Manifest It!
Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Prov. 18:21 That's what the Word of God says and it is so true. We are living through a global pandemic and although it seems that things are changing, we can still rely on the Word of God to get us through our everyday challenges.
This year I attended 4 Chicago Sky games. WOW! You're probably saying to yourself what's so great about that? Well I must start by saying this summer I made a declaration that I was going to attend some Chicago Sky games. I didn't know how it would happen, nor where I would get the tickets, but I knew that I deeply desired to attend a game this year. i was gifted several tickets this year and I even had enough to share them with others. (That's all God.) Perhaps my interest was peaked by the hometown hero Candace Parker's coming home to Chicago to play on the team this year. But I was excited and determined to get in on the action. This was my year to be apart of history.
If you're looking for a player who plays with heart and grit, then you will enjoy watching Candace play. Her fans love it when she gets angry while playing. This year we witnessed what a champion leader can bring to an already very talented squad. With each game, Chicago cheered on this extraordinary team and pictured ourselves with a championship trophy.
In case you didn't know, this is the Chicago Sky's 14th WNBA season and they had never won a championship. This season had so much potential. It had everything to do with our homegirl Candace Parker or "CP3" as they call her playing for us this year. Candace Parker was a first round draft pick to the LA Sparks and she has been breaking records since she entered the game. Just to name a few things, Candace Parker, is a six- time WNBA All Star and a two-time WNBA MVP *cue Kanye West's Champion song.* I watched her games when she was in college at Tennessee and I knew that she was bringing something great to the game of basketball. As a fan of the game, it was so exciting to watch.
The blessing for me was witnessing these victories in person. I saw the ladies of the Chicago Sky take flight, drop 3s, push through some challenges and ultimately win the championship. It reminded me that the only way to win in life, is to stay in the game. As long as you persist through the trouble and challenges you face, ultimately you win. There's 3 things we can learn from them.
First, Press on. Paul said something similar when he wrote, "Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:13 As long as we stay in the "game" or this life, for lack of better words, we will win. In other words, the enemy of our soul forms weapons to distract us and tries to destroy our self esteem, health, faith, joy, peace and confidence, but they wont work. The weapon may form but it won't prosper. (Isa 54:17) With every fall or bad call made, the team got up again and played even harder. We must do the same.
Second, Dream more. I never spend a lot of time thinking about winning unless I'm playing a game of Uno, Scrabble or Life (we have game nights at our house). But I do know that being called a champion--in any sport -- doesn't happen over night. I can only imagine how many hours of practice went into the team's preparation for this victory. It was the "on court practices" as well as the "behind the scenes" routines and discipline of running drills when no one else was watching. It was also the strict diet and the all-in focus to be successful that assisted these champions. I dare not to mention all of the days of watching tapes and showing up tired, but pushing through the fatigue and the pain of injuries. And what about those sleepless nights and dreams of victory, believing in yourself when others did not. All of these things make a person a champion.
If you're looking for a player who plays with heart and grit, then you will enjoy watching Candace play. Fans love it when she gets angry while playing. We don't question the dream, we applaud the fight it takes to make things happen. This year we witnessed what a champion leader can bring to an already very talented squad. We see the power of faith and manifesting a dream. Chicago cheered on this extraordinary team and as they pictured themselves with a championship trophy.
Third, Be consistent. What I enjoyed most was the way the Chicago Sky stayed consistent. If we are going to manifest the things we dream about, we have to breathe that dream, pray that dream, recite that dream, believe in that dream and prepare for that dream. Often times I place pictures on my wall of the things I want to see manifested as a reminder of what God can do and the end goal.
So I ask you, what's on your wall? What do you dream about? Are you taking any steps to see those dreams fulfilled? If not, its time to get busy. God has placed a dream inside of you. He has placed purpose in you and given you gifts to see it through. It will manifest! Speak life to it. Pray over it. It will require your focus and diligence. But when you feel like giving up, DONT! So what if something's never been done before. Just remember the WNBA's 2021 Chicago Sky champions. Until this year, this championship team was just some dreamers. Let's add some faith to our dreams and walk out what we believe we can achieve because Luke 1:17 reminds us, "For nothing will be impossible with God." It's time to manifest it!