How we walk....

I was praying this morning, and with God's help came to the conclusion that Christians don't always walk the way they are supposed to. Let me explain, in my favorite version of footprints, it ends with Jesus dancing with the person in the story. It makes me wonder because I always thought that in order to dance you have to first walk. So how can we dance with Jesus if we don't walk with him? The other thing, have you ever seen dancers? They walk with this confidence amd with a gracefulness that makes people look twice. As Christians, we should have that walk. We should have ourselves so deep in Christ, that we know at the end of it all, we are God's children. We should be able to dance with the Lord at all times, even if its just a simple two step. That however only comes after we are so sure in our Walk with him that we feel comfortable enough to step out and be silly for a bit. I don't know about you but I want to dance....

Here's how you become more sure in your walk. You practice. Practice going to God with the little things, so it'll be easy when we need to go to him for the big things. Practice spending more time in study and reflection of the word.... Make it as much of an habit as getting dressed everyday, or even feeding ourselves when we are hungry. Remember Christ told us that man cannot live on bread alone. So if Christ had to say it, what makes you think that we in present day can survive without his word.... Also we have to surround ourselves with people who will help us spiritually, mentally and physically.......... This is how we walk.

Faith

Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Paul knew first hand about faith. Being knocked off his horse, blinded, and then told he had to meet this man of a way he had been persecuting so that he can get his sight back. Yeah, this is a true test of faith....

Paul had to go through that inorder for him to even begin to follow out Jesus' teachings. He was a Jew, born and raised, he didn't believe that Jesus is the Messiah and he was willing to take out anybody who believed he was. God already had his path marked out. Paul had a bullseye on his back. Now God had to put him in a position to completely rely on him in order for Paul to walk out God's plan.

Now Faith is the confidence or trust in a person or thing. How do we gain this confidence? We gain it by reading God's word and seeing how he operated in all of the lives of the biblical people. We gain it by constantly praying and worshipping God. We gain it by taking the time out to be filled with his Spirit so that it can teach us how to have absolute faith.
Have you ever seen a little child? They think their parents can do anything! We should be like that with God. He is our father and just because we may not be able to see anything that he does, he is doing it all. Who woke you up this morning? Who started you on your way? The father that we cannot see.

In conclusion faith is us relying on God to do what he does, cause best believe when we let God do what he does, he going to make it do what it do.

Gifts

Have you ever wondered why it is that you could do something with greater ease than someone else? Have you ever wondered why as long as you were using your gift for good it was always there, but the minute your intentions became anything but pure, you were stumbling and was no longer good at what you were doing? That's because the thing that you are good at is your gift from God. Whats good about having gifts is that he gave them to us freely, however we do have to use them to help advance his kingdom. Have you ever seen someone who has the gift of talking? They can talk for hours! They can talk to anyone, this is the person that should be an Evangelist. they person who has a gift for writing should write to encourage people in there heavenly walk. Those who can teach, teach about God. Those who can make music, make music proclaiming the goodness of God. Because there will come a time when we will not be able to do all of this, so do it now while the chance is still here. We all have a part to play in God's kingdom, and God wants us to use our gifts for good cause there is already so much evil in the world. Why not use our gifts to help uplift the people. Something to think about.

Other ways to show affection

We as a society are taught that the way to show affection is sex. Now does that make sense? How would you then show affection to your mate when there is no sex before Marriage? How are you supposed to show any type of affection if the only way to do it is through sex.
Fellas, I don't want to alienate anyone but you are more likely to take a woman showing affection as her wanting to sleep with you. However, 1 Corinthians 13 talks about Charity.
Charity is the utmost form of love. So it says:

1 Corinthians 13

¹Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

²And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

³And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

⁴Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

⁵Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

⁶Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

⁷Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

⁸Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

⁹For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

¹¹When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

¹²For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

To show affection is to be kind to them, help them in times of trouble, and so any other things.
Do you need to change the way you show affection? I know I do in a lot of areas.

When we get caught up: Ignorance being bliss

Us as humans have a natural inclination to sin because of our flesh. This is why people say the spirit is willing but the flesh is week. How many times have you gone along with the crowd because they were doing what felt good not what was good?
The thing that also is said a lot is that ignorance is bliss. But in reality ignorance causes death. we are ignorant to sin because we know not what it is. That does not mean that we, when we get to the throne, say that we didn't know that what we were doing was wrong. It's a steady uphill battle that we go through daily with a far greater reward then if we just gave into the flesh. When we get caught up we suffer eternally.
I don't know about you, but I don't think ignorance is bliss

He humbled Himself

Its interesting how Jesus Christ can humble himself, get lower than the Angels and become the seed of Abraham(Hebrews 2:16), and we think we don't have to.
In order to reach people we have to show them we can relate. Have you ever seen management that forgets they were once in that position? Its crazy how once we gain a bit of power we forget who we are. As Children of God, we should be following the example of Jesus Christ, and if no one wants to take heed to your words shake the dust of the town off your feet as you promptly exit it.

Anger

We should be slow to Anger. How do you be slow to anger when there is consistent chaos around? How do you be slow to anger when constantly you're asked to be flexible and there is no order? How do you be slow to anger when people are just nuts? I know being nuts is relative, but do you ever just want to put stupid people on a planet and blow it up? It makes you laugh, but Jesus Christ wouldn't have done that. Think about it. How any times was Jesus pissed off by the Apostles, the Pharisees, just everybody! I mean he's Jesus Christ, but why cant ewe adapt the same principles It's hard but we need to. He that is soon angry death foolishly. I know I've done/ said some stupid things being angry. Have you? Knowing that we are human, I'm willing to bet YES! but just remember we are to be slow to anger. When you get angry count until you've cooled down, then go handle the situation. Because he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city(Proverbs 16:32)

Saved by Grace

The wages of sin is death. Now aren't you glad were saved by grace? Yet too many of us use that as an excuse to keep sinning. By us doing that, we negate Jesus' death. The point of grace is to absolve us of sin, turn us around so we can start following Gods way and receive his Spirit so we can be saved. This is of the utmost importance in this day and age because the world is falling into the pitfalls of selfishness, self-seeking glory, boastfulness and so many of the other things that are spoken of in 2TImothy3. This scripture predicts whats going to happen in the end of times. We've seen a lot of this, with it progressively getting worse. Wouldn't you take that as a sign that we need to get it together and not keep sinning just cause we are saved by grace?

Strength

Sometimes we go though things that make us want to give up and give in. Have you ever been at a job and stuff doesn't seem right? That things are all wrong? No support from the staff, no on to go to for help,, and no one seems to care about anybody but themselves? This is just when we are being put through the fire. This is when God finds out whose strong and who needs a bit more work. This is the time when God finds out just how much more he can put on us right now.

Ever wonder why we're where we are when we're there? Ever wonder why it seems as if we want to collapse under pressure?

Well, when this happens just open your bible and look up the word fire. It is used countless times in the bible, but when you see fire, someone has been put through a strengthening process. Know that God loves you and won't ever give you anything you can't handle. When we go through things, it is just a task on the walk that is our assignment.

Priorities

Ever wonder why people seem to be caught up in the weirdest things?
Its because their priorities aren't in order. How any of Christs people get caught up in daily nonsense? Matthew 6:33 says But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Yet how many of us myself included, don't stop and take the tie out to seek God first? As Christs people we should always be seeking God first, and waiting on him to move.
I don't know about you, but my life is that much the better when I let God work his magic.

Struggles

I wanted to touch on struggles tonight because I haven't written in a while and I know us as a society have been going through some things. The thing that I can say has given me the most joy as of late is to be ridiculed for my belief in all things right and morally just. when you work with other people it is very easy for us to get caught up in what our coworkers are doing, but it takes a stronger person to say no I wont do this. I'm not saying by any means that this isn't hard but too not say something is even harder.

We go through struggles everyday. Whether it be on the job, our families, our friends etc... But God never puts anything on us that we cannot handle. Don't be afraid of what you may be going through, cause whenever coal is burned it becomes the hardest substance known to man- A diamond. God is just preparing us for what is to come. I a glad to be counted among his children, because you know that when God knows our potential he wants us to live up to it 100%, and us realizing what our potential is comes at the end of the struggle. I hope that this gives you whatever encouragement you might need to get through the day. Just remember this, you can do all the good deeds you want, but if you're way into Heaven was based on deeds alone, then Jesus died in vain. Peace and many blessings.

Growth

Growth when I say growth do I mean physical or spiritual growth? In my humblest opinion you cant have one with out the other. Let me explain.

To be spiritually inclined, we have to change the way we think. Paul was one of the greatest biblical writers/preachers and the beginning of the book of Romans talks about how he had to constanly battle with evil in his mind. He always wanted to do what was right, but because of sinful flesh, he couldn't. For that good that he would do, he did not: but the evil that he would not do, he did. (Romans 7:19). Spiritual growth comes by reading and meditating on God's word daily. In our minds we may want to do this but our bodies(sinful flesh) wants to watch the t.v. show we know we shouldn't be watching, it wants to stay in bed longer because it doesn't want to be cold... There are a million and one reasons why we don't do what we're supposed to. God knows this, and he gives us a chance to grow into the places that we need to. Paul wasn't this great preacher, at least not at first. God had to test him and try him to let him grow. This is how we grow and change, but God won't test you until he needs you to be tested. Whats the poitn of testing someone if there is no purpose? This is how we grow spiritually.

We cannot even begin to grow Spiritually until we start to change the habits of the flesh. As I mentioned earlier, Spiritual growth comes by reading and meditating on God's word daily. But how doe we expect to be able to do that if we are constantly coming up with excuses on why we can't do it. Better yet, how can we say we want to grow spiritually if we are still dabbling in the things that can kill us spiritually. We all, myself included, go through temptaion. We all fall, but there is a difference between falling off the bridge and jumping off of it. One we do accidentally, the othe we do knowingly. We are conctantly warring with ourselves to do what is right. Our flesh always wants to feel good, so we have to get out of the idea of physical pleasure. Cause what may feel good, isn't always good for us. We have to train the body to not want to carry out the evil thoughts in our heads. For example, just because we may want to sleep with someone, doesn't mean that we should jump on them the next time we see them. We have to learn to control that and the only way we can even begin to fight the evil within us is to spend time daily in the word, in prayer, and in meditation. Spend some time first thing in the morning for God. It may require us to wake up a bit earlier, mepersonally, if I wake up in the morning I'm thanking God for the day before I get out of bed. We have to make it work out so that no matter where we are we can take the time out to ask God to help us in the war against our members.

I pray brothers and sisters, that this helps you find the tools that you need to grow. Remember at the end of it all, we have the most indept owner's manual. Why not read the directions to see what we were actually designed for. In Jesus' name, peace be with everyone.

Who are we?

I was watching T.D. Jakes preach the other night, and in this particular sermon he was preaching to the men. His sermon was called Bad Boys and the God who loves them. There were many things that stuck out in this sermon that I would like to share with you.
One of the things is we grow up in our families and in our environments but have we become what our families have named us? For example, Jacob. Now Jacob means trickster liar, con artist... and Jacob was all of the above, he lived up to his name very well.. However Jacob had to go off by himself and seek God to find out who he really was... Jacob wasn't really the trickster or the con artist he just didn't know any different... Same thing with us. We go through life with these names and these attributes that have been so graciously bestowed upon us by our families, but is that really who we are? Is that really what we are supposed to be doing? Who else have we knowingly or unknowingly Labeled to be something they might not be?
Anything thing that was said was that we have to find a place, find a place to receive a ream of word specifically designed for us. How do we do that? We have to sit down and pray and trust that God will place us where we need to be, when we need to be there. With people around us that will guide us in the right direction. We however have to actively seek his guidance and wisdom in the subject. As for myself, I'm in a transitional period which means now more than ever I have to find my place.
Thirdly we 're going to go though things, but at the end of it all we'll be able to say we know who we are. Granted it will be hard but you have to be able to stick up for what is right and never compromise your morals for anything. If you don't take anything else out of this, I want you to know that you are never what others say you are.

Life

How do we want to live? DO we want to live according to God's will or according to the world's system?

The thing that bugs me out about the world's system is that a man, a human, maybe even a group of humans, sat down one day and said that we are going to make the laws. As we see these rules can be misinterpreted, they can be changed, they can be over ruled... So many things can be done to these laws that it doesn't make sense. It makes you wonder why is it that the rules apply to some but not to others. Why is it that a cop can shoot somebody and get off, while a regular citizen shoot someone and they have to do time. It makes no sense whatever. I can't even begin to describe how much the world is in chaos because of the laws set forth by man. Don't believe me, think about it. Being shown on TV to children is stuff like lingerie commercials. Why? Why have we gotten to the point where this is considered the norm?

I don't know about you but I want to and I have accepted the idea that I am to live in this world but that I am not to be apart of this world. What are we doing here on this Earth?
Scripture says that we are in the last times.
2 Timothy chapter 3 says:
"¹But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

⁶They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. ⁹But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

This is everything that is very prevalent right now. How many times have we seen something mentioned in the above passage. You may say it ha been going on for years but it is even worse now and it will get worse. Are you going to be prepared at the end of it all?.... Something to think about.

Undrestanding

Why is it that we don't understand what doesn't fit into our world? What does your experience mean? What ideas of your are fluid? What ideas/understanding of yours have you gotten from previous generations and you've held onto? What have you had to piece together on your own? Would you be willing to make trouble before it happens?

I ask these questions to try and get you to think about what it is that you know. We all fear change, even though some of us welcome it more readily then others. When we look at people, we make our judgements of them based on how they fit into our world. If they don't fit into our world, we're quick to deem them as non-important, or non-existent. How many times a day do we do that? How many time a day do we write people off because they don't fit into our already preconceived notion of what "X" should look like?

In looking at the goings on of the past few days, I have noticed that one of the things that America has passed down from generation to generation is the idea of race. Race basically controls everything in our day to day. Yet if you notice, there are people that don't fit into a certain race. Now I'm not just talking about being of more than one race but what I mean specifically is that they don't fit into the box of what and who that race is supposed to be. They are the "exceptions" to the rule. Does that mean that the idea of race is a fluid concept? Everything that seems to get put in the media is either biased or racial heavy. Just yesterday we got the verdict from the Sean Bell case. The cops had been acquitted. You know what I heard. I heard people saying that just because the guy was black meant that he wasn't getting a fair trial and that the outcome would be swayed in favor of the white man. Why is it that ideas like that even cross people's minds? Why can't it just be that the lawyers defending the young man that was killed, and the people who were injured that had been in the car with him, didn't do their jobs and prove beyond everything that the cops were at fault? Doesn't anybody think about that? And if it is so much about the injustices of race, why do people wait for something like this to happen before speaking up about the injustices....? Knowing that this is something that happens all too often... Would you be willing to stir up things... to start trouble before this even becomes a problem?

Learning New Things

As we go through life, the question constantly comes up... "Why do I need to know this?" Or better yet "When am I ever going to use that?"

I wonder that for 3 out of 4 classes this semester. However I can tell you that, you need to know what you are being taught. Even the most mundane thing you need to know it.. or at least file it away for memory. Today I learned how to make an atomic bomb. I was sitting in my Energy and Resources claa, when the professor starts to break down how to do it. Now I need to nkow this information because you can't teach what you don't know. How could I be an instructor of technology and not know how one of this world's greatest(take it or leave it) invention was made.

I believe God was trying to teach me a lesson in all of this. I equate this to the apostles going out and preaching. They couldn't preach to the Jews without knowing why the Jews didn't believe that Jesus wasn't the messiah. They (the apostles) had grown up Jewish, and knew the customs and teachings. So they could take examples from what they knew and flip it to show that stuff isn't as far removed as they think. Same thing with Paul and the Gentiles. You wouldn't have initially sent one of the apostles to preach to the gentiles. They wouldn't have known how to relate. So I guess me knowing how to make an atomic bomb, I'm going to be able to use that information to relate to someone.

Just keep that in mind the next time you want to ask the questions "Why do I need to know this?" "When am I ever going to use that?"

Today

Lupe Fiasco's song "Superstar" starts off with the lines:
"Wanna' believe my own hype but it's too untrue
The world brought me to my knees, what have you brung you?
Did you improve on the design? Did you do somethin' new?"

It makes you think about the way you move through this life. What is t that you're doing to change things? What is it that you're doing to improve the world?

We like to think that the only way to change the world is to make loads of money, and donate money. What about donating time? What about taking the kid down the block that might be running around with a rough crowd and showing him that there is another way? How about going into a classroom, and letting the children know that ts ok to be smart?

Among other things, there are things we can do to change the world. But we have to start at home first. We can think big, but we got to take care of our own first.

So I want you to think about it:
"The world brought me to my knees, what have you brung you?
Did you improve on the design? Did you do somethin' new?"

Who are you?

I want to ask the question to make you think a bit. Who are you? Are the one who everyone goes too when something needs to be done? Are you the one that sits and just chills? Are you the person who has a list for everything and everything for a list?

How do others see you? How do you see yourself? Sometimes people see us for not who we are because they don't know our history. Have you ever had someone say that you are the worst person in the world because you didn't bother to think about someone else in something? Have you ever had someone look at you and think you must be out of your mind because you followed your heart instead of what they consider to be the "rational" mind? These are things ot think about when figuring out who you are.

The only opinion of you who you should worry about is God's. I know its hard to not take to heart what others say, but, when you hit a point when you're no longer walking in the world, then nothing else matters but doing God's will. Not saying it'll be easier, but it will become second nature to you when all you do is get up in the morning and you're doing what God wants you to do.

New Beginnings

You sit back and think sometimes of what it is to be you. Who are you? Where are you going? And what is your purpose here on this earth?

How do you expect to know the answers to these questions if you don't know who you are to begin with......

What we all have to realize is that for the first 21 years of our lives, we are products of our environments. The schools we go to, the churches we attend, our families. You may be wondering when does their influence on our lives ever stop. It never does, however, in the fabric we have to cut out our own designs. We have to change the pattern to fit what it is that we feel it should be. Yet if we do it without GOD, then we're walking without a map. If you're walking without a map, then you have no direction and what is the point of taking a trip with no direction?

In taking your journey to find out who you are, keep in mind that you didn't create you, so you have to take time to find out from the creator why it was that he created you.Then you'll have a better understanding of who you are. Think about it.