Toni V. Lee

  I grew up in what was known in my small community as the sanctified church.  Churches today upgrade their praise and worship songs to keep up with the times. Back then, the same songs were song for generations. I remember how the old warriors would stand and belt out the lyrics with confidence and knowledge for they knew what they were singing about. Some time ago, one song in particular traveled up from the recesses of my memory and has been ringing ever since with urgency and longing. The lyrics of the song were taken from Isaiah 58:1.                      🎶 Cry loud, spare not! Oh, lift up your voice like a trumpet                            sound. Show my people their transgression and the house                             of Jacob their sins. 🎶 I have a recurring ni...

  We’ve made it about us and what we want, but it’s all about God and what He wants for us—His will. We’ve been taught to “name it & claim it” and “speak it into existence”. We exhaust ourselves to the point of depression or burnout faithfully doing so, but the desired answer never materializes.  Yes, I know the Bible speaks of the power of our words. Let me ask you this: In all the instances of your naming it & claiming it, have you ever asked/prayed amiss (with wrong motives)? Sometimes, I think we get arrogant and put on the “God” hat and decide we know best how to achieve desired outcomes and proceed to implement our agendas, relegating God to the “I’m doing this for Him” status. God doesn’t need us to provide justifications or excuses for Him when we feel our prayers go unanswered. He is God. Rather, we need to truly prioritize Him and seek to know Him more so we can personally recognize when He does answer us, then accept it. Sometimes, His answer is simply “No” ...