Should I call it “The Overthought, thought”? What about, “Don’t Mind Me, I’m Just Overthinking”. Too long of a title? Too cheesy or just uninspired?

Have you ever had a moment where you overthought something and realized it was a major waste of time?

Really, have you thought so much (or too much) about something or someone that you ended up putting entirely too much time into those thoughts?

If you did, was it more harmful or helpful?

For me, overthinking is more harmful.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not speaking about analyzing. Overthinking and analyzing are not the same.

Back to overthinking…

While I have learned not to overthink and give too much thought to something, there are those little moments where I catch myself from drifting into the overthinking realm.

It makes me think about our relationship with God.

I can recall those moments when God spoke to me and I sat thinking whether or not it was actually Him or was it me, or was it some random voice in the distance (maybe a family member).

Taking that time to overthink caused me to miss the timing He had set for me to carry out His will. And it would be the simplest things!

Have you been there?

It’s so important to catch yourself when you begin drifting into overthinking. When God says, “Go”, you need to get going rather than taking 30 minutes to think about what will happen, when to go, what to take and so forth.

It’s also important to pray. Asking the Holy Ghost to lead and guide you in every area of your life and in everything truly cuts out the overthinking. You just have to follow.

So, let God guide you through wisdom and the Holy Ghost! And lay aside the weight of overthinking!

Tune in to the Titus II Living podcast! Mondays @7PM EST on all your favorite podcast platforms!

There’s a simple answer to that…

If it were not for God putting in his heart to declare the existence of The Titus II Show, I would not have the show to host.

Now, this blog post is not about how The Titus II Show started, but rather something that my Pastor said while on this 100th episode.

What did he say?

He stated, “I made the word practical in every area of my life. So, I learned how to take the word and have the word as a storybook to my process”.

When I heard it, I got excited! Think about it, is your life a storybook of scripture?

What does it mean for your life to be a storybook of scripture?

As he continued, Overseer Pulliam went on to elaborate on how the word is made practical in every area of his life.

For every pain, there’s a word.

For every struggle, there’s a word.

For every success, there’s a word.

For every victory, there’s a word.

For every elevation, there’s a word.

For every blessing, there’s a word.

For every trial, there’s a word.

For every temptation, there’s a word.

For every hurt, there’s a word.

For every rebuke, there’s a word.

For every expansion, there’s a word.

For every downsize, there’s a word.

How encouraging is that?

What Does Your Storybook Say?

Let me ask you something. Do you take the word of God and apply it to your life? Do you make it practical to every area of your life? Do you view the scriptures as reminders of what God has done for you?

What promises of God that are found in the scriptures do you hold dear to your heart?

In essence, what does your storybook look like?

Share your storybooks of scripture in the comments below. If you haven’t made God’s word practical to every area of your life, I strongly encourage you to take some time to do so. Take time to look over your life and look at situations, circumstances, elevations, demotions, life changes and so forth and find scriptures that go along with those areas.

Let the Word of God write your beautiful story of victory over the enemy! Let your life be a storybook of scripture!

To watch the 100th episode of The Titus II Show, click here!

For more information about my Pastor and church, head over the HHMBAM.com!

Be sure to join the Titus II Living Facebook page!

Now, what could be so wrong with having a snack stash in the drawer? Of course we could talk about how overindulging in unhealthy eating isn’t good for us. However, in this case it wasn’t so much about the stash as it was more about the left turn he made next. This left turn hit the heart hard!

Spiritual Snacks

My Pastor, Overseer Thomas A. Pulliam, Sr. went on to speak about the other snacks in the drawer: the spiritual snacks.

These snacks include malice, envy, jealousy, procrastination, covetousness, hatred, and on and on. 1 Peter 2:1 speaks to laying aside all malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies and evil speakings: SNACKS.

Ephesians 4 speaks to putting away lying: SNACKS.

Honestly, when he took that left turn I was really moved. I took the time to examine myself to “check my drawer” to see what spiritual snacks were in my drawer. What issues were I holding onto? What weights had I not laid aside yet?

What’s in Your Drawer?

Do you have malice that you’ve tucked away in your drawer that you pull out when convenient? Do you hold grudges for days, months, years when you should lay those aside (honestly, they get heavier the longer you hold onto them)? What about corrupt communication? Is that in your drawer?

Just with unhealthy snacks in the drawer, sometimes you have to clean out the drawer and get rid of those things that are harmful to your health. Just the same, consider it time to clean out your spiritual drawer and get rid of those weights that can so easily beset you.

So, what snacks are in your drawer? Snickers, Little Debbie, Jelly Beans with a little anger, malice, and envy? Let me know in the comments!

For more information about my Pastor and church, head over the HHMBAM.com!

Be sure to join the Titus II Living Facebook page!

Glad you asked. A 10K-A-Day Challenge is simply this: Get in 10,000 steps every day for a month. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Well, I can say, it lived up to being a challenge indeed.

I like to call myself the Chief Steward over the Titus II Living brand since God gave me the name. As you can see, we have the Titus II Living blog and the Meet-Up, but we also have the Titus II Living Facebook group.

In March, I started the group and God gave me the idea for the 10,000 steps challenge and the Bible Reading challenge (read the entire Bible in a month). I introduced the challenges to the group and off we went!

Here Comes the Challenge

I was really excited that first week! It was the first group activity that involved people I knew and those I didn’t. It included people all over the United States (shoutout to my Reclaimed Story family in Arizona). I was really praising God!

The very first day, I went hiking at the Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs, GA. It was such an adventure. I had gotten my 10,000 steps done early in the day and was able to finish out with wonderful task completion. Daily check ins with the group was fun. Encouraging each other and celebrating each other was proving inspirational!

Then came week two….

I don’t know what happened. I was drinking water (I won’t say how much) but for some reason, my right ankle decided that getting in 10,000 steps was not something it had agreed to.

Carving out time to get the steps done was interesting to say the least. By week 3, I was finding myself doing late night laps (circles, circles, circles) around the front porch at 9, 10, 11pm.

NOT FUN!!

By the time the last week rolled around, there was a determination to finish strong and finish by 12 noon and finish while telling my right ankle to hush up!

All in all, I enjoyed the challenge. Matter of fact, we’re continuing the challenge monthly (or bi-monthly…we’ll see!)

Keep reading for the 10 things I learned while on this challenge!

10 Things I Learned…

1. Time is no excuse.

There were plenty of times when I could have said, “I don’t have time to get these steps in. I have too much to do”. But honestly, to say that would be a flat out lie. God reminded me that if I made the covenant to do this, I have the time to meet the goal. I could hear my Pastor (Overseer Thomas A. Pulliam, Sr.) saying in one of his messages, “You must keep the covenant. Don’t make a covenant you can’t keep”!

I just had to find the schedule that worked for me. What worked? To begin walking at 8AM and don’t stop until finished! What worked? Grab a book or the Bible and read while walking (no porch furniture was harmed during this practice).

2. God is your strength.

If I wasn’t reading while walking, I was praying while walking. I confessed while walking. I repented while walking. I praised God while walking. And I definitely asked for God to give me strength while walking.

Let’s face it, some days I just didn’t want to get the steps in. The idea of being the initiator of the challenge meant nothing during those moments where I preferred an alternative to the walking….sitting. However, I asked God to give me strength, not for me but for those who were counting on me to keep the covenant of 10,000 steps every day. And He truly answered my prayer.

3. No matter what, keep the covenant.

Again, some days I just didn’t want to. Some days, I didn’t feel like it. But on those days, I knew quitting was not an option. This wasn’t just physical, but this was also spiritual. I made a covenant. It was recorded in heaven that I made a covenant to get 10,000 steps a day for the month. Quitting was not an option. As my Pastor would say, “The covenant outweighs the occasion”. I had some serious stepping to do.

4. Join with the right accountability partners.

This lesson could be lengthy so I’ll just share what happened. On March 20th, I had a full day, a great day but full. I had been at church all day and by the time I had gotten home that evening, I only had about 3,000 steps. I was ready to go to bed and had absolutely no desire to complete the steps.

Well, my “walking buddy” texted to check on me. Once I let her know my status, on came the encouragement. But it was one thing she said that gripped my heart: “Ok but I’ll be up til I see your post, you have til 11:59”

See, I needed to know that even though she was way on the other side of town, she was going to stick in there with me until I finished. And I did finish!

5. Get out of your own head.

“I can’t get 10,000 steps today so I guess I’ll just wait til tomorrow”

“This is too hard”

“This is taking up too much of my time”

See, all those are just thoughts. Thoughts that don’t have to become realities. So, long story short…I had to get out of my own head and focus on the goal. Make sense?

6. Life and death does lie in the power of the tongue.

You can really talk yourself right out of a blessing. You can talk your way into completion. Choose life!

Did you expect more explanation than that?

7. It takes something to celebrate others.

Can you imagine what it’s like celebrating the completion of others for 31 days straight? Celebrating not just one, but 5? More than 5? Every time they post their completion?

When you look at it, it really takes a heart to want to see others win to be able to celebrate them everyday that they win. It wasn’t just about me, but about us. Let’s win together!

8. You never know who you are inspiring.

I received messages from those who let me know they were inspired by what we were doing. They started to commit to eating healthier, taking the stairs at work, cutting out bad food all because they were inspired by what we were doing. I’ll say this…live right, you never know who you are inspiring to Christ!

9. Eliminate complaints.

How can you see the beauty of nature when you’re focused on complaining? Some of the group members took beautiful photos of rainbows. Imagine missing a moment to capture a rainbow because you’re complaining about having to get in 10,000 steps and you don’t feel like it.

10. God must get the glory.

With each day that we completed, it became more and more of a reminder that God gets all the glory. He gave strength to complete each day. He gave grace to navigate through daily craziness. He gave encouragement when needed. He gave peace when needed. It took faith to complete each day of this challenge and for that we say, TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

So, the March 10K-A-Day is done but I pray you take these 10 things I learned and evaluate your life! And by all means, head over to The Titus II Living Facebook Group and check out what we’re doing! I’ll see you in the threads!

How do we prepare in excellence? Make the decision to save without emotion; set it and forget it. There are many ways to save money and all you have to do is get started:

• Reduce expense by any LEGAL means necessary
  • Eat out less and cook at home more
  • Make and USE a grocery list BEFORE leaving the house
  • Reevaluate auto insurance, cell phone, and other monthly subscription plans
  • Carpool to work and other activities when possible
• Empty your pockets/purses of all coins and bills into a jar every day when you come home
• $1 per day – Take one dollar and put it in a jar every day when you come home
• Bank Savings – Open a savings account and direct deposit a specific amount each payday
• Keep the change  – There are online apps that let you round up to the nearest $1 for purchases
• Money Market Acct – Savings account the bank uses to invest in the stock market
• Retirement Acct – IRA, 401K, Individual accts brokers use to invest in the stock market
• Life Insurance – Hedging policy that provides death and/or living benefits
• Wealth Management Acct – High end portfolio management for generational wealth strategies

These are just a few ways you start your journey of saving money and meeting your financial goals. If you need assistance in determining the best saving product or method for you, please contact Dr. GNP.

DR. GNP
|ADVISE | TEACH | GOVERN
jennoa.graham@gmail.com  | www.drgnp.com

The first step in starting a business is knowing what product or service you want to offer and to whom.  The second step is determining the value and the cost of that product or service.  Consider this step as your “Business Budget.” You must know the cost to ensure the value is set at a rate that will render a profit. Each of these elements are part of a wholistic document called the business plan. This plan details every aspect of your business from tax filing status (i.e. LLC, Partnership, S-Corp, Nonprofit) to five year sale projections. There are many free templates online that will help you get build your plan.

Get a mentor that is well established in the business you are starting to get proper guidance as you embark on this journey. As you build your business plan and dream of the abundance of clients and customers…don’t forget the paperwork!  It is extremely important to have your business affairs in order at all times.  You will need to file for a federal EIN (Employer Identification Number), a state Business License with the state, and an Occupation Permit (some stay at home businesses). You will also need a good bookkeeping software to track income, expenses, and travel mileage. There are several free to low-cost options however you must be diligent and research these products well before signing up.

Building and managing a business while maintaining a healthy household corporation is challenging. You must surround yourself with like minded people who are successful and will support your success as you support them. You can do this and there are people around you that will help you. 

If you need assistance building your business strategy or reviewing your business plan please contact Dr. GNP.

DR. GNP
ADVISE | TEACH | GOVERN
jennoa.graham@gmail.com  | www.drgnp.com

The first step to creating your Last Will & Testament is to set financial goals for your family and your business (if applicable). See previous blog post “Setting Financial Goals” for tips. You will need a separate Last Will & Testament for your business.  The personal document protects the interests and financial security of your household corporation while the business document protects business partners, suppliers, and customers. The second step is to have the HARD conversation with family and business partners about what actions are to take place in the event of a death (this includes children).

The document should cover in detail; funeral arrangements, full names of beneficiaries with survivorship clauses, death benefit distribution plan, role expectations, and any limitations/restrictions. For example, a deceased father shall name his wife as the primary beneficiary and include a survivorship clause for each of their children in the event that his wife is also deceased. In his benefit distribution plan he instructs that the primary home mortgage, funeral costs, and the children’s college funds are paid in full. It is also his expectation that either the primary beneficiary or the eldest living survivor become the Executor of your Estate and to ensure that the benefit plan is carried out as written.

The Last Will & Testament is a legal document that is upheld by the law according to the state you live. In the last step, it is important to have an attorney review your document and file it with the probate court of the county in which you live. This document should be reviewed every year and updated as life changes (i.e. new business partner, new baby). There are many online tools and companies such as Legal Zoom that will help you. You can also check with your employer to see if they offer legal resources. If you need assistance organizing your information or creating your benefit plan, please contact Dr. GNP.

DR. GNP
ADVISE | TEACH | GOVERN
jennoa.graham@gmail.com  | www.drgnp.com

Do you have your will & testament in place? Do you have a question or need help? Leave a comment below!

Yes! The best sandwich. Keep reading and you’ll see why.

Some days ago, I had made it through a full day of getting things done and accomplished. After sitting on the couch for a while, I decided to go to the kitchen to get something to eat.

Thinking to myself about what I’d find to eat, I recalled a sandwich spread I wanted to make, and I smiled with excitement to prepare the quick dish.

I pulled out the necessary ingredients and grabbed the beautifully buttered croissant. Fancy, right? I mixed the ingredients with great focus and anticipation to consume the carefully prepared end of the day meal.

I assembled the sandwich to my liking and took a moment to admire the plate of food. Making my way back to the couch, I knew it was going to be good.

I sat down, and began to pray and thank God for the day that I had and for what I was about to devour!

I ended the prayer and took the first bite of the sandwich. Now please know, I’ve had many delicious sandwiches in my life but this one was really different. It wasn’t because of what was in between the two halves of the croissant. It wasn’t the beverage that I had ready to wash it all down.

It was the moment I realized that all of my needs were met. God had blessed me so well that I had nothing but peace of mind. It was that peace that allowed me to enjoy a simple sandwich after a long day of getting things done.

I had no anxieties. I had no worries. I had no stress. I was truly blessed. It was at that moment that I said, “God, this is the best sandwich I ever ate”.

Many times we don’t take the time to realize just how blessed we are and how God is a keeper of His word and that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.

How many times have you had a wonderful meal in front of you, but you couldn’t enjoy it because you were stressed about a decision or matter of concern?

How many times have you had an opportunity to enjoy fellowship with others through exciting activities or conversation, but you couldn’t enjoy yourself because you were worried about something that needed to be dealt with?

At some point, you have to realize that God is your source. He is your supplier. He is your peace, and He is your comfort. If you are acknowledging Him in all of your ways, why worry? If you are keeping your minds stayed on Him, shouldn’t you have peace?

If you are to be anxious for nothing but in all things through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God, then why are you anxious?

I tell you the truth, I was truly thankful as I bit into my sandwich. And that is why it was the best sandwich I ever ate. Not so much because of the sandwich, though it was really good, but because God is really good.

Do you agree?

Comment below!

Have you ever been asked to do something and the initial reaction was a twinge of a slight case of a tiny bit of anxiety? For example, let’s say you were asked to give a class on baking a cherry pie (I only say that because I’d like a slice of cherry pie right now). You are an expert at baking cherry pie and you know how to make one like you know the back of your hand. But you typically try to avoid public speaking so when asked to give a class on baking a cherry pie, your initial reaction of surprise is met with a short lived moment of anxiety, or fear.

Do you know that feeling?

It’s the feeling of, “Can I do this?” Or, “Me? Really?” Or, “What will they think of me?”

Do you know that feeling?

Well, I have experienced that feeling before and I had to realize that it was fear. I realized that all that nervousness and anxiety was nothing more than the spirit of fear.

What is fear?

Well, according to Webster’s, fear is “A painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger“. Another definition is simply, “anxiety”. Would you like to read the definitions for yourself? Check it out by clicking here.

So when you have that moment of fear, something inside of you is apprehensive because you feel that something harmful is headed your way.

But, you know what? That doesn’t match up with God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 which states, ^” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”.

Why would you be apprehensive of something when:

1. Your steps are ordered by the Lord. (Psalms 37:23)
2. He will never put more on you than you can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).
3. His thoughts of you are of peace and not of evil (Jeremiah 29:11).

And most importantly, God hasn’t given you the spirit of fear! Fear is a spirit and God didn’t give it to you (yes, I repeated myself)!

There are several types of fears: Fear of failure, Fear of disapproval, Fear of rejection, Fear of judgment and more. You may think that that moment of anxiety is nothing major and will pass and you can then go on with your life, but really, fear can be a major problem in your walk with the Lord.

When you are overcome with fear, you are less likely to walk in faith. You’re less likely to live by faith and scripture tells us in Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38 that the just shall live by faith! You have FOUR reminders to live by faith, not fear!

So, if you have the spirit of fear, know that it is not of God first of all. Face it, rebuke it and separate yourself from it. Remember, greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4, KJV)! What are you fearful of?

Do you have fears that you are trying to mask with a carefully polished presentation? Are you battling fears that are overdue for a strong rebuke? Leave a comment and let’s talk about it!

While enjoying my time of creative exploration, I realized something quite important. I could spend hours working on the presentation for Titus 2 Living just to ensure that each thumbnail is perfectly polished and each Facebook photo has the right colors and each Instagram image looks great, but if I have no substance or content, all of that polished imagery means nothing. I would just have images that look great.

Seriously! I was sitting there focusing MORE on how everything was going to look and had no content. No blog post, no message, nothing. I wanted the look to be right. It had to be polished. It had to be strong! Right, polished and strong with no substance to go with it. Now, you may say “Joy, there is nothing wrong with having a polished look before you develop the content, what’s the issue?”

I get it. This post could even seem a little elementary in context so let’s change directions a bit.

Often times, we as believers focus so much on how we look and our presentation to others that if we’re asked to recite a scripture, we can’t because we don’t know any word, let alone where it’s found in the Bible. We’re super polished with our fancy hats and well manicured attire, but we have no Holy Ghost. Our hair is laid and our shoes are slaying but we’re as mean as the dickens (as the “old folk” would say).

Do you get my point? You could work so hard to have the polished look of salvation and not even have a relationship with the Savior. You can look well put together to others and look a hot mess to God because you don’t know Him or His word. And when was the last time you simply said, “Thank you, Jesus”?

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying look sloppy and unkept. That is not what I’m saying at all! But make sure you have some substance with your look of excellence. Make sure you have the Holy Ghost! Make sure you have the Word of God in you! Make sure you know Jesus! Make sure you have the fruit of the Spirit and not just a polished look!

Get it?

If you do, leave a comment below and let’s discuss! Are you just a polished look or do you have some Godly substance?