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So, I Obeyed God…Now What?

Hello old friends, new followers & fellow bloggers-

Have you ever faced a hard decision?  Like, either you’re going to obey Him or you’re going to live life the way that you desire?  Once upon a time, not too long ago, I too was at this crossroad: either to obey Him or to live life for me.

The hardest decisions we must make are not the ones that we don’t feel but the decisions that we feel deeply.

So… as many of you may or may not have known, once upon a time, I was in a relationship with this (in my mind) dope guy.  I mean (in my mind) He was the next best thing since sliced bread.  He was it!  You hear me?  He was “the” perfect age, perfect height, he looked like a Ken doll, he had all the qualities I would have wanted for a guy: kindness, compassion, generosity, and intelligence.  He could do no wrong.  He was the one I was waiting for… or so I thought. I think we all in our minds imagine our lives with certain things:  certain careers, certain houses, certain cars, and even certain people.  It is like we race toward the finish line to make sure that we are set and therefore we settle for things and people that temporarily satisfy.  This is what I did with my relationship, I settled.

On a random Tuesday morning, God wanted to speak about the thing I held dear in my heart.  To tell you the truth, I held this person I loved more dearly than I did Him.  Yep, I was guilty of allowing someone to sit on His throne.  That morning, God came and He shared some truth with me and asked me to let my relationship go.  I had a choice, either I was going to trust my Father and obey or I was going to hold on to something out of the fear that what I was letting go, I would never find again.

I chose to let go:  not because I was brave, not even because I knew what was coming, but simply because I trusted God and His choices for my life.

So, I obeyed God… now what?  I obeyed and nothing really changed:  I’m single and I still desire companionship.  I obeyed and nothing really changed:  I’m still not as financially secure as I would prefer.  I obeyed and nothing really changed:  I’m still navigating through life alone and I don’t have anyone I can confide in.  These are just a few examples of our responses to obedience.  Ladies and gents, God never promised immediate change as the reward for obedience, but he did promise that trusting in Him will not cause us to be ashamed/humiliated/embarrassed.  Though it may appear that our act of obedience has done nothing, in retrospect that simple act has changed everything.  My act obedience wasn’t magic, it didn’t shield the pain of my decision, it didn’t make my decision easier but it gave me a peace about my future.

Obedience to the Father is an act of love and trust, not into what he has for you but into who he is and his nature to be good.

So, I obeyed God…now what?

Xoxo,

Simone 

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22 NIV

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Posted on by Simone

Coming Undone

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers- 

Welcome to a new week and a new month!  It’s a time of newness, expression and becoming more in touch with the person God has created for you to be.  So… I went to church yesterday and my Pastor spoke about how creation is waiting for the person God has created to be revealed here on the earth.  As she continued to preach, I cringed a little bit because in that moment I was guilty… guilty of hiding the person God created. I bet a lot of you are like: “What???” “How???”

Well, here we go- it’s confession time!…

Like some of you, I have a plethora of gifts and talents that the world has no idea about.  I can sing, write, make pottery, I play drums, and I can also perform some poetry- but over the past few years, I have allowed fear, opinions of others, insecurities, perfectionism to hinder me from revealing all of who I am to the world.  To tell you the truth, I’ve placed confidence in others and their abilities but somehow forgot to believe in myself.  If that is not honest and transparent, I don’t know what is…  Like many of you, I’ve even convinced myself that what was burning on the inside of me ( a song, or a post) could be done, performed, or perfected by someone better or more skilled than I.  That is ridiculous, right?  It sure is… but these are the lies that many of us believe.  We believe that we are not needed, we believe that once we’re revealed the world won’t like what is presented before them, we believe that we are not good enough, pretty enough, smart enough= all lies that the Enemy uses to keep up hidden, dormant and dying.

What if I told you that freedom was not in some type of chant or mantra but simply in the idea of coming undone.  What if I told you that freedom was wedged between honesty and vulnerability?  That freedom was locked in you losing control and just going for it?

Yesterday, I left service with a new mindset and a new attitude, while making a new decision.  I decided that I was going to live my life coming undone, peeling back the layers I’ve used to cover who I am- I was going to reveal the one God created for this earth.  So…. Ladies and Gents, I encourage you to come out of hiding.  The world is waiting for you: your voice, your ideas, your cooking recipes, etc.  The world is waiting for you and only you. You being the one God created is enough and extremely necessary to the world.  Friends, I love each and every one of you and I’m praying fiercely for you- join me in this new season of life and let us become undone!

“For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.” Romans 8:19 HCSB

Until next time,

Simone

P.S. S/O to my Pastor and the Holy Ghost for WRECKING my entire life with a sermon that encouraged me to get myself together and to move forward undone!!!

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Belief in spite of Sight

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers- 

There is something so rebellious about believing God’s word over what’s being presented in front of you. You know the scripture, ” we all by faith and not by sight”? I think this phrase become more real when faith and what you see are saying two different things. There’s nothing more contradictory than a promise of sucesss in the face of failure. Or how about this one: a promise of wealth in a season of not having two pennies to rub together. That’s the genius of God to demonstrate the impossible in spite of our limited possibilities. 

I’ve experienced disappointment that could have literally took me out- like out of my mind, out of this life, out of this world but my hope is not in what I see, my hope is in the One who gave me sight. I believe He is bigger and I believe His word is true and just when I don’t think I can take enough, He stands by my side and says you can endure- you can conquer! He’s my strength, He’s my anchor and it is in Him that I have placed my trust! 

So today I encourage you to believe, yeah what you see around you don’t match the hope of God’s word but believe anyway! God’s going to come through, He always do. Believe in the impossible and know that there’s a dope God ready to bring what you consider impossible to pass! 

Until next time,

Simone  

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Adulting: Integrity & Character

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers- 

You know that moment when you have to make a hard choice.  It is that moment when you have to decide between doing what is right versus what is popular.  I’ve had a handful of those moments over the years and recently I have found myself making more of these choices.  Will I do what is right? Or will I compromise my integrity and character for what is popular?  As I embark into a profession that is characterized for integrity and fitness, these are the hard choices I must make. Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one else is looking.  Integrity is taking words to another step and implementing what you know is right for your life and your environment.  Being integral can be a bummer, especially when people start hating you because of their own irresponsibility and lack of character.  There is nothing worse than dealing with individuals with no sense of integrity, and no sense of character.

I used to think that fitting in my peers was a highlight for existence, but as I get older I realize that the reputation and name one makes for themselves go beyond a few years in high school or college.  People remember your name and if it is characterized in deceit or irresponsibility these memories affect job opportunities and business partnerships.  People engage in the behavior of business with those that they trust and if one exhibit a lifestyle void of integrity and character, the trust level lessen and partnerships fail. Contrary to popular belief, it is the  goal of an attorney to uphold the law in speech and deed. It is our job to exhibit moral integrity as we are agents for the public and are responsible for many lives.  I heard an attorney say something so key today in a lecture that made my heart smile so big. He said “I’m not in a popularity contest.  Nothing is worth a blemish on your integrity and character.” It was these words that I took to heart, I am in competition with no man and even though some may not like my behavior- I have to do what is right no matter the outcome.

Character goes along way. Yes, having friends are great but at what cost are we willing to build friendships?  What is the cost? Proverbs 22:1 states “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” What we deem to be so important is nothing in comparison to our reputation, our name.   We all have the ability to have a good name and this is demonstrated in our integrity and our relations with others.  How we treat people, what we compromise on and what we allow in our lives is a direct reflection of the state of our name.  Do you have a good name?

Friends, I remember one August evening like it was yesterday.  On a still summer night, I took an oath.  An oath to always be prepared as a law student.  An oath to always operate with ethics  and civility toward my fellow colleagues.  I took an oath to operate with integrity always, whether in the presence of my peers or in my home.  I took an oath and I intend to carry out every word of that precious promise.  My mom has a favorite phrase, “Character will keep you where your gift takes you.” I’m paraphrasing of course but the gist of this statement is that yes, your gift  and charisma will open doors for you but it is your character that secure these opportunities.  Opportunities will come but those with no character will find themselves with the short end of the stick in the future to come.

Weigh out your life choices.  Make a conscience decision to decide what is best for your future,  because at the end of the day it is your life and you are responsible for where it leads.  When we get older, we cannot blame our friends for our criminal records nor can we blame our friends for our crooked business practices.  We cannot blame our friends for our lost opportunity, nor can we blame our friends for the lack of trust from our communities.  We cannot blame our friends for our bad reputation and therefore we cannot blame our friends for the consequences created from our actions.  These examples are just based on this life and not the life to come.  When we stand before God, we will be standing by ourselves and no one else will be present with us to assume the responsibility of our foolish mistakes and lack of integrity.  It will be just God and us – reflecting  on our choices in life.

Lastly, I leave you with this final thought.  What do you have to lose by doing the right thing?  Really, what do you lose by telling the truth when it’s easier to tell a lie?  Yeah, someone is going to be offended and have their feelings hurt.  That is inevitable.  Yes, someone may end your friendship and stop talking to you.  That sounds like a personal problem that is being projected out of hurt and insecurity, again inevitable.  Yes, you may not get invited to the “in” club outings and such, but hey they are probably lame anyways.  Now here is a question for the reverse:  What do you have to lose by compromising your character and integrity? Everything.  You have everything to lose in one moment of decision.  You can gamble with your life but if you lose the aftermath is greater than the choice it took to create your current situation.  Choose wisely!

Until next time,

Simone

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Collision

Two worlds propelling towards each other 

at high speed 

I need 

to duck for cover 

as my world begins to turn-up-side down

A smile lifts my cheeks as 

I think of the weeks 

it took to get to this place

An infinite space

of dunamis power 

shining in this real hour 

As these two worlds continue to 

await their scheduled spontaneous meeting 

as time continue to be fleeting 

I feel the pull of the upcoming collision

resulting from a divine decision

releasing God’s promised word on the earth

no need to search 

for what’s already set into stone

by God alone.

Heaven collides with the earth  

and all that’s been promised is now-

on the surface.

©Simone Holloway, 2015

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Shutting My Life Down

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers- 

Today is the last day that I will be speaking with you all for a little while.  I am studying for the LSAT and therefore, I decided to shut my life down and focus all of my energy into prepping for the LSAT.  Sounds extreme, right? If you want extreme results, you got to do extreme things.  I think that God is giving me a second chance and that means I need to do everything in my power to make sure that I don’t waste this chance being given to me.  You know gang, I didn’t get into the law schools I wanted to go to- and the rejection letters, caused me to wake up!  To wake up to what was around me.  Pain has this amazing quality to make us more aware of what we are missing, what we want and what we are willing to do to go after it.  I thought about giving up on my dream, trust me I did- but if I give up before I even walk in my divine destiny, I wasn’t worthy of having it in the first place.  So now I’m back at square one….aiming to change my life through the help of God and His grace.

When you are given a lot of “no”s,you make it your objective to work for your “yes”.  I am working for my “yes” and if that means I swap out my social media time (which is a lot) for study time and going the extra mile in preparation- at the end of the day, it’s all going to be worth it!  When I’m in law school, prepping for the bar exam; I’m going to look back on these days of hardships and say that every “no” was worth it, because it taught me discipline, ambition and drive.  These past few hard months matured me and it taught me that if I am not passionate about my dream, no one is going to be passionate about it.

Keep me in your prayers, October 3rd is the test date.  In fact, mark that day on ya’lls calendars and pray with me on that day, that I would be confident and collected.  Pray that God will bring back to my remembrance all that I studied and learned.  Pray that God will be with me in that testing session, giving me peace as I prepare to take the legal world by storm.  Please pray and be encouraged by my story not to give up on your dreams, but rather to work extra hard for them in the face of adversity.

Shut your life down to get what you want.

Until next time,

Mo 🙂

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P.S. I will miss you guys very much and if you want to send me any encouraging notes during this process, comment below or email me at authenticlove789@gmail.com ❤ ❤ ❤

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Good Is Promised To Me

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers- 
My heart is filled with praise and thanksgiving to our God.  You know, the goodness of God does not change based upon our situation and circumstance? It’s constant.  That is one of the things I love about the Lord, His consistency, So I was reading my devotional and thinking about 3 AM prayer and I noticed that one of my favorite scriptures was featured today, cool…right?
Romans 8:28 is my ultimate go to scripture when things in my life are going haywire, it is a promise that keeps me going until I things turn around.  It simply says…

“And we know that all things work together for good to then that love love, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

It’s like in the middle of crisis, I remind myself of the criteria of this promise.  1. I love God and 2. I am called for His divine destiny- so all things in my life though it looks bad right now is going to work out for my good.   I choose to trust in the sovereign will of God.  I choose to trust His plan and as I do this I realize that good is promised to me.
God has promised me good… and that means nothing in this life can shake that promise, things have to work out for my good.
Well fam, do you love God?  Are you called for His divine purpose/plan/destiny?  Then guess what??? Good is promised to you as well. Don’t dwell on all the bad you see around you now.  Yeah I know that things are tough right now .  Yeah I know that things look dark and grey but let me remind you that good is promised.  God cannot lie- it’s not in His nature so when He promises good, He is faithful to follow through.  Good is coming!  Choose to trust and believe and I promise that you ‘ll see the good in this situation.
I write these words to give you hope so that you may know your trials and tribulations are not in vain- good is promised and good shall come!
Until next time,
Mo 🙂
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Remembering Who God Is…

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers- 

We all need a day of remembrance, a day when we remember the goodness of the Lord.  August 21, 2015 is my day of remembrance, it all started at midnight when I brought the @tashacobbs album #oneplacelive.  If you don’t have this album, you need to get it ASAP, this album will bless your life!  So I started my praise party at midnight and then started again at 3 am during 3 am prayer.  There is something about a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving towards the Father.  I was sitting in prayer and I could feel the presence of the Lord, wrapping Himself around me as I sung/prayed articles of praise, thanksgiving and gratitude.  Praise helps us remember who God is…. Praise says God is good, He is magnificent, beautiful, trustworthy and consistent.  Praise amplifies these things and when we remember who God is, everything in our lives that is going wrong seems powerless next to the acknowledged power of God.

God is gracious…His graces goes beyond our comprehension and His mercy should be emulated here on the earth.  He is just and honors justice.  He is loving and wants us to love in the same manner that  He loves.  He is a man of War, and He longs to defend and protect us.  He is good….

Come on, wherever you are: Remember who God is.  When you remember who He is; there is no room for fear, doubt, unbelief, worry and anxiety.  When you remember who He is, loneliness and rejection cannot dwell in your heart. He is greater than depression, greater than sickness, greater than these limitations placed upon us in this world. He is bigger and greater and more than we can ever imagine.  Remember Him…

Remember who He is… to the point that your situations look small again,  Remember who He is…to the point that when others walk away and leave you, you still have peace.  Remember who He is…to the point where you can praise in the face of adversity.  Remember who He is….

“I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” Psalm 77:11 NIV

Until next time,

Mo 🙂

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An Appetite For More

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers- 

Today has been an interesting day, I worked hard and realized a sense of discontentment wash over me .  Have you ever wanted more? Out of life? Out of those around you? Out of yourself???? I think I am in this place  where my appetite for life has increased and these sub standard servings aren’t cutting it anymore.  I think we all come to the place where we desire more of God, more of His plan and to hear more of His Voice.

This evening, the TV was on in my home filling my atmosphere with noise but not truly satisfying my soul. Once again, I was not content.  I needed more of God.  I  turned my TV off, shut my laptop close, and muted my phone- I need to eliminate all other distractions as I persevered into His presence.  Like one looking for buried treasure, I sought after the presence of God. When you want something badly enough, you eliminate all hindrances to your goal.

How badly do you want the presence of God?   How far would you go to seek after His love?  I’ve tasted of His goodness and I’ve experienced His love, so I crave after Him like a dying man craves after water in the desert.  I’m thirst after His presence because I love Him dearly.

The church of today have no appetite after God. It’s like we have become so complacent that we take the presence of God for granted.  I’m reminded of the scripture that says “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me ,” Proverbs 1:28.  Every moment with the Lord is precious and that’s why I desire more…more time.

Nothing and no one will ever satisfy my soul like Jesus ….

Until next time,

Mo 🙂

“As a deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for You, God.” Psalm 42:1

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Posted on by Simone

Glow

Hello old friends, new followers and fellow bloggers-

Have you ever looked at someone and it seemed like that person was glowing? Like they had light radiating from the inside of them? 

Well gang… That is how I want to be, I want to glow. I want the light of Christ to radiate out of me and for people to be drawn to my presence. The drawing won’t be because of anything that I’ved done per se but because of the person living on the inside of me- His light would make me glow. I think this glowing is what makes one beautiful. Yes some have beauty that are genetically in their favor, yes some are amazing with makeup but this beauty and glow I seem to see in my own life is not one’s body being beautiful but actually the beauty of one’s spirit and soul.

I want to radiate Christ in everything I do because in Him lies true beauty. 

I want to glow! 

Until next time,

Mo 🙂

P.S. Will you glow with me?