Trailblazers and Trendsetters, “Who’s First?”

by | Sep 22, 2015 | Prophetic Words

Have you ever tried to look for a well laid out plan or blueprint to help you along the path of life? You tried to look at this person or at this particular community for guidance to lead the way, or to help you determine which step to take next, or even if you are going in the right direction? Well, me too, until I got a huge revelation of who I was.

One night I had a dream about traveling to an unknown city. Laid out before me was a blank, life-size map. This map was very unique. It only had enough information on it to guide me to my next destination. The crazy thing about this map was that I had to actually step onto the map to receive my next set of instructions or directions. Once I took the first step, another set of instructions was given to me. When I didn’t take a step, I noticed that there were no next set of instructions given to me. Only when I took the next step I could then see the next steps I should take.

When I awoke from this dream, I began to immediately think about front liners, trendsetters, and leaders. They all have one thing in common…they all take the first steps before others to lead the way. There is no set plan or laid out map for them to follow. They just step out and walk by faith, not by what they can see.
Harriett Tubman

What if Harriett Tubman didn’t take the first step to free the slaves, and waited for someone else to lead the way?

Sarah Caldwell

What if Shirley Chisholm did not become the first African-American woman in Congress, but waited for someone else to become the first?

Or Sarah Caldwell, who became the first woman to conduct at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House?

Or Dr. Antonia Novello, who was sworn in as U.S. Surgeon General, becoming the first woman (and first Hispanic) to hold that job?

And what about Viola Davis, the first black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series?

Viola Davis

Being first can be scary, unsettling, and at times, lonely. The comfort in being a front liner, trendsetter, and leader is that the Almighty will gently lead the way by showing them the next step, but only after they have taken the first. Paths are not laid out for them. They are the path for others to follow.

Question: Are you called to go first?

Article by Marquetta Smith

How to Withstand the Blows of Life: Train Like a Heavy Weight

by | Sep 2, 2015 | Prophetic Words

Have you often wondered why your life has been full of trials, testing, and yes, some downright knockout painful moments? Good news, you were in training to become a heavyweight. I recently did some research on some of the most famous heavyweight boxers, and wanted to know what set them apart from the others. It all boiled down to their training in preparation for the big fight.

Rocky MarcianoLet’s begin with Rocky Marciano, the “Brockton Blockbuster” who was the only heavyweight champion to retire undefeated, ending with a perfect 49-0. Despite being just 5’11” and roughly 185 pounds, Marciano used his fierceness, resilience, and “Suzy Q” right hand to more than make up for his size deficit. Marciano’s secret for winning consisted of a number of actors, all of which came naturally to him. He loved to train. He ran 5 miles every day, 365 days a year, up and down the steep hills around Brockton, Massachusetts. He’d sprint up. sprint down backward, forward, with 30-pound weights on his shoes.

“If you train like I do, your legs will carry you 40 rounds,” he once said. About his power, he explained, “I don’t aim for his face. I aim for the back of his head.” He trained his punches on a special, 300-pound heavy bag, because the normal 80-pound bags no longer held up to his power. After a while, he was able to bend the 300-pounder in half with either fist.

About a month before a fight, he’d run 10 miles a day, then 12 to 15 in the last two weeks before the fight. When he got in the ring, he had power beyond belief, an inexhaustible reserve of energy, and a steel chin that didn’t mind going through Hell to get close to his opponent.

Muhammad AliThen there is Muhammad Ali, who used his dancing skills, footwork, and “hammer blow” of a jab to defeat his opponents. Marciano called him the fastest heavyweight he had ever seen. He threw his punches faster than anyone before or since, because he trained by punching underwater.

Ali is generally credited with having successfully faced the toughest all-around competition in the heavyweight division in history: Frazier, Foreman, Chuvalo, Bonavena, Quarry, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, and Leon Spinks.

Joe Louis

Finally, let’s look at Joe Louis, America’s first national black sporting hero who revolutionized what it meant to be a heavyweight champion. Louis brought a level of talent, skill, and size that made him an unbeatable force during his record breaking eleven plus years as heavyweight champion. He was known for how he bruised his opponents with a crushing left jab, his destructive two-fisted attack that he released with accuracy at short range, and his capacity for finishing a wounded opponent.  His mind-boggling 25 title defenses is a record that will probably never be broken. He held the heavyweight title for 11 years and 8 months. Article information from boxing insider.com and listverse.com

It is fair to say that all three heavyweights developed their techniques through extensive training and preparing for fights. The key here is training and preparing. The more training and the more time spent in preparation will give you the ability to withstand the blows of life, and also give you a better advantage over your opponent, “the enemy.” Remember that your words carry weight as well. Whatever you decree or declare, you will see.

Time spent in training for your destiny is not in vain, nor should it be taken lightly. Psalm 144:1 says: “Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.” God is fine-tuning your skills for praying, worshiping, hearing from Him, and most importantly, how to obey Him. He is showing you how to hit the target with accuracy and with power beyond belief, while moving within your calling. Begin today by thanking God for equipping you to become a heavyweight, for you are fearlessly and wonderfully made.

Think about it: Are you a heavyweight?

Article by Marquetta Smith, CEO of Safe Harbor International Ministries 

For more encouraging stories and articles visit Safe Harbor International Ministries at safeharborim.com

Which One Are You?

by | Aug 22, 2015 | Prophetic Words

The other day I ran across one of my old 2010 journals. While reading some of the things I wrote, my eye caught a particular journal entry. It was an entry for the month of August 2010. In that month of the August journal entry, I wrote about David and his son Solomon, a passage in the Bible from I Chronicles chapters 22 and 28.

I was encouraged to share this journal entry from 2010 with my readers at this specific time. To describe what I was hearing in my spirit, I first must give a quick overview of what was going on in chapter 28. During that time, David had called a meeting with all of the most important people in Israel. David then stood up and made an announcement to the people that he had wanted to build a house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and he had begun to make plans to start building this mighty temple.

But then he told the people that God told him that he could not build this temple due to the fact that David was a man of war and has shed blood abundantly. The Lord had chosen Solomon to build the house, because he was a man of rest, and God would give Solomon peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. In other words, God wanted a man who was willing to take a step back and ask God for wisdom on which way to go to build His temple where the Ark of the Covenant would rest. He was a man who wais a quiet diplomat, definitely not afraid to ask God for help.

Solomon's templeDavid quickly recognized and understood the great task that was before Solomon, his son, and that the Lord’s house should be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout all countries.

So what did David do when he was informed by God that He did not pick David to build the temple for Him, but instead had chosen Solomon? David did what most earthly fathers would do. He prepared his son for the great task ahead. David prepared plans for the house, brought materials in from afar, wrote out the blueprints for the building of the temple, and commanded all of the princes of Israel to help Solomon in this mighty project. But most importantly, he encouraged Solomon with his words. In verse 11 of chapter 22, David said these words to Solomon: “Now my son, the Lord be with thee, and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as he hath said of thee.” David spoke words of encouragement and words of faith to his son.

Also, we can see David prophesying words of encouragement to Solomon in chapter 28 verse 20: “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; fear not, nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou has finished all of the work for the service of the house of the Lord.” Wow, what a prophecy.

Blueprints for Solomon's templeWorkers building Solomon's temple

We can learn a lot from David and his son Solomon. David did not get upset and disobey God concerning the building of the Lord’s house when he was told that he was not chosen. Instead, David passed the torch to his son to continue with the plans of the Lord. David stayed in faith and believed that the Lord’s house would be built even after his death. On the other hand, Solomon did not get arrogant and filled with pride when he found out that God had chosen him instead to build the house. Solomon followed his father’s plans and preparations for the temple. Solomon was also taught by David to seek the Lord, and we can all see that Solomon was a blessed man because he heeded his father’s teachings.

Think about it: David was chosen to prepare the house of the Lord, and Solomon was chosen to build the house of the Lord. Sometimes God will choose individuals to prepare something such as a ministry, organization, project, city, or a group of people, and then God will choose individuals to follow the plan that was prepared for them to build it. In other words, Davids may only be allowed to prepare the way for the Solomons, and then the Solomons will come to carry out the plans to build it. We also must keep in mind that they are equally important, and both types are anointed to carry out their specific assignments. Whether you are called to be a David or a Solomon, God will anoint both for their destiny.

Which one are you? Are you a David or a Solomon?

By M. Smith

Handpicked!

by | Aug 9, 2015 | Prophetic Words

I don’t know about you, but this week was a really hard, pressing week for me. In the middle of this crazy week, I heard the word “handpicked.” I thought to myself, what in the world am I hearing? I know what the word is, but I was wondering why I was hearing this word in my spirit. I began to look up the definition of the word to gain more understanding and it soon became clear to me.

A chalk board reading 'handpicked'The word “handpick” means to select carefully with a particular purpose in mind, to select personally.

Sometimes in life, we all go through pressing hard times, and you may have asked yourself, why me, Lord, especially when you look around and see everyone else doing better than you. Could it be that you are handpicked and carefully selected by God for a specific purpose in mind?

If you look at individuals who are selected personally for a job or an organization, these people are very special and are at the top of their game. These individuals have gone through extensive training, and have a lot to offer the company versus someone who was randomly chosen for a job.

Your path in life is not one that everyone else around you has taken. Your path may have seemed harder, longer, and full of disappointments. All of this you have gone through was to make you special, and specifically designed you for a unique assignment.

I have good news for you. You are being carefully looked over and picked out of millions to be used for a specific purpose. Your skills and talents are getting ready to be used.

Think about it: You are handpicked!

A person handpicking an apple from a tree

Clogs

by | Jul 29, 2015 | Prophetic Words

A few weeks ago I was cleaning my house. You know the dreaded house cleaning we all have to do along with our crazy work schedules…the vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, mopping, etc.

I started to vacuum the living room, when all of a sudden, the vacuum cleaner stopped working. It completely turned off. I tried playing around with the cords and checking the outlet to see if the outlet was working…but nothing happened.

Then I decided to read the vacuum cleaner manual about how to troubleshoot problems with this particular cleaner.  It stated that if the cleaner shuts off, follow these instructions:

  • Step 1 Turn cleaner off and unplug.
  • Step 2: Locate blockage and remove the blockage.
  • Step 3: Wait 30 minutes before plugging in and turn cleaner on.

A vacuum cleaner filter being pulled out

I realized that I had not cleaned the vacuum cleaner filter in months. After I cleaned the filter, I turned on the cleaner, and yes, you guessed it, it worked just like it did before, and even better. The problem was that the filter needed cleaning.

I know you are asking yourself, why is she sharing this? Stay with me for one moment. Can we take this example and learn from a simple vacuum cleaner? In our own lives, we find ourselves going and going, and working overtime, and we forget to clean our lives out. Things get so congested and chaotic in our life: the kids, the husband, the church assignments, career, school, etc. When do we take the time to clean our life out? We wait until things get clogged up and chaotic before we rearrange our lives. Maybe you have too many things on your plate. When this happens, we let very important things get pushed to the back of our lives.

Think about it: Have you taken the time to unclog your life?

A very dirty clogged vacuum cleaner on its side

Article by M. Smith