Creation of Woman Bible Study Lesson 2: The Help Meet Dilemma

Creation of Woman Bible Study Lesson 2: The Help Meet Dilemma

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Praying for Your Husband!

It is just a firm personal belief that what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you so it is quite awesome for the Father to lay it very heavily on my heart to pray for my husband and then share what I've learned over the past week in researching this topic.

SSSSSSSScccccrrrrrr....But you're saying, Mocha...you're not married! Yeah, but I have it on good authority from my Father that marriage is apart of His plan for my life and I need to start preparing. I was told years ago by my grandfather to begin petitioning God regarding my husband and I did for many years but later became frustrated and disillusioned with doing so as it seemed that God was not answering my prayers. Well, fast forward to about two weeks ago, Abba really impressed upon my heart to once again start praying for my husband, of whom I am not yet married. He also confirmed to me other things that I needed to do in order to prepare for marriage and then as I was just wrapping up my marriage preparation research the Holy Spirit encouraged me to share this in my blog to be a blessing to other singles preparing for marriage but also I want to share it with my married sisters who might be having a difficult time praying for anyone but particularly your husband.

So to all my single sisters, you might not know who he is or what he looks like but if you know that marriage is a part of God's future for you, then start preparing for your Boaz now! To my married sisters, no I'm not married but if this is something that you've been needing and just didn't know how to approach it, I hope this helps and quite frankly, because I am sure that my Father is involved in this and this is not me giving my "advice" (which because of my singleness, I would be out of line to give), I am confident that this will be a blessing to you and your husband.  I am so excited! God is doing awesome, awesome things! So be encouraged and in all things seek God and desire His will as you pray, and you won't go wrong! Exercise your faith muscle and begin to speak those things that are not as though they are!

This is the link  What and how to pray for your husband!

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

The Mistake

Whatever you're angry, bitter, hurt or offended about today, just let it go! If there is something constructive that you can do to help the situation and improve it, then fine! Do it! But if you've done everything that you can do, then it's time for you to step aside and allow the Lord to be the great, big God that He desires to be in your life. If you're worried then it's probably because the issue, whatever it is, is too big for you to handle. So release it to God. How? Every Christian should have at least 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at the end of the day to just pray, meditate and spend time in the presence of the Lord. That's how you gain the strength, courage, insight and godly wisdom to locate where you are when you're feeling lost so that you can, if need be, repent and move beyond to where God wants you otherwise you'll stagnate yourself and subsequently lose sight of your goals.  Psalm 139:23 says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." Realize that whenever you are anxious it is more than likely because your outer man and your spirit man are trying to take you in different directions and you are uneasy because you're leaning toward the desires of the outer man which are out of sync with God's plan and purpose for your life. So it is up to you to invite God's presence into your surroundings and into you so that He can search you and locate you when you're lost in the muck of your anger, bitterness, and offense. This is why Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Anxiety, fear and worry are derivatives of rebellion, defiance and disobedience which also come from feelings of anger, resentment, bitterness and offense. As you mature emotionally and spiritually, you will accept that anxiety, fear and worry and everything associated in anyway with these feelings that could lead us to sin against God, are simply not worth the time or energy to indulge.  When you find yourself tired of those things to the point that you tell God, "Not my will, Father but your will alone be done!" and mean it, then you will have shut down any access that you've unwittingly given to the enemy to wreak havoc in your life because of your erroneous behavior. Anger, bitterness, etc. along with fear, anxiety, worry as well as doubt, unbelief, and distrust are all a part of a vicious destructive cycle that works in cooperation with each other to destroy everything that God has planned for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "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." Understand that Satan's mission is to kill, steal and destroy and if you give him access to your life by being unproductively angry and bitter or resentful and offended then you are in jeopardy of losing everything that God has promised you.


As Christians it is ever so crucial for us constantly practice love and forgiveness! Ephesians 4:26 says, "'In your anger do not sin': Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry..." This scripture is referring to holding on to anger and not forgiving people in a timely manner because that kind of anger (also known as a grudge) will taint you in every aspect of your life, cloud your judgment and prevent you from believing and trusting God which will limit God's power in your life. We see this example in Matthew 13:58 when it says, "And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith." Matthew 13:57 even says that the people became "offended at" Jesus and that's why He couldn't perform the miracles that He wanted to perform but their offense caused unbelief which is always a deterrent to the move of God. Don't you understand that it even grieves the Holy Spirit when we allow ourselves to be captivated by thoughts, feelings and emotions that constrain His movement in our lives? Don't make the mistake of being bitter, resentful and/or holding on to anger you'll only stunt your own spiritual growth and end up in opposition to the will of God for your life which simply an exercise of futility.


Pray constantly, forgive daily and love, love, love! I Peter 4:8 says, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." When you truly love God and love what God loves, you'll release everything that threatens to separate you from Him. Please examine yourself and open yourself up to be searched by the Holy Spirit so that you can get in a position of faith and trust in God that will open you up to the awesome future that your Heavenly Father has promised you and not just in the life to come but right here in this life! What's more important your "right" to be angry and offended or your hope in Christ? Anger and offense will obliterate that hope if you continue to give them sanction! It's just not worth it!                               

Be abundantly blessed! Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

Realizing Who God Is In Light of Who I am not

I refuse to limit God's power in my life because of unbelief. I choose to believe God. My hope, my faith, and all of my trust are soundly invested in my Abba, my El Shaddai, my Jahweh Rohe!

My Abba is:

Omniscient - having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things.

Omnipresent - present everywhere at the same time

Omnipotent - almighty or infinite in power, as God. Having very great or unlimited authority or power.

My heavenly Father is not subject to the limits of time and space or hindered by situations or circumstances but it is up to me not to limit Him by failing to believe that He loves me and has an awesome life planned for me! I choose to believe and trust God rather than my own finite and limited understanding. In the light of God's awesome omniscience, what I do understand is minute and practically insignificant when it comes to Him fulfilling His plan and purpose for my life. So in all my getting I will get an understanding but I also understand that where my understanding ends, my trust in His omnipotence and great love for me must begin if I am to be blessed to the nth degree of being blessed!

Hosea 4:6 God tells the prophet Hosea, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” I am responsible for hearing, applying and implementing the preached Word of God and the Word of God that I read and study in my private time with Him so that I may truly know Him as much as I can possibly know Him within the confines of this world and this earth suit that I now occupy.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of the Most High, Only True and Living God and if I, being His daughter know how to do good things for my children, why wouldn't He give to me good gifts to me when I ask Him? However as is the case with my children, I may have to wait awhile until I am ready to receive the good things that I have asked of Him. But in the end He knows best because in His wonderful omnipresence, He already sees and knows the beginning from the end!

So I choose to trust Him with everything in me! I get it now! I am not omniscient, omnipotent or omnipresent but God in me is and that's not just good enough...that's absolutely amazing!

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

Being Dealt With...

Over the past few weeks, I have increased my prayer and meditation time with the Lord and I feel as if I am in a dream state. It's as if I can see through this physical realm into the greater spiritual realm, where Christ is my reality instead of allowing the physical realm to dictate my reality. I don't have it all figured out as I still have struggles but I am learning that my struggles can be used to my benefit and to the glory of God as I learn how to position myself for this and other great blessings that I am sure the Father has for me. I have been chasing God like never before and I have grown so tired of the "extra" in my life that I am willing to yield and allow the Father to prune everything that does not pertain to his plan and purpose for my life.



Admittedly, I have felt very alone and abandoned on this journey but I trust that God is working things out on my behalf. As a parent, if one of my children was crying out to me for help there is no way that I could ignore them!  I would go see about them and once they told me what was wrong and what they needed or after reviewing the situation, I discover what they needed, I would go about the process of making sure that they're needs were met. I can't see or always feel Abba working this out on my behalf but I have to trust that He is doing whatever it takes to meet my needs. Matthew 7:11 says, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" So if even in my flawed and sinful humanity, I know how to be kind and take care of my children then Abba, who is perfect, sinless and the creator of all things will most certainly take care of me and provide for me! Psalm 84:11 states, "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Abba will NOT withhold any good thing from me! Romans 8:32 goes even deeper when it says, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" Abba, gave His only begotten son, Jesus for me so why would He fail to provide all of my other needs as it pertains to salvation and the call that He has placed on my life. When I feel alone and abandoned I understand that it's more than likely because I am not content so Hebrews 13:5 says, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" That scripture not only pertains to the love of money but the love of anything more than the love of God because anything that we give priority over the love of God is idolatry. I, by no means have this thing figured out. As a matter of fact as I write these things God keeps revealing things to me. I can't desire marriage more than I desire to please and honor Him. Making such a tragic error could place unrealistic expectations on the blessing that God has for me which leads to disappointment, which leads to misuse and abuse of what was meant to bring me fulfillment as well as bring glory and honor to my Father. With that being said, I soldier on knowing that God has got this awesome plan in the works for me, He sees and already knows the beginning from the end so this middle part has been worked out already in the spiritual realm and I have to keep pushing so that it will manifest in the physical. Oh yes, please believe I'm being dealt with by my Father who loves me enough straighten me out so that I will see my blessing for what it is, a blessing and not undervalue or undermine it and in the process dishonor my Father by treating it as if it were a curse because I didn't properly prepare for the blessing. Abba is so awesome!

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

Why Does He Eat With Such Scum?

The Pharisees dogged Jesus out by asking His disciples why He chose to eat with the prostitutes, tax collectors, and other known sinners. The Pharisees missed the fact that Jesus had come for those who were sinners not religious people who were filled with sin but who thought that they were already good enough! I have a subscription to this daily prayer and devotional and I wanted to share with my readers. I hope that you are as blessed by it as I was when I read it!




Why Does He Eat With Such "Scum"?

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Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

The Indictment Against Mega Churches

The Indictment Against Mega Churches

This show will examine the much maligned phenomenon of the "Mega" church. The pros and cons as well as the presentation of facts and dispelling fallacies surrounding this very controversial topic.

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

All of the Pharisees Aren't Dead!

All of the Pharisees Aren't Dead!

Click the link and listen as Isaiah Robertson breaks down and verifies what I have been saying in several entries about the church, legalism, religion and the Pharisee spirit that has taken hold of many to where they live in constant condemnation despite the fact that the Bible says that those who live in Christ Jesus do not live in condemnation. Beware! All of the Pharisees Aren't Dead!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

Practice Love, Practice Love, Practice Love: The Loveless, Apostate Church

I find some things about the church to be rather ironic and actually (dare I say it?) hypocritical. How can you in good conscience ever say that you are a Christian when love, your love for God and love for the things that He loves is not the motivation for everything that you do? It's nothing less than sheer lunacy! Now, make no mistake I am very well aware of the day and time in which we live. I have every reason to believe that we are living in the last days, like the tail end and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if Christ's return occurred in my lifetime. With that being said, Matthew 24:12 says, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold..."(NIV) so I truly understand the reason for the lack of love but I'm still irritated that it is such a major issue in of all places the Christian church.

A little over a year ago, I heard a message by Bishop George Bloomer regarding the things that would truly send one to hell. Basically he explains that the things that the Christian church often harps on of what will send a person to hell such as what a person wears and other legalistic, religious hang-ups may not lead to a thriving life in Christ but they will not cause you to enter into eternal damnation. But what he did say will definitely send a person to hell is how we treat other people i.e., how we love other people. The church has become so profoundly superficial in that all around the country preachers and pastors enter their platforms and pulpits and they fail to make reiterating and sharing the genuine love of the God that they claim to serve, a priority in what they preach. Bible teachers can expound in detail on the hermeneutical, exegesis of various scripture and yet they often fail in properly articulating to the church that the absence of love is the absence of God and if anything will send you to hell, the absence of God in anything you do no matter how well intentioned, will get you a one-way ticket there!

If you don't believe in hell then this post is not for you! If you are deluded into believing that your good works in and of themselves are what you need for you to spend eternity in the presence of the Lord. Believe it or not, people who have that unfortunate mentality are the very people who will stand before God in judgment and plead to Him about all of the good works that they've done and He will simply reply, "Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I don't know you!" (Matthew 7:23 paraphrased) Just thinking about being rejected like that hurts me to tears! Can you imagine going through the motions of feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, healing the sick, visiting the imprisoned, etc only to stand before the Father and be told that He doesn't even know you? The whole premise of Christianity is relationship with God. A loving, healthy, Father/child relationship with the Most High God! That was His reason for even creating humankind in the first place. Your motives for doing whatever you do no matter what it is, will be the deciding factor as to whether you will be blessed to spend eternity with God or eternity in hell. I know that it is not popular to talk about hell but it is a reality whether you acknowledge that it is or not. If you don't have love for God then don't bother doing all of these wonderful things for people. Some people are all too busy trying to redeem themselves in the eyes of people without realizing that the only thing that really matters is the redemption of God. You've already been redeemed in the eyes of the Father and once you accept and receive His love then what anyone else feels or thinks about you is irrelevant.

Okay enough about hell for now and back to the issue of the loveless, apostate church where love and compassion are faked in order to appear Christ-like and godly. Your church has missions overseas and across the country but there are people attending your church who are going home to empty cupboards, pantries and refrigerators. There are people sitting next to you that are hungry, homeless and without their basic needs met and the church is suppose to be there meeting the needs of the people but they preach and dance and shout to a good message that no one will remember all supposedly in the name of Jesus and those same hungry, homeless, needy people will leave the same way that they entered because it's all a show!!! I am realizing more and more that anytime that you can feed the hungry overseas but there are hungry people down the street from your church, that something is seriously wrong! Please don't misunderstand, I believe that we need to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and meet the needs of the poor and needy all over the world but what good does it do if we neglect to bless those in our own "backyard"?

I went off on this "practice love" trip after one of the prominent people that I have been following on Twitter tweeted about the need to practice love to everyone, everywhere and it blew my mind that this Buddhist has grasped as a mantra the whole concept of Christianity and what really ticked me off was the fact that if this Buddhist who is a generous philanthropist and charitable giver can grasp that concept then what's wrong with the church? Then he went on to say that he is trying to teach one of his children to practice love! That really bowled me over because I don't know too many Christians anymore who proactively teach their children to practice love, in fact some of the worst and rudest children are church kids. But a weak or even a new Christian may have seen this Buddhist tweet that and then after reviewing his acts of charity and philanthropy in comparison to the church be persuaded to believe that either Buddhist are more faithful in conveying true love than Christians or they adopt the erroneous concept of there being more than one way to heaven and thereby multiple ways outside of Christ to get to God. I know better so I wasn't shaken from that standpoint, but I am tripping on this mega-church, televangelist concept of Christianity that some times preaches love but you can't see the manifestation of that love in the local community. Before Jesus went back to glory He told the disciples that they (and we) would do greater works and this was more than likely because He was multiplying Himself through them and us so that we would be able to feed the hungry, heal the sick and meet the needs of the needy in a greater capacity because the effect of the Gospel has multiplied itself by the millions so there should be fewer people in need. Let me be clear, the church (not just mega-churches) has become a selfish, elitist social club of people who believe that they have it all figured out and that they have arrived and I am fully aware that Jesus told Judas when he became upset with Jesus over the woman who washed Jesus' feet with the expensive oil that we would always have poor people among us and yet this does not exonerate the church from it's responsibility to the poor and especially the poor who are living locally. This ignorant selfish, social club mentality has created a culture of celebrity within the church that exalts the people and their pulpit and in some cases, on-camera personas over the bare bones truth and expression of the Gospel which is LOVE! So people have been lulled into this obscene false sense of absolution because these preachers and pastors are successful fundraisers, so churchgoers believe that because they give tithes and offering that they needn't do much else because the ministry is reaching out to people on their behalf. Meanwhile they are sitting just a few pews a way from people who are hurting and are losing their homes, don't have food to eat or a place to sleep but it's okay to overlook them because it's obvious that they don't have enough faith to make them rich and prosperous so the church owes them nothing but a good God bless you and a half-hearted "Jesus loves You"! What a fallacy and just an outrageous lie! This is madness and once again, I am going to ask that the true Bride of Christ stand! Because the whore dressed in white who is calling herself the church does not accurately reflect the image of Christ but people are allowing her to call herself the Bride of Christ when they ought to know who she is by now!

I am hopeful because I have in recent months seen some ministries actually getting outside of the cliquish, four walls of their churches and into the communities to bless the people and serve God by serving the people that God has mandated us to love. Love is a mandate not a choice for the true Christian and that is love in word and in deed. Love will not allow you to look disdainfully upon a homeless family and not ask what you can do to help. Love will not allow you preach to people and not offer to meet their needs both physical and spiritual needs. Love for God, true love for God will not allow you to disobey the mandate to love everyone, everywhere! Christianity has been hijacked by a group of fraudulent people who have found it quite lucrative to preach and market themselves as Christians but they fail to stand the litmus test of what it truly means to love. I love the term "practice love" because sometimes loving everyone, everywhere does not come naturally or easily so it must come from the Holy Spirit within us and it has to be put into habitual practice so that it becomes apart of who we are and not just what we do! Just as God does not love, He is love; we must become love to a world that is hungry to see the love of God expressed through us.

I will repeat: The absence of love is the absence of God! God is love! Practice love! Practice love! Practice love!

Be abundantly blessed! Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

The Necessary Discomfort

My mother and I recently had a discussion about wimpy parents who don't want to be the heavy in their children's opinions. Instead these wimpy, milk-toast parents have taken the preposterous notion that a parent can be their child's buddy. I have, like so many other parents watched the "nanny" shows that send in a nanny to help the parents effectively raise their children. Even more embarrassing are the parents who go on the various talk shows with their kids, who they have allowed to get outrageously out of hand. I often wonder about parents who end up afraid of their own children. It's bizarre and unnatural and really there is no need for it.

When I was a teenager my mother would have the radio playing in the bathroom and it was always on the local Christian music station. One of the programs that I grew up being very fond of was Focus On the Family with Dr. James Dobson and one of the books that he had written was titled "Parenting Isn't For Cowards." Truer words could not have been spoken. Although I don't agree with Dr. Dobson's political leanings as of late, I even as a teenager then, agreed with his concept of parenting based on biblical principles. Please do not take this out of context, abusive behavior towards anyone, especially a child is always unacceptable however I am not one of these mealy-mouthed, punk liberals who believes that corporal punishment is NEVER useful. WRONG! Corporal punishment is useful for different children in different ways but always as a last resort. But no matter how you decide as a parent to discipline your children, just know that it is not pleasant but it is necessary and failure to create and establish as well as enforce boundaries for your children will cause them to resent you later on!

Proverbs 13:24, 22:15 and 29:15 all refer to the importance of corporal punishment but just know that if you feel as if this is not the best thing for you or your child that whatever form of discipline or boundary enforcement you use will have to be effective and should begin as soon as the child becomes aware that there are consequences for their actions. I'm not saying that you saying that you shouldn't create a friendly environment of openness and mutual respect but the role of a parent has to be clearly defined even more so than the boundaries that exist on your job between you and your supervisor. The best bosses are those who are friendly and respectful and yet professional. These managers, supervisors, etc understand that an effective workplace is hinged upon creating boundaries between them and those who work for them. Your boss can not be effective or successful if they are constantly compromising their position to appease you or have your approval and validation on every decision that they make. Like it or not, they're in charge and they don't have to have your approval for anything that they do. Case in point, if you are too busy trying to simply appease your children because you don't want to be bothered or gain your child's approval and validation of who you are as a person and as a parent then you will not be the kind of parent that they need and deserve. Some of you, might not like this but YOU are the parent and you have to begin to trust that the love that you have for God and your child will enable you to make the right decisions concerning your children so that they can grow up to be children who will be an asset to you and society and that means disciplining your children effectively so that they clearly understand that there are consequences for their actions.

If you are a Christian parent understand that these children are yours on loan. They are not yours in the true sense of your possessing them which is one of the reasons why you should not treat them so much as if they are a possession but rather like everything else that God brings into your life, a gift. You are a steward not an owner. One day just like everything else that you do in this life, you will have to give an account for how you have raised the precious souls that God has so graciously entrusted to you to raise to His glory. So if you abuse, misuse or mistreat your children; neglect them or even provoke them to anger and a life of struggle by being a wimpy, spineless parent who would rather be a buddy than a parent, then you WILL have to answer for what you chose to do or chose not to do in the raising and rearing of those children. Failure to create and establish boundaries makes a child feel as if you don't care. As a parent you also handicap a child when you neglect to create boundaries and enforce them for your children. It's called lawlessness! Children who grow up with a disrespect for authority, legitimate boundaries and who haven't been taught how to behave appropriately at home will not miraculously do so in public and they will bring you to an open shame! Lawless adults end up in prison, on drugs, indulging in other self-destructive behaviors and the cemetaries are full of young people whose parents didn't think that they were harming their kids by being their buddy's while neglecting to fulfill their roles as effective parents. I can't tell you how you should raise your child but you need to know what the Bible says and then you need to be sure that your methods of discipline are effective and that they do not break the child's spirit or are in any way counterproductive to your children growing up to be happy, healthy, stable adults. Whatever you do, do it in love and your child might not like it now but they'll love you for it later.

Additional scriptures: Proverbs 10:1, 17:25, 22:6, and Ephesians 6:4

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

When The Loneliness Gets to Be A Bit Much!

My parents' divorced when I was 6 or 7 years old. I was crushed, I think that I may have even had a nervous breakdown. I couldn't stop crying, everything hurt. It even hurt to breathe. Later all of that pain would manifest itself in anger, rage and being downright suicidal but even in that I still held out hope that one day I'd be married. One day I would have a family of my own.

I spent my twenties trying to find my way and I allowed the mistakes of others to coward me into a life of mediocrity. But I was too proud to openly admit that I wanted to be married. I didn't want to appear too vulnerable or weak. In my thirties, I had had enough of being lied to and lying to myself but my rush to make things happen by having my children out of wedlock only complicated things and frustrated me more. I love my babies but I know that they deserve a father as well as a mother. I played myself and sold myself short by playing the role of a concubine instead of waiting to be a wife.

As I approach 40, I am still holding out hope that one day my prince will come but my hope is fading and I have been asking God lately whether or not it is truly His will for me to even be married. My grandfather used to tell my cousins and me that we should ask God for what we wanted in a husband and I've been doing that since I was about 15 years old. I look back over my life and I see guys who wanted to get with me but I wouldn't give them the time of day for one reason or another, now I wonder if I may have missed out on a good thing. Only God knows for sure and only time will tell. But right now, I'm lonely. The kind of loneliness that if left unchecked can grow into desperation, and Lord knows that I can't go out like that ever again. Never, ever make a decision out of desperation or fear! Trust me, if you do, you WILL regret it! I've been praying more and meditating more on the Word. When I pray, my knees aren't good enough, I have to lay prostrate before the Lord. I keep hearing "wait" in my spirit, so wait I shall!

But Abba, please help me to wait on you to give me new strength like an eagle (Isaiah 40:31), You also said that if I wait on You that I would not be made ashamed (Isaiah 30:18). I know there a lot of single mothers who feel what I feel especially those that have never been married and are my age. For those who are younger you wonder, hope and pray that you won't end up like me but that you'll be happily married by the time you're almost 40 whatever the case, I am praying that God will meet your needs as well as my own according to His will and that we will not desire anything that is not apart of His perfect plan for our lives and our childrens' lives or frustrate the awesome things that He so lovingly has in store for us who have the audacity to love Him!

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

The Brokenness

I don't even know how to start this post but let me give it a shot! How do you address the utter lack of integrity with regard to submitting or obeying the Word of God. Now understand that I am by no means speaking to those of you who may have your doubts as to whether or not The Bible is the true inspired word of God. I'm not even talking to those of you who have issues with the word "submit" or "obey". It's just proof of the day and time in which we live. There is such a pervasive spirit of rebellion and blatant disregard for anything of holiness or decency that it's really almost overwhelming. Now understand where I'm coming from, I'm not perfect and I have disappointed and disobeyed God prolifically but He has never ceased to love me or extend his grace and mercy to me and yet after experiencing such a great and awesome love how could I do anything other than honor Him and do what any grateful daughter would do for a loving Father, other than obey?

Earlier this year I went through a situation where there was a man in my life who I had come to love dearly. This man even expressed to me that he believed that believed that I was going to be his wife. I was looking forward to spending the rest of my life with this man. He seemed to be everything that I prayed for in terms of being a man who knew and understood what a helpmeet was, which is simply a wife who is assistant to her husband's goals and aspirations. Not that she does so to the neglect or detriment of herself but because she loves that man and respects him, if she has indeed been called to the ministry of marriage, she will help to nurture and facilitate the dreams and goals that God has placed in him and help him to bring those things to fruition.

This man seemed to be a great father in that he almost always had his sons with him and we had the same concepts of parenthood, marriage and relationships in general. But this was a long distance relationship, and he lived in another state. We carried on this relationship by phone. He was intelligent, a gentleman, and he had a professional career. He was very articulate and gracious and he was gorgeous! But for some reason, a reason that I can't explain, I freaked out! I'm not sure if it was because I felt myself getting closer to what I had wanted and prayed for all of my life or if it was because this man was so fine and intelligent that I did not feel worthy of him or what it was...look, I can't even speculate, I just acted a fool. Apart of me was so afraid that he would not honor his word to make me his wife and another part of me just wanted to prepare for marriage because I realized that I wasn't really as ready for marriage as I thought. I was 85 lbs heavier, I was seeking food for comfort, and in general I wasn't handling my business as I should have. There was so much lacking in my life at that time that I decided to take some bold steps and began getting myself together. So I started fasting and praying more, journaling, reading my Bible and submitting myself to God. The prospect of him as my husband "inspired" me to become the best that I could quite possibly be. But even in all of that, I was still anxious about my relationship with this man.

Because of my past and issues with pre-marital sex, I had vowed not to have sex with another man unless he became my husband. I was tired of being nothing more than a concubine or a baby's mama and I knew that I deserved to have a relationship that was sincere and honest and fulfilling, and my kids need a father they don't need mama to be with a man who is not willing to be that father that they need. Because of those issues it was settled in my heart and mind that there would be NO more sex outside of marriage! Enough!!

This man said that he was going to come to visit me in March for my birthday, and I prayed to the Lord that if his intentions in coming to visit me were to sleep with me then I didn't want him to come. Well, God answered my prayer and there was a big storm and a huge project that he became the manager of and as a result he ended up not following through with his plans to visit me for the weekend of my birthday. I was disappointed but also relieved because I didn't know if I would have the strength to resist him if he were to proposition me. I continued to fast and pray and I could feel a wedge coming between us, we had been talking since December of '08 and by April I went from hearing him everyday, in fact he made it a point to make me a part of his day, several times a day for several hours to once a week to not at all. My heart was broken and I was crushed but strangely enough I, in my brokenness started chasing God like I had never been moved to seek Him in my entire life. The voracious hunger and thirst for righteousness that I so often prayed would overtake others had overtaken me! I was prostrate on my face for sometimes more than 4-5 hours a day and between taking care of my children and handling other business, I was always in my Bible and my journal. It was such a difficult time but there was a growth taking place in me that I never would've imagined would happen to me as a result of such pain. I was hurt but every time the tears would come and the questions that I couldn't answer would flood my mind I would run to get on my face, get in my Bible or get in my journal so that I could dump all of my feelings out on paper or sit in my Abba's lap and cry to Him. He was the only one who could make things right in me. I loved and still love that man but I realized that I loved God more. I could've chased the man but I had enough sense to realize that chasing the man would not be within the best interest of my children or me.

I have been praying for others who are not saved and who are backsliders and my prayer has been that they will experience the same brokenness and desperation for God that I experienced. Because if it had not been for that brokenness and that desperate notion of needing my heavenly Father, then I think that I probably would've self-destructed, had a nervous breakdown or made some other ridiculous decision that would've truly made my life an even greater train wreck than what it was prior to my children and me becoming homeless.

Understand that just a few years ago I thought it was corny to refer to God as father. But through this experience I can now see where God desires to be my friend, my Lord but most of all He desires to be my Father and for a woman who grew up without the love and approval of my earthly father, it was comforting to know that I could run into the arms of God, my Father in prayer and read His word for answers to my questions and that He would always comfort me. It wasn't easy and I made it a point to seek Him and make Him the priority in my life. Now this time last year I had been weakened by fears of the unknown, including not being married and my children needing a dad; moving back to Ohio from Southern California, and just not trusting God like I should have because of my unwillingness to come back to Ohio. I had become suspicious of God's promises to deliver and bless me which I didn't fully understand that it put me in enmity with God. Jeremiah 15:19 (amp) says the following: Therefore thus says the Lord (to Jeremiah): If you return (and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair), then I will give you again a settled place quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile (cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God's faithfulness), you shall be My mouthpiece. (But do not yield to them.) Let them return to you – not you to (the people). Psalm 139:23-24 also says, “Search me O God and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” So please understand that when we are anxious and suspicious of God's faithfulness and desperate for everything but Him, it's probably because there is sin in our lives. My sin was just being defiant. I was mad at God for my having to return to Ohio but I had no reason to be suspicious of his faithfulness, I was the one who was wrong. I still don't understand fully why I'm back here but such as it is God has been exceedingly faithful so, if I want to please Him I have to trust that He knows what's best for me and my kids and know that He'll perform all that he has promised to my kids and me.

My prayer for the reader of this post is that you will experience that brokenness and desperation for the Father. I know that this is not something that you may want to hear but sometimes that brokenness is the only way that we will understand that the God-shaped hole in us is no longer satisfied with the seasonal, temporary comforts of the flesh and of this world and is in need of something, someone who is permanent and consistent and that someone is Jesus! He's the only one who can make things right in you! Besides you're already forgiven, all you have to do is accept it! Whatever it takes to get you to the cross, so let it be in the name of Jesus! And if you are already a Christian but your priorities have been skewed to where you've been pursuing everything but Him, I am praying for your brokenness as well! Don't be afraid of the brokenness it is where your testimony lies, it's where your victory is, it's where you will finally find the peace and contentment that you've been looking for, for so long through all of the wrong things. When any hope of grace seems to elude you, the brokenness is the only thing that will provoke a desperation and a hunger and thirst for God that will usher you to His throne into His presence with the realization that what you're going through is bigger than you are and only He is capable of removing the pain and granting you the strength and wisdom to transcend every barrier to peace and progress. You've stayed in the place of apathy and bondage long enough, it's time to find your destiny and your identity in Christ through the brokenness.

Be abundantly blessed!!!!


Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!


Mocha Brown aka Koretta L. Allen is available for public speaking engagements especially pertaining to subjects of single parenthood, being single, women's empowerment through the word of God and much more. Mochababybrown@gmail.com

Why You Need to be Sure That Your Children Know the God That You Serve

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) This is a scripture that most Christians know and yet very few really get to the extent that they implement it actively or rather proactively within their own lives concerning their own children. No matter how you became a parent, God blessed you with that child or children for a reason. I know that people in Western society are accustomed to having children for their own selfish reasons and they have no sincere concept as to the important role that they play in the life of that child. Hence fathers who leave marriages because it is no longer the convenient thing for them to be married and not only do they abandon the marriage but they make the horrible mistake of abandoning their role as a father. Mothers decide that rather than raise their children they would rather go out and party and become the "play thing" of some man who could basically care less about them meanwhile Grandma, who is older, tired and stressed is left with the monumental task of raising another generation. Or women who behave in error like, yours truly, who decide to have children without the love and support of a husband for themselves and father for their children. That's right! I love my babies but had I not been so selfish I would've continued to abstain from sex and I would've waited to have my children within a marriage ordained by God but enough about that!

I find it to be quite a curious thing that Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses and Roman Catholics take the time to indoctrinate their children from birth as to what the principles of that family's respective faith is and the important role that it will play in the life of that child. Jewish people and even devout Scientologists take the time to indoctrinate their children as to what they are to believe about God as the foundation for the rest of their lives. Now the fact that Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholics and Scientologists believe in religious principles that are not congruent to biblically sound principles is something else but the fact is, they get something that the average so-called charismatic, pentecostal, believer doesn't get and that's the importance of teaching your children about the God that you serve!

I remember when my daughter was two, the Lord revealed to me the importance of reading the Bible to her and praying with her and I wanted to but something in me wanted to justify not doing it because she was "too young" to understand. I tried to reason with the Lord by saying, "But God she's just a baby. She's not going to understand what I am reading to her." I admit that I did it for a while and then I fell off because I reasoned within myself that she was a small child and I couldn't understand the purpose of reading the actual Bible to her instead of Dr. Seuss or bible stories. But when I got pregnant with my son, I realized that because I was single and a mother that I could not by any means be successful as a parent unless I got close to God and obeyed Him to the letter regarding the upbringing of my children. We took small steps. Psalm 91 was read over my daughter at her Baby Blessing (like a christening but Pentecostals don't believe in baptizing children so the elders and prophets prayed and prophesied over her and assigned a scripture to her.) Well, when I was pregnant with my son, she was three going on four and I felt that it was time for her to know this God who had been so gracious and merciful as to allow me to be her mother. I taught her Psalm 91 and we would pray and she would have to recite Psalm 91 every night before bed. By the time my son was born, I had a blessing said for him and because he was a boy (not to be sexist) but I knew that he would not be a baby always and one day he would be a man and I wanted him to grow up to be a great man of God. Don't get me wrong, I wanted my daughter to grow up to become a great woman of God but because there was no direct positive male influence in his life, I felt that it was imperative that he know God and that is what actually compelled me to get my act together and get right with God. Pentecostals and most Charismatics want to depend on Sunday School and Children's Church to teach their children everything that they need to know about the Lord but the Sunday School teacher and the Children's Church minister doesn't go home with you and what's worse is that they see you go home and live something other than what they were taught at church and that only leads to disillusionment and confusion so that by the time they are teens, unless they are blessed to have an encounter with God on their own that compels them to seek God, they end up using you as a barometer to gauge how they should behave and they'll either become lukewarm, mediocre Christians or they'll reject Christianity altogether because you weren't the example of holiness that they needed and deserved to witness.

My constant prayer is that God will bless me to be the kind of mother that my children need and deserve because they didn't ask to be here and I also understand that it is not about me or what makes me feel good but about the spiritual and psychological health and well-being of my children. It's enough that they don't have a father in the natural right now, I'm all they have and if I don't live an example of holiness before them, then what will they have? I am accountable to God for how I raise them and even more so for the life that I live before them. I'm such a nerd and a square that partying and carousing were never my thing anyway but I love men! But because I love God and I love my children and have come to love myself, men are not even in the equation until God sees fit to bless me with my husband. I miss the companionship of a man but I can't risk the emotional and psychological risk of having serial monogamous relationships in my life and therefore apart of my children's lives. I have to give myself over completely to the Holy Spirit so that even when I'm tempted to jump ahead of God into a relationship, I'll consider what it would do to my children and myself if the man involved is not who God would have me raise my children with as a direct influence and father figure in their lives. Not any old piece of man or breath and breaches (as my grandfather called them) deserves to have any contact or access to my kids and if he's not good enough to meet my kids, then I don't need to be with him! It's that simple!

Over the past year, as a family we have evolved in closeness to each other and to the Only True and Living God! My son turned three this year and I prayed prior to his birthday for the Lord to give me a scripture regarding him and the Lord directed me to Psalm 121. So now he almost knows Psalm 121 and my daughter well, she turned seven and the Lord let me know that it was time for her to learn a new scripture since she'd been reciting Psalm 91 for 3 years and now she is learning Psalm 24 as of her 7th birthday. We have prayer and meditation time together and I read the Word of God to them nightly and in addition to their individual scriptures that they recite nightly prior to going to bed, I also assign a weekly family scripture that we recite every night for a week. I could pop my collar if I wanted to, but I have enough sense to know that all glory and honor belongs to God for revealing to me the importance of living holy before my children and truly training them up in the way that they should go so that when they are older they will not depart from it! I want to see my children grow up to become great people of God and to know that no matter what they go through it's not enough to know God through me or even our pastor or the youth pastor at church but they have to know and have a relationship with God for themselves and everything that I'm doing right now, is not easy and yes, it takes some patience and effort but I know that it is the foundation of my children knowing and being secure in their Christian identity. A lot of parents don't understand and some really don't want to understand just how important it is for them to be an example of holiness or how important it is for them to share their faith with their children on a daily basis because it calls them to a higher level of accountability and responsibility than what they are willing to involve themselves.

I'm not perfect and neither do I portray myself as perfect to my children. I have had to abandon pride and self and become transparent so that my children can see that even in my humanness, God is still merciful, loving and faithful and if He'll be those things for me, He'll be the same for them. Nothing worth having comes easy and raising happy, stable, fulfilled children who love God is well worth it! I'd rather take the time out now than to leave their knowledge of God to chance and simply hope and pray that they will know Him. In these formative years they must know who God, El Shaddai, Elohim, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rohe, and the Great I Am is through me! It's a huge responsibility but it also helps me to keep in the proper perspective just how important it is for me to know God so that they may know Him, truly know Him and in the name of Jesus not have to suffer needlessly from ignorance because I did not effectively teach and train them up in the way that should go.

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...Be great and let the haters hate!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Back In Effect

Wow...it's been practically more than a month. I have missed posting to The World of a Christian Single Mother. Get ready because we're about to go live! That's right Mocha Brown is taking this movement to the airwaves of internet radio. I'll post more details once all of the kinks have been worked out!

Anyway, Abba has had me reading, meditating and praying through the book of Isaiah and the books of Acts, Romans and Hebrews. I read two chapters of Isaiah in the morning and two chapters of Acts (done), Romans (just finished)and two chapters of Hebrews (starting tonight). I have learned over the past year just how important it is to pray scripture instead of just praying off the top of my head and out of whatever my flesh may feel at the time. Isaiah 55:11 says essentially that (paraphrasing), "the word of God will not return to Him void but will accomplish the very thing that He sent it out to accomplish." You can't go wrong when you pray the word of God! It's consistent, and the Father is bound by the honor of His name and has promised to fulfill His word time and time again. What more do you need? Sometimes when we pray we get too caught up in emotion and a lot of times because of how we "feel" we end up praying outside of God's will for our lives. Then we get frustrated with praying and then we stop praying altogether because we feel that our prayers aren't being answered. Isaiah 45:23 says, "I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." (NASB) We must first desire the Father's will for our lives realizing that He will not withhold ANY good thing from us and His plans for us, that they are for good and not evil. They are to bless us and give us hope and a future! (paraphrasing Jeremiah 23:11)

Why not get take the time to get to know God for yourself through His word? It's not enough to "know" the Word through someone else be it a pastor, evangelist, television ministry or even your mama, daddy, grandmama, or granddaddy. In fact it is downright dangerous and a threat to your relationship with God to entrust something so precious to someone else without knowing it yourself. It's like trying to know your child through a nanny or babysitter. It's all secondhand knowledge and the problem with secondhand knowledge is that it is always compromised and filtered through someone else's experience. A prime example is the church that I grew up in which was very legalistic and taught that women shouldn't wear make-up, pants, braid their hair or preach or teach in the pulpit. It wasn't until I read and studied the word of God for myself that I discovered that there were modern-day Pharisees lurking in the church who distorted the word of God in order to subjugate and impose a legalistic form of "works" salvation that was based on what you wore rather than the love of God. Unfortunately a lot of these churches still exist but thank God that my hunger and thirst for the word of God saved me from a stagnant life of legalistic "works" salvation, based on denomination and not on the love of God. Many people will be deceived in the last days because they do not know the word of God for themselves. David Koresh is said to have known the Bible from Genesis to Revelation verbatim. However if his followers had known the word for themselves and had been seeking God and not a man, they probably wouldn't have been deceived to the point of death. My grandfather used to tell the story of a little bird that used to sit in a tree and sing "laziness will kill ya'! Kill ya!" Apathy and willful illiteracy will cause many to be deceived by false prophets and teachers. The word of God empowers us and blesses us to have wisdom and authority and power through The Spirit of The Only True and Living God. We get an awesome insight into the greatness of God when we read the word of God and read it not with the intent to manipulate and cause others to fall but rather to gain access to an intimacy with God that we would not otherwise be able to attain through other means.

I will continue this topic in another post but my prayer for you is that you will realize just how precious and awesome having the word of God is in terms of your relationship with Him. We'll also get into how to arouse a love for the the Bible in your children and it's not by reading Disney-type, watered down bible stories that are meant to be palatable for them but some of them take the Word out of context and treat these awesome life-changing stories as if they were nothing more than mere fairy tales or fables. You need to KNOW the Word of God and your children need to KNOW the Word of God!

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...so be great and let the haters hate!

The Church As A Social Club

By now you probably realize that I was raised in the church. That's right, my grandfather had at one time been a COGIC pastor and lived the rest of his days as an elder (more on him at another time) but I grew up in the church. I was saved at the age of 6 and filled with the Holy Spirit at the tender age of 9. I loved and still love the Lord with all of my heart. But I've been to a few too many churches that are starving and lacking in the power of love and the power of the Holy Spirit because they have reduced church to that of a glorified social club where people no longer come to be delivered, praise/worship and exalt Jesus as Savior and Lord...oh no! They come to see and be seen; to know, be known and be in the know! They get together with their cliques and some feign holiness where others are so bold that they don't even bother to put up too big of a front. They come to hook up with the opposite sex and sometimes the same sex. They come to catch up on the latest gossip among the circle of cliques in the church. They come so that they can have the appearance of holiness but it's really kind of funny because they have no power! More than just a social club they have become elitist social clubs where the motive is to gain notoriety and position. These are they that when the pastor calls a fast they are found mumbling and grumbling or if service goes off program or lasts a little longer than usual, they can be heard murmuring and complaining. These are they who are jockeying for positions in the church so that they can be in close contact with the pastor and be seen for the purpose of bragging rights and to seem important to others. These are they who pick and choose what is sin and what is not sin and unfortunately, these are they that the new age pastors and preachers have chosen to cater to by preaching to soothe their itching ears (II Timothy 4:3)instead of calling them to accountability because it has now become unpopular to talk about sin; it is unpopular to hold people accountable for their actions. So there we have the 21st century church, which I believe to be the modern day Laodicean church (Revelation 3:14-22). This is the lukewarm church that Christ declared He would spew (spit) out of His mouth because He would prefer that they would be either hot or cold. The church as a social club is a collection of lukewarm individuals who persistently resist the love, unity and holiness of the true church and body of Christ. They often possess a pharisee spirit in that most of them believe that they are already holy enough, in fact they are so holy in their own eyes that they can stand in open and obvious judgment of others and have no fear of the judgment that they will reap as a result of their self-righteousness. Most of them are blessed with material things so because they equate material success or the appearance of material success as being blessed they feel that this somehow qualifies them to look disdainfully upon others. If they are involved in ministry of any kind, it is simply to gain position and notoriety for themselves and you can tell by the way that they handle the people that they are "ministering" to because they often times have this very phony, apprehensive, stand-offish demeanor (much like handling a filthy rag, I call it nice-nasty) or they are mean, rude and inconsiderate of even the faintest form of Christian love and civility let alone basic customer service. They handle those that they are "ministering" to as if they were filthy and unworthy of their time. These are truly they who will look Jesus in the face on the day of judgment and proclaim, "Lord, I visited the sick, the imprisoned, fed the hungry and clothed the needy." But the Lord will have no knowledge of them because whatever they did, they did it to bring glory to themselves and not to God. They do these things for love and preoccupation with self and not a devotion and love for God. I Corinthians 13 is highly detailed in that it even goes so far as to say that (paraphrasing) even if I give my body to be burned but do not have love. It profits me nothing."

It is my personal opinion that these modern day pharisees don't even believe in God. Their actions and their motives are indicative of people who can't possibly truly believe God. If they believe that there is a God, He is not real to them so they handle the church and their erroneous representation of Christianity very lightly. They are in essence their own God! It's all about them and what they can get and you better believe if they are giving it's only because they believe that they are getting something out of it. They don't care about souls being saved, lives being changed and each time a new person who comes into the church, they act as if they are offended at the very thought of new people attending "their church". They shout and speak in tongues in the pews and out in the lobby and out in the parking lot their feet run swiftly to mischief. They speak in rebellion of the pastor while they gossip over the phone but they are quick to grin in his face as if he were the God who has a heaven or hell created for them.

I have purposed it in my heart and mind that I am going to "rattle the cages" of every modern day pharisee whose path I cross in the church. I am determined to praise and worship God as if I've lost my ever-loving mind. I am going to go all out for the cause of Christ and I am going to love them and pray for them even if they despise and speak evil against me. Yeah, they think that it's all about them well I'm glad that it's not all about me and I am not on any kind of campaign to be seen of men for only what I do for Christ will last. Keep in mind as you go about your way that the absence of love is the absence of God and if what you do is without love then you might as well not do it all. YOU are the temple of the Holy Ghost! These modern day pharisees go to church but I AM THE CHURCH!!! When the church is in you, it is impossible to disrespect the body of Christ by treating and relegating the church to a mere social club experience because the Holy Spirit in you provokes you to love and teaches you wisdom. Galatians 6:7 tells us not to be deceived because God is not mocked, whatever a man sows that's what he will also reap.

Be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...so be great let the hater hate!

Why You Shouldn't Live Life Through the Rearview Mirror

I was driving down the freeway doing the speed limit (I do that to stay out of trouble - I hate being pulled over by the cops!) and this car was tailgating the heck out of me! I got upset and started to accelerate when I heard The Spirit saying "Don't allow the car in back of you dictate how you drive. You're in front maintain your stance and don't react." That was one of the greatest revelations I have ever had!

Sometimes out of pride and insecurity, we behave on a purely emotional and reactionary level and that's why we end up in a great deal of the messes that we end up having to endure. Stop allowing your pride, insecurity and the yelling at you from outsiders dictate to you how you live your life. Even your family and friends can't always tell you what's best for you b/c a lot of times they don't even know what's best for themselves! You should be seeking God's will for your life and if you don't know God's will for your life then how would you expect anyone else to know? You have to put in time w/Jesus and seek Him through prayer, reading the inspired Word of God and if necessary, fasting. Sometimes you have to be willing to do something you've never done in order to have something you've never had.

The rear view mirror is only important to use to look behind you when you are backing out of someplace or when you are switching lanes it is not necessary to watch the driver behind to the extent that you allow them to dictate the way you drive especially when you are obeying traffic laws. It's the same in God's kingdom, outsiders to your life can't always provide the helpful prospective that you may need. You are lost so you ask this one and that one and no one has the answers. Then you're looking back and your fear of what's behind you is greater than the possibly bright future that you have ahead of you. But if you keep looking through the rear view mirror and taking to heart the misguided opinions of others you could very well end up off in a ditch, in an accident that could seriously hurt you or someone else or you could end up violating the law of God b/c you gave priority to what was behind instead of paying attention to the road ahead. "I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead." Philippians 3:13.


Be blessed!!!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

I'm Learning to Decrease...Less Is More!

I do not have a lot to say today which probably not a bad thing since I have a tendency to be long-winded and I know that all too well! But as I go along this way I am learning to abandon Mocha's ways for God's ways and surrender all that I am to Him because He can do more with me than I can. I have a tendency despite my best intentions, to jack things up royally! It's not easy and this has been a nearly 30 year process and it wasn't until I accepted accountability for my actions and stopped playing the role of a helpless victim that I began to see clearly that I was the obstacle in my way. All too often we want to blame others external to us for our failures and shortcomings; our trials and disappointments but all too often we are the reason why we are not blessed.

The Father did not create us to be victims, He would cease to be God! What would He have to gain by purposely denying us blessing? Because we choose our will over His will over and over again, He is still graceful and merciful to us but we can't experience the fullness of this life as it was meant to be if we don't allow Him to take His rightful place as King and Lord over our thoughts, our ways and our actions. We are only here in this world occupying these earthsuits for a short time, why not decrease so that He can increase and show Himself strong in our lives! It's a win-win-win situation! We become blessed, we are able to better bless others and it blesses God to bless us and have us bless others! It brings Him glory and praise! It is the ultimate in worship and all it takes is the acknowledgment that you unlike God, are falliable whereas God is infalliable and that in His infallibility can make things right in you. All too often people pray to be humbled and they pray for humility but The Word of God says for us to "humble ourselves". That basically means that He has already equipped you with what you need to get out of yourself, transcend pride and humbly embrace Him! HE IS LOVE! Now allow His love for you to change you and show you just how awesome and great He created you to be!
Be abundantly, overwhelmingly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...so be great and let the haters hate!

Isaiah 54:17

He Has the Last Say-So!

When I was pregnant with my son, I was feeling condemned but I also felt overwhelming change on the horizon and the uncertainty of my future concerned me. There was a song on the local gospel station by an artist by the name of Kim Rutherford called "Last Say So". I was concerned but comforted by the lyrics that said "Our God stands alone and He takes care of His own." It goes on to say "He allows things to run their course, have no fear. God is in control." I knew that my life was such a mess that something had to give and I could feel it. I just prayed that God would protect my two beautiful babies and me. Little did I know that within a matter of 10 months I would be in a homeless shelter with my two children. I was by no means where I should've been in my relationship with the Lord but I had this confidence: that no matter what God would not forsake us! Others, including family members, friends,church people had forsaken us but I had an unexplainable peace. I first became homeless in central Ohio and I figured that anytime my children and I could be without a place to call home in a city where I had so-called friends and family members (who were in actuality nothing more than relatives, I'll elaborate in a later post)that it was time for us to leave. I had spent some time in Southern California in the early 2000's and longed to return. I longed for years to return there to live and raise my children. It was such a strong desire that I actually felt like there was a magnet in my chest that was drawing me in that direction.

So on what I thought was a whim but was actually the Hand of God, I called my dad who didn't raise me and who had never been dependable or reliable on any level.
My parents divorced when I was 5 or 6 years old because my father simply decided that he didn't want to be married anymore. But he ran from paying child support to the point that for a full seven years of my childhood my mother, brothers and I didn't know if he was dead or alive! However, for some divine reason I called him because I knew he had relatives in Southern California and although I didn't know these people, I figured that if I could just get a helping hand from someone, anyone then I could get on my feet and be successful. I had no doubt about that. Well, he said he had a niece out there and he wired money for me and my kids to leave and go out to California. We got out to California and we lived with my dad's niece, my cousin for three months and then she kicked me out and we ended up in a shelter in Southern California. I could've broken down and wallowed in self-pity but I understood one thing, God had me and that I was being made. This was my "boot-camp" experience to make me a true soldier for Christ.

For too long I had made the horrible mistake of just settling. My motivations were all twisted and messed up. I spent years trying to please other people never realizing until this "boot camp" experience that people will never be pleased and that God's plan and purpose for my life is wrapped up in Him and honoring Him with my life not trying to please people especially close family members. If I had never gone through that experience I would probably be dead or crazy! Because I was leaving so far outside of God's will for my life that I could've easily been destroyed by the poor choices that I was making. I probably even deserved death and destruction, Oh but God! My Abba, in His wonderful, infinite mercy spared my life, my mind and kept my family intact through all of it! And guess what? It's not over! I'm still being made but I am so grateful for His grace and mercy that saw me through that experience of being a homeless, single mother. We have a home now, thank God! I have a car and a job that I love and two beautiful, healthy children and it is all thanks to God! It compels me to seek Him even more! I can not more effectively articulate just how much I love Him! He brought me through what was one of the lowest points of my life. I now understand that regarding everything else that concerns me, He has the very last say so! Not people, not situations, not circumstances (I know this isn't proper sentence structure but...) absolutely nothing outside of Christ determines my worth, my purpose and most of all my reality in Christ!

I'm in tears now and I feel like shouting! I just might get up and do little dance but be abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness...be great and let the haters hate!

God is Faithful & You Can Certainly Trust Him...

But that's not the question! The question is are YOU faithful to God and can He trust YOU to trust Him? Can He trust you to be faithful after He answers your prayers and blesses you? Can He trust you to cling to Him with the understanding that He is the True and Living God who delivers you and who will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus? People are always talking about trusting God, even me! But God has never done anything for you not to trust Him. Can you be trusted to do as you have been mandated which is to love your neighbor as you love yourself? And to do to others what you would have them do to you? God is faithful and He is bound by the honor of His name. The name that is above all names! But what about you? Is there any honor in you?

Often times, and it is quite ironic, we jack things up on our own or we defy God by the choices we make and then when all hell breaks loose we want to blame God! How silly is that? You mess things up but somehow God is to blame? Yes, He is omnipotent, omniscient, and all of that but what are you? Who are you? Whose are you? To whom do you belong? The beautiful thing about God is that He graciously gave us the will to choose, so if your choices are out of sync for His plan and purpose for your life then that is a "you" issue, simply meaning, you are the problem not Him! God will allow it to work for your good if you let Him otherwise you'll be stuck in life's inertia and thereby sentenced to a life of mediocrity. Who wants that? The Lord said in Revelation that He will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth and mediocrity is nothing more than being lukewarm! Mediocre people are also miserable people. I knew that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life as a miserable, mediocre person so I made a conscious decision about 6 years ago that some changes had to be made. My life had become a train wreck! But I knew that the mess I was in was a mess that I created and I had to get my life right especially since at that time I had my daughter. Certain events in life will help you to progress and grow if you allow them. Becoming a parent inspired me to get my act together because I didn't want to mess up my children's lives. As it is being homeless for two years with them in tow was difficult enough to watch them live through. But I was the the reason we were homeless, I depended too much on other people and not enough on God. If I had put my trust in God instead of putting my trust in people I am certain that homelessness and poverty would've never become a reality for me and my children.

Stop questioning God and check yourself out. The whole purpose of life is praise and progression. You were created to be a vessel of praise and worship unto God, in EVERYTHING you do and in all that you are! Secondly, if your life is not a journey of progression but rather you have gotten in one place and camped out there then you are not progressing and you are either stagnant or regressing. You are here in this world to become a better person than you were yesterday, last week, last month, last year. If you can genuinely, in your self evaluation say that your life has not changed and that you are the same as you were five years ago and you're still making the same mistakes that you were making five years ago, it's a problem somewhere and the problem is not God! What are you doing with the gifts, talents, abilities and resources that God has given you? Where are you in your relationship with Him? God did not create you to be a victim so if anyone external to you is the reason why your life isn't where it should be, you need to grow up and accept responsibility for what you're doing to contribute to the problem.

Finally when we stand before God one day to be accountable for the deeds that we have done in our bodies, He's not trying to hear how your mama neglected you; your daddy abandoned you; you were poor; you didn't have the advantages that someone else had. He's just going to simply say "Depart from me. I don't know you!" Because no matter what you are or have been going through The Word clearly states that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God! So if you separate yourself from the love of God based on the bad choices that you made that seemed good at the time but didn't work out or because you wanted what you wanted and God didn't bless what you wanted (because He knows what you can handle and probably had some far better thing in store for you), now you're angry and disappointed but You didn't have the strength, fortitude and courage to trust and wait on God; you don't have the right on any level to get mad at God. I know that from experience! I wasn't suppose to be a single mother but because I went my own way, I am raising two beautiful children who deserve a father, as a single mother. God didn't do that, I did! When I became homeless, I couldn't blame God. I knew that my train wreck of a life could only be made right, by giving up and relinquishing everything that I am to Him and trusting Him to work things out! But it shouldn't have taken such a mess for me to get my act together. I knew better but I was too comfortable in the state of misery that I was in. The Lord even revealed to me just before it happened that I would have to stop just allowing life to happen to me but I allowed fear and complacency to send me rock bottom. But when I woke up in a homeless shelter with my two babies; out in the rain with my two babies; hanging out in the park with my two babies because we were homeless and could not go back to the shelter until the evening, I somehow acquired the supernatural faith to believe and know that God had better things for me and my babies. My situation was self-engineered but I knew that God would use it to put me where I should have been all along in my relationship with Him.

I know that we live in a pass-the-buck society. No one is to blame for anything. No one is responsible for anything anymore. It's always the devil, society's, the media's, the church's, our mother's, our father's, or God's fault and we have become such a cowardly society of victims that it is just all too convenient to lay the blame at the feet of anyone and everyone else but us! What a shame! You have been given power, authority and dominion in the earth and over your flesh through the Holy Spirit. We have access to the mind and Spirit of the Most High, True and Living God, there aren't anymore excuses. So now what are you going to do with what you just read? I am praying that you will allow Christ to work out in you whatever He needs to so that you will be the person of excellence and greatness that He has created you to be. Be blessed and know that this Word is as much for me as it is for you!

Mediocrity hates greatness...so be great and let the haters hate!

Is He In You?

I am just recently getting my life back on track! I come from a very conservative, Pentacostal background and I love the foundation of the denomination that I grew up in but I'm so glad that I got into The Word for myself from a young child. I received the gift of the Holy Spirit when I was 9 years old. I'll never forget it, there was a revival at church and I had gotten saved when I was 6 yrs old so I heard the evangelist explain the difference between just being saved and receiving the Holy Ghost. He preached out of the book of Revelation that night and as is the case most times when a kid hears someone preach from the book of Revelation, it has a tendency to scare you a little but I was more fascinated than scared and that fascination is what moved me to crave The Word of God. I began reading Revelation and from that I sincerely began to hunger to know more so I started reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, 3 chapters a night before I would go to bed and after I would say my prayers. I loved The Word and was so enamored with The Lord that I would even sleep with my bible under my pillow! But as I grew older and increased in wisdom through revelation of the Holy Spirit, I began to see where a lot of the things that my church's denomination taught that were nothing more than religious musings and opinions that were based on a legalistic concept of salvation. So you had girls who were wearing no make up (b/c it was a "sin"- considered vain and Jezebelesque), long dresses and skirts down to their ankles (b/c that was a "sin" - it was a misinterpretation of a the Levitical scripture which discourages women wearing attire pertaining to a man) and going to functions such as basketball games, or movie theatres b/c that was "sitting in the seat of the scornful" but they were committing fornication, adultery, gluttony, gossiping, backbiting, lying, stealing and some of their attitudes were just downright NASTY! As I got older and learned The Word through enlightenment of the Holy Spirit for myself, by the time I was 16, 17 years old, I knew enough of The Word for myself to begin asking questions and if the responses I was provided did not line up with The Word of God that I knew for myself then I knew that the response was a carnal, legalistic opinion and not anything that legitimately had anything to do with a person's salvation.

Well, at the age of 18, after receiving several prophecies and having dreams and visions of going into ministry...I ran! Yes, I ran, was still trying to live saved but I wanted no part of the ministry because I really didn't feel worthy. But when I finally gave up, after years of teaching Bible study and decided to accept the calling on my life, the denomination that I grew up in just wasn't where I knew that I could grow because they were so wrapped up in their pharisaic concept of the church and holiness that they would not let go of man-made tradition to embrace true freedom in Christ especially where it concerned women in the ministry. Everything about God was angry and judgmental because looking back, these people were angry and judgmental! It was so ironic because instead of being made in the image of God these church people tried to re-make God in their image. I know that's deep but this denomination (as is the case with a lot of churches with their religious concept who are under the "pentacostal" banner) left the bondage of the world to be held by the bondage of religion! I left that denomination to start attending a non-denominational church, that church was on the other end of the spectrum in that it seemed to lack structure. The pastor taught The Word concisely and practically and yet it lacked such structure that the atmosphere was more of that of a country club than that of a church body seeking to do the work of The Kingdom. I believe that there were some sincerely saved individuals at both of these churches however where they resembled each other was in their focal point. The focus was some place other than The Word of God and having a true relationship w/God as Lord, friend and father, they were simply gathering places with little to no power. They were the congregations where people would go to see and be seen, to be known and be in the know! In 2001, I got fed up with church, church people, and even who I had become in the church in allowing the attitudes of church people to influence me, I left the church! I got tired of being offended by church people who could treat others like garbage and then turn around and speak in tongues, prophesy, preach, teach and shout all over the church! But they had no love and no power and neither did I! I was struggling with depression and for years I was suicidal. I wanted to know God in fullness but because I would not let go of some unhealthy things in my life, I couldn't grow. So I thought that the best thing that I could do was leave! I told my story in the first posting as to what happened during that span of approximately 5-6 years but to sum it up I had two kids out of wedlock by two different men. After the birth of my son, I ran to God. I realized that if I didn't attempt to re-establish a relationship with God that I would end up either physically dead before my time or spiritually dead. Shortly after that I went on a journey of homelessness and poverty that I had only heard about but never experienced and never thought that I would experience in my own life especially with my children. But I had to come to grips with several things at this time the first and most important was that God was not the one who offended me and that just because people had offended me and hurt me that was no reason to abandon God and everything I had known from a child to be true in His Word. So I began to pray more, read my Bible more, fast for the first time in years, and finally go to church. By this time I was living in Southern California and I had been blessed with an awesome, powerful church family but no sooner than I attempted to put down roots there that God compelled me to return to central Ohio to help my mom who was having her own struggles. The experience of returning to central Ohio after being so satisfied with where I was in Southern California: my career was about to take off there, I was on the verge of getting the apartment that I wanted and most importantly to me, I loved my church. But now I see that the challenge was to see if I was more in love w/God than my church enough to obey Him and return to a place where my life had been a total wreck not to mention there were a lot of people in Ohio who had hurt and lied on me and I wasn't thrilled about confronting or dealing with any of that. But I was obedient and returned to central Ohio and I drifted for a little while because I fell back into the anger and questioning God about having to return to a place that had promised myself that I would never return to. I wasn't going to church consistently. I joined one church but the pastor was within years of my age and I needed someone who was a little more seasoned in life and the ministry. The church that I am now preparing to join (I have to attend the membership class), I never would've imagined that I would end up at this church. This church is the largest church in central Ohio and quite possibly all of Ohio but after interning their for television production, I saw why this church was so influential and prolific. People are always ragging on so-called mega churches but if they are teaching and preaching the truth of the gospel, functioning and contributing positively to the community and you are spiritually mature enough to deal with not having your pastor at your disposal because you understand your access to Christ in you, then I don't see or understand what the problem is, but that's for another post.

I had to let you know about that aspect of my journey because I had to realize that it didn't matter what other people did or what they do to me. It's not about me, I am the temple of the Holy Spirit and because of that I can overcome ANY offense! Yes, there are modern day pharisees in the church who are busy wagging their index fingers at people and condemning people to hell but God hasn't condemned me to hell! So who cares what they think! I am so glad to know that because of Jesus, the Father, my Abba has found me worthy of inhabiting and it's because of that fact that I dare not ever again in life abandon God and forfeit my birthright as a child of God because of what someone did or what someone said. The pharisees called Jesus, the Son of the true and living God, who came to die for their sins "The prince of demons" they accused Him of casting out demons because He was in league with them! What a horrible, blasphemous thing to say but that's how a pharisee, religious demon operates. It deludes people who don't even have skeletons in their closets, but they have rotting corpses (stinking, secret things that they feel condemned and miserable about) in their closets, to feeling self righteous because they can do all of the outward things like speak in tongues, shout/dance, preach, teach, give offering, tithes and they can even work around the church and in various ministries but they fail to understand all of that done without the love of God is meaningless! When you are critical, judgmental, and accusatory of other people, you defy everything that God is...love! He doesn't accept our sin but unlike people God does not associate us with our sins and shortcomings, instead once we repent, He associates us with His Son, Jesus! This helps me because I'm not perfect, I have done more than my share of judging and criticizing people but when I see how people have judged and still judge; criticized and still criticize me not to mention how Christ was treated on my behalf then I understand that it is more important for me to love, forgive and pray for those who offend me than it is to do what this flesh finds easy and convenient and yet so destructive to me spiritually.

We are the arrow that points people in the direction of Christ. Your praise, your service and everything you do is in vain and will die with you if God is not your reality. Is He in you? Because if He is, love is in you, peace is in you, joy is in you, wisdom and temperance is in you! Your flesh will act up and attempt to stage a mutiny against the Holy Spirit but as soon as you relinquish your right as captain of your own ship and allow the Spirit of God to direct you; love, peace, joy, wisdom and temperance become habitual. It is then that no one and nothing external to you including your own flesh will become of such an offense to you that you abandon the One who loves you more than anyone else ever could and you will find yourself gladly going out of your way to love and demonstrate the love of God b/c of the love of God is in you! Be blessed, abundantly blessed!

Mediocrity hates greatness, so be great and let the haters hate!

Decisions, decisions, decisions...& Choices

He who assumes that life will be easy, is well lazy and more than likely spoiled and over-indulged. Life is filled with opportunities that are disguised as decisions & choices! What's the difference between a choice and a decision you might ask? That's an excellent question! The Webster's dictionary defines a choice as the act or opportunity of choosing or selecting whereas a decision is a determination arrived at after consideration. Hmmm...you have to choose to make a decision; you have to take the opportunity to determine after (careful) consideration what you want to do in this life so that you are making a good use of your time here on this planet.

As a teenager, I would pray that God would bless me so that I would not just be a waste of time, breath & space. By the time I turned 16 I realized that there were a lot of people who were choosing to make poor decisions regarding their lives and because of their total lack of decision making skills they became a wasted life! That was not God's plan for them but it was the life that they chose. The Bible also compels us "to choose this day whom we will serve...God or man". Choices are just us simply selecting a way of life for ourselves and that requires us to have good decision making skills and as is the case with skills they have to be nurtured and put in to practice often in order to be purposeful and successful. If you don't choose to make a decision about anything (especially in terms of your relationship with Christ) and you allow life to just happen to you, how will you ever know how awesome you are in Christ? How will you ever know just how wonderful and unique you truly are? You are God's gift to the world but until you realize the gift of God to be great that exists inside of you how will you ever progress beyond the boundaries of mediocrity? It all comes back to the decisions that you choose to make in this life and then be willing and strong enough to be accountable for the decisions that you make both good and bad! But first, make a decision! Thank God for Jesus because of Him we don't even have to rely on the strength of this flesh or our own understanding. We're able to utilize and draw from the mind and Spirit of Christ that lives within us! That's awesome! We don't have to figure anything out, we just have to avail ourselves to the wisdom of God's spirit within us and make a choice to make a decision! Not making a decision and fretfully sitting on the sidelines of life will result in mere existence whereas a life of choosing to nurture and practice good decision making through the wisdom of God will result in a life of flourishing and thriving! Pray for the strength to meet life's challenges head on and the courage and wisdom to choose the right things and make the appropriate decisions as they regard your life for "greater is He that is in you than he than is in the world". You can truly "do all things through Christ who strengthens you." Life may not be easy but when we fail to make the right choices and subsequently arriving at a decision which is simply a conclusion to a matter after careful consideration, we end up making life harder than it was actually meant to be.

Remember, mediocrity hates greatness so be great and let the haters, hate!

Be blessed always in Jesus' name!!