Growth

It's been nearly a year since I've posted anything here, and over this past year, I've grown tremendously. I've learned so many new things about love, healing, and what it truly means to serve God. I've gone from one city to another for five months, then another for two months, then yet another for three months, only to come back to the place that I started. In all of that maneuvering, God has not only provided for me, but He has also showed me countless things about myself, and I've had to heal from a lot in order to get to where I am today physically, mentally, and especially spiritually.

One thing that I've always striven to do, was grow. I want to grow in every area of my life, but ESPECIALLY spiritually, and it wasn't until I was in Dallas, Texas at Dr. Tony Evan's church (Oakcliff Bible Fellowship) that I learned what being filled with un-forgiveness really results in. I asked God to make me 'not angry' anymore. I asked Him to stop my frustration over the small things, and to help me control my emotions, but what I should've been asking him was to heal all of the deep rooted un-forgiveness that was planted inside of my heart. During worship, Dr. Tony Evan's son spoke about how he had such an anger problem, and how God revealed to him that his anger would not dissipate until he forgave the people he was harboring resentment for. Are you harboring resentment in any way? I know I was, and then he said something else that really helped me. He said 'when you pray and ask God to deliver you from something, BELIEVE that it has been done, and then PROCEED with your life as if you have already been delivered. Don't go around wondering if God is going to deliver you from your sin. Have confidence that it is DONE!

Hmmm...that's some good stuff. So often, we ask God to do something for us, or in our lives, and then we walk around and wait on something magical to happen to show us that it's been done. In James 1:6-8 NIV says 'But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.'

Now the scripture just before this mentions 'wisdom' but I believe that God wants us to make this a practice in all just things that we ask Him for. That's a good word in itself! For me it was so comforting to know that I was able to ask God to deliver me from a bad emotion, a toxic way of reacting to things, and a spirit of un-forgiveness, and then I could BELIEVE that it was done. I'll tell you that since I walked out of that church with my mind made up that I was NOT the same person, I have never reverted back to who I was.

DISCLAIMER! I am NOT saying that I don't struggle with fleshly reactions & anger, but I am saying that I no longer claim that I am an angry or unforgiving person. I fully believe that God has delivered me from those issues, and while I still fall short, it's never to the extremity in which I was before, and as time passes on the offenses have nearly waned off. My un-forgiveness was really stunting my growth in God, and now, I truly understand the importance of giving God all of me. I want to grow, but not in this world. I want to grow in my relationship with God, because it is ONLY through God that I am able to achieve everything that I want to achieve. It is only through God that I am able to go on in the hard, mundane, days. I need God for EVERYTHING in my life, and if I don't know anything else, I know that God will complete the good work that He has started in my life (and yours!)

I hope someone found something useful in this post. There is so much to learn, and I couldn't write all that I've learned in just this past year in one night, but when I look at all that he has done for me...there are no words to express my gratuity. All I can do is get up every single day and try and make it my soul mission to love others just as God loved me.

Thank-you for reading!

Love & Blessings

Candace Taylor

Strength

Strength is really an amazing thing if you think about it. I hear all the time, people talking about how strong they had to be to make it through something, and how strong they wish they were, but I've realized something about strength. Strength is so amazing, because when you are connected with God, His strength becomes yours, and there is no greater strength than the strength of God. I never just type any old thing on my blog, when I come here to write, I'm writing from experience. I'm writing from a place of surety, and if I'm not sure of anything else in my life, I am sure that God loves me. I am sure that God has a plan for me that it is bigger than my human mind can even comprehend. Only God knows how badly I've suffered throughout my life, but I thank Him every single day for every trial I ever had to encounter. God is so good.


TD Jakes did a sermon a couple of years ago entitled "Nothing in my Hands," and in the sermon he talks about how Samson had an encounter with a lion, and how he defeated the lion with nothing in his hands. Have you ever been faced with a struggle that looked impossible to win, not only because the struggle was so great, but because you also went into the struggle with absolutely nothing. You have nothing, but you're in that struggle anyway, and don't you know that the only thing that you need to survive any struggle is God? Don't you know that he will put things in your life, in your way, in your heart, that you never even asked for, but you need more than you ever even realized? Don't you know that God has infinite knowledge, and that he sees the world on a level so grand that our meek little minds can't even imagine it. This sermon is so good, and it ministered to me on so many levels, because TD Jakes reminds us that after Samson defeats this lion (WITH NOTHING IN HIS HANDS), he looks down in the carcass and finds honey!! In the midst of EVERY struggle, don't you know that God is going to give you honey? He is going to fill up those hands that were once empty, he is going to do something so amazing with you that you won't have the heart to do anything else BUT give Him the glory! God is amazing, and it's vital that you get to know Him! Spend some time with God, worship God all throughout your busy day, and WATCH HIM WORK. I'm so on fire right now, because though I'm in the stormiest period of my life, I feel God's presence not only around me, but within me.


God is giving me a strength that words can't describe. This strength is through Him, and he'll do the same thing for you! If you need strength to get out of a bad situation, or to break a bad soul tie (more on soul ties later), then just call on God, because he will not only bless you out of that situation, but he'll use you for a greater purpose. Submit yourself to the will of God, and when you go into worship, go in with a thankful attitude. When you go into worship, don't ask God for one thing. He knows the desires of your heart. Show Him that you can give Him the praise. God has been so good to me, that is one thing I can say for sure, and I promise if you give your life over to Him, and start living for Him, he can do the same for you!

Passion

I hear a lot of advice from people about how to be successful and how to work hard, and while any and all advice is usually helpful,  I've realized that many people don't share the importance of passion, or even how to figure out what you're passionate about.

 I believe that anybody can be successful if they work hard enough,  but if you figure out what you're passionate about, & then work hard at that not only will you be successful,  but you'll also be happy. I've worked hard more than enough times to know that if I'm feeding into someone else's passion then I'm not feeding into my own,  and we all need to receive sometimes. We all need to feel like we're nourishing what is important to us, especially if our passions are in line with God's divine will.

God's purpose and our passions ultimately meets if we love the Lord, because He wants to give us the desires of our hearts.

Psalms 37:4: "Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." 

How do you know what you're passionate about?

After you've prayed to God to reveal your true passions while you're waiting on his answer think about who you are as a person. A really good indication of what you're passionate about comes from things you like doing, so figure out what you like doing. Besides watching TV, browsing social media, and texting...if you didn't have ANY of those things what would you be doing?

Secondly, can any of the things you enjoy doing be used to help God's people? Can any of your talents spread his Word, or at least be done for a worthy purpose? 

Finally, realize that where there is a need, God has a supply. Some people fear following their dreams because of the risk involved, but all you really need to survive is faith and courage. If you want to be a writer, do whatever you have to do to be a writer, and if you want to be a dancer, make it happen! We only have one shot to make things happen, and hopefully you are blessed with the freedom to do what you gotta do! The money will come if it's meant to come, but regardless don't try and pattern your world around worldly worlds for the purpose of money alone! God's path is the right path, and though it make take time and diligence, He will reward you greatly in the end!


Good Luck & God Bless,


Author Dechella Taylor

Broken Girls

There are without a doubt a lot of broken girls in this world, who  have been broken by life's circumstances, and are unable to rebuild themselves or pick up the pieces of them that have been lost along the way. When you are a broken girl, some things matter more than others, but it's clear that you matter the least of all. It's too easy for you to think that you can float through life, and never really have to face any of the things that broke you in the first place. However, the problem with remaining a broken girl is the fact that broken girls go on to become broken women. Now I'm not saying that a broken woman can't be a phenomenal being, because I'm not all the way fixed myself (and I consider myself phenomenal ;)) but, can a broken woman really accurately teach her daughters that no matter what the circumstances are, she should demand respect from every relationship she encounters. Sure, you can tell her until you're blue in the face, but she's going to watch you're actions. She's going to watch how you allow yourself to be treated, and it doesn't matter what comes out of your mouth, she'll fall into that pattern. Can a broken woman who knows nothing about the role of a man, teach her son how to face his challenges while remaining Godly and upstanding?

Picking up the pieces that have been lost along the way isn't always easy, because sometimes a broken woman isn't even sure what was lost in the first place, but God is such a good God because he will not only SHOW you what you're missing, but he will also SHOW you how to find it! Sometimes broken girls think that they are too broken, too sinful, too unworthy to be used by God, but don't you know that God loves to use broken people to do His work? Don't you know that when God uses broken people to do His work the credit for such healing and overcoming goes to Him! What better way to testify to people than to use someone with serious character flaws to show the world His amazing power, and ability to heal even the worst situations. How else to prove his magnificence to the world than to turn you're brokenness around to help teach His word?

When you are broken, sometimes the end seems so far away, but God grants the gift of endurance for anyone who asks for it. Endurance is like patience on steroids :) When you find yourself in a situation that just won't go away, pray to God for endurance for his plan is perfect. Pray for endurance because his will shall be done in your life.

"He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

To Read: The Chosen Vessel (By Barbara Baynton)

Fear

Don't Give Fear Power Over Your Life

Ever since I can remember, I've loved reading and writing and while most kids would rather be sitting in front of a TV screen, or outside enjoying the summer day, I would be inside of my home curled up with my Babysitter's Club books. I still own over 50 of those "chapter books" as I used to call them, and while Ann M. Martin has written well over 200 installments into the series, I considered myself a Babysitter's Club guru! As a child I used to carouse the library shelves, and book store shelves trying to find the next book, and though I never could get my hands on all of them, I found other authors that filled the void.

As I grew older, more in my upper teen years, I got into reading other books, which were much more Rated R than the books Ann M. Martin published. One of my favorite novels is still Addicted by Zane, and through my shocking first encounter with erotica literature, I found a story of love that touched my heart, and made me want to capture my own story which lived in my heart. My excuse back then was that I wasn’t old enough, or wise enough to effectively portray a love story that would stir the reader’s emotions, and make them identify with the characters as though they were reading their own stories off of the pages.

Then I got ahold of The Coldest Winter Ever, and my urge to write a novel was too big to even contain. I certainly started the story, had likeable characters, and maybe even an interesting plot, but when I hit the first brick wall in my plot, it shattered me in a million pieces causing me to abandon the story and stick to reading. I was under the impression that it took something that I didn’t have to be able to complete a novel. It was obvious that at around age 16 or 17, I thought that I wasn’t yet a strong enough fighter to overcome small issues such as plot ends and overcoming character flaws, but I was wrong. I’ve always been strong enough to overcome every issue in and outside of writing, but FEAR kept me from doing so. Nobody likes to look back at their life, and realize that fear was the reason they didn’t go forward with a goal or a dream. I told myself so many times that the reason I couldn’t tread through a novel idea was because I wasn’t wise enough, and I believed myself.

Then, life pushed me out of my comfort zone, I grew up a little bit, and got a little bit more wise. Not the wisdom I thought I needed in order to write my first novel, but more so the wisdom that allowed me to see that I was fooling myself. I was lying to myself to compensate for a fear that I should’ve been trying to push through. The bible says “The Lord is on my side. I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6) I apply this verse to everything that I approach in life that I believe is too big for me to defeat. When God is on my side, I shouldn’t dare feel like anything is too great for me.

So October 2013, I started writing my first book which I entitled My Yesterday’s. I started this book in the thick of the fall semester while I was going to school full time, working 35 hours + at a job, and dealing with all of the emotional issues that came along with being so busy. I finished this book in just 2 short months and published it January 1, 2014. Since then, I have written two other books, (one of them hasn’t been published yet) and I am halfway through my fourth novel, and while the financial success hasn’t quite caught up with the emotional success, I have realized that fear is a debilitating handicapped that the Devil uses to trick us.

Whatever your goal is in life, don’t let fear hold you back. Sometimes fear is disguised by things like: no money, no time, and no support. Really sacrifice the time to think about why you aren’t doing what it is that you think you should be doing with your life, and whenever an “excuse” pops up, attack it like it’s your worst enemy. I know its cliché when you hear the words “You Can Do It” but believing is the first step, and action is the second step.

I’m glad to say that I no longer allow fear to stop me from achieving any goal that ignites my passion to the point where I just “gotta do it” J so identify your fears, attack them like their your enemies, and rise to the top before you even realize where you’re going!

Good luck & God Bless,

Author Dechella Taylor