In 1 Samuel 13, Saul and his army are fighting in a battle with the Philistines at Gilgal. The Lord, through Samuel, told Saul to wait seven days, until Samuel arrived, and then, He would give Saul the victory. Saul, though he was holding his ground, however, felt that Samuel was taking too long, and as soon as the seventh day hit and Samuel was not there, Saul took it upon himself to make a sacrificial offering. Just after he did this, Samuel arrived. Samuel let Saul know that, because of his disobedience, he would be replaced by God as king.

At first glance, I read this story and I could not understand why what Saul did was so wrong. He was watching his soldiers die left and right. So, he did what he knew to do and offered a sacrifice. His men were hiding, scattering, and afraid. What was he supposed to do? Well, that question is answered by Samuel. Saul was supposed to wait. And, because he did not wait in expectant obedience, he was later removed from his position as king.

This piece of history cuts me to the core. I have so many dreams that I believe God will make come true. Yet, there are times when I, like Saul, think God is not moving fast enough. Or, I think that there is something I am supposed to be doing rather than be still and wait on Him. So, I try to make things happen. And, let me just tell you, it always ends up being a bad choice to be disobedient; even when the action seems harmless.

Samuel very plainly told Saul, “God appointed you and then He made an appointment with you. You did not keep your appointment with God, so He will now appoint someone else. Thanks for playing!” Okay, so maybe those weren’t his exact words, but you get the point.

We must ask ourselves, “If God appointed me to do this task, am I keeping my appointment with Him or am I forcing Him to appoint someone else?” When God says, “Wait,” we must wait. When God says, “Move,” we must move. It seems simple, but if you are like me, you have messed it up a time or twenty. So, keep your appointments with God, spend time with Him, learn what He wants from you and then, do it, so He does not have to appoint someone else to complete the task that is meant for you. Ms. EV

So, I was watching one of many reality television shows that I tend to watch (don’t judge me), and one of the women, who is a singer/songwriter, but also dabbles in the adult entertainment industry, said, very casually, “I think I want to try a gospel record.” Through the magic of television, by the end of the episode, she had written the song and arranged to have a very high-profile gospel artist sing the song with her. On the next episode, they recorded the song.

Many of you may know that I am not just a blogger, I also write music. I have been writing for many years. As my relationship with Christ has grown, I have been more in tune with how He would have me use this gift. When I started writing, I wrote what I knew would be amazingly popular pop ballads. I would write inspirational music every once in a while. Then, I started writing more Christian, inspirational songs and less pop/R&B songs. One day, my computer crashed and the only songs that I had a hard copy of were the Christian, inspirational songs.

For most of this time, my songs were words on a page and a melody in my head. Then, God blessed me with the ability to play chords on the guitar, which led me to where I am now. I have been humbled by the response to my music and the doors that have opened. Nevertheless, when I saw this young lady so casually decide to dabble in the gospel industry, it cut me to the core. How could she accomplish in such a short period of time something that I am so committed to and doing for the right reasons? It just seemed unfair!

Then, the voice of reason (my mom--God uses her in this role A LOT!) told me that I cannot look at what happens with other people. I have to keep my eyes on what God is telling me to do. God can use anybody to spread His message. And, guess what, He does not have to get my approval. I just heard a voice saying, “Stay in your lane.” I actually have an affirmation on my mirror that reminds me to stay in my lane because I find myself looking at others and getting frustrated when it is really none of my business. When you are driving, if you stare into the side view mirrors for too long, eventually, you will start drifting into another lane, possibly causing a collision. That is not what God wants. He wants to use each of His children for His glory. All that matters is that His Name is praised and that souls that are lost are being reached.

If I am confident that God can and will make a way for my music ministry, then it does not matter what someone else does. Sure, I can make the claim that it upsets me because it seems that she is making a mockery of an industry that I want to break into, but that is God’s business not mine. And, the Bible promises in Galatians that God is not mocked. Either way, we each need to focus on what God has for us, not what He has for others. It will make for a much more peaceful existence. Ms. EV

I spend a lot of time reflecting on my life, not dwelling, but taking glimpses in the past to see what worked and what did not. Not only and I trying to avoid my past mistakes, but I am also looking for how the lessons I have learned can be a blessing to someone else. When I see someone headed down a familiar path, I cannot just stand by and watch them step in front of an oncoming train of heartache and disappointment. I feel I have to say or do something to get his or her attention. Now, I have learned that the person will not always listen to me, which is fine, hurtful, but fine. Sometimes in life we have to learn lessons for ourselves in order for them to stick. I mean, honestly, I don’t always listen to my warnings, so I can be mad when someone else ignores me. Nevertheless, I hope this blog will continue to help me and will help someone else who is trying to stay on the path to his or her dreams because I have discovered how to get everything you want in life.

Step One: Offer honor and respect where it’s due

Step Two: Believe in God’s Word

Step Three: Esteem others higher than yourself

Step Four: Yield to God’s Will

You call out to God for help and He helps—He’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, He’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. …It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. 1 Peter 1:17-21 MSG

I am what some have called, “bossy.” Others have different, less appropriate names for it. But, ever since I was a small child, I have had a knack for commanding people’s attention and getting them to do things my way. As a youngster, I skipped the third grade, so I was always younger than most of my friends. To compensate for being younger, I learned very quickly how to manipulate people into following my lead. Of course, as a child/teenager/young adult, I didn’t look at it as manipulation. I simply thought that everyone recognized that I did things the right way, so why wouldn’t they want to follow me. It is only now, upon reflection, that I realize that I was just plain bossy. So, imagine my surprise when, as an adult, people started pushing back and my way didn’t always get the results I wanted.

“But God,” I would whine, “You said, you would give me the desires of my heart! What’s up?” I seriously don’t know why God even pays attention to me when I am being ridiculous, but He does. I imagine He gets a little bit of a chuckle out of it. He calmly reminds me during my child-like fits from not getting my way, that I forget the first part of that verse, “Delight yourself in the Lord.” Of course, I am sure I am the only one who ever takes Bible verses out of context to make them say what I want them to say (read with sarcasm). In any case, I have learned, many times the hard way, that I must put God first. When God is truly at the center of it all, life is so much easier. Not easier in the sense that troubles cease, but easier in the sense that no matter what happens, I am confident that God knows what He is doing. When we get to that place of no longer having the desire to be in control of everything and acknowledging that God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours, it is much more feasible to abide by His will rather than our own.

I love the way The Message Bible interprets Peter’s description of God, the Father: “You call out to God for help and He helps—He’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, He’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.” God wants to help us, but He is not going to stand for sloppy living. We need to stop asking God to bless our mess. We need to start asking for Him to help up get out of and avoid the mess in the first place. How do we end up with sloppy living? We yield to temptation instead of yielding to God’s will.

But, Ms. EV, I don’t know God’s will for my life? Well, it’s not a secret. It’s published in the most popular book in the history of the world, the Bible. And, if you don’t know specifically what applies to you, the answer is ALL OF IT, in one way or another. You say you don’t know how to apply it, ASK GOD. Notice I didn’t say ask your pastor or your best friend. Now, God might use those people to answer the question after you ask Him directly, but we have to stop taking the word of ourselves or others more seriously than the Word of God. And, once you know better, then do better. As God reveals His plan, His will for your life, yield to His will. It won’t always make sense, but it will always work out for your good.

So, how do you get everything you want in life?

Offer honor and respect where it’s due
Believe in God’s Word
Esteem others higher than yourself
Yield to God’s Will

OBEY! Obedience is better than sacrifice. All the blood, sweat, and tears in the world won’t matter if you are living contrary to God’s Word and His Will. You may get accolades and possessions, but you won’t enjoy them with any joy or peace. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I wouldn’t want prosperity that I cannot enjoy. To obey God, not for things, but because of who He is and the sacrifice He gave is the key to having everything you want (and need) in life. Ms. EV

I am a HUGE NFL football fan. I am in love with my team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, even though, they have not been very good for the past several years. I am still loyal. I have season tickets. I watch every away game. I go to training camp and draft parties. I am the Official Fan Reporter for NFLFemale. As the Jaguars’ slogan for this year suggests, I am “ALL IN” when it comes to my team. The Jaguars finished with its worst record in franchise history this season. They won two games and lost fourteen. It was a long season.

Last year, the team that had that record was the Jaguars division rival, Indianapolis Colts. After coming off a 14-2 season, the Colts lost their franchise quarterback for the season, and ended up with the worst record of any NFL team in the 2011 season. Despite the fact that he had led the team to the playoffs the season before, the 2-14 record was enough to get the Colts head coach, Jim Caldwell, fired. So, the Colts started looking for a new head coach. One of the candidates they were pursuing was Chuck Pagano, the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. The only issue was that the Ravens were in the playoffs, so the Colts had to wait to interview Coach Pagano.

The Ravens made it all the way to the AFC Championship, where they would face the New England Patriots. But, for the Colts, time was running out to find a head coach, as they needed to be sure they had the proper staffing in place. The AFC Championship game was intense. A dropped touchdown down and a missed field goal ended the Ravens season in defeat and they were crushed. However, it meant that the Colts could talk to Chuck Pagano and they ended up hiring him as their new head coach.

This past weekend, the Colts faced the Ravens in the first round of the 2012 NFL playoffs. When asked how he felt about the previous year’s defeat in the AFC Championship, Coach Pagano talked about how tough that loss was to swallow, but he went on to say that had it not been for that loss, he would not have been able to become the head coach of the Colts. His words really spoke to me. Sometimes, we focus so hard on the losses that we do not realize that they can be worked out for our good.

If you don’t follow football, there are many examples in the Bible of much more devastating losses than a football game. Think of Job losing all of his family, finances, and fitness. Think of Joseph being thrown in a pit, and then, going to prison. Even though they lost and they had major disappointments, in the end, they gained so much more because God was with them and they were faithful.

Now, if you know the story of Coach Pagano, you may know that he was diagnosed with cancer this season. You may ask how someone could consider that a victory. Well, for Coach Pagano, it did turn out to be a victory. With his family, his team and his community’s support, he went through grueling treatments for his cancer and he beat it. He never gave up. He hung in there and he inspired many people along the way.

Sometimes, we have to lose so we can win. I’m not going to sit here and write that it doesn’t hurt or that it doesn’t suck. But, when we consider that everything is in God’s control and He has the ability to work every loss into a win, it is hard to stay bitter or discouraged. This year, when Coach Pagano came back to coach his team in the playoffs, he had a completely different perspective when they lost. And, we have to learn how to use our losses, our obstacles, our setbacks as stepping stones. God uses the losses to get us to the wins if we will submit to His will and let Him work, the losses in life help us prepare for the battles we are meant to win. They make us stronger, smarter, and more serious, so that we can be victorious! Ms. EV

I entered a Twitter contest last week that offered four floor seats to the local ABA team, the Jacksonville Giants. Much to my surprise, when I got home, I had a message saying that I had won the tickets. I am not a huge basketball fan. I usually only watch my nephews play and I watch March Madness and the NBA playoffs. But, since I won free tickets and it gave me something to do on a Saturday night, I went to the game.

ABA basketball is a little bit different than NBA and I noticed in the program that they have a rule called the 3D rule. This rule means that if the defending team steals the ball before the offensive team crosses half court, the next shot is worth three points instead of two. So, the teams often incorporate a full court press into the defense, which means they start defending the ball as soon as the other team is awarded possession rather than waiting until they cross the half court.

When I was reading about the rule, I thought that this is a good strategy to employ when we are trying to reach our dreams and goals. Many times, when we are going after our dreams, we leave it up to others to bring us the resources we need, or we wait for the perfect plan, the perfect chance to arise to take what we have been after. We set up our defenses and try to prevent anything bad from happening.

The thing about a full court press as opposed to a traditional half court defense is that if the offensive player gets past the press, the team on offense generally outnumbers the team on defense and they may have an easier chance to score. But, if the defensive team can get the ball away, they usually have a one-on-one shot at the basket and can score easily. It is a risk versus reward thing. We have to ask ourselves, “Am I ready to fully press in? Am I ready to press into the loving arms of God and step out in faith, knowing He has everything under control? Or will I sit back with my defenses up and just wait to see how things go? Am I willing to risk failing in order to ultimately be successful?”

I can only answer those questions for myself. However, I do know that doing things the same way and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. So, for me, I have to be willing to try a more aggressive approach every once in awhile. This is not done without praying first. I will not take the step if I feel that God, my coach if you will, has not given me the signal to go after it. And, when I listen, if I don’t get the expected results, I know there is something can learn from it. If my attempt is successful, I might get a little more than I even expected. That, to me, is a win-win situation. It is a lesson I wish I had learned and put into practice long ago. Nevertheless, the past is gone and I can only focus on how I approach my dreams in the future.

Another lesson I learned from the ABA 3D rule was that teams will employ the full court press even when they are far ahead in points. Sometimes, when we are successful, we are even less motivated to take a risk than we are when we have failed. I feel like this is when God takes the opportunity to shake up our comfort zone and force us to do something radically different; something that requires that we fully press into our faith and trust in Him. So, when approaching your dreams and goals don’t be afraid to try a full court press. Start attacking from the start, create your own opportunities, and at the very least, you will show the devil and the world that you are serious about your plans. At the very most, you will show God that you trust in His plan. Ms. EV

Last year, on New Year’s Day, my pastor preached a sermon titled, “On the Edge of Greatness.” With so much lately about going over the edge of a fiscal cliff, feeling like I am on the edge of something great from a ministry standpoint, and a couple of personal situations, this sermon came to mind. The spiritual nugget that I took from the sermon was a football analogy that pastor used (how apropos since I am a HUGE fan of the pigskin). He talked about how when a team is on their fourth down with one yard to go. (Wait, let me stop here, if you don’t understand football, this might not make sense, but I would be happy to explain the game to you, just drop me a line). Anyway, when a team has fourth down and one yard to gain for a first down, many times they pitch the ball to the running back about three to five yards back. What this does is allow the blocking to be set up and allow the running back to gain momentum, so that he can get through the defenders.

As a spectator, this play always looks wrong, but it is so awesome when it works. My pastor explained that sometimes, when we are on the edge of greatness, God has to take us back, so that we can move forward with momentum. On New Year’s Eve, I performed three of my songs during our service. I was surrounded by love and support from the congregation and I truly felt, for the first time, that I was on the edge of greatness. I felt like people finally understood what God is doing in my life and how I pray He uses it for the uplifting of His Kingdom. When I got home, I found out that my ex had been fired from his job. For a minute, in my loneliness, I thought I should reach out to him. I felt awful for him because I know that this job is his dream job and that, as I was wishing others a happy new year, he was probably not having a great day.

Then, I took a step back mentally and emotionally. I remembered what our relationship was like and I remembered that although, we are both good people, we do not have the best time communicating with one another. So, what would be a nice sentiment from me might not be well-received. If it was well-received, and if he appreciated my concern, it might lead to more than just a step back. I might take my focus off of my goal completely and try to help and support him. Taking that step back, gave time for my defenses to be set up. I realized that I cannot afford to turn back, not when I am on the edge of greatness.

So, I prayed for him and every time I think about him, I pray for him that he is able to continue to live his dream. I also prayed for me that nothing would slow down my momentum. I would hate to get to heaven and see that I was one step away from my dream when I turned my attention to something else. It is not easy to stay focused because I have more than one dream, but it is necessary to keep moving forward. And, when I come up against a tough situation, I have to take the time to allow God to take me back, so He can set up my blocks and propel me forward.

Sometimes the things that stop us from being where God wants us to be are not bad things (or people). In fact, I think that good tasks, people, projects are far more dangerous to our paths than bad ones. With bad things, you know you should turn around and run the other way, but with seemingly good things, it makes you question if you should gun it up the middle or pop outside to the edge (another football reference). Then, as you hesitate, you might miss the opportunity that God has in place to move you forward into greatness. So, whatever path God has you on in your life, even if you haven’t reached your goal, stay the course. He will work it out for your good if you love, trust and obey Him. Ms. EV

I was reading a devotion this morning and it referred to the verse, John 15:5, where Jesus says, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." The devotion went on to ask what the readers felt Jesus meant by saying we can do nothing without Him. It is a good question for which I will attempt to clearly state my answer. 

When I read the verse in The Message Bible, it is interpreted as, "When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing."  Surely, anyone can live his or her life without Christ. We see it everyday in people we know, we  love, and with whom we interact. They live everyday of their lives without Christ. Some of them are very successful at what they do. They have families who adore them, businesses that make great financial gains, and material wealth. If we are honest, most of us know people who seemingly have it all and could care less about a relationship with Christ.

When Jesus said, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing," I don't believe that He meant that if we tried to live our lives without Him, we would just shrivel up and die or that we would be incapacitated and unable to function; we can go on living because that is not the way God loves. God's love allows us to make the choice each and everyday of whether we will do life on our own or trust and lean on Him. Nevertheless, I am a witness that when you make the choice to do life with Christ each day, it is a much more fruitful and satisfying life. Others may have a bigger bank account, more loved ones, more accolades for things they did on their own, but with Christ, we have more contentment and satisfaction and peace knowing that we did things His way.

It all boils down to what we consider to be successful. If we want the type of successes that the world holds dear, then we can choose to live in whatever way we please, but we risk trading eternal treasures forever for earthly treasures now. If we want to be productive for the Kingdom of God, we must understand that, though we may never see the fruits of our labor on this side of heaven, when we join with Christ, there is satisfaction in knowing for sure that there will be an abundant harvest. When you have a real, intimate relationship with Christ, anything you try to do on your own will seem meaningless and empty. It is better to listen to God's plan and follow His path because it is what is best for you. Ms. EV