The Power of a Kiss


We've all seen it in the movies, the true love’s kiss, able to transform slimy grotesque frogs into charming handsome prince; they can wake princesses from deep sleeps and give them back their angelic voice.
   
Yeah they might be going on a stretch, but even movies are able to realize the beauty and power that comes along with a kiss from the person you truly love. They might not turn a frog into a prince, but kisses can evoke passion and emotion along with a lot of other things.

In this blog I am going to share with you on why my husband and I decided to stop kissing until we got married. As I stated in Our Not So Ordinary Courting Story we did start off kissing because we weren't saved when we first got together, but when we started getting serious with our walk with Christ my now husband came to me and told me that God laid it on his heart that we should stop kissing until we were married.

At first I didn't understand this. I am really an affectionate and romantic person. I thought since we were “just kissing” that it would be OK and by this time it was just mini pecks. I thought since I had learned how to stop lusting after him that it was all good and dandy, but in the back of my mind part of me still wanted more and to go deeper with our kisses. 

So after thinking it over some more I understood.  For starters kissing is a precursor to sex. What do people do before having sex? Yeah you guessed it right, kiss. So in order for you to remove all temptations it’s wise to get rid of that which leads to it. Why would you continually flirt with temptation when you are trying to fight it off? The Bible says lead us not into temptation. Why would we pray to God not to lead us into temptation, but we are leading our own selves to it?

It wasn't easy at first not kissing my husband, but just because something isn't easy doesn't mean you have to give in. The harder something is the more rewarding the results, and I can honestly say that I am so happy that we did stop. It really gave us the opportunity to grow more as a couple without all the physical stuff. We learned to talk things out because instead of “making up” through kissing we had to dig deeper for the root of our problems so that we could prevent future arguments. A peaceful home is a happy home. Doing things Gods way is the only way if you label yourself the title of a Christian, and when you do things His way the fruit will be there. I definitely see the fruit in our marriage with the decision of no kissing and no sex before marriage.

Kissing is really a deep and passionate gesture to the person that you love. Kisses shouldn't be handed out freely to a person you don’t even plan on marrying, and even if you do plan on marrying let them wait for it. The kisses will be that much more pleasurable within the marriage because you know how long you waited and anticipated for it. I still get butterflies brushing lips with my husband. Still amazes me that I get to kiss him anytime that I want now!

I am not saying this is a mandate for everyone, you should definitely go to God about it. But I believe it’s time that our society looks at things like this seriously and stop acting like it’s just a kiss. It’s not just a kiss. It really goes deeper than that. It shows that you want to connect yourself to this person, and that you desire them. kissing just like sex should be a reflection of your love for the person, not just because it’s "fun" and everyone else is doing it. Be different and regard yourself with high esteem. If someone just wants you for what they can do with you then it’s not love, its lust. It’s an amazing feeling when you are blessed with a person who loves you for you, who just enjoys spending time with you and talking with you. Khalid showed me what a real prince and gentlemen was like when he told me he wanted to wait for me.

So I encourage you to wait for your prince or princess. But wait until the wedding day to see them transform with a sweet kiss. You can do this!

                                                     Love and happiness, 

                                                            Shaniqua

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Walk by Faith


So lately I have been dreading going to work. No surprise there, if you read my recent post about God Cultivating Me, you'd see why. I am not a morning person and having to get up to a place I don't want to be is just miserable, but what I have learned through the process is to be grateful where I'm at. To praise God for the little blessings because the big one's will come.

Despite that I have been feeling a tug at my heart to just walk by faith. What I mean by this is, I am seriously thinking about quitting my day job soon. Why be stuck at a place where you lack the passion? To be honest I am only there for the pay. There are so many other passions and talents God gave me, why not use them for His glory? 

I tried to play it safe and wait until I make another stream of income from other arenas, at least enough to pay the bills right? But I feel more and more led to put in my two weeks notice and just trust God to be my provider. Abraham walked by faith and left everything he knew because He trusted God. God never fails to provide for His children. 

I am at an exciting, yet busy stage of my life. It's challenging yet rewarding. My husband and I have recently  been placed as Youth Directors at our church. The youth is our passion. God already told me this before it was going to happen where He was taking us and calling us to do. I desire to see young people set on fire for God and stop following the pressures of the world. Right now I actually teach middle and high at Sunday School. I love being able to impart knowledge and wisdom into them. 

So I would love to do more with ministry, but right now my job is taking the majority of my time. So I am deciding to walk by faith. Of course first I will listen to the voice of the Lord because faith comes by hearing. And God always directs. When you trust God He will always work it out. You Can do this!

God's Grace is Limitless,



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When God is cultivating You(Part 2)

So on my previous blog post I discussed how God got on me about a few things. Since then I will admit it’s still been a struggle getting up to go to work on time, but I have been pressing. I am just so excited for the day I can work my purpose for God, which I believe God has revealed to me is pretty soon. I actually spent quite some time with God yesterday in prayer and in reading His word, around three hours to be exact and it was just what I needed.  I was reading the book of Matthew and one thing struck me while reading, even Jesus Himself had to be prepared for His ministry He was about to do for God.

After Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit led him into the wilderness where he fasted for forty days and forty nights. The Bible says after Jesus had fasted he was hungry. I am sure after fasting for forty days and forty nights His body was also very weak. And not to mention he was in the wilderness with all kinds of bugs and he probably was feeling uncomfortable, and even after all of this the devil came to tempt him.

With every temptation Jesus fought back with the Word of God. That’s why it so important for us to be in our word, so when anything tries to come up against we have the Word to speak to that situation. Jesus didn't give up, he was determined to fulfill the plans that he knew God had over his life.

Jesus didn't so happen to stumble into the wilderness, no, he was actually led their by the Spirit. God wanted to lead him there to test Him.

Matthew 4:4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

God wanted to know would Jesus be faithful to Him and serve Him only. Actually that was one of the things the devil tempted Jesus with, but Jesus got so upset and actually rebuked the devil telling him that He would only serve God. Amen!

Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to the devil, “Get away, Satan. It is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God. You must obey Him only.’”

It wasn't until after Jesus was tempted that then he went out and started to preach and teach the gospel.
Maybe the reason why God is not blessing some people with money is because He knows they wouldn't come to church anymore. Some people only serve God because they want to know what He can do for them and not what they can do for Him to advance His kingdom here on earth. God wants us to be responsible when He gives us an assignment, position or when He blesses us with things.  Everything should be to advance His kingdom and give Him glory.

So when I spent time with God for those hours I must say I felt so at peace. I have to admit that is the longest I have spent with Him in a while. He revealed to me my purpose and things that I needed to do to effectively work my purpose.

When God is preparing you do what He says. He is only doing it for your benefit. He cares about you so much.  I am just in awe about how much He cares for me. It really humbles me and I trust Him completely. He knows what He is doing we just have to get on board with His plans. You can do this!

God’s grace is limitless,


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When God is Cultivating You



Lately I have been in a state where God is teaching me lessons about myself. It’s not that I am rebelling against Him or anything it’s just that He wants to take me into new heights in Him so that I can do what He has called me to do effectively. I didn't understand this at first. At first I wondered what was taking God so long to do what He said He was going to do in my life. Don’t get me wrong I am extremely, extremely blessed, but I know what God revealed to me with what He said He was going to bless me with and where He was going to take me. When things weren't going as fast as I thought they should I got frustrated and impatient, where were these blessing He had promised me? Finally I got in God’s presence and asked God what is it that you want me to learn?

I always say when something is not going the way that you think it should or there is chaos in your life there is either one or two things going on. Either

     1. You are rebelling against God and there is a sin that He wants you to get rid of because it is causing your relationship with God to become distant. You might be putting other things or people before Him. He could want you to get rid of filthy entertainment that you watch/read, you might be performing idolatry unknowingly because you adore people who goes against God's Word. Whatever sin it is ask God about it and get rid of it, because sin separates us from God, but if we ask for forgiveness and move away from it then the relationship is back to where it needs to be.

Or

     2. God’s wants to teach you something and in order to do so He is sending situations your way that you have no choice, but to get on your knees and spend more time with Him.

Despite what some people might say there are consequences to our actions.

Romans 2: To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil.

So if you have anything in your life that is not pleasing to God get rid of it ASAP because for one it’s breaking God’s heart and it is also bringing destruction in your life.

Back to God preparing me, when I got into God’s presence and asked Him what is it that is holding me back from my blessings He told me that there has to be discipline in my life. Before I go any further let me give you a brief description about me.

For one I love to sleep! It’s like one of the best things ever to me. I could sleep about 10 hours straight if I could. Matter of fact I love sleep so much that sometimes I would run late for work just to get another ten minutes of sleep in, sometimes even another hour of sleep in. I didn't care at all to be on time for work. I would even call out. I thought hey it’s a “secular” job why should I care? It’s temporary until I start working my purpose so I shouldn't worry about doing my best. In high school I missed so many days, about forty in my senior year, (I know right that’s a lot of days). But praise God for His mercy I was still able to graduate in high honors. I remember one of my teachers telling me that I missed so many days, but still did good, just imagine what I would be able to accomplish if I went to school every day. I could have been valedictorian, but I didn't put in greater effort, I just settled for less. Graduating with high honors is still a huge accomplishment, but I know I wasn't putting in the best effort that I could have.

And sometimes I don’t follow through with where I say I am going to be at, actually a lot of times I reschedule appointments.  I can procrastinate and I don’t plan ahead.

So God got on to me about all of these things. He told me to be faithful over a little, and then He could trust me with a lot. There has to be structure and order for things to run more smoothly. He wants His children to perform in excellence; we shouldn't look like the world we should perform better.One thing about God is He will challenge you to do great because He loves us and He wants to see the best accomplished in our lives.

So for the past couple of days I have been waking up earlier, and continually making an effort to be to work on time at 8am in the morning. I am so not a morning person! But with God’s grace I am progressing. And I am actually appreciating my job more by getting my work done. We cannot be lazy, God has opened my eyes to so many scriptures about it and how laziness leads to destruction and stagnation.

Proverbs 13: 4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.

I was too focused on “men” and not “God”. Everywhere God places us is for His glory. Christians shouldn't be seen as lazy people. We should model God everywhere and put forth our best effort.

God has to see if He can trust you with much. If you have a beat up car, act like it’s a state of the art BMW and take care of it. If you are in a one bedroom apartment, act like it’s a mansion and take care of it. Appreciate God for the little things, be obedient, and He will bless you with more. Pray for me ya’ll as I continue to wake up early for work. I feel like God wants me to write more about this subject so there will be a part two, but for now work towards your dreams. You Can do this! And I can too! J

God’s grace is limitless,


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