Just For Today

2021 has started off to be somewhat rough. In March 2021 my only brother, Harold L. Able Jr., was in a fatal car accident; God saw fit to bring him home. To say I am devastated would be a massive understatement but I also know that my brother’s life had a major impact on many people - God used him mightily. 

Throughout many of his adult years he struggled with drug addiction. I watched his struggle and the tug-of-war he would often engage in until he was able to fully surrender his struggle over to God. When he did, I watched his life blossom in a way that allowed him to help others who suffered with addiction. He became a Peer Recovery Counselor and jumped in head first in leading others to recovery. 

One of the things that happens in N.A./A.A. meetings is rewards for the amount of days someone has been clean. 

As you can see from the picture above the various colors represent Clean & Serene for: 

Purple = 6 months

Red = 90 days

Green = 60 days

Orange = 30 days

White = Just for Today

I really like the White KeyChain because when it comes to struggle, hardships, life’s curve balls, and yes, bereavement, this one may be the only one you can focus on for awhile - Just for Today. 

Sometimes that’s all you can do, is make it to the next day and honestly - that’s progress. Leaning and depending on God each day helps you make it through, even if just for that day. 

Be kind to yourself and be patient through your process. Learn to reward yourself for progress - even if it’s ‘Just for Today’. 

Quick Access to Your Refund Check!

Tax season is here which for many people means a nice refund check! Y’all know you look forward to this time of year because you get back some of the money that you essentially overpaid. 

Where else could you use a refund? 

 A friend posted this recently: 

I think for some of you a refund check is in order! 

Situations, circumstances and even people can attempt to rob us of peace, joy, contentment, and the list goes on. I believe God is offering some refund checks this year through his Word! You overpaid on some things but God can restore you and restore you even better than before. Philippians 4:7 says, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”. 

To jumpstart the refund process consider these tips: 

Rely on God’s peace - fully depend on the peace of God, it will sustain you through tough times

Revel in God’s peace - fully delight in the peace of God, it will calm your spirit when the enemy is on your track

Rest in God’s peace - fully dive in the peace of God, it will replenish you when life has made too many withdrawals 

Now, to get quick access to your refund check follow these instructions: 

1. Submit your refund request: Phil 4:6 NLT - “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done
2. Wait for notice that your request has been received: Isa. 65:24 NLT - “I will answer them before they even call me to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers"
3. Then check back to the refund site, i.e. the Word of God, to see if your refund is approved: 1 Corinthians 15:57 NLT - “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” - APPROVED! 

***God only deals in direct deposits and the delivery of your deposit will depend on your spiritual institution (your heart & mind). 

Covered! Covered!

Girrrl! 2020 was indeed a noteworthy year - quite unforgettable! It was a year like none we had ever seen before. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a wordsmith but I had never heard the word ‘pandemic’ prior to 2020. A new word was introduced to me last year as well as a new way of life. We had to quarantine, wear masks and isolate ourselves from others which for many people turned out to be an arduous task. When we would come out with masks on, it was still stressful because you never know who could be among you with the virus as many carriers are asymptomatic. This level of not knowing, uncertainty caused angst for people that eventually led to fear. We were now in a place that we could not even imagine before: not being able to hug loved ones, not seeing our friends, not attending church services, and just being in isolation. 

As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “…there’s nothing new under the sun”. When I think of quarantine and isolation my mind goes to the lepers. Lepers were quarantined from society due to the skin disease they possessed - leprosy. Leprosy was a skin disease that caused sores to form on your skin form head to toe. Before the sore developed into a sore it started as a swelling, scab or bright spot (Leviticus 13:2). God instituted a law that he gave to Moses and Aaron that if a leprous sore developed, the person must show himself to Aaron (the priest) to be examined. Once examined and it was determined that the person had leprosy they would be declared unclean. Leviticus 13:45-46 says, “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean! He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp”. Additionally, they had to also social distance and it wasn’t 6 feet! Some sources I read said that the distance had to be 100 paces (equivalent to 300 feet), in another source I read it said 16 feet away but the point is they had to indeed social distance and live their life in isolation. 

Ladies, what if we had to live like the lepers? What if we had to announce our “sores” (sins, temptations, addictions) when we entered a room? 

‘Gossip! Gossip!’

‘Promiscuous! Promiscuous!’

‘Liar! Liar!’

‘Selfish! Selfish!’

‘Cocaine! Cocaine!’

‘Overeating! Overeating!’

What if we had to announce our sores before people even got a chance to know us? What if? 

Thanks be to God that we do not have to announce our sores. God covers us with His love, grace and mercy. Unlike people, God accepts us flaws and all and has the power to heal us - without scars so that we don’t even look like what we’ve been through! I’m so glad that I don’t have to yell out my sores except to God in prayer! Whatever you are dealing with today, God has the power to heal and restore you. With the power of the Holy Spirit, you can push the reset button and start again! God just loves us like that! Now, if people need to know, you can just yell: 

‘Covered! Covered!’

Just as the people in Leviticus went to the priest to be examined, we now can go to the High Priest who won’t stop at examination but will bring us to full healing and restoration!

Next week let’s continue this discussion as we take a look at what happens when Jesus heals the leper.