#Relationship Archives - My Journey to Refresh

What to Expect When You Say “YES” to God

“So, how old do you think you’ll be when you fully settle down with God?” my friend Reggie asked. It was my junior year in college, we’d just finished another successful game night with friends and he decided to stay a little longer to help clean up. Pausing for a minute, I thought about his question and responded, “Hmmm, I don’t know maybe when I’m about 23.” I figured because I was in college I needed to live a little and the Lord would understand. Smiling at my response, we continued to chat about our future and what things would look like after college. Once he left, I remember thinking to myself, only Reggie could ask me that question and I wouldn’t get offended. I mean– he was the only man I knew in his 20s engaged, serious about his relationship with God, but would vibe to a 2Chainz or Trinidad James song real quick. As I sit back and think about that night I can’t help, but think about how God truly slide into that conversation and even changed the ending to MY story. You see, my goal was to live out my life the way I wanted to and slide God in when I could. A Sunday service here and a communion session there. I mean, can I be real? However, God had other plans for my life. The two years that followed turned out to be the purge of my life. I said YES I lost loved ones, friendships ended, relationships dissolved, and my emotions went ramped. Through it all though, I was able to go back to my first love—Father God, who accepted me with open arms. And, He made me His number one follower the following year once I surrendered. The Choice is Yours So, if you’ve decided to finally take a stance and follow God, I want you to know you’ve made the greatest decision of your life! If you’re still thinking about it or you’re on the fence, meet me here. You no longer have to sit on the sideline any longer but sis you can join the game. He has so much in store for you. I will admit this journey is not for the weak, however, because you’re a queen of the Most High, He has a set of tools just for you to fight with when the enemy comes your way. That is why this week’s passage is Ephesians 6:10-18. As you carry out the remainder of this week I encourage you to follow along with the Come Up season right here because next week, I’ll dig even deeper into what you can expect when you say yes to God! See you then! Hi friend! Did you enjoy this message? Comment below your main takeaway and how you plan to implement it in this season. I’d love to hear from you!

What to Expect When You Say “YES” to God Read More »

How to Live an Authentic Christian Life

Ladies welcome to the Real Talk Health Awareness Series Episode Two! This week our focus is on… drumroll, please…..🥁🥁🥁 Spiritual Health! Oh yeah, we’re going there! In this Real Talk episode, I sit down with my dear friend and mentor, Coach Gentry. During our discussion, Coach Gentry dishes out the secret to managing an authentic relationship with Abba. No routines or rituals required! For years, you’ve asked: How do I build a deeper relationship with God? What do I need to do to please Him? Well, sis if this is you, the answer to your burning questions are answered in this dynamic duo! Remember ladies: It’s all about an authentic relationship over a watered-down religion. Catch up on other health awareness-related messages here: How to Get Your Mind Right and Track Your Mental Health The Secret I Hide For Nine Years Until Now Love Yourself: Flaws and All Be Real, Do You Accept You for You? Meet Coach Gentry Coach Gentry founder of Life Golden Coaching and author of Organic Authenticity is a one-of-a-kind mastermind thriving to take YOU to the next level in life! Gentry is devoted to helping people gain confidence and pursue their dreams without apology. My mission is to create confident and creative emerging leaders that add value to their communities by helping them identify their uniqueness and to overcome personal and professional setbacks. If you’re ready to move forward with Coach Gentry reach out to her today! Hey beautiful people! Enjoy what you’ve watched? Share in the comment section below what stood out to you the most and what you took away. Can’t wait to hear your response!

How to Live an Authentic Christian Life Read More »

Young and Married

Ladies welcome to the final Real Talk Relationship Series Episode Four! In this Real Talk episode, I sit down with longtime friend Kiarra and her husband Darryl Sykes as they share their profound love story. During our discussion, Kiarra and Darryl expound on their Godly marriage, how they met and the personal struggles they’ve faced as a couple and individually. In addition, they provided practical tips on ways you can prepare for marriage whether you’re thinking about it, courting, or simply interested. Remember ladies: It’s all about sensing the soul before seeing it! Real Talk Episode 4: Young and Married Catch up on other relationship-related stories here: Are REALLY Ready for Love? I Do, I Don’t Ummm… Maybe 🙄? Be Real, Do You Accept You for You? When Spirit Meets Soulmate Ladies, It’s Okay to be Single How to Build A Deeper Relationship with God Love Yourself: Flaws and All Meet the Sykes Darryl, 26, and Kiarra Sykes, 27 have been married for two years and together for five. They are both from Pennsylvania but moved to North Carolina in 2012 for college. They are entrepreneurs, authors, investors, YouTubers, & podcasters and have a special affinity for relationship ministry. In 2017, Darryl and Kiarra co-authored their first book Fire and Desire : The Courtship Curse . In their spare time, they love traveling, watching all things Marvel, and trying new restaurants. Hey beautiful people! Enjoy what you’ve watched? Share in the comment section below what stood out to you the most and what you took away. Can’t wait to here your response!

Young and Married Read More »

How to Build A Deeper Relationship with God

Do you have a set time you meet with God on a daily basis? A time you devote to Him and Him alone? During this time do you share your plans, your heart desires, and seek what He has to say? If not, it’s okay because by the end of this post you will. In today’s post, I want to share with you how my personal relationship with Abba began and how I now meet with Him on a regular basis. Now… Let me just start off by saying although I grew up as a holy roller ( practical going to church every day of the week) it wasn’t until I was in college when I first started taking this relationship thing seriously. You see, for the longest, I’d only known about religion, rules, and rituals. I’d only grasped the concept of doing and serving to please God. However, during my senior year, I began to seek God for myself that’s when our relationship blossomed. No longer did I feel I could only connect with Him in a big building with four walls and a choir but in a much deeper and intimate way. As I yearned more for Him, I also learned the importance of letting Him into ALL of me which included the good, the bad, and the ugly. When I received that insight I remember sitting in my bed asking, “Lord, what time should we meet?” As I longed for my personal quiet time with Abba, my desire manifested. I would catch myself grabbing my Bible at 11:30 p.m. every night right before midnight. After wonderful encounters with Abba during that time, it then became a part of my evening routine. Since then my life has changed. I’m no longer in college and my nighttime routine is a little different. Nevertheless, my time with Abba still remains. Instead of meeting with Him at 11:30 p.m., I’m usually awakened by a light touch on my shoulder which stretches me to turn over and check the time or the urge to use the restroom a few minutes before my alarm goes off at 5 a.m. . Yeah, I’m an early bird, and trust me it WAS NOT part of my plan. But, hey what can I say Abba knows what’s best. So, if you are currently seeking a time to be with God, but not sure where to get started. I highly recommend you check out the latest video on Real Talk to learn how to build a relationship with Abba and find out what time works best for you and Abba to meet on a daily consistent basis! Hey friend! Did you enjoy today’s message? Share your greatest takeaway in the comments below! I can’t wait to read it!

How to Build A Deeper Relationship with God Read More »

When Spirit meets Soulmate

Happy Tuesday beautiful people! How are you? I’m sure by my cheesy smile you can tell I’m super excited, and if you know me well you probably know why. It is because autumn is FINALLY here! Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes, tan scarfs and thin sweaters here I come! The vibes of this season always tend to bring me great joy. When the color of trees change from forest green to almond brown, my heart can’t help but smile because the most wonderful time of the year is here. Stepping into this new season, my thoughts cannot help but revert back to my college years. You see, for many college students, it’s about that time, (if you are a college student reading this post, don’t act as if you don’t know 😉.) It’s time to get booed up with your selected choice of the season. Well, at least for me it was. Back in the day… I recall that being my main focus: finding Mr. Right, but for ALL the wrong reasons. At the ripe age of 17, I was free from my mom and away from religion. I believed if I took a 360 turn in my wardrobe, dropped a few pounds and dashed a little promiscuity here and there, I’d for sure get the boyfriend of my dreams. Sure enough, my life began to change, but not in a good way. Miss. Goody Two Shoes had gone bad. Two kickbacks and a blunt later, I stopped attending church and started to separate myself from Christ . I even began to hang out with people who I never thought I’d hang with just so I could be apart of the “in” crowd. During that time I began to deal with relationship issues from all arenas- friendships, guys, my parents and my family. I even began to question some of my religious beliefs and wondered if all I had been taught was a lie. I was truly confused and had no idea how I was going to make it through the rest of my college years. It literally took several flings, phony friendships, a wake up call from God and a Bible believing church in order to remind me I was worth more than a nice compliment and the front seat of a guys car. Now, that my friends is simply just a snippet of my story, but it is helps me to stay grounded in who God is, what He truly means to me and why it is important to stay committed to Him. Final Thoughts In my previous post, I Do, I Don’t Ummm, Maybe 🙄? I shared one of the main essentials I believe is necessary to have in order to prepare yourself for your future spouse. That necessity is to: Pray your future spouse has a relationship with God. However, I would like to add- on, before praying your future spouse has it all together with God, it’s time you pray YOU have it all together with God. Ask Him to reveal to you the areas in your life that need to be cleaned up. You’d be surprised at what He shares with you. Before you can make yourself one with another, it is important to make yourself one with God. By doing so, He will release the veils from your eyes and allow you to see the beautiful being He sees you as in the spirit. Once your spiritual being is revealed from the inside out, it will allow the eyes of your soul mate to fully see you for the first time as well. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:23-25

When Spirit meets Soulmate Read More »