V I S I O N S

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;  for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away - Psalm 37:1-2

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Heyyyy sista girl! Since we've reached the half way mark of the year I decided to revisit my vision board. Why in the world did I do that? Gazing from corner to corner I was able to make mental tallies of "not done", "undone" and "almost but not completely" done tasks.I was immediately discouraged. Better yet, disappointed in myself. What had I been doing these past 6 months?! Absolutely NOTHING from the standpoint of my vision board. But where did I go wrong? Vision board? Check. List of how-to's? Check. Execution plan? Check. What was missing? And there it was, Psalm 37.

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Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. v.4

At first glance I thought, "I'm already doing this. Now what?" I go to church, I'm involved, I tithe, I pray daily and I study the word. I considered myself taking much delight in the Lord so in return I figured I'd be further along on my journey to a successful 2019. Then I took a second look at the verse and begin to dive deeper into the text. Here's what I discovered...

To take delight in Lord is more than to read His word and serve at a place of worship. To delight yourself in the word is to become in alignment with His word. In doing so, the desires of your heart will be revealed to you. See, He already knows what our heart desires. After all He is the Creator of all things. Those magazine clippings placed abstractly onto a white poster board and surrounded by inspirational quotes are also desires, but not desires of the heart. The trips, the degrees, the wealth, the weight loss and the businesses are desires of the flesh. They aim to fulfill physical, emotional and financial desires. Our God yearns to give us the desires of our heart because from our heart flows life. What we produce from our heart is what represents us long after our physical bodies return to the Earth.

We live in a society that allows us to see into the lives of others through the use technology and social media. We spend hours "liking" what we know to be the perfect lives of others and even more time staging our lives for the same likes. But the word of God tells not to be envious of others for the what we perceive is like grass that will wither and like plants that will soon die. What we view on Facebook and Instagram are filtered, but to read Psalm 37 is to absorb the unfiltered truth of what God wants to do in our lives. It's a picture that cannot be photo-shopped, a video that cannot be edited.

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The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. v.24

What brings the heart more joy than knowing than the hand of the Lord is always with you? Our paths may not always be perfectly parted. There will be weeds, thorn bushes and a few stumbling blocks along the way but to delight in the Lord is to come across such obstacles and not fall. That's what I desire. That level of faith has the ability to produce the fulfillment of many desires.

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. v.25

That's that type of generational wealth an LLC can't even produce! We all desire a lifestyle that allows us to provide and protect the ones we love. To align with God's vision for your life is to accept a lifestyle that is marked by righteousness and favor. This is type of life that we are unable to acquire on own. No matter how many businesses, patents or trademarks we own, we will not be able to produce enough to feed the generation that follows from our own strength. God knows and He sees. Place your ideas, dreams, and dreams into His hands if you really want to see them prosper.

They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing. v. 26

When I consider "financial freedom", this is precisely what comes to mind. The ability to give generously and freely without anxiety or the fear of not having enough. This does not equate to having unlimited resources but it is parallel to the idea that God provides. The ability to give unreluctantly is the security of knowing that God is capable of fulfilling your needs as he allows you to help others. It is every parents' desire that their children reflect the morals and values instilled into them long after they have left this Earth. Allowing our heavenly Father to design and direct your life, will ensure that that the fruit produced from your faithfulness and works will bless others.

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I challenge you this month to search for your heart's desires in the word of God. What do you desire? What does God desire for you? Away from the culture obsessed with material things and monetary wealth discover the visions for your life that are in alignment with God. He will lead you to a place of success ensuring that your footing is firm and your path is lit.

Ms. Kie