JANUARY 2, 2012
WHY I DECIDED TO DO A BIG CHOP
Many of you know, I’ve actually been ‘natural’ or without chemicals for about four years now… I grew my relaxer out by getting my hair pressed… and getting my hair pressed was something I did on average, once a month since then
I recently got introduced to some material that got me researching and asking questions…
The conclusion: I had heat damaged hair… I could have easily continued getting my hair pressed as my hair was quite long and ‘healthy’ in that state; but if I ever wanted to wear a wash-n-go (my curlies) I had problems!
I had two different textures! My curlies and my pressed! Lol
So I had a decision to make… to cut or not to cut… here’s why I decided to BC (Big Chop)
I equated the decision to a relationship…
Why would I hold on? because I was scared, of not knowing how my new hair would look? of what others would say and/or think? because others said not to? why would I hold on to something that was damaged… just because it ‘looked’ good, even if i knew deep down it wasn’t?
And how many times have we had these same antics with damaged relationships?
So I cut it! Big Chopped it all off! No use holding on the past if its not good!
That goes for hair and relationships! Anything! Don’t continue carrying around baggage! Do away with the old and prepare for the new!
What old thing have you gotten rid of in preparation for something new?
JANUARY 1, 2012
7 SPIRITUAL STEPS TO FOLLOW THIS YEAR
1. Get in God’s Word like never before!
–Colossians 1:3-6
3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the TRUTH of the gospel;
6Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
–1 Thessalonians 2:13
13For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in TRUTH, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
Do not receive the Word of God as words from mere men, but receive it as the TRUTH of the gospel and the TRUE Words of God that produce (bring forth fruit). Why?
Because the Word of God is:
a. able to work generational curses (those things that have been environmentally absorbed) out of your life
b. able to work in you an honorable character and nature… free from lying and corruption
c. able to work in you, purity (a hatred of what God hates, and a love for what God loves)
d. able to discipline your flesh, bring it into subjection to spirit and workout negative dispositional traits.
e. able to build in you a heart of faith established free from from
f. able to protect spirit and soul from lies… i.e. able to recognize and discern the source of every suggestion and impulse providing the wherewithall to resist and reject all that is false and not as the truth
g. able to purge you of wrath, bitterness, and malice
h. able to produce and develop in you the compassion and love of God and push you to live out that love and govern life by that love and manifest that love not only causing no hurt but also seeking to remove it… becoming an agent of healing.
2. Be honest about your chosen relationships.
Which chosen relationships have to be let go?
Which relationships need more investment?
3. Get in order focusing on structure, routine and organization.
4. Be open to enlargment in the following areas:
a. territory and boundaries
b. responsibility and authority
c. recreation and enjoyment
d. relational intimacy
5. Confess Daily: “I always have enough, I always have more than enough.”
6. Become serious about living and LIVE!
7. Be in Expectation of Good Success
These are directives given from Pastor Michael T. Smith. He and his wife Connie pastor The Church of Jacksonville in Fl.
More information can be found at http://www.thechurchgroup.com.
NOVEMBER 2, 2011
PERCEPTION
just because a girl isn’t throwing herself at you doesn’t mean she’s not interested… instead she’s probably waiting on you to pursue her…
ℒℴѵℯ,
Denyce Nikole
JULY 5, 2011
THE HARDEST PERSON TO FORGIVE
The hardest person to forgive is…
YOU!
Think about it! You think you know yourself more than that stupid decision you made… But that wasn’t enough to stop you
So now your subconsciously punishing yourself, beating yourself up over something you can’t change [the past]
How is it, you can give everybody the freedom of forgiveness except yourself?
If God Himself didn’t come to condemn you, who are you to condemn yourself?
Be FREE!
That guilt, is just another deception from the enemy to keep you captive behind the walls of containment!
Be FREE!
FREE yourself!!
You not loving yourself is effecting how you love [or don’t love] everyone else…
Today I just forgave myself…Did you?
ℒℴѵℯ,
Denyce Nikole
JUNE 8, 2011
PERCEPTION
a poem I wrote for my biblical resources for counseling class after visiting Israel:
perception
the ability to see, hear or become aware of something
Lord, help me… perceive
the way You perceive me
the way You perceive he
the way You perceive she
change my perception
with the use of subtraction
subtract what I‘ve been through
and bring my perception back to You
subtract what I‘ve been taught
and teach me to see things, to see people the way i ought
subtract what I‘ve experienced
and take my perspective through a deliverance
add Your grace and Your mercy
and multiply Your ℒℴѵℯ
give me the ability to see, hear and become more aware of YOU!
help me perceive…
the way You perceive me
the way You perceive he
the way You perceive she
ℒℴѵℯ,
Denyce Nikole
MAY 30, 2011
BAPTIZED IN THE JORDAN RIVER BY A MAN NAMED JOHN
This has to be one of my favorite pictures from My Spiritual Pilgrimage to Israel with Atlanta Christian College (now Point University)
JANUARY 2, 2011
KEEP MOVING FORWARD
only one day into a new year and immediately…I was faced with FAILURE! I know most would think that sucks, get upset, maybe ask why me, or let the frustration rule…but I CELEBRATED!
yep! CELEBRATED!!
why…?
because every time I failed I got one step closer to success. I realized the failed way wasn’t the successful way so inevitably I tried something different.
the one thing I didn’t do was stop!
I kept moving forward!
and as a result, guess what? I finally succeeded!!
so as we continue in this new year, “may your failure lead to success in the future” as did mine!
ℒℴѵℯ,
Denyce Nikole
JULY 13, 2010
EARLY MORNING MOTIVATION
Cute Guy: Good Morning!
Me: Good Morning! (walking fast towards the door)
Cute Guy: Is someone running late today?
Me: Just a little… (continuing to walk fast; maybe faster)
Cute Guy: I guess I’m going to have to start jogging if I want to open the door for you…
JULY 2, 2010
IGNORANCE IS BLISS
you ever ‘stop and think’ about why things are the way they are? or are you ok with being spoon feed because ignorance is bliss?
pandora’s box…its called a myth but do you see it’s truth?
once you unplug from the matrix, you CAN’T go back…
because now you KNOW and now you SEE and now you HEAR and now you SENSE and now you’re NO LONGER IGNORANT…or in perfect happiness
you realize this earth and its people are hurt, and hurting, and LOST
You begin to see that everything this world feeds you is a distraction, an infiltration, and ultimately a breach in the system to your heart, mind, and spirit
ℒℴѵℯ,
#DenyceNikole
JULY 1, 2010
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
So as my friends and I talked over lunch today the subject of ‘language’ came up.
We briefly discussed how the constant use of slang shows how limited ones’ vocabulary really is… but what was more interesting was noticing how we’re always using negative defining words to describe each other.
Think about it! [Insert light bulb HERE]
When one of you’re close friends says something off the wall what is the FIRST thing you say?
More than likely you’re going to respond by describing them in one of these ways:
1. “You’re so crazy [ insane, mad, unsound, erratic]!”
2. “You’re stupid [acting in an unintelligent or careless manner, senseless]!”
3. “You’re dumb [not having the capability to process data, unable to speak]!”
4. “You’re silly [a lack of common sense or sound judgment, helpless, weak]!”
5. “You’re a mess [a disordered, untidy, offensive, or unpleasant state or condition]!’
While we may mean well, we are clearly NOT speaking well. So I decided to start using positive words to describe my friends… even when they’re being a little quirky.
Here are some of the replacement words I’m going to be using from now on:
1. special [distinguished by some unusual quality]
2. exceptional [unusual, uncommon]
3. extraordinary [going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary]
4. ridiculous [literally, laughable]
5. hilarious [extremely amusing]
What are some of the negative words you’ve been saying? What are some of the more positive words you now plan on substituting them with?
ℒℴѵℯ,
Denyce Nikole
JANUARY 9, 2010
OK LORD, WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?
16-17God commanded the Man, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”Eve wasn’t created until six verses later.Genesis 2
21-22 God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.I also noticed that when the tempter came, he did not go to Adam, the one who had received the instructions directly from God, he went to Eve.Genesis 3
1 The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal God had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”Not to mention, when Eve replied, she didn’t exactly repeat God.Genesis 3
2-3 The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.'”When God is giving the instruction to Man, does God say you can’t “touch” the tree or the fruit?
But lastly and more importantly when Eve gave the fruit to Adam, instead of saying, “NO! God said we can’t”, he complied.
Genesis 3
6 When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Have you ever wondered how the story of creation and/or your life might be today if Adam responded differently? Have you ever paid attention to the fact that they didn’t realize they were naked until Adam ate the fruit?
Genesis 3
7 Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
The scripture says immediately after ADAM ate the fruit, because nothing happened immediately after Eve ate, other than her handing the fruit to Adam…
Again, I bookmarked these scriptures to do a special study with these scriptures but only when the time came…
Not even a week later, I’m reading about Abram and I notice an uncanny resemblance in the two stories…
Don’t we all know the story of Father Abraham? No? Ok…
God promises–no; more than promises, God entered into a sacred blood covenant with Abram guaranteeing He’d give Abram a son.
Genesis 15
2-3 Abram said, “God, Master, what use are your gifts as long as I’m childless and Eliezer of Damascus is going to inherit everything?” Abram continued, “See, you’ve given me no children, and now a mere house servant is going to get it all.” 4 Then God’s Message came: “Don’t worry, he won’t be your heir; a son from your body will be your heir.”
8 Abram said, “Master God, how am I to know this, that it will all be mine?”
17-21 When the sun was down and it was dark, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch moved between the split carcasses. That’s when God made a covenant with Abram…
But what does Sarai do? Because she hasn’t conceived she tells Abram to sleep with her handmaid to start a family. But again more importantly, what did Abram do? He complies.
Genesis 16
1-2 Sarai, Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.
What would have happened if Abram had said to Sarai, especialy since he was the one God was in covenant with, “NO! I’m not sleeping with your maid. God promised me a child and He doesn’t need any help!”
Do you see the major similarities in the stories?
God spoke to Man. God commanded or promised and essentially came into agreement with Man. Woman was tempted. [Sarai was definitely tempted by something to offer her man up…]
Woman makes suggestion to Man. And instead of Man shutting it down by responding with..”NO! Thus says the LORD…” Man complies.
Now THAT does equal the Fall of Man!
But seriously Lord, what is THAT about?
Are you trying to show us that it is just as important, if not more important, that women are grounded and familiar with Your Word because we have just THAT much influence over the men in our lives? And that the men should put their feet down and refuse to comply to their woman’s suggestions if they go against Your Word?
I think that’s EXACTLY what you’re saying Lord!
Soo Ladies:
As much as we go around saying we want a man who truly has God at the center of his life, let’s make sure we hear and understand what God has to say too so we don’t continue guiding our men down paths that separate them from God. Lets learn to be the HELPmate’s God created us to be.
And to the men:
When God gives you specific instructions, follow them! Even though you may have shared those instructions with the woman in your life, the instruction was given to you! When you do share may sure your woman understands them correctly. [That calls for some good communication] And even if you think you’ve properly communicated with her, if she suggests something even remotely different than what God has promised, shut it down! Do NOT let her move you off of God’s words. God will still bless you and keep His word but what unnecessary drama will you have added if you stray? You answer should not only be, “I don’t know” but also “I don’t want to know!”
Here’s one of my favorite quotes:
“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her!”
Maya Angelou
If you have any other ideas or thoughts please leave a comment. I’m interested in seeing how YOU interpret it all!
ℒℴѵℯ,
Denyce Nikole
DECEMBER 6, 2009
V IS FOR VIRGIN: THE UNPLUGGED GUIDE TO ABSTINENCE
“V is for Virgin” by the self-proclaimed Goddess of Virginity Chiquita Lockley is delightfully refreshing!
In a time where even commercials for chocolate candies are driven by sex, Chiquita offers inspiration and instruction to young women who have decided to dedicate and/or re-dedicate their bodies to God until marriage.
She approaches every situation related to the abstinent/celibate life, from the natural hormonal “fits” women get monthly, to the risky games we play and their consequences. She discusses how the void of a father-less daughter affects women’s relationships and maintains a biblical basis with scriptural references throughout her entire virgin survival guide.
by Chiquita Lockley
Being a virgin in her late 20’s herself, the guide is 100% relate-able as Chiquita has experienced everything you’re experiencing in your journey of virginity. She writes with such a-matter-a factness that if you’ve decided to be a virgin or even if you’ve had sex in your lifetime and have now decided to be celibate, you will definitely be pulling this book off the shelf whenever you need an encouraging reminder that you’ve made the right decision.
This book would be a PERFECT gift for pre-teens who are being pressured to “give-it-up” to be cool because they don’t understand “sex” and it’s consequences and don’t have parents who are comfortable enough or have the necessary information to educate them.
I also suggest this book for females like myself, who may have been around the block but have now made the decision not to have sex until marriage. It will serve as a way to learn something new and give a sense of relief through a realization that you’re not the only one who feels the way you do about being celibate.
It can be read alone, in small groups, or as a part of a lecture class. There are questions after each chapter to reinforce the information shared and a place to keep notes as you progress through the book and your life of “no sex”.
Chiquita writes:
“My conversation with God started a very long time ago, and to date, He has been a keeper of His word. He keeps me daily, and I don’t have to compromise my lifestyle or my body to reap the benefits of His blessings. The things that I thought my “man” would do for me in exchange for sex are done by the only Man in my life right now–Jesus.”
Need I say more?! It’s less than $10. Click here to order your copy of V is for Virgin ~ The Unplugged Guide To Abstinence & Celibacy
today!
1 Corinthians 6
18Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
ℒℴѵℯ,
Denyce Nikole
OCTOBER 4, 2009
NIP IT IN THE BUD
I want to personally apologize to each and every and any one I’ve ever been rude to, hurt their feelings, snapped on, not had empathy towards, etc…
I could take the time to give a full autobiography but for times sake, at the moment, I won’t.
I’ve never thought I was perfect but I did think I was normal, whatever normal means…
I love the stages of life and I love the fact that as you grow mentally, you are able to see people, situations, and yourself from different perspectives.
One thing I often say is that you can’t make changes to something you haven’t first acknowledged. As a person who constantly strives to be a better person by being better to people; loving better, caring better, treating better, I love locating myself. Not necessarily finding things out about myself but more or so realizing why things are, the way they are about me.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “Every action has a equal and opposite reaction.” and it’s because of this saying that I believe everything is connected and therefore don’t believe in coincidences.
Denyce Nikole 