The Okie Doke

“Kick Ya Feet Up”

Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. When God did it, you won’t have to cuss it and discuss it all the way through. When God did it, you won’t have to wrestle with it day in and day out. It may not be the prettiest. It may not be the highest paying. It may not be the finest. It may not be the most handsome. It may not be the fastest…but when God did it, you can’t wait to get home. When God did it, you can’t wait to clock in. When God did it, you can’t wait to crank it up. When God did it, you can’t wait to forgive. When God did it, there’s a peace about it. When God did it, there’s a peace surrounding it. When God did it, there’s prosperity in the midst. When God did it, you didn’t. Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. Let God do it! Kick ya feet up!

Commit to the Lord whatever you do and He will establish your plans. –Proverbs 16:3

The Lord will fight for you and you will only be silent –Exodus 14:14

“Let’s Ride”

Inspired by the plight of the true to life communities depicted in the movie, “Concrete Cowboy”, I say, LET’S RIDE!. Near the conclusion of the movie, the main character was asked, “What are we gonna do?”. His reply was, “We’re gonna do what our people have always done. We’re gonna ride!”.

The enemy… whoever he, she, it or they may be, will always try to take from us…our land, our property, our loved ones, our peace and our joy. Don’t fall for the OKIE DOKE! They can steal our land. They can steal our property. They will even steal our people. However, they will never steal our peace! They will never steal our identity! They will never steal our love! They will never still our joy! …because they didn’t supply it, they can’t take it away. We just have to keep moving. So, let’s ride!

It’s like this. Approximately 21 species of sharks must constantly move(swim) or they die. In order to keep oxygen-rich water flowing over their gills, they have to keep moving. Don’t fall for the Okie Doke! When life delivers those inevitable blows to our way of life, and you don’t know how you will carry on, keep moving! LET’S RIDE!

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
John 5:8 KJV

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 54:17 KJV

“Rebel Without A Cause”

“Rebel Without A Cause”
On my commute this morning, I came across a power line that had a pair of tennis shoes hanging across it. My mind immediately began to race. I know that urban myths suggest that this is a symbol and/or sign that there is nearby drug action. There are other theories that suggest a loss of virginity has recently taken place or it’s a basic right of passage. My take is different. Sometimes, it’s just a simple act of rebellion. Don’t fall for the Okie Doke, everyone that disagrees with you, doesn’t necessarily disagree with you. Some people give a dissenting view, for no other reason than giving a dissenting view. They in affect are rebels, without a cause. You ever notice that there are “devil’s advocates”, but no “angel’s advocates”. In fact, this is such a common activity, that there’s a term to describe it. Trolling! Don’t fall for the Okie Doke, fight the urge to defend yourself. The battle isn’t yours anyway. Silence remains golden. Some honorably agree to disagree, while others disagree to disagree. They are rebels, rebels without a cause.

Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.
Proverbs 26:4 NLT

“Hide and Seek”

Hide and seek is a game we used to play as kids. This game would be played on the entire street, not just one house. We were hiding under cars, in folks back yards, in the bushes… We’d have a base. Someone would be “it”. The rest of us would hide. The person who was “it” would say something akin to, “…ready or not, hear I come, whoever is around my base is O.U.T., out!”…then they’d start seeking. The key is, they didn’t have to find ALL, they were seeking, just one. Don’t fall for The Okie Doke, we are still in a game of hide and seek today. …NOW THIS…what we’re hiding from and what we are seeking has changed, but the game remains the same. I submit to you today, don’t get “looking”, confused with “seeking”. The Word says, seek and ye shall find, not look… Some interpretations say keep on seeking. What we often miss is the speaking part, that comes before the seek. Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. If you don’t speak with your seek, you’re just looking. Ask! Announce what you are seeking in advance of your search. Tell God what you want! You shall have whatsoever you say…

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 NIV

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 NLT

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21 NIV

“The Other Side of Frustration”

Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. Don’t allow frustration to move you. Don’t allow frustration to incapacitate or immobilize you either. Never make permanent decisions in the midst of temporary circumstances.
Please note, I didn’t say don’t get frustrated. We all get frustrated at one time or another, for one reason or another. However, we cannot allow our frustration control the narrative of our lives.
Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. Your BLESSINGS, your DELIVERANCE, your BREAKTHROUGH, your RESTORATION, and your HEALING are ALL located on… THE OTHER SIDE of FRUSTRATION.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9 NIV

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Philippians 4:8 NLT

“Comings and Goings”

Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
Deuteronomy 28:6 KJV

There’s so much talk currently about what we should be spending our mandated alone time doing. Some say if we don’t come out of this with a new skill or completed project we’ve wasted our time…falling just short of calling us worthless if we don’t. Others suggest catching up on our shows. Then some advise us to love on our families. Well, all of those may be fantastic suggestions. I’m not here to debate those suggestions that may be pertinent for some and irrelevant to others. I’m here to remind you that regardless of your comings, goings and now “stayings”, WE’RE BLESSED ANYHOW!!! Don’t fall for The Okie Doke! We are blessed! It may be more difficult for you to see those blessings than for some, but rest assured you are blessed. Are you reading this? THEN YOU’RE BLESSED! Do you have a device with which to access this content? THEN YOU’RE BLESSED! Have you had the internal debate with yourself about what you should be doing with this time? THEN YOU’RE BLESSED. You wanna feel accomplished from doing just one simple thing during this isolation period? Simply read Deuteronomy 28. If you only do that, you have fed your spirit and seeded your faith. Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. Regardless of whether you’ve fell victim to the busyness of day to day life or if you’ve been fortunate enough to stop and smell the roses…in ALL of your comings and goings believers….
WE ARE BLESSED!!!

“Peace, Be Still”

My mama used to always say, “Getcho tail somewhere and SIT DOWN!”. I viewed that statement as negative when I was a kid. Now that I’m an adult who operates spiritually (when I’m not being hard-headed), with foresight and wisdom, I see it from a different perspective. If I get my tail somewhere and sit down, I’m safe. Keep in mind, she said “SOMEWHERE”, not just “ANYWHERE”. That meant I needed to be just as strategic where I sit down as I am where I stand. Don’t miss that. We need to be as strategic, deliberate and purposeful, when deciding where to sit as we are when deciding where to take a stand. Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. If you want peace, BE STILL!

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27 ESV

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace
Romans 8:6 ESV

“Say My Name Say My Name”

For you Destiny’s Child fans, you are all very familiar with their song, “Say My Name”. Well, for you loyal Okie Doke blog followers, you know I’m a music fan and God will use just about anything to get my attention or communicate a lesson, especially music. “Say My Name” is a cut about cheating. The dude gets a call from his old lady and won’t say her name in front of the side piece. Does this describe some believers? Do we get funny acting with Jesus when we’re around friends, co-workers, associates, boo thangs or even family, for fear of ridicule or judgement? Are we embarrassed because we know we were at the club last night and need Jesus this morning? …but you’re around the wrong people to “say his name”? Well, Jesus Christ is saying…SAY MY NAME! When you’re lost and confused. SAY MY NAME! When you’ve been hurt and abused. SAY MY NAME! When you’re struggling with finances. SAY MY NAME! When you’re in bad romances. SAY MY NAME! Just say His name. Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. The people you’re around need Jesus too. Say His name. It’ll save you both….JESUS!

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:13 KJV

“Blog Announcement”

Greetings and salutations to all my faithful blog followers and lurkers alike. I appreciate all of you. The Okie Doke blog will no longer be posted weekly. The blog will transition to a Holy Spirit inspired only blog. This means that some weeks the blog will have multiple posts and may have none on other weeks. As always, our intent is to encourage, edify, engage, enlist, enlighten and educate the masses.

Remember; don’t fall for……… THE OKIE DOKE!

“Weed & Feed”

Managing your social life from a spiritual perspective, is tantamount to trying to keep your lawn weed free. Don’t fall for The Okie Doke. Bad associations can easily be mistaken for healthy friendships. Remember, weeds can be a beautiful green too. When trying to manage weeds in your lawn, knowing what you are trying to kill is critical. Once you’ve identified the weed, then you can choose from several options to control them. In addition, if you catch them early enough, the cost won’t be as expensive to eradicate the problem. Same thing with identifying those that mean you no good. The sooner you recognize them for what they are, the less destruction they can cause. However, be careful not to pull the weeds to hastily, you may unintentionally pull up good grass with them…
Know who to weed and who to feed.

No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.
Matthew 13:29 NIV