Tag: grateful

Life

Obedience Takes Courage

Shaun Bradford

Being obedient is not always easy, but necessary. Spiritually, I have struggled with being obedient for some time. Although the struggle has became easier since intentionally allowing God to lead, I still struggle with it. I still question whether the moves are right for me, especially when those moves cause uncomfortable shifts. So yeah, I am still working on being obedient. With that being said, I can also proudly say that I am becoming better at listening and complying. Yes… patting myself on the back.

Yesterday, Bishop T.D. Jakes said the following during his sermon – “Your gift will get you there, but your obedience will keep you there.” If I want to stay where I’m going, I must be obedient. Period.

This morning I was scrolling through my Facebook memories and there was the word, “Obedience,” again. This time it was associated with last year’s blog, Hello Sunday July 31, 2022. That particular blog was about me logging off one of my main Twitter (X) accounts.

For several years, I had been struggling with the value I had placed on that account. Basically, it was my life. At first, it allowed me to get away when life became a little too much, but it did not stop there. Later it became my obsession (being very transparent). Sadly, I did not see it at the time – you know it’s hard to see things when you’re right in the middle of it. Y’all, I was obsessed and addicted to it. I was addicted to the interactions and feedback and impressions (yes, I’m a numbers person and Twitter analytics was my best friend). Well, God told me I needed to let it go (I explain all of this in last year’s Hello Sunday). I was never told to deactivate the account, nor delete it, I was simply asked to log off. To log off so that I could get my priorities and focus right. Listen, the way I reacted you would’ve thought He had asked me to throw away my entire life. Y’all, my priorities were not right. All of the glory and praise I should have been giving Him was going elsewhere.

Over the past year, I have logged off, logged on, logged off again, then logged back on… currently, I am logged on. This time I logged back on because I was instructed to do so. I was obedient. Won’t go into detail but the account wasn’t the problem, my obsession and addiction to it was. Until I had learned how to properly handle it, I could not log back on.

Y’all, I am so grateful God loves me. He loves me so much that He even protects me from myself. Honestly, I would not be where I am today had I not been obedient. I would’ve still been stuck where I was, doing the same things and getting nowhere. I’m so glad I listened and obeyed.

I am so much stronger and better equipped because I listened and obeyed.

Be obedient.♥️

Shaun

Life

Under God’s Protection

Shaun Bradford

Last night, my daughter and I were discussing timing and how we can now see that if things would have worked out according to our timetables, we would not have been properly prepared to handle the things that came along with them. That was when it dawned on me that we were and are being protected.

If things have not happened yet, accept that it’s not time, and that you are being protected. Stay under God’s protection.♥️ ~Shaun

Stay protected.

On another note (gonna try to make this short by using screenshots where I can)…

So, a couple of days ago I forgot to check my Facebook Memories. Y’all, I rarely forget. It’s like part of my morning routine. Well, sometime Thursday evening a memory popped up that prompted me to check my other memories. When I tell you God is always on time! Here’s what I shared based on one of the memories:

Facebook Post: July 27, 2023

Can’t believe I am just now looking at my Facebook Memories from July 27th. I usually look at them first thing in the morning, but for some reason I didn’t today. Had forgotten all about them. Thankfully a story I shared last year popped up and jogged my memory. I needed to see this particular post today. When I reshared it in 2019, I shared it with Tyler Perry’s quote, “When you pray, believe.” Back then, that quote was relevant for where I was.

Today, another quote taken from his caption has resonated with me. It is a question he asked himself, “God, why would you put all of these dreams inside of me and not show me a way to accomplish them.” Y’all, I feel him on this. I have so many dreams. Some would probably say I have too many. That I need to narrow them down, but I can’t. I want to accomplish them all.🤷🏽‍♀️😢

As Mr. Perry did, I am going to continue to work towards them until something happens. I know God is working behind the scenes. I KNOW that one day everything will happen. In today’s blog I wrote the following:

“Here is what I have learned and am still learning – my job is to lean into God, allow Him to lead, move when He says move and be still when He says be still. AND I must do ALL of this while operating from a space of peace. Talk about challenging, but if He believes I am capable of doing it, then I can do it.”

I will continue to stay in prayer while waiting and listening for my next moves.♥️

That was two days ago. Here are a few screenshots from today’s Facebook memories.

“I love who I am Becoming,” July 29, 2022
July 29, 2022–Response to the next screenshot originally shared on July 29, 2018.
July 29, 2018

Y’all, I can’t help but tear up. I’m doing exactly what I set out to do. Yes, I have a lot of dreams, and guess what – I’m achieving them ALL! AND I have many, many more to achieve.

Listen, if God has put dreams in your heart, please don’t allow others’ success or progress make you feel like you are:

Behind – Girl, you’re 50 and just now getting started.

On the wrong track – You should be doing XYZ and making money.

Your goals are unattainable or unrealistic – Girl, you are nowhere near qualified for what you want and where you want to be, and never will be. Get your head out of the clouds.

Block distractions and silence those voices (yours specifically) that tell you your dreams are too big, unrealistic or impossible. For we know, and must remember, that with God ALL things are possible.

That’s all I have to share today. I know it was a lot. Praying you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for reading.♥️

Life

Be Encouraged

Shaun Bradford

I can hear William Becton singing –

Be encouraged no matter what's going on,
He'll make it all right,
But you gotta stay strong.

I know right now it's impossible to see,
But God is gonna work it out if you just believe.
Remember this one thing while you're going through,
If God delivered Daniel, He'll do the same for you.

Be encouraged no matter what's going on,
He'll make it all right,
But you gotta stay strong.

Know your labor is not in vain.♥️
Stay in prayer while waiting and listening for your next moves.

Y’all, politics is not my thing. I have never been interested in being involved in more than encouraging people to vote and showing my support by sharing information. Now I am doing things that are stretching me far beyond my comfort levels. I’m not sure what God is doing; however, I know from experience that whatever this is it’s preparing me for future endeavors. As Bishop Jakes says, you cannot have change without disruption, and boy has disruption come.

Here is what I have learned and am still learning – my job is to lean into God, allow Him to lead, move when He says move and be still when He says be still. AND I must do ALL of this while operating from a space of peace. Talk about challenging, but if He believes I am capable of doing it, then I can do it.

Shaun

Life

Step Into Your Calling

Shaun Bradford

You already know what you have been called to do. You have seen the vision and it is very plain. However, you are hesitant to move forward because it will take you completely out of your comfort zone; you feel like there are too many uncertainties to take the risk. Believe me, I understand. I am right there with you. But now is the time for us to step into our callings. No more excuses. No more delays. Those who need what we have to offer need it now… TODAY. Let’s do this!♥️ ~Shaun

It’s time!

Side Note: This consecration time with God that Bishop Jakes suggested Sunday is THE TRUTH! Listen, I thought I was already spending time with God and following His guidance, but clearly I wasn’t. Over these past few days, things that I thought I had handled resurfaced and I had a choice to either bury them again or face them head on. Well, I decided to face them. Listen, if you want to KNOW about yourself, spend a little time with God, real time with God and I guarantee He will show you who you really are. Y’all, it was not easy, but it was so necessary. Grateful

Life

Give It To God

Shaun Bradford

You know better than I do what “it” means to you. So whatever “it” is, give it to God. Release it. Let it go. Let Him handle it.♥️ ~Shaun

“I Told The Storm” by Greg O’Quin & Joyful Noize

Side Note:

When God has a message for you, you best believe He will make sure you receive it. Now whether or not you obey it is on you.

Funny story… or more like a transparent moment… guess I have been feeling Year50 a little too much. I’m not going to lie, I have been like, “if it did not happen on that side of 50 I’m moving on.” Every time these moments happened I would hear God ask if I had consulted Him. Well, I would tune Him out. I didn’t want hear anything about consulting Him because I felt like I had been consulting with Him long enough on issues I could clearly handle on my own. Told you I’m being very transparent.

Well, this morning we had a meeting and I had to let go of a few hurts and disappointments, hurts and disappointments stemming from things not happening in my time, or the time limit I had placed on Him (God)–everything had to happen before 50. My mind and mouth said I was okay with His timing, but my heart and soul were not okay. Until this morning, I had not allowed myself to feel the pain of those hurts. I wanted to leave everything behind. But as we all know, whatever we don’t fully address will always be lurking in the background just waiting for the opportunity to resurface.

Here’s the message I received this morning, and get this… I wrote it. Must have written it specifically for this moment–gotta love God’s timing!

Facebook Memory: July 18, 2022

Like God didn’t see what I was doing. Baby, I was busted. He saw me and He knows me better than anyone else, even myself at times. My job is to be still, wait, and follow His lead. Y’all, I cannot move without Him because His plan IS the best plan.

Enjoy your day!

Life

Know Who You Are

Shaun Bradford

Over the years, I have discovered one of the keys to knowing who you are is knowing who you are not.

I know who I am because I finally understand, and have accepted, who I am not.

I hate to admit that my road to self-discovery recently wrapped up–at least I believe it is over–during the last few days of my 40s. Maybe it was because I was so determined not to bring uncertainties and baggage into this half of my life. At the very end, up until a few days in, there were things I had to let go of, things I had held on to much longer than I should have. What I discovered was those things were hindering me from fully knowing and embracing my authentic self. Even though I knew God had made me different from others, I constantly questioned my worth and abilities. I also kept feeling behind or as if I had missed out on valuable opportunities.

I know I have only been on this side of 50 a very short while, but life really does seem different. I finally feel like I am dancing to the beat of my own drums. I no longer feel the anxiety and pressure of not being who or where I imagined I would be at this time in life. I contribute all of this to this year’s/half century’s theme–“Being present while residing in a space of peace.”

Y’all, just thinking… Christy Nockels’ book, The Life You Long For, really did prepare me for this.

Forever grateful for God’s love, mercy and grace. Y’all, He really does love me.

Thanks for reading. Wishing all of you a wonderful day!♥️

Shaun