanswered.

Until Next Sunday.

LPS~Love, Prophetess Stacy

6/18/23 "Sometimes They Stay"

6/18/23

5 Minutes of Focus 

"Sometimes They Stay"

She will give birth to a son, and you (Joseph) are to give him the name Jesus....

Matthew 1:21 NIV

Thinking about this scripture led to me thinking about all the fathers who have given a child their name, their last name, KNOWING that child wasn't biologically theirs.

But they stayed in the relationship and stuck it out for the sake of the child.

You see, I've come to realize that sometimes mothers aren't the only ones who are willing to sacrifice for the sake of their child.

There are STILL some fathers like Joseph out there who are willing to stay in a relationship they don't fully understand, but to please God, to do what He said, and do what's best for the child...They stay!!

And when I think about Mary & Joseph that's exactly what he did. He didn't fully understand what was going on with Mary; other than she was pregnant and he was not the father. He had thoughts of "quietly" divorcing her.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20‭-‬21 NIV

So, Today, I just want to give honor where honor is due...

Rom 13:7 NKJV

To: All The Joseph's out there...

Thank you for stepping up and

staying out of obedience to

God. You've help make that child who he and she is today.

YOU SHOULD BE PROUD... 

God is so pleased!!

#HappyFathersDay!!

Until Next Sunday. 

LPS~ Love, Prophetess Stacy

6/11/23 "Because I Care"

6/11/23

5 Minutes of Focus 

"Because I Care"

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

Acts 3:2 NIV

The gate may have been beautiful, but what it took to get that lame man to the gate every day was not beautiful.

But nobody saw just how much of a struggle it really was, nobody but just his caregivers- those who would have to lift him, have to carry him because he could not walk on his own.

His caregivers were there for him, giving up time in their day every day to come and see about him.

The text doesn't say anything about friends (not even his family) coming to help him every day...It just says he got carried to a gate called Beautiful every day and placed in a certain position.

.

That's because caregivers are the real  "unsung" heros. Often they are under appreciated for the work that they do, under appreciated for the help that they provide, under appreciated because a lotta times, the work that they do is an "Act of Love" on their part.

As I'm typing this into my phone, I'm thinking about how the bible says, When we were unable to help ourselves, at the right time, Christ died for us, although we were living against God.

Romans 5:6 NCV

So, In a sense, Jesus has been our caregiver all this time. Think About It: How many times has Jesus done something for you that you couldn't do for yourself? How many times has Jesus made a way for you when there seemed to be no way?

It didn't matter to Him that we were (at that time) living against God...Sin had us in a crippled condition; we couldn't even help ourselves, but still He didn't overlook us.

Therefore, We need to stop overlooking those who care for our loved ones.Caregivers are doing the work of Jesus. 

Care giving is a ministry, not all ministries have a pulpit. 

Remember that!!

And if you are The Caregiver...Just know that I felt led to give you a shout out today because I care, because God cares. He is not overlooking you, you have not been forgotten. 

Until Next Sunday. 

LPS~Love, Prophetess Stacy

6/4/23 "It's Time To Ask"

6/4/23

5 Minutes of Focus 

"It's Time To Ask"

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

Acts 3:2 NIV 

Maybe, It's just me, but looking at this portion of scripture... I wonder, What happened that made this man give up on being healed?...And when did he become content with begging every day?

I wonder, What lie he had to tell himself daily to lessen the blow of him, having to be carried NOT helped, but carried to the temple gate  every day?

You see, Helped would imply that they were only assisting him in doing what he was trying to do.

But carried implies that they had to pick him up, physically lift him because he couldn't do it on his own.

I wonder, if every day he had to fight off the Spirit of Depression or if he just layed there at the temple gate every day, depressed, feeling like a failure, feeling like a burden?

And I wonder, how many of you reading this can relate?

You're depressed, you feel like a failure, you feel like a burden to those around you....But you don't say anything.

And somebody like Peter and John have yet to show up...

Somebody who will challenge you and what it is, you say you need.  

Here this man was lame, unable to walk, but yet he was begging for money, making money the primary need in his life...UNTIL Peter & John showed up with a different perspective.

They knew he needed more than money...They knew he needed to get up and so Peter extended his hand. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

Acts 3:7 NIV

Beloved, 

You can't stay as you are. In order to be made strong again...You must get up, shake off depression as best you can, little by little...And challenge yourself to ask for something other than money. It's time to ask for what you really need unapologetically. 

Ask and it will be given to you...Matt 7:7 NIV

Now is not the time to give up and just be content with things the way they are.

Until Next Sunday. 

LPS~Love, Prophetess Stacy

5/28/23 "He's There!!"

5/28/23

5 Minutes of Focus 

"He's There!!"

If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Psalms 139:8 NKJV

If the truth be told:

Your life doesn't look like or feel like a bed of roses right now...But just know, that God has made His bed right there in that hell with you- meaning He has unapologetically made Himself available to you right there in the midst of that hell you're currently going through.

God has made His bed in that situation that has you uncomfortable, has you frustrated, and confused. At this point, He would do anything just to be near you.

David talks about how close God is willing to be to us in Psalms 34:18 (NIV) when he said, "He's close to the brokenhearted."

So, You shouldn't be surprised that out of everything you're feeling...The one thing you're not feeling is ALONE.

Why? Because God is there.

Your hell is His hell.  

Your fight is His fight. He is fighting for you according to Exodus 14:14 & Deut 3:22 NIV.

Simply put, This battle was never really yours, but His. 

2 Chron 20:15 NIV

Think about this:

When God said, "Call to Me" in Jere 33:3 (NIV). Did He say it would be a long distance call?

No, Seriously...Did He say to reach Him, it be a long distance call?

No, He didn't. 

That's because God has always planned on staying close to you, close to His people.That's why you feel His presence when you cry...and 

when you're upset, something on the inside of you calms you down.  

It's His presence. 

It's His Holy Spirit present with you even now.

He's there, just like in the 3rd Chapter of Daniel when Jesus was there with the Hebrew boys in the midst of the fire, in the midst of the hell they were going through.

The odds are no longer stacked against you. You will survive this season of your life because of WHO is for you.

It's no longer a question of, if He's for you...But rather, who is it that can be against you?

Rom 8:31 NKJV 

Until Next Sunday.

LPS~Love, Prophetess Stacy

5/21/23 "Own Up"

5/21/23

5 Minutes of Focus 

"Own Up"

But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Genesis 3:8‭-‬12 NIV

Ever notice how quick some people will throw you under the bus?

They will put all the blame on you, as if nothing is ever their fault.

That's what Adam did to Eve...He was quick to tell the Lord that it was Eve's fault the reason why he disobeyed Him and ate the fruit.

Totally disregarding the fact, that he had a mind of his own and didn't have to eat the fruit, just because it was offered to him.

Like Eve, So what, if you were the one that offered it, initiated it, or suggested it to them. Still it was their choice to do whatever they did. You didn't force them to do anything.

Nowhere in the bible does it say that Eve forced Adam to eat that piece of fruit. She didn't force him, she didn't trick him, she simply offered it to him. 

He could have said, NO!! The bible says that Adam was not deceived meaning he knew exactly what he was doing.

1 Tim 2:14 KJV

 

NOW, Keep in mind that a man is very visual. Give a man something to look at and he will respond. Perhaps that's why Job chose to make a covenant with his eyes in

Job 31:1 NIV

Anyways, Here's what happened: The fruit looked good to Adam...and Eve (his wife) standing there, holding the fruit looked good to Adam. So, He responded by deciding to take the fruit from her hand and eat it.

So, I say to you; 

Stop letting grown folks who knew what they were getting into blame you when things don't go right. 

It's time for them to take responsibility for their own actions. YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOULDER ALL OF THE BLAME. YOU DIDN'T MAKE THEM DO ANYTHING!!

If you can own up to your part in what happened, then they can and should own up to theirs too.

Until Next Sunday. 

LPS~Love, Prophetess Stacy

5/14/23 "It Takes A Village "

5/14/23

5 Minutes of Focus 

In Loving Memory Of:

Mrs. Essie Washington (my mother - the woman who gave birth to me) & Mrs. Corine Gholar (my grandmother- the woman who raised me). 🌷⚘️

"It Takes A Village"

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

John 19:25 NIV

As a parent, Never be ashamed of not being able to do it alone.

But thank God for everybody He has placed in your life to assist you.

It really does take a village of support when it comes to the upbringing of our children.

Even Mary (the mother of Jesus) needed support.  Though she was standing near THE CROSS in the final moments of her son's life, she STILL needed support. She wasn't standing there alone.

There, helping her stand, helping her be present in that "most heartbreaking" moment was her sister, and two other women (one of which was Mary Magdalene).

Jesus' mother had a small village of women around her, showing their love & support as Jesus breathed his last..

Why? Because a mother is a mother til' the end.

Therefore, If Mary got to where she was that day with the assistance of other women. Who are you to be ashamed of needing help?

Is your son or daughter greater than the child Mary carried in her womb? Is your son or daughter greater than Jesus?

I don't think so.

You are not superwoman, but you are a super woman, a super mom, but even super moms need help.

Remember; The bible says, Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up...

Ecclesiastes 4:9‭-‬10 NIV

So, Today, Honor your village, those who have helped you get back up when you felt like quitting, those who have helped you stand. Honor the tribe the Lord has provided for you whether you are a single mom, a young mom, a married or widowed mom....

Show honor, show love, but don't forget to honor yourself, to show love towards yourself as well.

Cut yourself some slack.

Stop beating up on yourself.

You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

It really does take a village to get it all done.

#HappyMothersDay!!

Until Next Sunday. 

LPS~Love, Prophetess Stacy