Author

Mel

Mel uses technology to create innovative faith-based platforms to spread the gospel, train and coach believers, and distribute faith-based content.

Business

Six years ago, I started a virtual assistance business. It was such a brilliant idea! I was so excited and got started quickly. However, I didn’t realize how many people didn’t know what a virtual assistant was or how many people didn’t have a need for one. I was able to get a few clients but business slowed down after launching.

I went back to the drawing board and transformed my business into consulting and focused on helping businesses structure their businesses. It was a complete success for me and I made a lot of money doing it. I added brand management services to my business and that was another success for me, but C@v!d came and it slowed everything down for me.

When my business died, I felt like I died. Everything I worked so hard for went down the drain and I had no idea what would come next for me. It was like everyone became a consultant, a business coach, or in brand management. Although I knew it was my calling and something I was anointed to do, it was completely overly-saturated and I no longer wanted to do it. So, I stopped doing business altogether.

A Prophetic Word

During that time, I received so many prophetic words concerning my business. God would send people to remind me of the anointing I carried for business and to keep going. That encouragement would only last for a second. Even if God wanted me back in business, he never told me exactly what to do. In the meantime, I would study business trends and upcoming technologies. I was completely fascinated with the future of business and the predictions many experts were saying. That fascination kept me up at night and it kept the dreamer in me alive. One of the predictions was the takeover of artificial intelligence and how businesses need to be aware of the threats AI would have on their businesses.

I started praying and fasting for my business. I started asking God to help me learn about artificial intelligence and give me ideas to revamp my company. I asked him to give me insight into the future and give me business ideas to help business owners survive the wave of AI. I asked God to extend my network and connect me with people who had the same desires as me. I prayed and prayed, but I didn’t get an answer. A few more years go by, no business, no clients, and no profits. I was extremely discouraged and felt like I would never come back from my hiatus. I didn’t understand why God would give me so many prophetic words and send so many people my way to encourage me, and nothing was happening.

After years of no movement in my business, I decided to “use” my time for something else, until God told me what to do because I had no idea. I signed up for a summer counselor position to create a curriculum for youth. Although I felt the holy spirit telling me not to do it, I didn’t understand why not. It was only for the summer and I was giving back to the youth. I started the position and guess what? It was the slowest summer for them and no kids would come and they kept having to send me home early. After the second time, I resigned.

A Resurgence

A few days before I resigned, there were over 2,000 artificial intelligence apps released and over 2,000 new jobs were created and I couldn’t believe it. I knew this moment would come many years prior and I prayed for the wisdom to build many years prior. However, because it took so long and I prayed for so many years, I didn’t think it would ever come. The holy spirit began ministering to me and told me that I saw right all along, it just wasn’t time. God’s been preparing me all along for the times we’re now walking into.

Within a few days of that revelation, I revamped my business from top to bottom and got right into the trenches of this new business world. I began studying software and different technologies. From my research, I began posting videos about it and over a short amount of time, I got over 200 new followers on my Instagram and invites to sit in rooms discussing AI for free, although the tickets were going for 25k. Now, my old clients are reaching out to me to ask me for information and ways they can implement AI into their business model. Business is picking back up and my excitement is slowly returning to me.

The Lesson

I’ve learned so much in the past few weeks. One of the main lessons I’ve learned is God sometimes gives us things for an appointed time. We know that God uses waiting to prepare us for what’s to come. However, Joyce Meyer opened my eyes and gave me more understanding of what we’re actually waiting on. She said when we wait, we’re waiting on other people and for other things to fall into place (I’m paraphrasing). I’ve never heard that before. Basically, everything and every person connected to your next season must come into alignment with that same word God released to you. We’re always focused on us when there are other moving parts. The word God released over my life and the business ideas God gave me had many moving parts because it was part of a larger vision and it would manifest at the appointed time.

Time got the best of me and caused me to become weary. I started taking my eyes off God and started looking at how much time passed. I became discouraged because it seemed like nothing was happening and I was praying amis, but my prayers were ushering me into a new day and time in history that I couldn’t see because it was in the future…wow!

My Encouragement to YOU

I know many of you are waiting on God and it’s been such a long time. I want you to understand that God hears you and your prayers are not in vain but will be answered at the appointed time. Don’t allow time to rob you of the present. Don’t allow time to tempt you into taking your eyes off God. IT SHALL COME TO PASS! Anchor yourself in prayer and build up your faith by reading the Word until your time come. It may seem far off, but it’s closer than you know and it’s going come at you so fast, your head will swim. With that being said, I’ll leave you with this scripture:

“Yes indeed, it won’t be long now.” God’s Decree.

“Things are going to happen so fast your head will swim, one thing fast on the heels of the other. You won’t be able to keep up. Everything will be happening at once—and everywhere you look, blessings! Blessings like wine pouring off the mountains and hills. I’ll make everything right again for my people Israel:

    “They’ll rebuild their ruined cities.
    They’ll plant vineyards and drink good wine.
    They’ll work their gardens and eat fresh vegetables.
    And I’ll plant them, plant them on their own land.
    They’ll never again be uprooted from the land I’ve given them.”

God, your God, says so.”

Amos 9:13-15 (MSG)

August 7, 2023 3 comments

July’s Prophetic Word

by Mel July 3, 2023

written by Mel

Before entering a new month, I lead APOM in prayer. If you’re a part of the APOM Community or fellowship with us on occasion, you’re familiar with our Head Of The Month prayer meetings. Every month, we cover our families, professional positions, nations, personal plans, and the body of Christ at large. The goal of these prayer meetings is to be led by the spirit of God in all things, including every part of our lives.

During this particular meeting, God addressed the state of our nation and the world at large. He gave us specific instructions on how to prepare for the times we are entering. I know we’re all just recovering from the pandemic, but I hate to tell you that it was only the beginning of some of the woes we’re getting ready to experience. This is not a fear tactic but a sounding of the alarm of what’s to come. One of the advantages of being a son/daughter of God, an heir to his kingdom, is we don’t have to be in the dark, God is letting us know what’s on the horizon.

Prophetic Word(s) and Prayer Points for July

The USDA approved lab-grown meat. We must begin praying about our diets and what God wants us to eat or not to eat. This will look different for everyone, so begin asking God about what he wants YOU to eat. Also, be prayerful about what you eat!
Artificial Intelligence is here and preparing to take over! We must be in prayer about the rise of AI, how to leverage AI, and how to outsmart AI. Although AI is a powerful tool, it still has limitations! Dr. Cindy Trimm says it like this, “AI doesn’t have the mind of God.” – Period.
The rise of augmented reality. We are entering a time when people won’t be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s fake. We must continue to ask the holy spirit to lead us into the spirit of truth in all things, so that we may be able to discern what’s real and what’s fake.

To hear the rest of this word, here’s the video of our Head Of The Month prayer meeting:

Instructions for July

I want to encourage you to sit before the Lord and be in prayer regarding your life. Ask him specific questions regarding your life and your loved ones. If you don’t know where to begin, here’s a brief list to get you started:

God, what should my diet consist of?
God, who and what should I be connected to this season?
God, what do I need more or less of?
God, what areas of my life need more discipline?
God, what are my strengths and weaknesses?
God, where should I live?
God, how do I prepare for what’s to come?
God, how do I spend my money?

We need insight and specific instructions for our lives from God and God alone! We can no longer put our trust in the people or systems of this world because contrary to what they say, they will fail! The days we’re entering may be unpredictable to the world, but I believe God is already preparing his people and giving them the tools they need to thrive in an economic decline. The fear of the unknown could be tempting but I want to remind you that we do NOT need to fear! Remember, “Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].”– Isaiah 41:10

I want to invite you to our Head Of The Month streaming services! Be notified by subscribing to our site or Youtube channel. You can also stay in the know about our upcoming events via our events page. Click here to view

May the Lord continue to bless and keep you! May he guide you and order your steps in all you do! Have a blessed July!

Love,

Mel

July 3, 2023 2 comments

Faith Lifestyle

God is Positioning You!

by Mel June 5, 2023

written by Mel

During the pandemic, God gave me a word that I didn’t understand then as I understand now. He said, “The world is being shaken but my children will be shaken into their rightful positions.” Since releasing that word, I’ve heard many believers release that same word with the exact words, tone, and sense of urgency. Although I released that word, I have to be honest, I struggled with seeing any movement happening. When I looked at my situation, along with the countless others that I minister to on a weekly basis, it appeared that we were all in the same position with very little movement or no movement at all.

Yet, the Lord kept giving me the same word! In fact, every time I prepared to teach or speak, the Lord would give me words of encouragement to release to his people to keep going. I went back and forth with God because I started to feel like I was repeating the same word over and over again, but that’s exactly what I was doing, repeating God’s word over and over again. My assignment was to encourage God’s people to keep believing, keep praying, and keep moving forward with a great expectation that God was positioning them for something better. Now, before I continue, I want you to understand that I am not saying that we are going to feel better, but that God has a better plan in mind on where we should be positioned to further advanced his kingdom.

Are you Being Positioned or Repositioned?

For many of you, God is positioning you. He is moving you to a designated place or sphere of influence to occupy. This could be a physical move, a promotion at work, a change in status or ranking, a career/business change, a shift that affects your life in some capacity, a change in your family dynamic, etc. This doesn’t exclude the positioning that can take place in your spiritual, mental, or emotional well-being. Positioning is the act of arranging things or moving things.

Some of you are being repositioned, which is slightly different than being positioned. When God repositions you, he places you back in your proper position. Sometimes, we are going in the wrong direction or occupying places and positions that we were never called to, or occupying a space longer than God ever intended. Again, this doesn’t exclude the spiritual, mental, or emotional repositioning that God can do to put you back in a good and healthy space.

God revealed to me that he was positioning his children, and whether you’re being positioned or repositioned, God is strategically positioning you for such a time as this.

Uprooted, in Limbo, or Stuck!

As God positions us, many of us are being uprooted from a secure or familiar place. When someone uproots something, they remove it by pulling it up. This kind of uprooting looks like unexpected job loss, denial, closed doors, relocation, etc. God is removing you from the place you’re currently occupying. Many of you feel like you’re in limbo, where you’re neither coming nor going, but in between. Being in limbo represents a state of transition, but never transitioning to the next place which brings me to my last point, many of you feel stuck! No matter what you do or how hard you work, you can never move ahead, although you never move backward either; you’re just stuck.

Have you been uprooted? Are you in limbo or feeling stuck? You’re not alone. There are a lot of people struggling or have struggled with those feelings before, but boy do I have some good news for you!

Breakthrough on the Horizon!

Psalm 102:13 – You will arise and have compassion on Zion, For it is time to be gracious and show favor to her; Yes, the appointed time [the moment designated] has come.

As of recent, people have testified of promotions, new positions, new statuses, new opportunities, and new blessings. Although many people are in the waiting room, they’ve had conversations, encounters, divine connections, and great exposure that gives them a sneak peek of what’s on the horizon. They can see what is brewing and what he got up his sleeve. They can see, sense, and feel that breakthrough is on the horizon, and indeed it is!

So, begin decreeing this word over your life. Take the scripture mentioned above and make it personal! Ready? Repeat after me:

God will arise and have compassion on {insert/say your name}, for it is time to be gracious and show favor to me; yes, MY appointed time has come.

Prophetic Application

Look at your life and what’s going on around you. God is positioning you! But, what is he positioning you for? Hmmm…I’m so glad you asked. Open your eyes and take a good look around you. What do you see? Where are you? Who are you with? What’s going on around you? What opportunities have you had? What conversations are you having? What have you been prompted to do or prompted to go? Pay attention to what’s happening in your life. After you’ve completed those observations, can you see how God is positioning you? Can’t you see what God is doing in your life? Can’t you see what’s on the horizon? We’re never really “in the dark” regarding God’s plans for our lives. If we take a step back and start looking at what’s going on in our lives, we can get a sneak peek of what God is doing.

God is positioning you! You’ve outgrown the spaces you once occupied and you’re being called to GREATER! He’s ordering every step you take and making every path straight. Look up! Breakthrough is on the horizon and God is giving you favor on every side. The world around you may be shaking, but you are ONLY being shaken into your rightful position.

June 5, 2023 15 comments

Lifestyle

Why I am I Inconsistent?

by Mel April 17, 2023

written by Mel

Are you struggling with being inconsistent? Do you have a habit of starting things that you never finish? Have you ever sat with yourself and asked yourself why consistency is an issue for you? If you did, what did you find out? Leave it in the comment section and let me know. I’ve struggled with inconsistencies in the past and I never looked at it as an issue. I used to start and stop stuff all the time and never had any convictions about or thought there was anything wrong with it.

When I became closer to the Lord, the holy spirit began highlighting this issue to me and it was more serious than I realized. This issue of inconsistency had been a vicious cycle in my life that I repeated often. This cycle of starting and stopping happened so much that I never accomplished anything. I’ve wasted so many years of my life starting over, in fact, that was the only thing I ever accomplished. Although I never knew how to finish things, I definitely knew how to start them. I became frustrated with this cycle and I became frustrated with constant failures. I needed to know why it kept happening and how I could make it stop.

I started praying and doing some soul-searching. I needed the holy spirit to show me the root of this issue and why it’s been so prevalent in my life. There is a root, a beginning, to every problem. In my case, this problem of inconsistency started when I was a little girl and grew with me. The bigger I became, the bigger this issue became in my life. Yet, the reason was still unknown. Don’t we all struggle with being inconsistent? Don’t we all start stuff we don’t finish? Isn’t this typical? This is when the holy spirit revealed to me that the issue of inconsistency is not vague at all. If we dig deep enough, we can identify the problem.

Identifying the Real Problem

There is a reason for your inconsistencies. You can identify that reason by looking at WHY you stopped, but don’t stop there. Keep asking yourself more questions until you get the answer. Why did you stop? Did you get frustrated along the way? Did you encounter problems that were too big for you to solve? Did you lack the support you needed to accomplish the task? Did you find something else you liked more and decided to pursue it? What was the reason? The reason why will explain why you stopped but it will not explain why you keep stopping. The reoccurrence of this issue reveals that it’s a different problem that you’re not able to recognize and I’m going to help you identify what those problems could be.

You don’t really believe the vision – Yep! This is a truth we’re not willing to admit, yet. We know that God has these grand plans for our lives and it sounds good. But, let’s be real, is it really going to happen? One of the reasons we’re inconsistent is that we don’t believe in the vision that God’s given us. It sounds good at the beginning, but when we get in the thick of things, we begin to doubt if we can actually accomplish it.
You’re following a trend, not the will of God – Sometimes, we’re just doing things because everyone else is. We see how successful other people are in their endeavors and although it’s hard to admit, we start to feel a little insecure. So, we follow the trends and footsteps of everyone else instead of following God’s blueprint for our lives. After experiencing failure, we stop.
You’re not really interested – Let’s face it, we don’t really like what we’re doing. Maybe we liked the idea of it, but when we start doing it, we realized we were not interested in it. It’s not a terrible thing, it’s the truth. The problem is we often know we’re not interested in something but we keep going with the hopes of it getting better. When it never gets better we stop.
You don’t have the gift/talent for it – This is a hard truth. We’ll probably never hear this truth but it’s something we have to be truthful about. Oftentimes, we pursue things we’re not gifted to walk in and when we don’t get the support or results we’re looking for, we stop.
You have imposter syndrome – Imposter syndrome is when you have consistent doubts about your abilities and your accomplishments, along with the fear of being exposed as a fraud despite your success. We constantly doubt ourselves, we fear not being good enough, we second-guess ourselves and our work, and we compare ourselves to others. When we struggle with imposter syndrome, we rob ourselves of opportunities, and when the door closes, we stop.
God did not tell you to do it – Sometimes we get frustrated because things are not working like we hoped they would. The question is, did God tell you to do it? Sometimes things are not working because God’s hands are against them. Sometimes we’re trying to open doors that God’s trying to close. When we experience resistance, it’s often God telling us to go another way or to stop. Once we realize this isn’t the way God wants us to go or this isn’t what God wants us to do, we stop.
You’re easily distracted – We can’t stay committed to anything when we’re distracted. If we lack focus, everything will look like a priority. When everything is a priority, we tend to put off what’s most important. We continue putting our tasks on the shelf and we never pick them back up.
Your emotions are driving you– Sometimes our emotions do the decision-making for us. We let our emotions determine what we pursue or why we’re pursuing something. Once the honeymoon stage ends, we fall out of love with the task.

There are many more examples, but I say all of this to say, what if your problem isn’t really inconsistency but the failure of asking yourself why before you start something, or being realistic about your ability to carry out the assignment before you make the commitment to pursue it? Sometimes we think we’re inconsistent because we don’t have the discipline to finish something but that’s not always the case. If you took the time and asked yourself a series of questions before starting something, perhaps it would prevent you from starting something that you knew you wouldn’t be able to finish. Sometimes you have to weigh your emotions and ask yourself if you’re pursuing something out of emotion or as an attempt to fill an emotional void. Sometimes we can’t finish what we start because we’re pursuing it for the wrong reasons. The holy spirit revealed that I was starting things with the wrong motives. I just wanted to be rich, so I tried just about everything. However, I realized I didn’t have an interest in everything. I would hit the ground running for a month or two and then eventually get bored and stop. So, my problem wasn’t inconsistency but a lack of interest…and the wrong motives, lol.

You’re not Inconsistent, You’re not Sold!

Sometimes, we’re just not sold. We’re not fully persuaded that we can do it. The problems I identified are not bad, they’re real. The problem is we recognize them when we’re knee-deep into our commitments and we have to stop because we didn’t think things through. We weren’t honest with ourselves and we didn’t ask ourselves the right questions before we started. Doing this causes so much more damage than we realize and it could potentially hurt people in the process, including ourselves. We waste time, money, resources, and damage relationships. These problems could also hurt your reputation and cause people to look at you as unreliable or untrustworthy.

Before you start or say YES, think about it. Be real with yourself. Ask yourself the right questions. Weigh your emotions and pray about your decision. Allow the people you trust to ask you the right questions and give them permission to give you honest feedback. Pray on it. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your heart and your motives. Without denying or resisting the answer, don’t pursue it. It’s going to be challenging but once you filter through all the “stuff” you’ll be able to see clearly and feel confident about not making the commitment.

April 17, 2023 2 comments

Faith Lifestyle Wellness

Spring Cleaning

by Mel March 20, 2023

written by Mel

Today is the first day of Spring, and don’t we all love a good spring cleaning? Spring cleaning is when we go through our homes and get rid of all the junk…that we’ve been collecting since our last spring cleaning, but who’s judging? We go through our clothes and get rid of the clothes we can’t fit anymore. We switch around our furniture and maybe add a pop of color to our home decor. We make a trip to our personal storage to exchange our winter clothes for our spring clothes. We clean the tiny crevices of our homes and dust the areas we’ve neglected all this time. We prepare our homes to transition to a new season by cleaning and making room for the new.

What if we did the same preparation for our spiritual lives? What if we started doing a spiritual cleanse before entering a new season? What if we got rid of all our old ways of worship, prayers, study habits, and patterns of sin to receive the new thing God is doing in our lives? It sounds extreme, but seriously, what if? How can we expect to go into a new season with an old mindset? Doing a spiritual cleanse not only purifies you, but it helps you discern the voice of God for the season you’re entering into. Maybe you need a spiritual cleanse to help you transition into a new season. If so, I have a few cleaning tools for you to use 😉

Consecration – Maybe it’s time for a good ole’ consecration. When was the last time you disconnected from the world and connected with God? Consecration requires you to separate yourself in exchange for deeper intimacy with God. Set aside a day or a number of days to spend time with God, with no distractions.
Social Media Detox – A social media detox is essential. Sometimes, we just need a break from our apps. Uninstall your apps for however long you choose. Challenge yourself to be more present and enjoy the world around you. Exchange your social apps for biblical apps to help you study the word and feed your spirit.
Home Cleanse – It’s time for a deep cleaning. Go throughout your home, declutter your spaces, and get rid of the junk. Go from room to room and anoint it, and anoint your door posts. Open the windows and blinds to let the sun in. Pray throughout your home and give it a good cleanse.
Fast – Shed your flesh and stubborn fat by turning over your plate. Fasting is when you abstain from food for a period of time to pray. Fasting is a great way to cleanse your spirit and body. You can do a sun up to sun down fast, or a 1-3 liquid fast. If you need any ideas for a fasting meal plan, leave me a comment and I will share some with you. Remember, fasting is ONLY effective when you FAST AND PRAY! Fasting without prayer is a diet! Remember, you’re fasting to connect with God…losing weight is just the icing on the cake (that you can’t have because you’ll be fasting 😂).

A spiritual cleanse should be habitual for every believer. I just thought it would be a cute topic to talk about since we often think of spring cleaning around these times. I think it’s important to detox, disconnect, and cleanse ourselves from the junk and residue that we are left with on an everyday basis. I believe it’s a good habit to constantly check and correct ourselves by allowing the holy spirit to show us a reflection of our hearts. Any of these tools will allow the holy spirit to be our mirror and show us what we can’t see.

There is never a “perfect time” to have a spiritual cleanse, but if you find yourself consumed with the things of the world and your focus shifts from up above to down below, it’s time for a cleanse. But, if you want to be spiritually proactive, I would have moments of cleansing throughout the week. So, for me, that looks like restricted social media times, hours or days of consecration throughout the week, frequent fasts and prayer times, disconnecting and connecting with family and friends, and being present in my days. With social media, it feels like we live in two worlds; the real world and the world online. So when I mention being present, that means to be physically present and engaging with the world around me and not just online

I am praying that you have an amazing spring season, and I’ll be back in the summer with more tools.

Love,

Mel

March 20, 2023 3 comments

Lifestyle

Saved, Single, and Living!

by Mel February 13, 2023

written by Mel

I am single by choice. That means I voluntarily decided to be single. I’ve decided to surrender and give God every part of my life, including my desire to eventually marry. It’s easy for me to say this because I’ve never been a “dater,” casually dating just wasn’t my thing. I could go months or years without dating someone, and be content. My friends would often try to get me to meet people or try dating apps, but I never could get into it. I don’t know, I guess I wasn’t in a rush to find that special someone, but I was open to the idea of possibly meeting someone.

I’ve had my fair share of situations; situations that looked like something but turned out to be nothing. Yep, I’m not ashamed to admit I had a few of those. I’ve also had situations/relationships that became a stumbling block in my walk with Christ. As a Christian woman, a woman pursuing God daily wasn’t always understood in my relationships. I realized that it was easy for men to accept Mel, the woman, but it was hard for them to accept Mel, the woman of God. I honored God in my relationships, by creating safe boundaries that would prevent me from sinning against God and myself. I honored my convictions and the lifestyle I lived because of them, and that became a conflict with dating.

That’s when I learned everyone loves God, but not everyone obeys God…even professing Christians. The greatest mistake I made was thinking I could obey God and still be in a relationship with a person who didn’t obey God or a person who didn’t share those same convictions as me. Before I knew it, I began letting my guard down and making compromises little by little. I wanted to please God, but I also wanted to please the man that I was dating which ultimately led me to sin. The sin wasn’t necessarily what I did, but my disobedience. I knew this relationship was pulling me away from God and although it was happening subtly, I knew when it began but I didn’t remove myself from the relationship. I allowed my desire to be in a relationship and my insecurities about not being in one at my “old” age to become more important than obeying God.

The Single Life

After many mistakes, failures, rebukes, chastisements, and repentance, I finally decided to be single and remain single until God connects me with the man sent by him, a man after his own heart. I’ve been single for many years and honestly, I love it. I’ve been able to fully devote my time to God intimately and in ministry, I’ve been able to do a lot of soul-searching and inner healing, and most importantly, I get to spend time with myself, get to know myself, and enjoy myself. I get to accomplish personal goals without any emotional distractions. I get to work on becoming a better human, not just preparing to become a good wife.

My single season has been a busy, yet, very productive season. I’ve been able to accomplish so much during this time by being my primary focus. I’m not in a relationship and I don’t have any kids, which means I can maximize the time that I have to myself, but it’s also a bittersweet feeling. I do desire to have a mate and it does get lonely at times, but it doesn’t last for long. I’m surrounded by so much love, that it fills the void I feel by not having a mate. I’m not saying it’s equivalent to having a mate, but true love (from your loved ones), can and will provide comfort.

Living my Best and Blessed Life

I spend a lot of time creating some of the best memories. While being single, I’ve learned to enjoy my own company. Every month, I ask myself, “Mel, what do you want to do? What do you want to see? Where do you want to go? How do you want to feel?” Asking myself these questions always determines what restaurant I’m visiting, who I’m hanging out with, the next place I’m traveling to, or what activities or hobbies I’m going to do. When I ask myself how I want to feel, that determines what I want to look like. I explore different hairstyles and different fashion looks. You know what they say, ” when a woman looks good she feels good,” and that ain’t nothing but the truth!

I’ve learned to love myself, compliment myself, and feel secure about myself without needing it from a man. I’ve learned to go on solo dates and enjoy my own company without entertaining “some guy” all because I don’t want to go alone. I’ve learned to wine and dine myself, exposing myself to the finer things in life, so I won’t have to depend on a man to do it. I’ve learned to be content in my single season and enjoy it to the fullest. I trust that when it’s time, God will send that special someone.

Stay Saved and Single

I know you desire to be married someday, but I want to encourage you to wait on God. In most cases, casual dating leads to casualties, and many women let their guard down or compromise. If dating is going to cost your salvation, stay saved and single. If the person you’re dating is not leading you to God, they are leading you away from God, there is no in-between. Don’t try to dress it up, don’t make any excuses, just call a spade a spade and walk away from the relationship. You would rather inherit the kingdom as a single woman than be denied entry for living a disobedient life.

Also, remember, singlehood is a season and every season comes to an end. You may be single now, but if it’s God’s will for you to marry, you won’t be single forever. Enjoy this season because every season is from the Lord. Don’t be so caught up in your desire to marry that you miss what God wants you to have in your single season. Your single season is just as beautiful as your season of marriage.

With Love,

Mel

February 13, 2023 3 comments

Faith Lifestyle

Spiritual Habits you Need More of in 2023

by Mel January 17, 2023

written by Mel

When was the last time you gave your spiritual life an upgrade? We don’t always realize it, but we outgrow routines and disciplines when we’ve done something for so long. Maybe you’ve outgrown your daily devotional reading or praying for thirty minutes a day. Maybe you’ve outgrown only attending Sunday services or bible studies. Maybe you’ve outgrown the last revelation or the last spiritual experience you’ve had with God and you’re hungry for more. These spiritual disciplines will help upgrade your spiritual life, increase and fulfill your spiritual appetite, and stretch your capacity to retain more spiritual truths and revelations.

Before we get into spiritual habits, let’s talk about the signs that your spiritual life needs an upgrade.

Signs that you’re in Need of a Spiritual Upgrade

You spend time with God out of routine only
You no longer feel fulfilled
You’re not seeing any results in your life
You’re becoming bored with your routine
Your flesh is stronger than your spirit man
You have an inkling or feeling that there is more

Can you identify with either of these signs? Of course, there are more signs, but these are the top five that I’ve noticed personally and speaking with others. I’d like to also mention that you know yourself better than anyone else. You know when your spiritual life is declining. Pay attention to those signs and do something different to revive your spirit before you experience a spiritual death (the end of your pursuit of the things of God).

I always look for ways to upgrade my spiritual life! I love trying new things and stretching myself in the things of God. It helps me grow and it builds my spiritual stamina. So, I’ve put together a list of spiritual habits that will help you grow in 2023.

Spiritual Habits you Need More of in 2023

Pray early. Make it a habit to seek God early! We tend to be busy during the day and exhausted at night. Setting a prayer time before your day begins helps you spend uninterrupted time with God.
Actively listen to God. God is speaking, but we don’t always hear him because we’re talking. Make time to sit still after prayer or sit still during your prayer time to listen.
Call and pray for someone. Make it a habit to call and pray for a friend or loved one at least once a month. Intercession displays the heart of God while touching the heart of God’s children.
Exchange social media/web surfing time with reading the bible. We waste a lot of time on social media or the internet. We get lost in the scroll as we’re scrolling for hours, opening ourselves up to whatever our algorithm suggests to us. Instead of opening up your social media app, open your bible app instead.
Study the bible. Reading the bible and studying the bible are two different things. We read the bible without fully taking our time to understand what we’re reading. When you plan to study your bible, block out a designated time, bring a dictionary, concordance, and any study materials that will aid you in your studies.

If you start implementing these five habits in 2023, you’ll see significant changes in your spiritual life. As the saying goes, to get something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done. There’s another level waiting on you, but it’s going to take some changes to get there. You have to be willing to stretch yourself beyond the norm and comfort levels to obtain it.

January 17, 2023 1 comment