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Don't Bow Down to Nonsense

Stay At It If you're doing good things and trying to live right, stay that way. Keep doing those things even if you have to cry and claw your way through. Even when you feel discouraged, stay with it. Our time is coming, but we must not grow weary. It doesn't matter who supports us and who doesn't. Don't give in to trying to fit in with the crowd, because they seem to be having more fun. Trust and believe that when they get home and look in the mirror they don't like how they're living. They know it's a road to nothing. You don't see that part though. Stay who you are, live right, because eventually people will come to you for advice and prayer when they get tired enough. Just continue to do your positive things no matter the obstacles. If you succumb to the pressure you will be just like them, ordinary, normal, and standing on the corner to nowhere. A good book that talks about this is, The Dream Giver , by Bruce Wilkinson. It's a tiny y

From Pain to Gain

What I Know Now When we've gone through the fire and when we've gone through the storms, although the pain still grips us and still lingers, we must be happy and we must be healthy. Those are the ways we will be able to help people see the light. Those are the ways we will be able to reach and teach people. Those are the ways we will be able to help people. That's our mission and it looks different for all of us based on our pain. Our pain is for everyone else's gain.  Our pain is not for us to wallow in self-defeat, be depressed, or feel sorry for ourselves. Who will those things help? Take that pain and run with it. God's got you. He always had you. My mission (because I have decided to accept it), is to let people know that since God brought you through it, He did it for a purpose bigger than you. My pain is deep yall and I also hurt for other people now more than ever. I want hurting people to know that God allows "bad" things in orde

Forgive

Forgiveness helps us more than the other person . I used to live in unforgiveness, but I wasn't doing anything but hurting myself. There comes a time when we must move on. Forgiveness is not for the other person who hurt us, it's for us. It's for you. When we don't forgive (release) we think we are ok by living in the hurt and pain, but we are not able to really move on and become whole. We will not be 100% until we release that hurt and that pain, because that hurt and pain will live with us each day while the other person is living life to the fullest. That hurt and pain will drive many of the things we say and do. It's like a commercial that plays in our minds. It's subliminal, which means we won't know we are buying into it. You ever go into a store and you find yourself buying something you had no business buying? Many times you saw an advertisement on that very item and you didn't even know it. That's how unforgiveness works. It's

Royalty

We have all been hurt. Yet God is a God of healing and restoration. God is the God of all things. There is no one like Him, never was, and never will be. He wants us to move on with life, because He knows we were hurt. In fact, He knew it would happen. Why? Because He's God all by himself. He knows everything before, during, and after it happens. And He wants to bring dead things to life. He wants to redeem  you (Isaiah 61) .  So, we must start living out our purpose. We must start living the way God ordained (appointed/anointed) us to live. He wants us to be happy, healthy, and forgiving. He wants us to forgive those we put our trust in and they turned their backs on us. Perhaps part of the reason they turned their backs was because God wanted us to turn back to Him. God also wants us to shame everything that the enemy, the devil, and the vessels he uses who come in human form who were used against us. God will get the glory in the end. Period, end of story. We must remember

The Underdog

I love the spirit of the underdog.  I love what God does with the person of little status in the world. I love it when the Lord shuts the mouths of lions like He did with Daniel . When He protects us against the monsters and giants who come for us. I love it when God sees to it that the underdog, the one who was looked at as the mistaken one, comes out unscathed. Yes I just love it when the Lord Jesus Christ tells the naysayers, the people who counted you out, the ones who left you for dead, that you will rise. That you be will resurrected from the valley. That you will reach the mountain tops.  All the glory belongs to the Lord. Why? Because truly, He is worthy to be praised. He is the reason for all seasons. He makes ways out of no ways. He is the one God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The amazing Lord God.  I love the spirit of the people who aren't afraid to be different. The ones who may have even been called weird. I love the spirit of the people who are doi

God is Real

I've often had conversations about how we know God is real, about how we know His spirit lives, about how we know we are spiritual beings in human form (not the other way around). The answers lie in the beginning starting with the living  spirit of God and how the world began. God is Real. He's a living breathing spirit, an organism.  God is love . I often wonder how it is that some people think the opposite though. That the world began with a bang, a big bang, a black hole, whatever else they want to call it. The question I always raise to such a "theory" is, how was love created? How was flesh, blood, bones, or our souls created? What I mean by soul is that part of us that perceives "silently" what we do, think, believe, feel, and our mind, our will, our intellect, our emotions. Science or no bang or hole of any sort can explain that. If science can indeed come up with an explanation that does not include God, then let me know. In fact, let us all kno

Despair to Repair

God is in the restoration business and He will give us the tools for strength. I know what intense pain feels like and I know what trusting in the Lord feels like too. My pain is leading to more faith (trust) in God, which is leading to freedom and peace, which is strengthening me to help others. God is turning my pain into another's gain. And what the devil meant for evil , God is turning it around. This is what He did for Joseph when those Joseph loved turned their backs on him. Yes yes yall, God turned Joseph's despair into repair. Then Joseph went on to become mighty in the world. He didn't despise his small/humble beginnings, which were necessary for growth. Why? Because God uses those who society rejects, the misfits, the lost, the ostracized, the cast-asides, the judged. God loves making ways out of no ways and making the ordinary into the extraordinary. He did (and does) it time after time after time. I'm happy God is a merciful, favorable, g

It Ain't Over

Yes, you're more than a conqueror. This goes out to everyone who has gone through something, who is currently going through something, or who will go through something. My current circumstance? I'm going through something. In fact some may even classify my current circumstance as going through hell. But guess what? It ain't over til God says it's over. It ain't over until my victory is won, period, end of story. I have a faith strategy that has been working for me. Yes in order to get through, I had to come up with a plan of action, so this is what I've been doing on a consistent basis: pray throughout the day & night, read the word (bible), listen to countless sermons, go to church on Sundays & for bible study (there's something about being in God's house), serve in church no matter what, stay around positive Christians (in other words, prayerful/faithful Christians), ask for prayer (nope I'm not afraid to ask for help. I used t

Keep Going

Can't quit, won't quit. There is much work to do for the kingdom. In the kingdom. God's kingdom. There's inspiration all over the place. It's never over. I came across an inspirational article . It inspired me, because this time in my life is a trying time, but trust the Lord with ALL my heart & lean not on my own understanding. In ALL my ways, I will acknowledge Him (Proverbs 3:5/6). In other words, when we're going through tough hard times we must: keep doing positive things, keep serving, keep worshiping, keep praising, stay around positive Christians, stay in church & shame the devil. My stance is, in my weakness if I can just touch the hem of the Lord's garment (faith), I will be "healed" ( Matthew 9:20 ). Be encouraged, because challenging times don't last forever. Why? I will never give up. I will Because weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning ( Psalm 30:5 ). I'm a witness.

God Will Show-Out

Your place-setting. Just for you. I remember years ago when I first arrived in South Carolina. I had come from California and all of my belongings were in storage. All I had were myself and my two boys. That was about it. One of the hardest things during that time was waiting for my car. Even that was in a storage facility in California. I felt hopeless having to rely on others for transportation, but I knew my situation was temporary. At least with a car my boys and I could "escape" to different parts of South Carolina. Without one I felt limited and closed-in. One time when I needed yet another ride to my job, which was about 40 minutes away (the owner of the borrowed car I was using wanted it back), I had gotten a ride from a woman who I found out days later, wasn't the nicest person. On one occasion when she didn't think I gave her gas money fast enough, she became mean, rude, and obnoxious. It became obvious that she didn't really believe my story th

You Have the Right to Remain Silent

No need to keep talking about it. Just be about it. Sometimes when I watch two athletes, I tend to favor the one who remains quiet. Typically big mouth people are fun to watch because they're entertaining, but it's something about that cool, calm, and collected one I like studying. And like athletes, I like watching those National Geographic shows about tigers who sit back and watch their prey. Those tigers are always so patient. They just chill, knowing confidently where their next meal is coming from. No fan fare, no huge roar to let every animal know what's about to happen. Because if the premature big roar happens too soon then that prey will be gone in sixty seconds. So tigers know exactly what to do. They're just doing what they have to do to get what's coming to them. That's attractive to me. I can watch those tiger shows forever. Sometimes I'll just YouTube them and study their character, study their leadership. It all reminds me of God&

Playing Our Position

As I think over my life, I sometimes realize where I went wrong in some situations. Like in my teens when I thought I knew everything and nobody could tell me nothing. I just knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I knew more than my mother. For sure I thought in many instances she had no idea what she was talking about. In some instances I even thought I was the mother when it came to what was right and wrong. How foolish huh? Just straight up stupid thinking. Yet haven't we all been there before in some way? As I got older I understood that a child can and will never have the position of the parent even if that child becomes the caregiver of the parent or calls all the shots. The parent is still the parent. That's the position God created, it's the way He set up the order of that family. And order is extremely important. In Luke 6, we are reminded that, "the student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher" ( ver

Tough Love

In the story of Joshua, verse 17 , we witness a story of tough love. Joshua used this approach with the people of Israel (people of Joseph) as they grumbled, because they felt they weren't allotted enough land. They thought they were too great, too numerous, and too blessed to not get more land, so they complained to Joshua. Joshua said, 'since you are so numerous and since the land is not enough for you, then you can go up into the forest and clear the land yourselves.' But the people still didn't like that idea. They were afraid of the Canaanites and the others who lived in the surrounding areas. Instead of Joshua feeling sorry for them and just giving them something for nothing, he made them work for it. And he did so in an unyielding, caring and encouraging way. Tough love. Tough love is about ensuring people earn their keep. This way they will come to appreciate things. I learned this with my kids a long time ago yet it's still difficult sometimes, becau

It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know

You've heard the phrase before, "it's not what you know, it's who you know." Who hasn't? We've heard it when it comes to getting a job, getting a promotion, or getting into a certain school. And since we don't have all the answers when it comes to our lives or anyone else's life, we need to go to the person we know, God. The Lord is there whenever we want to talk. So why not just ask Him first? He is the one with all the answers in whatever form He decides to share it (or not) with us. He will tell us who to speak to, where we need to go, what we need to do, and how we are to go about getting there. In Numbers 16 , this is exactly what Moses did when Korah and his followers didn't want Moses to lead them anymore. Moses fell facedown and spoke to the Lord. Korah and the 250 men with him told Moses and Aaron that they had gone too far and they questioned Moses and Aaron asking why they set themselves above the Lord's assembly. In othe

It's Just Not the Same

You ever hear people say they don't go to church because they watch a certain pastor on TV or online? They say that's how they get their dose of God. There's nothing wrong with listening to a church service at home or online from time to time, but there are certain things we can't get from a sermon from home. There are certain reasons why the church exists. One being the help and support we usually get from others ("may he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!", Psalms 20 ). There's nothing like hearing a pastor in person and getting that nudge of hope or that head shake of agreement from the person next to you or that hug from the person behind you during meet-and-greet or that all encompassing corporate prayer. There's lots of encouragement in the church. And when people think they're always getting the same touch of God from home as they get from His synagogue, there can be a big disconnect. Consider math

Just speak

In Mark 11:24 Jesus says, "therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" and Proverbs 23:7 says, "for as a man thinks in his heart, so is he."  Isn't the writing on the wall simple? When something lives in our heart, all we have to do is open our mouths and speak those things as if we already had them. It is totally amazing how much power we really have, but we throw it away, because of our lack of faith. I've done that for years and let me tell you, it's not happening anymore, because although I have had setbacks because of distractions, I know with focus I am strong and mighty. I'm not giving nothing, no one, and no place another inch of my power if it serves no good. What about you? Would you agree that like me, you've wasting too much time wasting time?  I am "waiting" on the promises of the Lord. Yes, those things that have never left my heart. And I've bee

Spring Cleaning

One of the great things about this time of year is that we can get rid of all the junk we don't need. We may want them, but having certain things around just clutters up our space. Some of those things may be in the form of people, certain people who are getting in the way of our lives. And every single time we see them, we are tripping over them. Perhaps they are in our way, because they were supposed to be long gone and at this point they are messing up the house. It's just too junky! We don't have to look far to know that some of this stuff we have lying around in almost every nook and cranny of the house just shouldn't be there. Then we ask ourselves, why is that there ? Why do I still have that? I haven't used it in years. It's high time we cleared that space, because it serves no purpose anymore (and perhaps never did). We may even question why we bought it in the first place. What in the world were we thinking? Spring time is a great time of in

Being Led

Sometimes there's not much to say or do at certain times. Sometimes we just have to tarry, wait, and ponder on the things of the Lord. We simply must "wait" on direction regarding which way to go and when to do what it is He says we will do. That's where I am right now.

A Psalm of David

In my reading, I came across other wise words from the wisest book ever written, the bible. These words come from Psalm 15 and they spoke to me:   "LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken." The   word of God never comes back empty, my medicine. 

Wait On It

Your answer is coming For awhile now I have had this practice of waiting until the next morning to act on something or to wait before I make a decision. And over time I have learned to become better at it. It just takes practice is all, and practice takes doing it over and over again. There was a time when I used to make rash and quick decisions instead of waiting on what the Lord had to say about it. Mind you, I'm not necessarily talking about God's audible voice that comes telling me what to do (although that has happened). I'm talking about praying and thinking on a certain situation and having clarity, lets say, by the morning. When this happens it's another way God has spoken, because He speaks in so many ways. In a nutshell, this is called gaining wisdom. Do I sometimes slip and mess up, because I get things wrong? Of course, but those types of mistakes are becoming less and less. I'm grateful for that, because my life has gotten better and so has

God is There

You ever feel like you're always there for some people, but when it's time for them to step up, no one does? You ever feel like the rich celebrity who always has to pay for everything, but no one ever pays for you? Pray without ceasing. Sometimes I feel like that celebrity too. But I don't let that get me down because I realize some people have this false sense of who I am. They just see me as that person who can and will make things happen no matter what. But what they need to be reminded of, is that I need them just as much as they need me. I need them to support my endeavors just as much as I support theirs. That support may look different, yet nevertheless we need each other. No one is flawless. We all have our struggles and challenges. That's why certain people need certain people. Moreover, the Lord is my strength. One of the reasons He made people is for us to love and help each other. This is what gives me solace. This is what I also know: The Lor

Won't He Do It?

This is what I know about God. He'll do what we can't. What I mean is if we do our part, God will fill in the gaps. Just picture a glass full of rocks or pebbles. Can you ever completely fill that glass up without leaving many empty spaces? Of course not. It's impossible to do that. But God will fill that glass up with that missing liquid and now all is complete -- empty spaces and gaps filled. Filled and overflowing with blessings. Now, this is the million dollar question: what did it take for God to move on our behalf? Yep you guessed it. Faith, the substance (form) of things hoped for, the evidence (proof) of things not seen ( Hebrews 11:1 ).  Without faith (strong belief and trust), why would God do it if we really didn't think He could? Why?

The Blind Leading the Blind

You ever hear people talk, but they're not really talking about nothing? Like the Pharisees and teachers of the law when they came to Jesus complaining about people not doing things the way these judgmental people thought they were supposed to? Jesus didn't like their judgment though. He said they were hypocrites (pretenders, deceivers, liars). He said in Matthew 15, verse 14 , "leave them (the Pharisees); they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” In other words, we have to be careful of the people around us, whether it be at work or wherever. If people are constantly talking crazy then don't follow them, don't engage with them, walk away. Or we are like the Pharisees and teachers of the law, criticizing and complaining about everything and everybody when we can be so much more productive. We must be careful, because  "the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart" ( Matthew 15:18 ).

Have Faith

In my reading of Matthew 13 , I came across the following scripture in verse 58 ,   And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. See, this is what happens when we're believing for something, but only when it's convenient. In the book of Matthew, the people had a problem with Jesus' wisdom when he was teaching in their synagogue. How can people have a problem with wisdom? It's a question that amazes me yet I see it often. Don't you? In fact, it takes one to know one, because I was once such a blind person, but now I would like to say I see, although we all fall short. No one is perfect, but the Lord Jesus Christ.   Yet see many instances of where we know what is being told to someone is true, but the person refuses to accept it. It may be pride, simple resistance because of the messenger, or just plain old denial. Nevertheless, the people in Matthew 13 refused to believe Jesus, because they didn't want to accept that He had t

Insults? So What.

In reading the most awesome book ever written, the bible, I once again stumbled on amazing words that spoke to me. This time the words were, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Matthew 5:11. This was when Jesus was teaching via the Sermon on the Mount (Mountain) or the Beattitudes, which are classified as the 8 blessings. It was the longest sermon ever preached by Jesus. Regarding this verse, my response was wowwwww. Who hasn't been insulted at some point in their lives? The way I see it, the closer to the target the more hits or at least the more visible we are to the enemy. That means anyone who is moving up, being promoted, or going to the next level, will be vulnerable to such attacks. Expect it. But look at that scripture again, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." Who do you think Jes

Blessed & Highly Favored

Blessed.   Highly.   Favored.   Yes, that's me and it's you too.   Those are powerful words, wouldn't you say? They carry a lot of weight, because the Lord God has a plan for our lives. A plan for all of us to proper and guess what? He will not allow harm on us. Instead, He will give us hope, which will solidify our future ( Jeremiah 29 :11). There are stories after stories in the bible of people who were called and/or chosen. I can really stop at called, because people who are called to the Lord, can spread the gospel and help the next person. Everyone can't be the one in the limelight or the one with the platform. We all have different missions, but that doesn't mean we can't be blessed and highly favored in the process. So whether we are called or chosen, doesn't matter. What matters is that we can all be Blessed and Highly Favored when we are living the life Christ has for us. Called and Chosen. It's a choice we all have the

Faith Now!

Today is a new day. No need to go another day or another year without speaking things as if they were, speaking the things you want into the atmosphere. It's my time and it's your time to step into the realm of everything. Yes, it's time to reach new heights of all we ever wanted. Set backs? Keep going anyway. Many times those are the things that will give our testimonies more teeth, more power, more leverage. What I'm saying is use those disappointments as fuel to enable you to accomplish those things you've dreamed about, to make you stronger. Otherwise you go through them for not. Plus, God will be there throughout the fire and it will not consume you. One of my favorite verses is, Isaiah 43:2b, "...When you walk through the fire , you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." As that verse says, when . That means fire will come and guess what? You will not be hurt or burned. In fact, just the opposite: You will be empowered