Ebony Brooks Lets Talk; The Journey To Moving Forward: Recent Episodes
Ebony Brooks
Take away the position, the title, the accolades, the applause and who are you? Do you know who you are? Sure, you know what to say and you know what you want to say… but do you truly believe that deep within?
There is no great CEO, Manager or leader who does not prioritize deep reflection. Personal and professional growth are always a choice, and one that you must make continually, regardless of your schedule.
- Reflect on who you are
- Reflect on your flaws, and make them better
- Reflect on areas of strength and excel at those
- Reflect on who God is – resting in God is the best reflection and peace there is
No leader can get to the top by themselves but no leader can be a great person if they fail to prioritize their true, authentic self.
As a leader, CEO, Manager, many things will stop with you. You are the final decision maker, you determine how things will operate, when and why. But as a leader, there is no one man team, and you cannot operate effectively by yourself. There is no CEO without PEOPLE!
There are some things that will push you to become a better leader, and ultimately manager and lead yourself well as well.
- Always remain humble, and approachable
- Servantship leadership
- Network with other leaders, and agencies through professional forums
- Be an open minded leader and with humility understand that not all of your ideas will work. Others around will have better ideas and they are gifted in those areas to flow ideas and techniques up and forward
lastly, to become a better leader and lead yourself well, read read read! Reading is truly fundamental and if you invest in yourself by reading 4-6 books a year on personal and professional growth, with application and reflection, you will be better than you were last year.
In your season of accelerated favor comes the strategy of movement, controlling your emotions and being quiet. God is saying to you today, will you serve Him or will you serve your enemies? As you have the freedom and grace to choose, God is prompting you to choose wisely and to chose Him.
God is never going to guide His children in a wrong direction. The direction in which you are going may seem unconventional or may appear to be out of the will of God but trust God and trust His process.
Topic and subtitle:
Accelerated Favor
- The crowing of Queen Esther
- You won’t look like what you been through
- Your enemies won’t uncover you before your time
- Accelerated favor comes with haters
- Your enemies will roar but they can’t bite
Every level of elevation requires strategy and a network of God-divine people in place to bring it to fruition. Esther’s life was as such in which at one point we can ask ourselves, what is Esther had her way? What if she kept it real? She would have quit and told King Ahasuerus, “This is not for me”. What happens when keeping it real is detrimental to the very place God is elevating you too?
There is a when, why and how when it comes to strategy. God has given each one of His children a portion of wisdom, that if they put their pride aside, their egos, and see that what they are about to embark on is bigger than them, they’ll win every time!
Take a listen!
I am back! Welcome to season 6. In season 6, I will be discussing practical and Spiritual ways to move forward in life. This journey is not easy but together we can make it work. Step by step, day by day, we can learn ways to better ourselves not only for those around us, but because we are worth it.
In season 6, you will get from me and my guest;
- Lessons
- Teachings
- Inspiration
- Practical tips and advice
- Ways to move in the right direction towards God’s purpose for your life
- Financial and Investment Suggestions*
Ebony H. Brooks
The trials you went through will be used by God. With God all things are possible, but you have to let God do the possible! God is saying to you, you may be tired, worn out, beat up but God says you are not down for the count. Listen to this episode and listen to … Read More Read More
Studying God’s Word Listen as I go over the three key points listed below. 1 – Why you should study God’s word 2 – When to read/study God’s word 3 – How to read God’s word Scriptures covered: 1 Kings 19: 11 – 13
There was WAR within the camp.
And Abraham was responsible for the war within his household. Abraham was responsible for both covenants. And his back was against the wall.
God vs. Satan
Good vs. Evil
The Promise vs. The Flesh
Isaac vs. Ishmael
But God would have the last say. In the stand down between God and satan, satan didn’t have a chance.
If there is one thing we can take from the story of Abraham and Sarah, it would be – God and Satan cannot dwell amongst covenants. Through this story and the word God has given me to share with you all, you will see that the covenants you make will not always be of God and for God.
The devil’s deception will lead you to believe, that this is what God wants. This is what God will bless. God will never bless the seed of satan and God will never allow the devil to infiltrate His camp. God’s word is His word and it is FINAL.
God will anoint you on your lowest level, but you must remain there until you are elevated to the next level. There are some things you must learn and unlearn in order to operate in the fullness of God. Like King David, he was anointed to be King at 16-17 years of age. He sat on the throne as King almost two decades later. There were some things that God had to teach David as well as purge out of him.
You may be like David, where you are right now does not look like what God has called you too. But don’t worry, this is your necessary valley. We all have a valley to dig through before we can experience the high mountains.
Come take a listen as I go over four key points that are hard hitting but will change your life, if you follow them.
In the book of Mark, Chapter 16, we see that God already had the answer waiting for Mary and Mary Magdalene. Through Mary and Mary’s obedience, they were able to see that God already had an answer to their question “Who will roll away the stone?” Have you ever had an obstacle that looked so … Read More Read More
Let “Put Me In Coach” be your new mantra for 2022. It is time to stop sitting on the sidelines “hoping” that someone will choose you. Truth be told, there are going to be seasons in your life when God will block some people from seeing who you are. Regardless of your season, your mantra … Read More Read More
When we go through trials in life, we never expect them to be for a purpose. Often times we ask God why. Why me? why now? this is not supposed to happen. We may be in a place where because we are going through a hard time, we may think that God has forgotten about us. Like Naomi, you may be going through so much that you begin to label yourself based solely on your circumstances. What circumstances has you down and out? what have you labeled yourself based on where you are at? (Hoe, Slut, Motherless, Not worthy because you are not married? ignorant because you have not even finished your GED or got a High School diploma?) But God is here to tell you to to hold on! you are not your circumstances. They do not define you. Trust Him in the process and trust that He knows what He is doing. You are pained for a purpose. You cannot see it now but God says to hold on, He promises He will bless you. Remember the promises of God.
Whether you want to admit to it or not, there has been a “first” toxic relationship that changed your life - for the worse! Like the prodigal son, and the help of his jealous older brother, you had help running off away from God.
But even in the trenches, you’ve come to realize that there has got to be a better life for me than this unholy mess! Even the dogs get treated better than me ! Like the son, they helped you run through the ground. You had help skipping on to sin. But when you were down and out there were no where to be found . Even they had sense enough to leave you where you were at but God…..
You can be mad at God, mad at the church or mad at everyone because who you wanted to be with, just didn’t turn out to be Mr/Mrs forever.
God will never send us someone that is detrimental to our destiny. This tactic is from Satan. But what will do is warn you. If you choose to walk past go and collect what we monies you can, God will be waiting for you to return to Him.
Walking with God is not as easy as the scriptures reads. There is a lot that we do not know of the intricate details that surrounds someone's life but we know that God has given us enough details throughout His written word to understand. When we look at the Old Testament and New Testament, we praise Job, King David, the Apostle Paul, Mary Magdalene for all their accomplishments and hurdles but we sometimes never stop to think, man they did not give up. Or we may not think that maybe, just maybe there was a period where they may have been angry at God or doubted that He would do what He said He would do.
God is truly faithful and He loves you unconditionally. If He did not love you unconditionally, you would not be here and He would have taken you off this earth the day you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. But here you are, still standing...it is time to release the bait of satan.
It is satan's tactic and sole purpose to kill, steal and destroy God's people (John 10: 10). With this podcast, it is my prayer that you break free from the bondages of satan. That you use your God given power and authority over satan to break free in the freedom that Jesus has died for you to have. You are no longer in bondage to satan but by giving away your authority, you are relinquishing what Jesus says is yours. Do not relinquish your power. It is yours. Guard it.
Restoration:
Job (God restored unto Job all that was taken from him) - this is a living testimony that if God can restore earthly possessions unto a man who remained faithful (does not mean he was not tempted), God will surely restore your love for Him.
Scriptures to study:
Job 42; 11 - 17
Faithfulness: 1 Corinthians 1: 9, Psalm 51: 1 - 19
Love: John 3: 16
God is a restorer and a redeemer. God is quick to forgive and His mercies are new every morning. Many people have gone astray and have walked out of the will of God and God is saying come back to Him. God says if you repent, and turn from your sin then I will restore unto you the promises I promised your forefathers.
Scriptures:
Jeremiah 30: 3
Jeremiah 33: 6 - 11
This is a season where God is calling us to Honor our parents. Through the Power of Forgiveness, you can begin the journey to becoming a better version of yourself. You can begin the healing process that you so desperately need in order to thrive.
Forgiveness Boundaries Family Dynamics
Scriptures on forgiveness:
Ephesians 4: 32, Colossians 3: 13, Matthew 6: 15, Matthew 18: 21, 1 John 1: 9, Luke 23: 34.
Dealing with church hurt can be something painful and unthinkable. Church hurt, toxic leadership within the church, gossip can be so prevalent that is tears not only the church apart but future souls of Christ. At some point in your life, if you are not the one doing the hurting or by standing, you will most likely be hurt by "church folk". Dealing with people is rough in itself but when it comes to children of God, this can be a little bit more complicated. Although complicated, we talk about what it means to hold others accountable within the church.
Come with me as I interview Dr. Demoine Kinney on his perspective and view as a Senior Pastor on this topic. Listen as we both give our truthful testimonies while making you laugh a little. We share some real stories on the things that happen to us, and hear how we have overcome those hurdles in our lives. But most importantly, we want you to take away from this is forgiveness of yourself and those whom did the hurting.
Audio Starts at 4:27s
At Jesus feet, Mary found herself for the second, in a vulnerable position with her Lord and Savior. There will come a time in our lives when Jesus will require more from us. The surface christianity will no longer hold back the demons that threaten to tear down your very existence. Surface Christianity will not fight off those generational curses or hold onto your edges!! but let me testify, that there is an exchange that is unspeakable that happens when we give over the broken pieces, the parts of us that we never knew were broken over to Jesus. Listen to this episode and be blessed to be set free. There is nothing that Jesus will not heal you from. There is nothing that Jesus cannot bring you back from.
Scriptures
Luke 7: 36 - 50
John 12: 1 - 11
1 Peter 5:7
There was a woman with an issue of blood for 12 years who said regardless of what the crowd thinks, regardless of what they are doing, I am going to press until I get healed. This "certain" woman as they called her, was one of the boldest women in the Bible. She had run out on all of her resources, she used all the money she had yet no one could help her. She even got worse. But that did not stop her from pressing into Jesus and declaring "If I can touch Him, I shall be made whole". When there seems to be no way, God will clear a path for you. When all hope seems lost, there will be a spark of change.
Saints, do you want a healing? How pressed are you about your faith?
This is a word for somebody! Press is all you need to do to get to where God needs you to be!
Through power of prayer and praise, eventually something has to break. You are in a fixed fight and God knows it. Satan knows this fight is fixed and through distractions, his fiery darts and oppression, he is hoping you will give up the fight. But I am a living witness, that if you keep pressing into God, if you keep up the good fight of faith, this fixed fight will look possible through Jesus Christ.
Scriptures for this episode:
Deuteronomy 30: 15 -20 NIV
James 4: 7 NIV
Before God use us greatly, He will do a work within us, getting us unclogged from anything that is not like him. The beauty and struggle of becoming unclogged is both rewarding and terrifying. In this season, I am praying that you are hearing God to become a better version of you, the 2.0 version of you that will thank you now for saying yes to God and no to the world.
Come with me as I tell the story of Moses from a different perspective and how this is relatable moments that we share.
As we are closing out 2020, we still have less than 3 months left. The question is what will you do with the time that God is given? You can choose to walk in the darkness of unforgiveness or you can choose to walk in the power of forgiveness. Everyday we will have a chance to be offended at someone or for someone to be offended with us. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, in Luke 23: 34, He said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus asked of God and then told God to not hold the charge against them. This is the power of forgiveness and the power of unconditional love.
2020 has hit you with some upper cuts and low blows. You are wondering if you will or can get back up. But you can get back up and get back in the ring. You can get your bounce back through the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the gateway to all blessings and the abundant life of God's calling for us.
As we are closing out 2020, we still have less than 3 months left. The question is what will you do with the time that God is given? You can choose to walk in the darkness of unforgiveness or you can choose to walk in the power of forgiveness. Everyday we will have a chance to be offended at someone or for someone to be offended with us. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, in Luke 23: 34, He said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus asked of God and then told God to not hold the charge against them. This is the power of forgiveness and the power of unconditional love.
2020 has hit you with some upper cuts and low blows. You are wondering if you will or can get back up. But you can get back up and get back in the ring. You can get your bounce back through the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is the gateway to all blessings and the abundant life of God's calling for us.
Have you woke up and was in full panic mode? Anxiety crippled you and the worries of life paralyzed your mind while your emotions took full control of your body?
Anxiety Attacks are not from God. They are a fully loaded attack from Satan himself and he plans on stealing your joy, killing your peace and destroying your testimony.
We all that Satan is a liar and the father of lies. Jesus defeated him and he knows that his time is short upon this earth. Do not allow the devil to rob your house (peace, mind, joy, life etc). Satan cannot rob a house that’s is empty, so if he is periodically stopping by that means you still have what’s left that God gave you.
We have power AND AUTHORITY over Satan. We must begin to wear our full armor of God and properly utilize our Spiritual weapons if we want to keep Satan under our feet.
Setting boundaries not only protects you but it protects those around you. We sometimes learn the hard way why we need boundaries in place when it comes to friends and family. It is my prayer that you become self aware through Jesus as well as professional counseling, if you choose, of those things that are important to you and why.
-
I hope you become aware of what your boundaries are and why
-
those things you need to change within yourself to become a better version of you
-
the courage to love yourself through God’s transition He is allowing you to grow through
We all are God’s purposed children. We are born with purpose. But we are also born with conflict. That conflict can be internal and external and sometimes both. God wants us to learn how navigate our conflicts instead of crumbling to its paralytic all sting. Come with me as I go through parts of Esther and relate her life to our everyday hustle and struggles.
Juneteenth is celebratory in that our ancestors, who were once slaves, were finally free. This day not only represents freedom but the power of prayer, fasting and their cries. Although it’s celebratory, we are still reminded of the hate and injustices rendered unto our people STILL and STILL WE RISE!
The devil may have knocked you down 7 times but my statement to you is so what?! But most importantly, what will you do? Will you get back up or stay down? Another question you can ask yourself is this – Am I really going to let the devil have my testimony? We go through situations in this life and God already knew about it. God knew all of the circumstances that would bring us to our knees. If we trust God, the One who knows all, the beginning and ending of our lives, we will get through life with more confidence than ever before. Jesus Christ will be there coaching us every step of the way. He will coach us to Victory! We got this baby!
You may think that you are not qualified to be where God wants you to be, or you are afraid to take the next step forward to a greater future that God has for you, God has you wrapped in His grace every step of the way. Never hold on too tight to what the naysayers has to say more than you hold on to the promises of God. God does not called the perfect, He calls the righteous. Do it afraid by taking one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, and before you know - you have a testimony! Why ? Because God knew who He called, before He called them and yes you, were called by God. God wants to use you, so let Him use you.
God said this is the season is the time to push back. It is time to push back against the enemy. Our enemy is satan. Along life we will experience a lot of obstacles, even the things that Paul mentioned in his many testimonies in Philippians (the New Testament). But throughout all of the doubts, fears, tears, naysayers, haters, God is saying you were built for this. You were built to face your enemies. You were built to achieve and to overcome successfully. Sometimes success may not always look how it is felt but it is nonetheless won. Everything that God has spoken for you to have, you have been built for all of it. So, buckle of your seatbelt and get ready to walk in your authority to push back against the devil and start pushing into Jesus Christ again.
You cannot let the devil win. The devil will not win. All of the battles and the war has been won. So, we need to start acting like they are already won!
Three key points:
It may be familiar but it does not mean that it is good. Push into greater because you are worth better You was built for who God called you to be!
As U.S. Citizens we are entitled to our rights. It is a privilege that may be taken for granted but I want to give you the basic tools to access these rights for your knowledge. I hope that you get from this message what I intended to give. It is my hope that you go to your local state's Department of Motor Vehicle, www.usa.gov to navigate how to pre-register and register to vote. Our voices must be heard and how can we make change when we do not know where to start? There truly is power in "We the people".
Being able to answer these basic questions are vital;
What do I do if I am pulled over? What do I do if I am requested to show my identification? How do I go to register to vote? Am I old enough to vote? Can I write my congressman/congresswoman?
2020 Is here! We starting off this decade creating a mindset to dive into our legacy's. What is generational wealth? Why is it important? Who are we influencing and who are the little twinkle toes that are watching? Our children! We are going forward into 2020 educating one another with the necessary tools to become financially stable.
These are some of the financial tips I go over in this podcast:
**Financial principles:
**TOP PRIORITY IS PAYING ALL OF YOUR BILLS FIRST! This is a must.
Save some money - some people focus on a specific amount like 10% or 20% of gross income. Spend some. Tithe/Give some away to those in need - some people focus on a specific amount in this area as well (normally 10% bracket of income).
Domestic Violence is prevalent in our country and all over the world. It is a sad topic to discuss but one that is needed. With as many available resources as funding as there are, unfortunately there are sometimes shelters that are lacking in every state, city and county. Domestic Violence against men, women and children happens every day and about 1 child dies every 5 seconds from neglect and abuse. It is my prayer that if you are the one being abused, that you seek the help you need and have the courage to follow through with the plan and do not return to the abuser. If you are the a friend, a loved one, it is my prayer that you help those whom you know are being abused safely as possible.
Abuse can happen is many forms:
Economic abuse (withholding money to prevent from accessing daily necessities such as medicine, food, clothing e.g) Physical abuse (biting, hitting, slapping) Sexual assault/batter Isolation from friends/family/coworkers Threatening loved ones/friends/coworkers if they seek help Abusing children physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually Victim blaming Stalking via social media, work, home - controlling the victim's every movement.
Statistics:
1 in 4 women experience abuse and 1 in 9 men experience abuse from their intimate partner. 1 in 10 women are raped by their partners.
References:
NCADV: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ncadv.org/statistics
If you or a loved one/family member/coworker/children are being abused please call The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1800-799-7233 (SAFE) or 1-800-3224 (TTY).
Making room for the will of God is going to be a challenge but we are not without the help of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. We all want to be blessed in all areas of our lives but we may be mentally prepared for how to be able to make room. But that will not stop you! Let's make room for what God has in store for us and move forward with the will of God.
C'mon somebody! Let's step our game up.
We can learn a lot of Peter in Matthew 14: 22-33 but we can also learn a lot from the other disciples who decided out of fear to remain in the boat. Check your christian mental health - Does it aligned with God's word and our gift of faith? If not, then we must do some reflecting and ask ourselves why? What boats (walls, circumstantial faith, fears) do we have built up in our minds? Do you desire to walk out on faith like Peter? Come me with in this bonus episode and see what exactly is your focus.
Step out on faith... it is not circumstantial faith, it is not the water but it is your faith.
Come with me as I study Acts Chapters 8, 9 & 10. In Acts Chapter 8 and 9 we see Saul ( who becomes converted to Paul after his encounter with Jesus) who was persecuting christians, being the judge and persecutor who has one Holy encounter with Jesus and his life is forever change. Study with me and as we see God love Saul ( Paul ) Into change and to hopefully give another hope that there is no path in this life that God cannot touch, change. There is nothing that we cannot overcome with Jesus on our side and that includes overcoming ourselves.
We all have had or have a road called Damascus that we embark on in life. On this road, like Saul (Paul) we are reckless, cold hearted, living in great sin, disobedient, unloving, filled with God knows what and then boom, Jesus meets us on our way to Damascus to set us free from ourselves and the gates of hell. There is truly no mountain high enough and no valley low enough where Jesus love will not shine and cannot shine.
I pray this podcast gives you hope and new view on your life through Jesus Christ. Let Jesus wreck you back into righteousness!
God has a prophecy for all of His children but it is our obedience and perseverence that determines our alignment, fulfilling God's purpose. Do not be a Saul but be a David. Read with me the Book of Acts, Chapter 14, focusing on verses one through nine. Let's get rid of the distractions, the nay sayers, focus on God, His word while dusting our shoulders off to move forward in the will of God. Our Divine connections are waiting for our Alignment with God and we cannot afford to lose our future by becoming stuck by distractions.
Having financial freedom is a goodfeeling. No, even better, it's a great feeling. To become financially free will require discipline, perseverance and telling yourself and a few others the inevitable word of No. No is a complete sentence and as an adult does not need to be explained. To the world's system debt can be seen as good thing, IF you pay off your balance on time, in full, all of the time and within your monetary means. But debt that cannot be paid over a reasonable amount of time, to become delinquent in payments is bad and will cause a lot of doors to be closed where God wanted you to have a financial opportunity of gain. Go with me on this journey as I talk about financial freedom, having financial peace by learning the tools, and tricks to spending on a very tight budget, using coupons, and making adjustments as needed based on your income in order to pay off debt. Because who does not want to be financially free?
Becoming confident is a process and a life time progress. We all have areas that we can allow God to work on but will we let Him? From the time we are born into adulthood many things and people can play a role in how we see ourselves. People can make or break our outlook on life and our very being. Come with me as we break down the old world of who we are and become the confident, fierce woman and man of God, that we are called to be. The road is not is easy but faith and perseverance will get us there. Let's move forward into becoming confident.
We can learn a lot from Luke 7: 1-10. In these short verses, we see the gift of faith displayed, as well as leadership skillsets, but most importantly, we see that love abides above all of these. Dig deep within these scriptures with me, ask God for wisdom, understanding and knowledge of the scriptures you read and how to apply them to your life.
Surround yourself with Jesus, first. Surround yourself with divine connections. Forgive and let love abide. Do the will of God accordingly and quickly. Enjoy the journey.
When we think of prayer, we may think of something that we have to do (out of obligation) or we brush it off as nothing much. We must not lose hope in God and letting love become our foundation, getting back to the basics of Prayer - out of love, free will and to develop a genuine relationship with God. Prayer can move mountains but it can also draw us nearer to God because we love Him. Listen to this podcast and listen to the examples that God has allowed me to give to show you that I been there too. We will learn to stand guard again, putting on the whole armor of God and in the midst of our prayers - learn to break the power of darkness over our lives!
God is on His timing and God is about His business. We need to adapt to what Jesus told others when they thought they knew what He should be doing and where He ought to be going - He was about His Father's business. In God's ordained seasons in our lives, we have to develop a listening to ear to His word and we must see His vision. Learn how to stay focused and declutter your life of unnecessary things and people and start to be about our Father's business. This is a season you do not want to miss. This is our season we do not want to miss. And to the the seasons that God will give us, we must keep watch and stand guard for our lives and where we are headed. Walk and talk with purpose while walking in God's purpose for our lives.
We will walk into 2019 stronger and better. We'll finish out 2018 on a high note. As children of God we have to power to walk in a newness and be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
God sometimes have to break us to make us. It is painful but beautiful at the same time.
The breaking is always necessary.
It is good to get advice from others and well-rounded individuals but there comes a time when our faith will be tested. Learning to have our own relationship with God rather than relying on the faith of your grandparents, or parents is not going to save you.
Grab your coffee, your tea, your orange juice and have a one on one with God. He is waiting to hear from you!
Have confidence in your abilities to include your weaknesses and strengths. Be confident in you to know that sometimes you ARE the opportunity.....