scripture – Just Love Them Anyway

The Cloud of Glory is Moving…

February 13, 2019by SophieLeave a Comment

“The cloud of glory is moving.
Move with the cloud, move with the cloud.
Let your spirit arise and your strength be renewed;
come on let’s move altogether.
Strength you’ll receive as you follow His lead.
Move with the cloud, move with the cloud”

I was recently on vacation in the beautiful country of Panama, Central America. While in the ocean with my friends, we looked up and saw a big cloud of smoke in the sky. My bro bro Jerome and i burst out laughing as we began to reminisce om the song we grew up hearing called, “Move with the cloud” ( I always thought this was a made up Jamaican song. But, upon doing research I discovered it was actually a song by Albertina Walker! I’ll insert it later: ) )

If you grew in a church like my Jamaican pentecostal house of worship, you would know this was a staple song. But I must admit, I sang this song for years without truly understanding the meaning behind the lyrics. ( I find we do this a lot with choruses in the Pentecostal church, because if you listen to some of these songs… they don’t make any sense. But I digress.)

I began to re-examine the story of Moses leading the people through the wilderness. This narrative is found in the book of Exodus. I particularly paid attention to where I believe the lyrics of this song came from, which is found in Exodus 13 vs 17-22.

In this particular passage, Pharoah had recently released the Israelites from captivity. They were now en route to the Promised Land. Now we discover as we read further into these passages, that it was not an easy journey. There were even points along the journey where they cursed Moses for bringing them out of captivity seemingly into the desert to die! Mind you, the journey from where they were to the Promised Land should have only taken 3 days or so. We know it took much longer than that! It took 40 years to be exact!

As I began to read the passage found in Exodus 13:17-22, I began to draw some insight into the significance of this song. Let’s break it down:

The cloud of glory is moving, move with the cloud:

Verse 21 states: By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or night.
This shows us that God was with the people every step of the way. Just as God provided a way for the Israelites to see the way through the wilderness, He has provided us with guidance through our wilderness moments every step of the way.

Let your spirit arise and your strength be renewed, Come on let’s move all together:

I feel like this is a direct message to the people of today. No matter what you are going through, don’t let your spirit be dismayed, because God is with you in every season. We as the people of God need to draw together in such times as these to help each other out. Be a shoulder for your brother or sister to lean on as we all navigate some challenging times. Everybody needs somebody…

Strength you’ll receive as you follow His lead…

There is nothing more empowering than knowing you are going through a journey with a competent leader at the helm. Think about your life today. For example, on your job, when you have a boss who is confident and in control, are you not more likely to follow their lead with ease? I know I am! God is the ultimate leader. If we put our trust in Him and follow HIs lead, we have no reason to fret or be afraid of what’s on the other side.

Such a “silly” song that I’ve actively poked jest at, spoke to me in so many different ways this week.

Stay under the direction of the cloud of glory that God has provided for you to follow. He provided the pillar clouds by day and the pillar of fire by night. This serves as a reminder of the faithfulness of the God we serve. He will never leave you or forsake you in any situation. No matter how long it takes to be delivered from your wilderness situation, He will always be there for you.

Verse 22: Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

So move with the cloud!

Be blessed!
Til next time,
xoxo

#Christian, faith, Uncategorized

Great Things…

January 21, 2019January 21, 2019by SophieLeave a Comment

Hey loves!

Quick post tonight!

Sorry… I know its been awhile since I posted but I kinda took a little bit of a social media break while on my 21 days of fasting. Well, we are winding up this fasting at the end of this week, so it’s time to get back to the grind! Thank you for sticking with me 🙂

I was scrolling through my instagram and an old Ricky Dillard song popped up. The song “Great Things” really had me reflecting. The lyrics are so simple yet so powerful:

God has so many great things in store for me
Can’t you see, many great things in store for me

Eyes have not seen, nor ears heard
Great things, great things in store for me
I’ll trust His word, and believe
Great things, great things in store for me

The one part of the song that stuck out to me was the lyric, ” I’ll trust HIs word and believe…” That’s one thing I often have trouble doing. I like to believe I have crazy faith… but in reality, it’s more like “Hail Mary” faith : faith because I’ve already run out of options…. so why not trust and believe??? ( smh)

That’s not the type of faith I’m walking through 2019 with. I want to journey through this year with faith being my ONLY option.

Now I don’t know about you but for the last couple of years I’ve been hearing, ” This is your year!”, and after the past 5 years that I’ve had chiiiillllleeeeee …. forgive me for rolling my eyes when I hear this. Now 2018 wasn’t a HORRIBLE year but it definitely wouldn’t have qualified as “my year”… until the last 2 weeks of the year. In my previous post I spoke about 2018 being my “refining” year, but in the last two weeks God truly showed me that not only was He listening to my prayers , He was doing His best to make sure I was prepared for what I had been praying for.

Oftentimes we pray for things that we are in no position to receive! In order to receive “great things” you need to get yourself to a “great place” mentally, emotionally, physically and most importantly SPIRITUALLY!

One thing I’ve learned is that God will never give you anything you aren’t prepared for…

Romans 8:28 says; (NKJV)

²⁸And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose

Everything that you have ever wanted or desired for yourself absolutely pales in comparison to what God has in store for you… if you’ll just step out in crazy faith and trust Him… and His TIMING!

What is really helping me activate my faith this year is digging even deeper into God’s word and resting in knowing that His promises are true!

Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NKJV)
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹²Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)
⁹That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”[a]

I’m anxiously awaiting the great things that God has in store for me!
I think I’m QUITE overdo! 😉 ❤

Til next time,
xoxo

#Christian, faith, motivation, Uncategorized

Monday Motivation: I’m Not Subscribing To That!

November 28, 2016by SophieLeave a Comment

Hey guys!

Have you gone to a store and after you have completed your purchase the sales associate asks you that dreaded question, “Would you like to leave an email address with us today?” Grudgingly you leave an address and then its like BAM…. A million emails start coming out of nowhere. This has happened to me countless times and this past black Friday shopping season had me subscribed to all kinds of foolishness! ( Bath and BodyWorks I’m looking at you with your 80,000 emails lol) When I looked at my email inbox, 60 percent was all garbage from things I subscribed to; and in that moment I decided that I wasn’t subscribing to any of those emails anymore!

What if we looked at life like that? Meaning, what if we decided that we weren’t going subscribe to the curveballs life throughs at us anymore? To subscribe to something means to willingly enter into an agreement to participate in something. There are some things in my life that I have not willingly subscribed to (i.e pain, suffering ,defeat.) If you’ve followed me on this blog for awhile, you would know that life has thrown me some difficult situations( and what I’ve shared on here is not even the half) and not to say that I expect my life to perfect and without hardship, but man I went through it this past few years in regards to my own personal health, the ailments of both of my parents at one time or another( it seemed like they had health issues back to back like a revolving door) death of an aunt I was super close with and 2 uncles in a short time period, a good friend los her battle with cancer, one of my best friends had some life altering health news given to them and the list goes on and on. Now, while I wish I didn’t have to deal with any of that, I understood that everything happens for a reason. What I didn’t like about myself during this time, was the feelings of doubt and fear and hopelessness !

There are so many things in life that I’ve( and many of you out here have) been “subscribed” to for a long time that I no longer wish to be subscribed

Feelings of fear… I’m not subscribing to that!
Feelings of doubt… I’m not subscribing to that!
Feelings of worthlessness… I’m not subscribing to that!
Health issues?… I’m not subscribing to that!!!
Hate and animosity… I’m definitely not subscribing to that!!!
Malice? No thank you! I want no part of that!
Mistreatment? I’m not subscribing to that!!!
Every evil plan the enemy has for me( us)? I’M NOT SUBSCRIBING TO THAT!

Do you want to know what I am subscribing to?

Love and remembering to “Just love them anyway” no matter how they treat you
Good Health
Peace
Prosperity
Patience
Joy
Growth

And above all, I’m willingly continuing my subscription to Jesus!!! He’s the best subscription I’ve ever agreed to! I’m subscribed to him and when He shed His blood on Calvary for a nobody like me, He in turn subscribed to me! True agape love! One of my favourite scriptures comes from the book of Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 13 and it reads; For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Being subscribed to Jesus is a surefire way to succeed !

So, everything that these past subscriptions have taken from me I want it ALL BACK! I’m staying subscribed to God (Jesus) because God is LOVE!

Tye Tribbett has a great song ( oldie but a goodie ) called, “I Want it All Back” that I’ve been jamming on all day! Take a listen down below and have a blessed Monday!

Xoxo

Christian, Christian blog, christianity, faith, motivation, Uncategorized

Monday Motivation: Put a Praise On It…

September 12, 2016September 11, 2016by Sophie4 Comments

Hey guys!

Back again with another edition of Monday Motivation! Have you noticed that everywhere you look somebody you know is going through some sort of health battle? Whether it be something minor like a simple cold to something more serious like cancer, we all know at least one person going through it physically.

My family ( me included) have been battling some health issues as of late, and while most of these issues can be taken care of with medication, it still takes a toll on you mentally, physically and spiritually. ( Keep us in prayer y’all)

With that being said, there’s a quote that I read awhile back that kind of brings together my thoughts today and it reads, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” How true is that statement? I think it’s a really true statement and here’s why.

I know two ladies who are going through such an intense battle with cancer and its the grace that they exhibit through these tough times that really inspires me.

Shannon, a woman only 3o years old is currently battling cancer for the 2nd time. This time the prognosis doesn’t look good. But what inspires me about Shannon is her unwavering faith that God will see her through. She’s a newlywed, her body is racked with pain, yet she holds firm to the promise that God take care of her every need. ( check out her story in the link below)

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fstefan.keyes%2Fvideos%2F10101304202585265%2F&show_text=0&width=560

Then there is my friend Rose. Rose with the bright eyes and smile that can fill a room. Rose is also battling this awful disease. But again, Rose’s faith in God has truly helped me change my outlook on how to look at certain situations.
Sometimes you have to go through a trial for God to show you how He can ( and willtake care of you. Wow! This takes me right back into the book Exodus that I’m studying right now where the people of Israel were in captivity and God through Moses( with the help of Aaron) was able to show the them His mighty power and lead them out of captivity; and even when Pharaoh tried to come after them, his army was destroyed . ( Exodus 7-18) Check out Rose’s Youtube channel here:

The enemy ( satan)is always going to throw road blocks your way. Anything that he can do to deter you from placing your trust in God, he will do. But I’m here to encourage you to take on a mindset and attitude like Rose and Shannon and praise Him anyhow! Praise him through the pain, praise Him through the despair, praise Him because you know He’s working on your behalf! It’s easy to get burdened down and feel like you want to give up. But take heart in the fact that you aren’t fighting this battle alone.

I’m trusting God’s plans for Rose and Shannon’s lives and can’t wait to rejoice with them. The bible says in Jeremiah 17:14

¹⁴Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.

Just like the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:34 (“ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”) I too am trusting God for a miracle and for the faith of these ladies to be rewarded! I’m also claiming healing for the ailments that are currently attacking my family and countless others I know!

Tasha Cobbs has a song called, “Put a Praise On It” that I think is so fitting. You can’t breakthrough until you’ve gone through! So whatever you are going through, may it be a health crisis, a mental/emotional crisis or even a spiritual crisis, go on and put some praise on your breakthrough because its right around the corner!

There’s a miracle in this room
With my name on it
There’s a healing in this room
And it’s is here for me
There’s a breakthrough in this room
With my name on it
So what you gone do
I’m gonna put a praise on it (Tasha Cobbs – Ad lib)
So I’m gonna put a praise on it

Have a blessed Monday!
xoxo

bible, blacklivesmatter, Christian blog, christianity, COGOP, donald lawrence lyrics, encourage, king, monday, motivation, scripture

Monday Motivation: There Is A King In You…. #BlackLivesMatter

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015by SophieLeave a Comment

Hey y’all,

I hope your weekend was as lovely and fun-filled as mine. We finally had some beautiful hot weather and I had an opportunity to spend a weekend away ministering in song with some awesome people! When I returned home yesterday, and was preparing to cook and meal prep for the week , one song in particular kept running through my head. ( It seems like I always get one song in my head that inspires my monday blogs 🙂 )

The song is “There is a King in you” by Donald Lawrence.The lyrics of the song are as such:

[Verse:]
You come from Royalty,
An aristocratic dynasty.
The goal of the enemy,
Is that you don’t know who you are.
There’s power when you speak.
Be mindful of words you release.
I know that life has challenged you,
But the King in me speaks to the King in you.
You were born to rule.
There is a king in you. [Repeat]

[Bridge:]
Is there no King in you,
Then why do you speak, speak with such defeat.
Is there no King in you,
Then why do you speak, speak with such low esteem.

I know life has challenged you,
But the King in me speaks to the king in you.
You were born to rule.
There is a King in you.

[Vamp:]
There is a King in you

( Please take a listen to this song)

This song speaks volumes! So many people ask themselves,”Am I good enough?” and doubt the fact that their existence even matters. I’m not sure who this message is for today ( I feel led to speak to young black men) but your life matters! It may seem that life has dealt you a raw deal, but sometimes the toughest battles are given to the strongest soldiers.

With all the things that happening in the African American community as of late ( Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Amadou Diallo and countless others) It may be hard to think as yourself as worthy in a society that has already deemed you less than worthy. It may cause you to lose hope, doubt yourself. But remember, despite what society may tell you, you weren’t meant to live in a jail cell and you weren’t meant to be shot down in the street for walking home with some skittles. However, you also weren’t made to be a menace to society either. You were born to rule! You were born to be providers. You were born with a purpose.

Ask yourself, how does a king carry himself?. What is the role of a king? A king rules over a nation. He sets the precedence of how society should be governed.He keeps himself well put together, he keeps company with those who have the same mindset and behavior as him.

Young men stand up and stand strong! Make and impact on society that will make people stand up and take notice of your good works and not only mourn and protest about you after you are gone. Take control of your fate. Make good choices. Choose your company wisely. Honor your parents. Be an example for younger men to follow. Set no limits to your achievements. Get connected to something! Stay connected to the source! When you are disconnected from the source (God ) you tend to lose sight of how valuable you really are! You are as valuable as the creator who made you! You are valuable BECAUSE He made you! Anything created by the KING of Kings must be worth something!!!

Jeremiah 1:5 reads:

⁵“Before I formed you in the womb I knew^[a] you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Think about how you would behave if a King were in your presence. How would you treat Him? That’s exactly the way you should carry yourselves, so that people will treat you as if you were royalty!

Young men…. “You were born to rule! There is a KING in you”

xoxo

Dedicated to the memory of all the young black men ( and women) who were unfairly and unjustly robbed of their ability to live up to their kingly ( and queenly) titles. #Blacklivesmatter
#TrayvonMartin #MikeBrown #AmadouDiallo #KimaniGray #SeanBell #OscarGrant #EricGarner #SandraBland and countless others…. Rest in Peace….

bible, encouragement, lyrics, Marvin Sapp, praise, scripture, singers, Smokie Norful, worship, young adults

Praise Him In Advance….

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015by Sophie4 Comments

Hey everyone,

I hope you are having a wonderful week so far. This past weekend was a busy one for me. I had many rehearsals and events to attend so this oldish (lol) gal is EXHAUSTED! That’s why I had such a short post out yesterday… Nevertheless, this past Saturday was truly a blessing! I have been blessed with the opportunity to conduct a mass children ‘s choir for the Church of God of Prophecy in Eastern Canada’s National Convention ( Taking place in Mississauga Ontario at the Living Arts Centre from July 31 to August 2 2015…. I know… shameless plug 🙂 )

The feedback for children wanting or being able to participate was lackluster at best. I think I had about maybe 20 children confirmed to participate. So naturally, I was NERVOUS. Would you believe that at 10:30 am on Saturday morning 51 children showed up with an expectancy of 80+ children that are rehearsing and just weren’t able to make this particular rehearsal?? I could have kicked myself for doubting my prayers and God. I made candy bags as treats and had to send a friend to grab more candy and make more treat bags for me.

After the rehearsal was done, I had a short while before my next rehearsal/ event began. As I was sitting in my seat a soft still voice came to me and said “Why did you doubt me? I got you girl” ( I make no joke that’s what I heard LOL) The scripture Philippians 4:6 came to me and it reads:

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ( NLT)

Why do we worry about things that we already have given to God? If you ask Him to handle it, trust that He’s got it under control. There is absolutely nothing that He cannot solve, 🙂

Now, on Saturday evening I had an opportunity to participate in song at a concert for one of my sister churches. The West End Worship Centre ( WEWC) has relaunched their youth choir and Saturday was their first concert. Maaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnn…. ( is that exaggerated enough??) to say that I was blessed would be an understatement. The young people of that church are blessed. It was truly beautiful to see dozens of young people worshiping and having fun in the house of God on a Saturday night was refreshing.

They ministered so many great songs but the one that really took me to a special place (because its one of my favorites) was Marvin Sapp’s ” Praise Him in Advance”. Take a listen here:

Here are the lyrics:

I’ve had my share of ups and downs, times when there was no one around,
God came and spoke these words to me, praise will confuse the enemy. [repeat 2x]

I started singing, I started clapping, I started dancing, people were laughing,
they knew my problems, they knew my pain, but I knew God would take them away.

I have my share of ups and downs, times when there was no one around,
God came and spoke these words to me, praise will confuse the enemy. [repeat 2x]

I started singing, I started clapping, I started dancing, people were laughing,
they knew my problems, they knew my pain, but I knew God would take them away.

That’s why I praise him with my hands, that’s why I praise him with a dance,
He’s given me a second chance, come on lets praise him in advance.

That’s why I praise him with a song, when things are right and when they’re wrong,
He’s given me a second chance, come on lets praise Him in advance.

Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him
Praise Him in advance. ( Azlyrics.com)

So many times we get wrapped up in our situations. We fail to lack the ability to “see the light at the end of the tunnel” . Instead of putting faith in God to deliver us from our situations, we tend to question Him ” Why me?” Well why not you? How do you know that everything that you are going through isn’t preparing you for something? It is inevitable. At some point in our lives, we are going to face hardships. But through those hardships try to remember:

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed ( 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 ) NLT

God is with you through even the hardest of days. When it seems that everybody has abandoned you and there is no way out, praise your way through! It may not seem like you have anything to praise him for, but praise him anyway. My favorite line of song is ” Praise will confuse the enemy” So shout! Cry Out ! Let the enemy ( satan) know that he will not win!

The director of this choir is a friend of mine. She amazes me everyday. She has faced so much adversity in her family and she still leans on and trusts God to see her through.She truly epitomizes grace. If I can have even one shred of the grace she exudes,I will be an even stronger woman of God. I pray that God will continue to bless her! The work she has done with these young people ( and countless others including myself) is truly amazing! God lives in you! Keep pushing! Keep pressing! Your reward awaits you! God is pleased! Love you Wens!

One quick final shout out.:) My fellow blogger friend/ church sister is a part of this choir ( check out her blog here on WordPress No Strings Attached) I was so proud of her. Not only is she a wonderful person and blogger, she is a phenomenal singer. Y’all run over to her page and show her some love and encouragement! I know God is going to take her to higher places! I’m excited to go along on her journey!

Tonight I would like to leave you with one final song that I think sums up our topic tonight. It is Smokie Norful’s “Still Say Thank You”

The lyrics read:

I’ve had sins and I’ve had pain
My heart has been broken
And my life has been strained
But in spite of everything I’ve been through
I still gotta say thank You

I’ve been up and I’ve been down
Had my life turn, turn, turn
Completely around
But in spite of everything I’ve been through
I still I gotta say thank You

Thank You, thank You
For Your many blessings
(For Your blessings)
In spite of my mess
(In spite of my mess)
Lord, You looked down and You blessed me
(For Your blessings)

Even in the midst of my test
(In the midst of my test)
(In spite of everything)
In spite of everything
(I’ve been through)
I still gotta say thank You
Thank You, Jesus

For Your blessings
(For Your blessings)
In spite of my mess
(In spite of my mess)
Lord, You blessed me
(For Your blessings)

Right dead in the middle of my test
(In the midst of my test)
(In spite of everything)
In spite of everything, in spite of everything
That I’ve been through
I’ve still gotta thank You, Jesus

I wanna say, I just wanna say, thank You, Jesus
(Thank You, Lord)
Oh yeah, thank You
Yeah, just wanna say thank You, Jesus
(Thank You, I gotta say)

I gotta say thank You for every iddy biddy
Thing You’ve done in my life
For all the ways make me
For all the doors You open, Lord

I wanna say hey
(Thank You)
(I gotta say)
Glory, Hallelujah, for all You’ve done in my life

You’ve been Lord, You’ve been my protection
(My protection)
All of the way
(All of my way)

I thank You, Lord
(I thank You, Lord)
I thank You, Lord
(I thank You, Lord)
I thank You, Lord
(I thank You, Lord)
Yes, yes, yes, yeah (Smokie Norful – Still Say, Thank You Lyrics | MetroLyrics )

In spite of everything I’ve been through, I still gotta say THANK YOU!!

xoxo

bible, faith, God, gospel, gospel artist, gospel music, hope, joy, love, monday, motivation, peace, Travis Greene

Monday Motivation: All Things Are Working For My Good…

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015by SophieLeave a Comment

Hey y’all!

Really quick blog post today ( I promise I’ll give you guys a substantial one tomorrow 🙂 ) I have just had this one song on repeat for the last 3 days. I can’t explain why. Maybe it’s just to remind me that God has a plan and He’s working it out for me… or maybe someone out there needs this word… The artist is Travis Greene and the song is called ” Intentional”

The lyrics are so simple, a basic repetition of the same message:

All things are working for my good
He’s intentional, never failing ( repeat)

All things are working for my good ( repeat)

Oh oh oh……. ( repeat)

I don’t have to worry cause its working for me
its working for me, its working for me

He’s intentional ( repeat)
Never failing

We serve a God that not only knows our hearts desires, but created that very heart and knows what is best for it. We may not always see or understand God’s plan but let’s remember what it says in Romans 8:28: