BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR

It’s been a minute but welcome back to Chasing After Zion!! I’ve been on a slight hiatus and while being on that, I had some time to reflect on some things that have occurred in my life. One of thing I’ve been able to reflect on is the prayers I have prayed and the questions I have found myself asking God.

I noticed that while growing up in the church, no one ever gave me a warning on being careful what I prayed and asked God for, and what to do when God starts to answer those prayers. But in my answered prayers I figured it out and I want to share with you all.

For starters, don’t pray big if you do not want God to move in a big way. Because as soon as you open your mouth you better believe he’s going to stir up things in your life. For example, I asked God to help me grow into having a “crazy faith” and then BOOM! When I said that prayer, I was not ready for the things to come that would push me into having to exercise my faith in a crazy way. I know you’re probably thinking in what way Alisa, well I’ll tell you; my car was stolen. I had been praying that prayer to God about increasing my faith for a while but right before my car was stolen, I had been praying about it more fervently.

Obviously in the moment of finding out my car had been stolen, I had so many emotions but after, I was able to quiet my mind and spirit and I began to say okay God, I trust you, and if you allowed this to happen, I know you knew that I would get through it and trust you. My heart posture after became one of thanksgiving and worship because it could’ve been worse but more importantly, I was at peace because I truly believed the words, I said out loud to him and I reminded myself of all the other times he’s kept me and delivered.

I say all of that to say, I believe God wants all of us to see him in bigger ways than what would be considered normal for us. He has so much he wants to show us and do in us and through us, but we must operate from a place of FAITH. If you truly trust him like you say you do, be prepared to stand on that, and allow him to show you just who He is.

Out With the Old, In With the New

If you are reading this, you have graciously made it to the year of 2022, and I’m excited for all of us!

Last year was a year where everyone’s back was pressed up against the wall in some way shape or form, and we all know that it was far from easy. I think it’s safe to say that as a nation we hadn't seen a death toll like what we saw in years. Not only did we see people dying left and right, but people were losing their jobs, became homeless, sick, crime increased, racial discrimination, the true hearts of people were revealed, just to name a few.

So as this new year has quickly ushered in, a lot of us are holding our breath right now expecting some major discord to shake the table again similar to how our bestie 2021 did. And honestly, I don’t blame us for feeling that way because at this point, we all have suffered trauma and are looking for a fresh start, a new beginning, anything that will be different from our last.

I want to let you all know that it’s okay to breathe now. What you thought would break you, did not, and we are STILL here. You’ve come out of the fire stronger and the good book says that righteousness is forged by the fire, its a refining process. So we thank you Lord.

I declare that this will be your best year yet. I speak life into every soul reading this, and my prayer is that you will see God move in a mighty way in your life. Remember to keep God as your focus and do your very best to make all you do count.

As always, God loves you, I love you, and there’s nothing you can do about it!

XOXO,

Alisa

YOU WERE NOT BUILT TO BREAK

Welcome back!!!!!

Typically before I leave work, I sit down and look out the window to catch the sunrise, and on this particular day, as I was sitting down looking out of the window, I noticed something. I found myself lost in a trance watching the palm trees sway back and forth as the wind blew. I know it sounds like something simple, but as I watched the trees I felt God begin to drop something in my spirit.

For one, I noticed that no matter how hard the wind blew the trees simply adjusted and went the same way the wind blew. I also began to think about how many times I saw palm trees in extreme weather conditions and they all simply swayed back and forth. THEY WOULD ALWAYS BEND BUT NEVER BREAK.

When the wind blows hard against palm trees, it actually strengthens the roots of the tree. They always come out of every storm stronger than before.

So I want to leave you with something on today. No matter what we go through in life, we are built to withstand every storm we face. Granted, we may bend, but we are absolutely not meant to break. Everything that the Lord brings us to, is set up for us to win and come out stronger in the end. God literally wants us to be victorious in everything that we do, so if that’s the case, why would he not create us in such a way to be able to withstand tough times?

The next time you are in the middle of a storm, I want you to remind yourself of these four things:

-God wants you to win

-God paid a heavy price to make you victorious

-You have an advantage in battle

-God gives you authority to win

“So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?”  Hebrews 13:6 (AMP)

Until next time, have a blessed and prosperous week!

FAITH OVER FEAR

Faith is defined as having complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous likely to cause pain or a threat. So my question is, which one do you operate out of?

What I find interesting with both faith and fear is that, they both require you to believe in something you can’t see. Now when I put it into this context and started thinking about all the times I was fearful, I realized I was believing in something that was literally not even there. Crazy right?

I cannot tell you all how many times fear has stopped me from going after things that I’ve wanted for myself or what the Lord was pushing me into. And when I say fear, I’m talking about the kind of fear that starts from the soles of your feet and then slowly goes throughout your entire body almost making it impossible to breathe. I know I’m not the only one that has experienced this, and if you haven’t, I’m telling you it’s nothing to play with, it’ll have you walking around with a tight chest.

But when I started to really understand the word of God deeper and who he is, I began to understand that you cannot have faith and fear, they can’t coexist together, and furthermore God’s word tells me that he isn’t a god of fear. So let me provide you with some armor (scripture);

2 Timothy 1:7 ESV

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Psalm 27:1 ESV

“Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV

“A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...”

I say all this to say, when we find ourselves afraid, take a moment and think about the nature of God. He is a God who is concerned about every aspect of our lives, and his word tells us he will be with us in all we do and all the places we go. And this I do believe because God does not lie.

If you take one step, you can be sure that the Lord will take another one with you, you can trust him, and he’s letting you know today that he can handle it all, no matter what it is. So when you see and feel fear starting creep in, I’m charging you to bind that up and cast it down immediately. You are strong, powerful, and you have been given God’s authority to walk boldly and confidently in all you do.

Let’s declare all together right now that, OUR FAITH WILL BE BIGGER THAN OUR FEAR!

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

Hey, welcome back! Today will be short and sweet and my prayer is as always that you are encouraged in some way.

We live in a world full of darkness and it’s easier to be consumed by it. But this week I challenge you to be bold and let your light shine. It’s easy to pick up offenses throughout the day, or walk around being irritable from something that only lasted five minutes, or even being quick to have a negative rebuttal towards the person who walked in the room and did not speak.

When you let your light shine, you walk with a different attitude, your speech becomes different, and the way you live becomes different too. Letting your light shine is simply allowing the Lord to abide in you, and you abide in him. And one thing is for sure, you lose absolutely nothing by letting you light shine. You begin to uplift yourself and others and that’s what life is all about.

So continue to live out the gospel daily in front of the world as they watch so that God may receive all of the glory.

Ephesians 5:8 ESV

“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

Matthew 5:16 ESV

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

GOD BLOCKED IT

As I sit here writing this post for you all, I’m reminded of all the times I continued to chase after what the Lord was blocking me from. Looking back now, I have to laugh because the things I was chasing after then, I ABSOLUTELY don’t want them now, and had I just trusted in what God was doing I wouldn’t have wasted so much time.

When things don’t work out the way we planned, or that significant other leaves, we didn't get the promotion, we didn’t finish school in time, we got rejected, so on and so forth, for some strange reason, we tend to go after those same things even harder. A lot of it is because we set goals for ourselves and we are adamant about achieving them, we like to prove to others and ourselves that we are the better fit for whatever and whomever, along with that, as humans we want what we want. But over the years I’ve grown to learn and understand that the Lord was protecting me from what I could not see.

Instead of fighting so hard to hold on to those things, had I just released them, I would’ve come to see that what I really wanted would eventually hurt me later on down the line. What we all have to understand is that the very thing you are holding on tightly to is the very thing causing you pain, and once you let it go the tension leaves. I say all that to say, God, knows all and sees all. I've never left a situation that lead me to another situation that was similar. Everything that was blocked from me, worked out for my good and it will for you too.

Let me give you some insight, every job that turned me away had underlying issues that I didn’t find out until after I was hired somewhere else, when I was fired without explanation from some jobs I didn’t know that the environment was really stunting my growth, when friends would leave I didn’t know or hear about the conversations that were had behind my back, when dating went completely left lol I didn’t see how those people would leave a mark on me and not in a good way, or not finishing school in my timing but not seeing how God was going shake the table so I could fully understand and see what He can do in the blink of an eye, I’ll take it a step further and say when I was rushing on the highway trying to get somewhere and hit traffic not knowing that up ahead there was a bad accident and had I been a minute off that wouldv’ve been me.

We may not understand everything that happens in our lives, but one thing I can firmly say is, what God wants for me is far better than what I want for myself.

So if you are struggling right now because things did not go as planned and you feel discouraged, trust that God has you, and thank him for protecting you from the things you couldn’t see.

Until next time, yall be blessed!

DEAR 2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Lord,

We have made it to a brand new year and I thank you for the lives of those that are still here to see it. As we enter this year, I speak life into every person that comes across this blog and reads, and I pray this prayer will touch the hearts of many.

As we embark on this journey ahead, I pray that this year will bring about a new level of focus in all areas of our life. Help us to walk boldly and confidently into all that you have for us. Give us a fresh set of eyes to look into our lives with a heavenly perspective as we go from day to day. Give us strength to leave any thing behind that is stunting our growth and keeping us from truly having a relationship with you.As we abide in you, and you in us, help us to keep our hearts centered on you, and live in a way that pleases you.

I ask that you will cover us in all that we do and all the places that we go, and allow us to rest in you and trust in you fully and wholeheartedly. Prepeare us in whatever ways you see fit, so that we may reah our next level and full potential. We know that you are a God that sits high and looks low and you are very concerned about your people. You know exactly what we need and when to give it to us.

We thank you in advance for everything that you will do in us and through us this year, and we believe its already done.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen

Be Blessed yall, and i’ll see you next week!

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

What do you do when unexpected circumstances arise in your life? Often times you will see people get scared and back down, then you have a select few who will face whatever it is head-on. So which one are you?

As I sit here and write this, I can’t help but chuckle at all the times I decided to buckle and fold when situations would arise. I would become extremely overwhelmed with emotion, I would get upset with what my situation looked like in the natural realm, anxiety would creep in, and “woe it’s me”, the list can go on and on. On the inside, I was running and running very fast. I didn’t know how to handle unexpected situations nor was I spiritually strong enough to do so.

As the years have gone by, and I’ve grown more spiritually I look at things differently along with the way I handle them. Now, instead of running, I get my head in the game and I say okay God let’s do this. I have become a fighter now and I don’t get easily moved. I fight back with prayer, the word, past reflections of what the Lord has done before, and faith. However this is not something that came overnight, it’s taken a lot of time and I am still growing every day.

THERE IS NO VICTORY WITHOUT THE BATTLE!

So, I’m here to encourage you to fight back and allow the Lord to strengthen you. When you are weak He is strong and we can find rest in that on today. We serve a God who wants us to get up and fight back, and be confident in knowing that he’s with us every step of the way living on the inside of us equipping us with all we need to overcome any and everything under the sun.

Armour up and let’s get ready for war!

Psalm 84:5 ESV

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.”

Philippians 4:13 ESV

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Psalm 34:17

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Welcome back to Chasing After Zion! If you’re reading this, you’ve made it to the beginning of another week.

If we all look at 2020, one thing I can say about it is, the true hearts of people have been shown in every way shape, and form. Yesterday I had the pleasure of giving back during this pandemic, and it was very heartwarming to see how one kind gesture can light up a person’s entire day.

As I was out, I was able to reflect on how good God has been to me, but on the other hand, I couldn’t help but think about the postures of our hearts as a people collectively. We live in a world where it’s easier to just focus on ourselves without considering the lives of others. We tend to look down on people who don’t look like us or have the same things we do, not considering that everyone has a story. Along with that, we are very selfish and greedy.

How can one have so much to give, but don’t because you feel like it’ll hinder you? These are things that I think about daily, and it’s mind-boggling and it put something into perspective for me. I noticed yesterday as I was passing out toiletry bags and other items, that these individuals were so selfless. They were literally walking around telling others to come out and get what they needed, and on top of that, they didn’t want to take more than what they needed. When I saw this I was overwhelmed with emotion, because the people that have everything cant even exhibit those same qualities.

Let's reposition our hearts and focus on the things that truly matter. If you are in a position to be a blessing to someone else, allow yourself to be used by God to bless another, and continue the cycle. One thing I can say confidently, anything I’ve given to another brother and sister in Christ or helped hasn’t cost me anything. We are all blessed in different ways, and we should use those blessings to bless others wholeheartedly, willingly, and diligently. As followers of Christ, we are charged to look after one another.

So I challenge you to allow the Lord to move through you and encourage you to be a blessing this holiday season, whether big or small. It’s not about how much you can do, or how many people can see you, its about the HEART posture.

2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

1 John 3:17 ESV

“But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?”

James 1:17 ESV

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Have a blessed week, and let’s continue to Chase After Zion!!!!!

PACK LIGHT

Flight 2021 is boarding and we will soon be ready for take-off. Due to low cabin space whatever you do not need we ask that you leave it behind. Those willing to leave behind what you do not need, please continue boarding, and unfortunately for those that can’t let go of their extra baggage, we will see you next time!

Just imagine hearing those words when you arrive at your gate ready for departure. You see some people willing to do whatever it takes to board that flight, dropping all the baggage they have to enjoy the next destination, then you have those that just can’t let go resulting in them not being able to go any further.

The same thing happens in our life when we continue to hold on to dead things. When God is trying to do a new thing we focus so much on the old that we can’t even appreciate where we are going and we end up forfeiting what’s meant for us. And one thing is for sure, each new level you go to requires you to let some junk go. Whether it’s friends, family, a job, anger, fear, negativity, so on and so forth, it all has to be left behind.

Of course, it’s easier said than done, but look at it this way, would you want to be around someone that is carrying extra baggage all the time? The answer is a hard no because it’s a lot to deal with. So I challenge you to let go of anything that is no longer serving you any good and keeping you from going to your next destination. Whatever is holding you back, let it go, and allow God to replace what you let go of with new things that are going to flourish you. Another thing to ponder on is if God were to tell you today to leave everything behind because he has something new for you, would you be able to? The goal is to get to a place where we can say yes without any hesitation or fear.

Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

1 Corinthians 9:24 ESV

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.”

AS ALWAYS STAY BLESSED AND COME BACK NEXT WEEK!