The one thing I have found very  common in many people when I engage in a conversation about making their dreams a reality is always the excuse of  “ I do not have enough time or money , and I need security what if I fail?[‘ With those concerns in mind the obvious choice is to settle  for just enough because it gives them a sense of safety. The irony  is choosing to settle with less than you deserve for the rest of your life is actually a huge risk , you risk living in your purpose , you risk experiencing pure joy and fulfilment , and most importantly you miss out on enjoying life to the fullest. When you settle you have a lot more to lose than you do trusting God and taking a leap of faith, the problem is most can only trust and believe only in what they can see, hear, and touch. My question is how many times have the people you relied on and trusted that you can see let you down, how many times has a job laid off  workers that trusted and relied on them for their lively hood ? which leads me to my second questions how many times have you been in a circumstance that there was no sign of a break through happening but somehow the very thing that seemed to be impossible became possible in your life?

I want to tell everyone reading today that in those moments that was God showing up even when you were too fearful and weary to pray and trust in him. God loves us even when we are not deserving of his grace, he is a very forgiving God. I want you to close your eyes and imagine what your life would look like if you chose to allow God to be the driver and the vehicle you rely on.  The real risk and gamble in life is not choosing to build a relationship with God and being selfless to live a life of purpose to serve and lead. If we already know what being stressed feels, what barely making things happen feel like, why not gift ourselves the feeling of freedom and abundance. I remember when I had a full-time job with benefits and paid vacation and days off available, at first, I can remember being so excited and, in my mind, I arrived this was it. I was going to be making what I thought at the time to be good money and everything would be great. I can also vividly remember how quickly that feeling died when each day I was learning that there is never any amount of money or benefits that can compensate me for compromising my time and peace of mind. The more I experienced this daily I had to make a change, so  I began to pray for something new but while I was praying change, I was not applying change to my mind or life, and I missed moments to hear God’s directions by praying but not setting my focus on God.  The moment I changed my mind my prayer changed, and my actions began to align and when the moment was present, I was ready to trust God and take a leap of faith.

I share this to say that was two and a half years ago June 16, 2016 was the day I divorced my limits and got married to faith which was a big commitment and there were a lot of times where my faith was tested. There were days I struggled with  showing up  and there were definitely days that I just did not know what to do next , what I did rely on was a song I loved since I was ten years old by Mary Mary  titled  I just can’t give up now. This song would often remind me of God’s love and promise and I believed that God would never bring me this far to leave me, with that promise I was open to trust God and showed up even during my storms.  My purpose was too great to risk and the life I desire was what I deserved , I am not here to encourage anyone to do exactly what I did but I am encouraging everyone to marry faith to start taking baby steps to put yourself in the right place and the right time to receive God’s instructions . It is my prayer that everyone reading today will look at where they are today and be grateful for this moment called life and begin to take   the first of many steps into the direction of your purpose. The journey will be long, the challenges will be hard, but the rewards will be worth it if we never give up and keep going. There is no challenge in settling which means there is no growth or rewards in settling, rise and choose to take a risk worth living for.