Discipline: The Missing Link

I’ve set out to do a lot of stuff in my life. And for the most part, I’ve been able to achieve all of my goals: finishing my Bachelor’s degree, getting a good GPA, becoming a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., releasing my project, and getting a job… I’d say that my track record is pretty good.

Although I’ve had some mild success in my life, I’m currently going through a bit of a push into a part of life that will require more. In this season, there is one thing that has been exposed to me. It’s that I NEED discipline. I’ve had it in small doses, but the issue has been that God’s grace and my talents have been able to allow me to “slide by”. Don’t get me wrong, accomplishing the goals I listed earlier required a lot of hard work! I had to be focused. I had to be driven… and I had to have discipline, at times. The difference between now and then is that now I have to REALLY have discipline.

The stuff I mentioned before required focus. Focus is when I would really want something and I’d just do it. The issue is that with only focus, comes certain limitations. For me, I could be really focused on something for months at a time. I’d do what was necessary. And during the times where I maybe wasn’t as disciplined, God’s grace and, at times, my talent for certain things would make up the slack. So although it required hard work and I accomplished the goals, I still lacked discipline on a consistent basis. So now, my talent has taken me to a certain level and the only way I’m going to progress to the next level is through discipline! There are certain things that I just can’t achieve without it. God’s shown me, now I know… it’s time for me to act.

I wouldn’t consider myself a big guy, but I wouldn’t say that I’m in shape. I’ve always had trouble with getting in shape. It’s mainly because of my issue with sustained discipline. I can focus on something and see a goal…. But after a while, the fact that I actually lack discipline begins to show. In the beginning, my diet is tight. I’m at the gym all the time. I actually see some results. Then, it never fails, after about 3 ½ months, I get tired. I get tired of not eating what I want. I get tired of sacrificing huge chunks of my already scarce free time to going to the gym. I get tired of being sore from the workouts.  After indulging in these emotions, I fall completely off the “horse.” Before you know it, I’m back to my original ways. Getting my body in shape requires more than focus, it requires discipline.

In this season, the Holy Spirit has challenged me to obtain a deeper relationship with Him. This requires more than just worshiping when I can fit in my schedule. It requires more than just the typical “Wish List” style prayers, it requires true discipline. You see, with focus, I can remember to pray. But with discipline, I develop true prayer strategy. With strategy, I can really tune into the move of the Holy Spirit and I can have a much greater impact for the Kingdom of God, because God is directly moving my prayer life instead of having my prayers being anchored in my own flesh. With focus, I can fit worship into my life. Maybe when I’m driving to work, I can play a good song. Or when I’m at church, I can participate in the worship service… but when I’m disciplined in my worship life it teaches me true sacrifice. As my time in worship is not about me, but tuning into the move of God and what the agenda of Heaven actually is for my life that day.

Discipline is deeper than most probably realize. You have to completely submit yourself to an idea. Losing weight, deeper prayer and worship, better relationships, forgiveness, etc.; they require a deeper level than just focus alone. They require commitment even when you don’t feel like it, even when you don’t understand it. Even when you’re not seeing results for a period of time… Discipline is sacrificing how you feel or what makes you feel good for the moment for the bigger picture.  Discipline requires humility, especially when you’re trying to build discipline in your life.

I can tell you from experience, it’s difficult to establish! But the results from me being disciplined in every area of my life have been amazing! My body is responding to discipline in eating and working out consistently. My spiritual life is responding from my deeper time with God through prayer and worship. My friendships have also noticed me being disciplined in making my relationships better… even when I don’t “feel” like it or I want to be selfish.

I’ve been sensing in my prayer life, that God is requiring more discipline from the body of Christ. It’s gonna take more than focus, habit and entitlement for us to be able to properly contend with what's coming, spiritually. It’s impossible for us to get to our next level without discipline. It’s impossible for us to get to where we need to go without it! God is calling us as a whole to get deeper, to sacrifice our fleshly desires daily, and to be disciplined in following Him.  

Discipline is the missing link! We need it to grow. We need it to develop. We need it to reach the goals that Christ is preparing for us. We need it to actually see the miracles, signs, and wonders that are spoken of in the Word of God. We have to find where we are not disciplined and we have to apply it!

Temporary Places

Mastering faith is hard, man.  I’ve just come to that conclusion. I’ve been working on it for a while and each day it seems to get harder. It’s not that I don’t trust God, I mean… God is working on me in building up my trust to new levels. It’s just difficult to move into something that doesn’t feel like a sure thing. Moving without seeing just takes courage… and it takes trust.

The thing about us, as humans, that I’ve learned is that we forget how God works. God will bring us through a situation. Like, He’ll work a miracle of some sort (Bills paid, scholarships, saving a relationship, saving a life, etc.)… we will go through this period of struggle and God will work it out or us! Then, He’ll give us a period of rest and when it’s time for God to move us again, we get scared as if God hasn’t already moved on our behalf in the past.

God has been working with me a lot on temporary places. Places that were only meant to house us for our period of rest… or for just a short time as we move forward in our journey to purpose. Places that have what we need for whatever season we are in, but they don’t have what we need to the season we are headed into! Places that look and feel good! God has shown me this to let me know that some places are just for rest… not settlement.

I’m currently experiencing that. For the last few years, I’ve been in a pretty decent place in life. Everything around me has been adequate for where I was in life. My job, my music, my worship, my church and work in church, my friends… everything! Recently, I’ve been experiencing a bit of a spiritual nudge. It’s like all of these things that have been working wonderfully for the last 3-4 years are suddenly not enough. God is requiring more… I can feel it. I see it! And, I can’t help but feel like the next level in my life is just going to require more from me all around!  So… I want more and I’m giving more, sure.  But!!  I KNOW that there is still even more to be done. I’ve taken some steps towards prepping myself, but I know that the cocoon that I have been living in is growing too small. This isn’t pertaining to my music and whether or not I “make it big” but it has everything to do with my spiritual life and what God has called me to do.

We all have assignments. We were created to complete a specific thing that God needed us for in the Earth. Getting to these places and doing the work is tough, but I imagine that the reward of living and working for Christ is far bigger than whatever exhaustion we may be feeling. We all have work to do… and we can’t afford to stay in the same spiritual place.

The bible constantly inspires us to grow spiritually. I want to encourage people who are reading this, and like me, you may feel a little scared about where you’re headed. This is big. This is different. This is uncomfortable. Whatever your “this” is, It’s going to be fine! Trust God... like, really trust Him! Don’t let what you see in front of you alter what you know to be true about God. As Christians, we can’t operate like the people we work with and see on TV. In order for our lives to work properly… in order for us to reach what God is calling us to, we have to apply faith.

Without faith, can’t move forward in our purpose. I’ve noticed that a lot of times, our purpose is often waaaaaaay bigger than the area of life that we are in. Therefore, it requires movement. Then rest. Movement, then rest, then movement… and eventually, we reach completion of purpose! My prayer is that you will never confuse your places of rest with your place of purpose.

Apply faith and keep moving! Don’t stop in a temporary place! 

It's More Spiritual Than You May Think...

“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience— doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ Matthew 7:21-23 MSG

One thing has become increasingly clear to me as I continue to grow in my relationship with Christ: Life is more spiritual than I may think. That’s certain.

We live in an “It doesn’t take all of that. God knows my heart” kind of society.  As a result of yielding to this mindset, it has desensitized us to certain things. The thing about being desensitized is that there’s a gradual decline in your awareness that something may be wrong. It doesn't come all at once, that would be too easy to recognize... It's gradual. Things start off strict and you have these guidelines in place… and the next thing you know, you’re not only doing things that you’ve said you wouldn’t do, but you’re saying things you said you wouldn’t have said and you’re just living differently. It may not be because you want to… but something is just different.

 I don’t want to get into what our various struggles and sins are… but we all have them. The issue is when we make excuses to keep living in them. The issue is when we make excuses to keep indulging in our flesh and pushing us further and further away from God. The “It doesn’t take all of that. God knows my heart” mindset pretty much supports the thought that we can sin and be in God’s will at the same time. We can, essentially, do whatever we want, as long as we “do right by God”, He’ll be happy.  

Reading this scripture earlier this week was real eye opener for me because a lot of us “do right by God.”  We go to church, we tithe, we talk nicely, and we give to the poor. At times, we serve in soup kitchens… we do a lot of the right things, but we fail to actually spend time with God. We fail to actually get to know God. We fail to seek Christ and pursue His will for our lives. We live nicely and we claim that it is divinely inspired, but the fact is that these are simply nice actions. You don’t have to have received salvation to be a nice person. I know a lot of people who have not accepted Christ as their savior, yet they feed the hungry. They don’t believe Christ died for their sins, but they serve the needy and clothe the homeless. Not all unsaved people are evil. They don’t walk around lurking in shadows and waiting to pounce on people who claim Christianity. Some of them “look” just like those of us who claim Christ as our savior.

What separates us is beyond what we can see. It’s spiritual. Simply carrying the Holy Spirit sets us apart from the nicest people on the planet. There’s something deeper there. It’s deeper than flesh.  It’s deeper than what we can set our eyes to.

God wants our hearts. He doesn’t want just your actions. You can’t just say a few prayers here and there and give a little money here and there to cleanse your sins. You can’t do that just to make you feel better… God wants us to give Him time! We have to spend time in worship. Spend time in prayer. Spend time reading His word and getting to know His heart so that we can give Him ours completely.

It’s funny because I feel like this is all redundant… growing up in church, I hear stuff like this all the time. I just don’t see it lived out very often.  To be honest, that’s what hinders us from experiencing the full power of God. We put limits on where He has access in our lives. We put limits on how we show and live our Christianity… the truth is that God wants it all. It’s a bit tough to process at first, but it’s true. Our friends should reflect our relationship with Christ. How we spend our free time should reflect our relationship with God. Even down to what we spend our money on… All of this is a reflection of where your heart is. God wants your heart and your life will show whether he has it.

This is all more than actions, it’s deeper than that. It’s more than saying the right things, it’s deeper than that. It’s a heart thing… when we give God our hearts, He gives us his spirit. The Spirit is what sets us apart! It’s spiritual. 

Rely On His Heart

“There are times when I may not know exactly what God is doing, but I still have peace. This is because I’ve learned that even when I can’t see God’s hand, I can always rely on His heart.” 

~Tourè Roberts

This quote is taken from “Purpose Awakening.” A book by Pastor Tourè Roberts. I finished reading this book, the first time, around the end of 2014. It was instrumental in my spiritual development. There are some parts, statements, and wordings that I struggle to fully accept, but the bulk of the book is AMAZING! Pastor Roberts really deals with the issues that effect the people of God. A lot of us deal with these surface issues that prevent us from really getting to root of salvation. These things prevent us from hearing the secrets of God. They prevent us from intimacy. I won’t give away too much of the book, but it will definitely help you in uncovering what you need to do to step your game up in your prayer and worship life so that you can get to the bottom of what Roberts calls “the epic idea” behind your creation. 

There are plenty of quote worthy statements… but this quote in particular stands out to me. As a matter of fact, this quote in particular is what lead me to read this book a second time…. and I’m sure this wont be my last time reading it. This quote always reassures me that I’m not the only one who feels a little “off” sometimes when it comes to the things of God. I mean… sometimes I sit in my kitchen and just think, “God… where are you? What is happening? and What is gonna be the result of THIS?!” There are times when God’ll give me an answer of some sort… and there are times when I simply have to wait for it. Either way, this quote gives me a sigh of relief because I’m not the only one who doesn't always know. It’s a great feeling to know what God is up to… to kind of “call it” ahead of time. To be able to recognize what God is doing…. that’s great. It just doesn't always happen like that for me. Sometimes, I’m clueless… yet, I press on.

This quote inspires me… because Pastor Roberts tells how even when he doesn't know, he still has peace. Now, out of all of the times that I have felt lost and as if God was ignoring me, I can’t say that I’ve had peace. I’ve definitely had fear, worry, and doubt.. but peace? Not so much! To be at peace is a beautiful thing! No worries. No drama. No nothing! Just peace… knowing that everything will be OK one way or another. People would PAY big bucks to get what we have access to through Christ! Peace… some days in the midst of trial, all I can do is ask for peace and strength to make it. Peace in incredible! 

The last thing I get from this quote is probably the biggest thing that keeps me going: God loves me. For some reason this fact pumps me up on a whole new level. I think about my baby brother and sister, Melvin and Monica. They are 6 and 4 years old. (Monnie (Monica) will be 5 next month!) Although they are not biologically related to me, I love those kids almost like they were my own children! There isn't much that I wouldn't do to make sure they are taken care of and have what they need and most of what they want. I try to spend as much time with them as possible. I try to be there because I love them. I try to help my parents provide different things for them because I love them. I think about that love and I realize that God loves me even more than that! Where I fall short in human error, He can NEVER make a mistake! Jeremiah 29:11 from The Message Bible says: “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” 

God desires for me to succeed. Say that very slowly: God desires for me to succeed. Now, even slower than THAT! Here we go: God desires for me to succeed. Good! Now take a deep breath!

He has it all planned out! He loves us! He’s always concerned about us! When I cry, He sees. When I hurt, He sees. When I’m heart broken, He sees! He sees it all and He has this plan! He has this “epic idea” and its all about us, individually! This inspires me because I know that God will never leave me… He says it too many times in The Bible. So if I call, He answers… it’s not always when or even how I like, but He answers. And the results are always for my good!

The thing is that we have to mature in so many ways before we reach the height of our purpose. It’s just necessary. It may suck, but it has to happen. You have to grow up, spiritually, to obtain the fullness of what God has planned for you… you just have to. But, knowing that we are loved. Knowing that we are kept. Knowing that God doesn't desire to hurt us-it says in right in Jeremiah 29:11. Knowing all of this, God’s heart has to be in the right place concerning whatever we are dealing with at the moment. 

We have to trust Him. We have to trust that He really does have a plan. That He won’t let us suffer too long. That He’ll rescue us if things get “too real, too fast.” lol. You are in God’s heart. He loves you.. and He has good intentions for you. I’ve heard it said before “even when you can’t trace Him, you still have to trust Him!” When you can’t feel God, you have to rely on the fact that is revealed in Jeremiah 29:11. Rely on His heart. 

Please… Don’t Fall For the Trick!!!

2 Timothy Chapter 3: 12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 13 But evil people and impostors will flourish. They will deceive others and will themselves be deceived.

One thing has become increasingly clear to me as I continue my Christian walk: Discipline is absolutely necessary. Albert Einstein gets quoted a lot for saying that Insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.  It’s crazy to think that trying something the same way is going to get you a different outcome… if you want results, you have to study, plan and execute! When studying a situation, you’re looking for everything that you can get: the good, the bad, and the ugly! Figure out what’s working and not working, make a plan which includes setting goals, and then execute.

Now, I realize that I’m no professor on this topic, BUT after application in my own life, I can say that this works! In order for this to happen, you have to have discipline! It’s a must. Your mind has to be made up that it won’t fall back into old habits. It’s the only way that you’re going to get some positive results. When I made up my mind to CHANGE my mind, things got better. I accomplished all kinds of goals: I lost weight, I actually finished books (At one point, I’d start… but I never would be able to reach the end. SMH), I finished writing and recording material for Supernaturally Loved. I got things done! It’s a great feeling…

The issue is when we fall for the tricks of Satan. He’s a GREAT liar! Any good liar is going to take something that is totally not true and will make you believe that it is! They set it up like it’s real. They get in your head to make you think that it’s real. They get in your emotions to make you even FEEL like its real... It’s tough to know what’s real and what’s not! You’re probably thinking “How am I supposed to sift through all of that and stay positive? How do I stay disciplined if I can’t tell what’s what?!”

The answer: It doesn’t line up with what God said. Most of the things that Satan tricks us with will appeal to our flesh. They make us feel good. They bring minimum glory to God. They are quick fixes, when God has called us to go the extra mile and just reach higher.  I’m not saying that all things that happen fast or that make us feel good are bad all of the times. Yet, I am saying that you have to be careful because the devil knows your desires just like God knows your desires. Satan’s lies will appeal to how you feel now, When God sees your finished self. Satan goes for how you look now, When God sees and appeals to the better you. God shows us the big picture! That rarely happens when we entertain a trick of Satan.

The point I’m trying to make is that Satan can use our surroundings to deceive us. Often times, we compare ourselves to the people around us… People always say stuff like “Comparison is the thief of joy” and I find that to be true. You can’t spend your time chasing what others have… jealousy is a real thing and it opens doors to very ugly and mean actions, emotions and mindsets... if jealousy isn’t dealt with it can totally poison your spirit. You have to find you! You can only find yourself by finding the Savior! I kid you not, my life didn’t begin to make sense until I accepted and went in pursuit of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Even after that moment, when I made dumb decisions and did my own thing, when I re-centered my life around Christ, things began to change for the better.

I’m not saying that if you find God, it’s gonna be like waving a magic wand and all of your issues go away. But I am saying that in finding God and immersing yourself in the pursuit of pleasing God, You find your purpose. You’ll start to think differently. You won’t waste time on things that aren’t adding SOMETHING to your life… things will change. You’ll want discipline because you’ll want to make positive changes that pleases God.

Satan is a great liar and if we let him, he can throw us all the way off track! I urge anyone who may read this post to PLEASE, Get a relationship with Jesus Christ TODAY! Spend time in prayer, spend time with God… when you are in full focus on Him, you won’t even be able to see the distractions and the lies of Satan.

God wants you to succeed… only succeed. He has this whole plan just for you! When you get a relationship with Him, that means uncovering that purpose and pursuing that purpose… and most of all experiencing that purpose WITH GOD ( No greater feeling)!

If you need some help on how to establish a relationship with Christ, just email me! I’ll be glad to “walk” with you! 

For I Am Not Worthy

For I Am Not Worthy

I’ve been trying really hard for about a month and a half to give God at least an hour of my day. This comes through a combination of prayer, reading my bible, watching and participating in online bible studies, and private worship…. I’ve been pretty good at keeping it up. It’s not something that I brag about or flaunt, but it’s been a huge blessing to my life. I can sense the change. I admit that prior to challenging myself to do this, I wasn't good at praying or spending time with God. I did small “microwave” prayers and I would mostly experience God in public church settings.. never in my private life. Yet, I expected God to show up in miraculous ways when I was singing, leading worship or speaking. I was trying to lead people into a place that I hadn’t really spent much time. I had no idea how to access what I was seeking God for. I reached a certain level in worship and I’d hit a ceiling… I’d stop.

A lot of times, we seek God for an emotional high. We want to only “feel” the presence of the Holy Spirit rather than seek what the Holy Spirit is looking to accomplish through us. I’ve learned that worship makes us clean in a sense…. when we worship, we focus ourselves on God and it cleans us of all of our bad feelings. It takes away all of the “yucky” things in our hearts and minds… and it just makes us feel good… almost lighter because we have cast a lot of our cares before God. 

My issue was that I was letting things hold me back. I was reminded of the sins that I’d done and while in the middle of worshipping, it almost acted like a leash… right when I was ready to break out, the “leash” yanked and I was pulled back to my lowly reality. I’d feel better because I experienced worship… but I wasn’t free. I let the weight of my sin hold me back from experiencing the fullness of God. 

In 1 Corinthians 15:9, “Paul Says For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.”

This let me know that I wasn't alone in feeling this way. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. No one is perfect, but it’s how we respond to our imperfections that will show the true level of our faith. If we are truthful, none of us are worthy of any blessing from God. This is why I am so grateful for the sacrifice that Christ made! Through his blood, we can confess our sins and shortcomings and be cleansed and FREED from the guilt and shame and the “leash” that it places over our lives. In these moments of worship, I felt unworthy. I believed in God. I had salvation, but I’d think to myself: “Who am I to do this? I’m not worthy of that.” This thought crippled me. It was a terrible feeling, something that I only recently was able to move beyond. I felt like I embodied the spirit behind verse 9… I AM NOT WORTHY! But Paul sets an example for us. Although he felt this way, he understood grace in it’s complete capacity. He knew that he wasn’t worthy… yet he knew that the Christ working in him qualified him to work for the kingdom. Paul was a huge Christian KILLER. This dude murdered people for simply professing their faith in Christ…. and became one of the biggest influences in the spreading of the gospel. 

We have to stop allowing things to hold us back. There are levels of worship and Christ that we have not reached. There are levels in life that we are not accessing because we are letting the guilt of our sins and our limited knowledge of the Holy Spirit hold us back. Simply repent, fight temptation, ask God for daily help and move on! It’s possible. Paul shows us that. 

A lot of times when I write these posts, the goal is to encourage others, but I am always encouraging myself. So, let’s do it together. Let’s leave the limits behind and move forward in the plan and purpose that God has given us! Done are the days of letting guilt hold us back. We are free from every limiting thought that causes us to feel unworthy… Let's experience the true, miraculous power of Christ. The same power that we read about in the Bible. 

We aren’t worthy... but Christ has made us clean and qualified! 

The Rules Still Apply

So, like I posted last week, I love the book of Joshua. It’s just a great story of the promises of God and the protection of God. Every time I read it, I just get encouraged by the endless possibilities of God. I mean, in the book of Joshua, God stopped the flow of the Jordan River and allowed the people of Israel to cross on DRY land. That blows my mind every time! 

The abilities that God has blows me away. The possibilities of the miraculoushave no end and they go beyond what I can even think in my mind! We are loved by God enough that He uses these abilities to help us advance in life to aid the development of His kingdom on Earth. I’m convinced that God is completely in control and biblical books like Joshua help to solidify that belief.

One of our struggles, as humans living in a heavily demon-influenced society, is trying to understand what God tolerates. We can't access the fullness of what God has planned for us if we indulge in things that God just will not operate with… these things are also known as sin.

Last week, I discussed how the only loss recorded for the Israelites in the book of Joshua was a devastating one. It only happened because one guy violated the rules. God says in verse 12 of chapter 7: “I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction.”

This tells me that there are some things that God just doesn't play with. Sin is a big deal to God. Our society has disguised it in so many different ways that sometimes it can be hard to spot and expose. And because we have fallen for the trick, it has reduced the power that we actually have as Christians. Our Christianity is so much more than just attending church and singing songs and worshipping a God that appeals to the “lighter side” of our emotions. While God is a comforter and yes, He is compassionate. He’s also the supreme being. He’s in complete control and we need to abide by the rules that He has set. The moment that we gave our lives to Christ, we surrendered control to God. Our souls are on the line! 

The average American Christian, today, doesn’t understand the power that we have access to. We have reduced our faith to weekly meetings in fine clothes, where we hear some nice music and a preacher tells us a lot of nice, fluffy things about God. After this, we go home and we really don't encounter anything to do with Jesus until the next time we decide to go to church. 

Thankfully, we have Jesus’ sacrifice that has granted us grace… so I, personally, don't think that we are ever totally cut off from God. But I do think that God will remove himself from a situation if it’s not an inviting atmosphere for Him. It’s crazy to me to see how we can experience the true work of God throughout our lives, just like the Israelites saw in their numerous victories, and still we have a hard time resisting the temptation of things that God has asked us to stay away from. 

The Bible is a LIVING document. The power that lies in that book is still alive today: the same God that parted the sea for the Israelites is still alive. The Same God that spared Noah from the flood is still alive today. The same God that raised Jesus from the dead is still alive TODAY! This God doesn't really tolerate sin… living in sin, in its many forms, limits our connection to God. and If we are not careful to tend to it and fix it, we can and will find ourselves in a situation like Joshua 7:12 where God will remove Himself. 

The guidelines seem tough, but the results are miraculous! The Bible talks about miracles, signs and wonders that are to be claimed and worked in the advancement of God’s Kingdom. God is calling us to higher levels in Him. Purity is required to enter these levels. There are lives assigned to your witness and testimony! There are new, exciting things that God can bring your way that we will only allow you to enter into when you have an intimate relationship with Him and you are living according to his rules. There are new levels of anointing that God is calling His church to. We have to obey His instructions. We have to yield to His voice in order for us to reach our full potential and spread the good news! 

Standing On The Promises of God

Promises can feel like empty words. I’ve been the giver of a few empty promises. It’s not something that I’m proud of, but it’s done and I have to live with it. It’s happened a few different ways- me not keeping my word. But most times, I really do mean well. I make a promise with all intentions of coming through… and then life happens.

In my walk with Christ, I’ve had to really accept that that’s all we get from God up front a lot of times: A promise. In the past, I’ve always feared that God would do like me and let “life” get in the way of Him keeping His promises to me. The thing about God is that He gives promises and then a few steps at a time of what we are supposed to do to get to the promise… He never really gives the whole picture, which can be frustrating. But the process is the process no matter how gruesome it can get. 

When I look at my own story and how it is continuing to unfold, I see why God doesn't reveal the whole story. There were a lot of things that I’ve had to go through that were important to my growth, spiritually… but devastating to my heart and my emotions. Yes, I admit that along this journey my feelings have been hurt. HAHA! But had I known all of the pieces, I wouldn't have gone through with it... I would have avoided the pain and as a result, I wouldn't have experienced growth. 

As I read the Bible, I notice how God always comes through with his promises! I love the book of Joshua. It deals with a young leader who is chosen to lead the Israelites into their promised land. I don’t have enough time to share the whole story (You should definitely read it when you get the chance!)

But basically it goes like this: God starts off the Journey in chapter one with this promise: “No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.” (Joshua 1:5 NLT) From here, they go through battle after battle, Miracle after miracle, and victory after victory! And then In Chapter 7, they experience a loss. A devastating loss. So much so that Joshua says ““Oh, Sovereign lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side!’ (Joshua 7:6.) The Lord instructs Joshua on what to do, they get back on track and begin to win again. By Chapter 11, the Bible says that they “Finally had a rest from war.”  As Joshua took control of the land. Just as was promised! (I’m stopping here. There’s more details and more chapters there… but, you know… I don’t have a lot of time this week to talk about the details. But! You should read it if you get time! It’s a great story)

What’s the whole point?! Not all Promises are empty words! Especially when they come from God! He can’t lie… so when he promises something, it pretty much has happened already. You just have to get past the “what” was promised and move to the “when.” God promised Joshua that no one would be able to stand against him and his army. God promised that He wouldn’t leave. And then… they started winning and experiencing miracles! They had a promise from God and He was making good on it. And then Chapter 7 happened… and they experienced a loss and it hurt! I feel like this is a lot of us! When we started out, we had this promise from God and at first, He was making good on it! Things were lining up! Everything was looking good… and then at some point, things changed and it started to feel like we were losing. 

There’s a lot more to this story of Joshua, but I want to point out that they eventually got to where they were promised they would go! Once they dealt with the issue that caused the loss (this topic is a totally different W.U.W. Post. LOL!) , God began to deliver… again! 

We have to remember that even when we Go though our period of “losing” (Whatever that looks like for you) the promise of God NEVER changes! We just have to seek God and adjust and grow and He will lead us into the "land"that He promised! He doesn't change. He can’t lie! What he promised is true and done.. .we just have to get to it!

Trust 101: Entering A New Level

Trusting is hard in most cases. There are relationships where one party naturally trusts the other party to act in their best interests, much like a parent-child type of relationship. But for most others, we have to learn to trust people. It’s a scary process… I used to think that being scared made me weak and that’s how I operated: As a powerless person. I let fear cripple me because I thought the presence of fear meant the absence of faith… which isn't always true.

Being afraid doesn’t make me weak, it makes me aware. I’m aware that certain things are big deals. Certain actions have huge consequences… and when I’m not in a position to be in control or monitoring how things will play out, it frightens me. 

The key to it all is trust. I’m learning to trust and to have faith and as long as my faith level rises above my fear level, I’m good!

I’ll admit that I’m in a place right now where God is building up my trust in Him. I have not been the best at that. It may seem a little simple, but trust can’t happen between strangers. Most of us wouldn’t trust things that we care about (Children, home, money, car, phone, iPad, laptop, etc.) into the care of a complete stranger. It just does not add up. There are some people who I have been introduced to and that I am cordial with. I speak to these people when I see them and we even hold brief conversations… but it doesn't go any deeper than that. I call these people “associates”. The relationship is shallow. There’s no depth because there’s no connection… just friendliness. 

I would not expect people like this (complete stranger or “associate”) to handle the deepest, darkest secrets of my life nor would I entrust my most loved cares and possessions into the watch of these people. That’s not their role in my life. Now, I do have close friends and family that I tell things to. These are those that I know that I can trust. 

Here’s my recent “Ah Ha” moment… it’s kind of redundant, but God had to show me that these close friendships and relationships didn't start off that way. Over time and after experiences, intimacy and closeness were developed. I only have a few people who I feel like I can share anything with… and these people and I have gone through a lot and loyalty has been tested in many different ways, but the result is a genuine friendship. 

God desires this with us: A genuine friendship. He has secrets and riches (Spiritually and physically) that have yet to be touched and remain uncovered because by and large, the body of Christ has a shallow relationship with Him. We have been introduced to him and we have a saving knowledge of Him, but there’s no depth to the relationship. He’s showing me now that there is a new, higher level to my purpose that I am approaching, but I have to trust God to fully enter into it. There are things that are required of me that I have no idea how to unlock and the only way they can be revealed to me is to spend time with God. 

Through this time, I believe that God is about to reveal his secrets to me, show me the next place I am to operate in, and allow me to mature spiritually. So I’m seeking it… I have dedicated at least an hour of my life every single day to seeking God. During this time, I pray, worship and I read my Bible. I’m not saying this to get a “pat on the back” but to share that I have expectation. Through this expectation, I am developing trust… and with this trust, I’m gonna get to my purpose! My faith is on level 10! (In my system, that’s the highest level you can go, btw. HAHA!) I believe God! 

So… I want to challenge anyone who may read this to seek God with me! This is a time where God is returning things that were stolen from us. This is a time where God is taking us to a new level in establishing His kingdom on Earth, but we need to be in position to receive it all!

Purified Preparation

Purified Preparation

“The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too.” Gen. 3:6 NLT

There it is: the moment that ruined it all. The perfect paradise that God had provided for His creation is undone in a moment’s time! Wow… This is the Earth’s introduction to sin and since this moment, so much has unfolded right before our very eyes. As a result of this sin, so many negative things have taken place! All based on the lie of sin. Sin introduced us to this separation from God. In this chapter of the Bible, we see Eve being totally tricked by the serpent. The serpent gave her lie after lie that made the one restriction God placed on humans seem irresistible. This verse says that “she wanted the wisdom it would give her.” SHE wanted it… it’s interesting to me how Eve had access to the very thing that she was searching for. She and Adam had to have communed with God on a regular basis! I mean.. they were the only 2 beings who were made in the likeness of God! I could only imagine what God had shared and was preparing to share with them! She had access to the source, but the serpent convinced her that she could have freestanding power through her own right and based upon the desire that was birthed through a lie, we were separated from God. That’s all sin is, anything that pulls you away from God. 

Sin is so tricky and deceiving that some sin doesn't even feel like sin until it's over! It doesn't feel like you're doing anything terribly wrong until after its completed and the results have made themselves known. The Bible says in Gen. 3:7 “And at that moment their eyes were opened and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness…” It wasn't until they ate the fruit, that they had allowed themselves to be convinced was harmless, that they felt the shame. By that time, the deed was done. The damage had taken place. Now Satan had them in a place where this thing could separate them from God and the shame caused them to hide. Isn’t that something?! Sin is still doing this to us TODAY! We get deceived by how cool or how harmless something may look and before we know it we are separated from God and the SHAME from what we have done causes us to hide from the world, hindering us from fulfilling our potential and living out our purpose. (I am so guilty of this myself!) 

Sin is tricky! It, sometimes, feels harmless at first, and then the next thing you know, this situation has spiraled so far out of control that it is literally beyond your control and you need the undeniable power of Christ to rectify it.

I’m so glad that since this moment, we have been given the gift of Christ. Through the sacrifice that Christ made by being hung on a cross, dying, and ultimately raising up from the dead… He literally removed the ultimate result of sin: Death. (Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death…) separation from God leads to death. There’s no way around that. Spiritual, mental, or even a physical death… it happens once you are separated from God. Your mind gets so entangled in the action, the shame, thoughts, etc… you’re lost to the power of the shame that comes with sin. It leads to things that have you in a place of worry, fear, hopelessness, and failure. But through Christ’s sacrifice, we have access to peace, to hope, and life! 

Christ came to undo what sin was set up to cause: Death. 

In Joshua 3:5, it says: “Then Joshua told the people. ‘purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.’

Because we have been freed from sin through the sacrifice of Christ, we can be purified. We can be made whole and we can be apart of what God is doing now! We have access to Christ through prayer and worship… so that we can be purified! Once we accept and believe that Christ has made us pure from sin, the Lord will do great wonders among us! God longs for us to surrender ourselves fully to Him! That he may get the glory from our lives! It comes through more than just action… for actions didn't get us this gift of salvation and purification, grace did! The grace of God was shown through Christ taking an unfair punishment for establishing what should have been done by Adam and Eve and their descendants… 

Grace! It keeps us and puts us in a position to be apart of God’s plan for right now! 

So, I urge whoever is reading this to follow the instructions that were given in Joshua Chapter 3 and purify yourselves! Find time for prayer. Find time to read the Bible. Find time to simply worship God, for God is calling us to a higher place of intimacy because He desires to do great wonders among us!  

How About Another Go?

How About Another Go? 

No results. That’s the worst! I mean, honestly… it’s not fun to put work into something and see nothing come out of it. When was the last time you heard of someone working out simply for the fun of it?! You don’t. I mean working out can be fun, but it's the fact that your body gets a lot of health benefits and mostly the fact that your body loses fat and develops toned muscle that pushes us to work out. The fact of the matter is that if there wasn't a possibility of obtaining a “beach body” many people wouldn't work out. Some might because of the health benefits, but most people do it for the physical results. It’s what we get out of it that pushes us to keep going. Losing 10 pounds, Sculpting the abs, building up those arms, toning up thighs… it’s the results that push us. 

There is absolutely NOTHING that is enjoyable about giving something your all and it doesn't go through. In my prayer life and Scripture readings, God has been dealing with me a lot in terms of failures… you’ll notice that this week’s blog post has a similar undertone as last week’s “That Did NOT Go as Planned.” I feel like there a re people out there who just need some encouragement to keep going…. but there are others who have already given up on something. 

Everybody has a dream of some sort. We all grew up saying “I want to do ____.” you fill in the blank. Some things we grow into as we mature and go through life, regardless of when your dream was birthed, the fact remains that we all have one! Some people want to teach. Some want to sing. Some want to dance, or write, work in finance, become a CEO, or to become a successful Politician… we all want SOMETHING. But somewhere along the line, we get weary… and sometimes we give up.

It’s not a good feeling to reach a point in life where you feel like your dream is beyond your reach. I’ve been there. The thing that always gets me back on track is my undying faith in the power that comes through having Jesus Christ as a savior. I believe that God can do anything. Even things that don't make sense! He has raised the dead beyond the traditional allotted time to do so. He has healed illnesses that are deemed incurable and sure to take lives. He has walked on water (I mean, who thinks to do that?! lol)... and perhaps the greatest miracle of all was Him dying on the cross so that my sins can be forgiven. God can do ANYTHING! 

I was reading the book of Luke and in Chapter 13 Jesus is giving a bunch of parables. In verse 6, He tells the story of a barren fig tree. Long story short: There’s this guy who had a fig tree planted in his garden that just didn't grow fruit. Every year he tried, but it never grew anything. The Bible says in the NLT that “he was always disappointed.” Finally, the guy tells his gardener to cut the tree down because it was just taking up space… but the gardener didn't want to give up on the tree. He begs the man to give it another chance. “Leave it another year.” the gardener says. ‘I’ll give it special attention… If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then cut it down.” 

This chapter of Luke doesn't really provide an ending for that parable. But it really got me excited. If you remember from last week, I discussed how the same situations can be viewed differently. Some of us maybe be like the owner of the garden: we are just tired of trying. We are over putting all of this work into something and just getting nothing out of it. You may be ready to quit. You may be ready to just stop. Move on to something else, and find another “thing.” But I believe that God brought me to this scripture and laid it on my heart to post because there is potential in you. I want to encourage you to give it another go! 

We serve a God who is capable of second chances. We serve a God who is able to restore and revive the most dead of situations. What ever dream you gave up on, whatever project/ministry you quit, the marriage, your child, etc: Give it another go. Look at it with the eyes of Christ. Review it. Pray about it and consider giving it another shot. The gardener didn't know if the tree would grow any fruit… he just didn't want to give up on it just yet. He had faith that it was still possible. I’m not here to prophecy that whatever it is that was dying will suddenly become successful, but I am saying consider prayer one more time before you quit out of frustration and bad emotions. Make sound decisions… make Christ-based decisions.  

Some of the most successful people in history hit their “Big Break” right when they were ready to break. I’ve heard many times how people were ready to give up but mustered up the courage and strength to give it one last go, and “boom” they blew up as a result. So here’s the point of all of this: Seek God in prayer regarding what ever it is, ultimately He will lead you. He may confirm that you should let it go…. BUT! Maybe there’s still some fruit left. Maybe you’re supposed to try again… 

I’m just trying to encourage you to look past your frustration. Look past your emotions. See the potential of the thing and trust God, he may be leading you to give it another Go!

That Did NOT Go As Planned

 "That did NOT go as planned…"

We've all been here. We have something in mind…some big idea. We act on it. Plan it. Prepare for it. Then the big day comes and it doesn’t go as planned. Could there be a bigger tragedy?! LOL Obviously there can be, but that doesn't take away from the fact that you’re bummed out. It doesn't take away the thoughts of "Why didn’t that work?" Often times we concentrate on what went wrong. “What didn’t I do right?” “What am I missing?” “What the heck happened?!” 

These are dangerous thoughts… I think, in our society, it’s necessary to look at things that need work. We need to review aspects that are not perfect. This is tough, but in order to do better, you have to spend a little bit of time in an uncomfortable position of surveying your effectiveness. Most times there are things that need to be tightened up. The danger that lies in this is where you allow your mind to go from here. Too many of us quit on our calling or LIMIT our calling because of a few failures. We look at everything that didn't go right and we judge ourselves too harshly off of what we were unable to accomplish. What a blow to your ego! What a blow to your faith!

I get it- Your thoughts are probably: "How can I trust God for more when I can barely make it through the day with where I am now?! How can I trust God for more than what I see when what I see already appears to be too much for me?! 

My answer: Perception is everything. In High School, I had a teacher tell our whole class to hold our hands up… he then asked us: “What do you see?” We answered: “fingernails.” “Knuckles.” “A mole” People began to speak of various blemishes that they had. They made references to whatever they could see on their hands. The more we answered, the more confused this teacher began to look…. After everyone had finished, he replied “I don’t see any of that… I see some fingerprints. I see a few lines in this hand. This one DOES have a mole… but it doesn't look like the one you guys were talking about.” He went on for a little while… but the lesson was that we were looking at the SAME hand from 2 different points of view. What I saw WASN'T what he saw… In the same way, God doesn't see out situations like we see them. God sees us differently, often times better than how we see ourselves. God is not bound by time. He’s not even bound by our mistakes. He has a plan… everyday that we live is contained in it. When things don’t look like what God says, it’s not because it doesn't exist… it’s because he sees us at our best, beyond the limitations that we put on ourselves. the promise is there... it's just beyond all of the stuff that we have to get through. 

The mere fact that something doesn't go as planned, doesn't remove the power that God has to supersede whatever the failure is. It’s on us to look at what didn't work and see what DID work. Learn from it and pray against the spirit of distraction that could allow us to become so consumed with the failure that we forget that god can make it appear as if that failure never even happened. 

Rejections, failures, shortcomings, imperfections are NO match for the power of God. The Bible says that “ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 KJV)

You love God. He has called you. He has forgiven you… whatever happens, God can use it so that you can ultimately reach the greatness that He has called you to. Trust Him. He’s with you… and as long as He is with you, nothing on this earth can keep you from where He has for you to go… except you. Don’t be fooled or distracted. God is not controlled by human failures or standards… He’s much greater than that!

PS: If you aren't sure of your relationship with God, drop me a message. I'd love to pray for you! Scratch that- We can pray together. 

The Test Of Endurance

“Nobody told me the road would be easy, but I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me.”

I grew up in church and we would sing this song quite often. It’s funny because as a kid, you don’t really realize the depth and the impact that the lyrics in a song can have. This one line in this song has gotten me through many rough nights and mornings where I just didn't want to get out of bed. “I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me.” 

It’s amazing how God can allow us to grow. He’ll expand us. God will even bring us to higher levels… and we forget about it as soon as a new trial comes along. I am very guilty of this. But this line keeps me grounded and it reminds me that God really does love me and wants to prosper me. I just have to have faith that he will and the endurance to work until He brings His plan for my life to pass. 

I’ve been really busy the past few weeks and haven't been able to write “Word Up Wednesday” Posts… on here, I do my best to stay as transparent as I possibly can. The past few weeks have been amazing for me. I got to open up for The Walls Group and for the incomparable Yolanda Adams. I led worship with an incredible band for the 18th Quadrennial meeting of the YPD of the AME church (which is a huge international meeting for the AME Church that only takes place every 4 years) and then I got to visit some friends in Atlanta…. the month of July was filled with lots of hard work and a ton of fun with some amazing people. 

Yet… this week, as soon as I got back to my apartment, I spent a little time in prayer, went to sleep and the next morning I was tormented by the thoughts of “What’s Next?” I had to pray myself out of a place where I know Satan was trying to get me to go: Self-pity. As amazing of a month that I’ve had, there were still some rough patches… but the good outweighed the bad. So while in the midst of these events, I focused on the good. When I got home and it was just me and my thoughts, I spent time focusing on the bad. Which is dangerous. Mainly because I know Satan tries to use me to defeat my own self. As crazy as that sounds, it’s true. What’s even crazier is that I have allowed this to happen on more than one occasion. I allow myself to fall for the trick of what appears real. When something appears to be real it poses a very big threat to that thing that you haven't achieved yet… which, at times, can feel fake. Thoughts get going: You’re never going to achieve THAT.” “Look at how far you still have to go” “Nobody even cares…” These thoughts focus on the things that we see… Yet we know that faith is not about what we see, it’s about what we know. What we believe to be true. We need to always trust the word that God gave us even when it doesn't look real… or possible. I always had allowed myself to fall for the trick of what appeared to be real. This time I wasn’t going to allow it. 

Endurance: The ability to resists, withstand,  and recover from trauma, wounds or fatigue. The ability to do something difficult for a long time. The ability to deal with pain or suffering that continues for a long time.

We endure when we keep moving despite what things look like around us. Despite what we hear because we move off of what we know! I believe that I am still growing as a believer and that my faith is expanding. I also believe that there are others out there who, like me, are working towards achieving their full potential and walking towards their calling. I want to encourage you to endure. It’s a test. Whatever satan is showing you that looks real that is contrary to what God said, that’s a trick. Don’t settle. Don’t stop. Withstand that trauma. Take the punches. Push through your exhaustion because your “better you” is ahead of you and the only way you will reach the goal is to keep moving!

We Are Under Attack

Satan attacks me a lot in the same ways. It’s crazy because it always feels different. Before I realize what’s really going on, before I notice it’s a trick… It feels like something new. I know it may sound crazy, but even though the approach is different, the strategy is really similar. He gets in my head about certain things. He presents me with things that I want… things that I REALLY want. It may look or feel harmless, but then I find myself struggling unnecessarily because I’ve allowed the enemy in a place where he shouldn’t have had access. I’ve fallen for the trick of Satan so many times, I’m a bit ashamed to admit it. Yet… I think that my shortcomings can still bring glory to God. They can still help someone else. There’s an old saying that there is nothing new under the sun. As I look at my life and as I watch the news and read the various reports that are given. As I look at Facebook and other social media outlets, I say that saying is actually true. 

The strategies are the same. The outcomes are the same. The approaches are different. Slightly… but still different. One thing that I have learned about Satan and his army is that they know us better than we know ourselves. They know what we want before we know what we want. They know what will entice us. They know what will tempt us. They know how to make us fall. That’s a tough enemy to have! It seems like and feels like we will never win… and apart from God, that’s totally true! We can’t win without God. We need Him to help us. To expose the enemy to us. To fight our battles for us. In the last week, I’ve read about the murders of the Charleston 9, their funerals, murders around the country, arguments surrounding the legalization of gay marriage, and most recently, the several black churches among the south that have been set on fire in the last few days. One thing is for sure: We are certainly under attack. 

Satan has used an identity crises to slow down the body of Christ. He finds new ways to make us ignorant of ourselves and our own ability because if we truly knew ourselves and the power that we possess, it would be much easier to expose him. We would be able to identify a trick that he could be disguising as a blessing. We would be able to call him out on the issues that he may be trying to hide behind something that’s attractive to you… we’d know. A lot of times we struggle against the same issues because of how well Satan knows us and how little we actually know ourselves… I speak from experience. As someone who is still figuring some things out about life and my purpose, I’ve realized that I can’t let my guard down. As a Christian Man who’s actively trying to spread the good news of Jesus Christ… I just can’t. Because Satan knows me very well and is willing to pounce at every opportunity to tear me down. That’s the same with the body of Christ as a whole. We CANNOT be distracted by silly issues that have disguised themselves as important when all they are really doing is pulling us further and further away from our God-given purposes. We all have one. These things that have been going on in our society have been trying to pull us away from what we really need to be focusing on: Being a light in this world. 

**Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) - For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.**

This is all an attack. Very elaborate. Very detailed… but it’s an attack. This same chapter of scripture tells us how to prepare and defend ourselves against such attacks: The Full Armor of God. 

The Belt of truth. The body armor of God’s righteousness. Peace that comes from the Good News and keeps us prepared. The shield of Faith to stop the fiery arrows of the enemy. The Helmet of Salvation, The sword of the Spirit- The Word of God.- The Full Armor of God. 

Verse 18 gives us the most important of all of the instructions. In my opinion, we need this to even begin to activate the rest of the Full Armor of God. We are instructed to pray in the spirit in every situation. We are instructed to stay alert and to be PERSISTENT. As an artist, I've read quite a few books. and a few of the ones that discuss developing a brand, establishing a business mind, marketing, etc… they remind me that consistency is key. 

We struggle from the same things over and over again because our prayer life is inconsistent. We are fooled by the same things because our prayer life is inconsistent. We are so easily distracted because our Prayer life is inconsistent. Our prayer life is inconsistent and it weakens our armor. When we don’t spend time in prayer, our faith grows weak so we can’t fight off the fiery arrows of the enemy. We set our salvation to the side and we leave our minds vulnerable to tricks from Satan. We don’t read the word of God therefore we lack a sword, a weapon to fight of the enemy. 

Now is not the time to grow weary. We have to stay the course and not fall victim to the tricks that Satan has put out there for us! We are under attack. We have to take the right approach in order to defeat Satan and his army. We have to follow and trust God.

Let His Light Shine

This past week, the country stood still as we witnessed, yet, another tragedy rooted in hatred, racism, and division. This week, services will be held for the victims of the shooting that took place at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, that claimed the lives of 9 faithful people that have become known as the Charleston 9. It’s crazy to believe that we live in a society that doesn't even respect God enough to keep violence out of His house. As hurt as I am by this senseless act of murder and terrorism, I’m not writing on that today… I’m writing on the response to this act.

I once heard a saying that said something along the lines of “Life isn’t about what happens to you, it’s about how you react to what happens to you!” This has stuck with me because I honestly believe its true… things happen. Good things...Bad things…Things that we don’t know how to categorize just yet. All there… Things happen! BUT! What determines the type of person you are is how you is you respond. When you’re met with difficulties, is quitting the first thing that runs through your mind? When you’re hurt, do you go to extreme measures to try and inflict the same amount of pain on another person? If you’re scared, do you wallow behind your fear and play it safe? When things are going well for you, do you gloat? Perhaps you stop praying and seeking God as much as you do when you are in desperate need for a miracle?

Your reactions reveal your character. They expose who you really are! And this past week, I saw amazing reactions to this massacre from the families of the victims. I can’t imagine what these people are feeling. I mean…the victims left for church to never return home again! These people lost their loved ones in a violent way. Most people would have a harsh, bitter and hateful response. But the families of the victims instead said: “We forgive you, my family forgives you.” and “we would like for you to take this opportunity to repent…” One lady who survived the shooting said “"As we said in Bible Study, we enjoyed you, but may God have mercy on you.”

WOW! What a response! The woman who said this lost her son that night… her son! Her 26 year-old son is dead… because of the man that she was talking to. Yet, she forgave him and complimented him stating, “We enjoyed you” and still prayed for him, “May God have mercy on you.”

What Strength! This goes to show you that if Christ is in you enough, He will shine through you no matter what is going on! This one act preached to more people than most Sunday morning sermons across the world! It’s a testament of true faith that God will never leave us nor forsake us. These families showed the world that just as Job said “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” What faith! What strength! What a testimony!! This amazes me even now and this response was issued by newspapers almost a full week ago. It amazes me and at the same time, it chastises me because I know that I might not have responded the same way had those shoes been placed on my feet.

Let Christ be the driving force behind everything in your life! Let him guide your actions, your emotions, your thoughts and your responses! The way these people responded to this act really put ME in check! I thought about all the times where people have hurt me or have tried to hurt me in far less impactful ways than murdering people I care about. I thought about my reactions… I thought about the condition that it put my heart in…. I let it sink in. I was disappointed in myself. Our reactions and responses in all situations are chances for us to let the light of Christ shine! We need to begin to check ourselves and ask if we are doing all we can in all the areas of our lives to allow Christ to shine through!

My prayers are with the families and all those affected by this killing. I’m praying for all of those who have the task of burying, preaching and attending these funerals. God is our hope! God is our source. God is our Strength! Put your trust in Him and let his light shine! 

Church Culture VS. Christ Culture

Being a christian today is kind of confusing to those looking in from the outside. That’s something that I’ve come to realize… I’m a graduate of one of the most amazing Colleges in the world, Columbia College Chicago. Its an arts school, and while studying there, I learned and uncovered a lot... One thing is this foggy definition that some people have of being "Christian".

I’ll never forget walking to the train from class one night with a buddy. Somehow we got on the topic of religion. I probably brought it up... at the time, I was fresh in being serious about Christ and brought Jesus up as much as I could. But what we would begin to talk about kind of confused me. When I asked this person if they were a Christian they said no… When I asked if they believed in Jesus, they said yes. Blew me away! How does that even work?! How do you believe in Jesus, but not identify as christian? What they said next rocked my newly saved world! “I mean, I believe in Jesus. I believe that he died for us or whatever… but I just don't do all the things that Christians do. I don’t go to church...haven't been in a while. Sometimes I cuss, I drink, and I do other stuff.... But I pray from time to time. And yeah… I believe.” Wow… He brought up boring lifestyles, the way “church people” dressed, the things that “church people” say, etc. He made some compelling arguments as to why he just didn't feel the need to identify with Christianity… yet he still believed in Christ.

As we continued to walk, topics shifted… but not my spirit. I had never heard anything like that before. A believer who isn't a Christian. I mean If he wasn’t a Christian, then what the heck was he?! The answer: A Believer… on his way to being a true follower of Christ. Later that week, I had to let him know that he was at least on the right path. The Bible says “If you openly declare that jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” I told him that he was doing something right.. just not everything. I mean, hey “All have sinned and fallen short”, right?! I, also, used this as an opportunity for me to do some self exploring... the truth behind this that I’d uncovered was that this guy, as imperfect as his life may have been and as bad as some of his choices may have been, he was probably more heaven bound than most of the people who attend church regularly.

Why?! When he told me that he believed… it had a genuineness that I’d rarely encountered. I could tell that he really did believe that Jesus was Lord… I could tell that there was something there that was more than just words... there was true belief. When asking that same question to others who’d been churching it up for years, the answers sounded more rehearsed than real. This scares me.. This isn’t true for all… but there have been some people that I have encounter who don’t even believe that God has the power to heal or deliver… so we can ultimately forget about true salvation. These would be considered “Church People” with regular attendance on Sunday mornings… more because it is apart of a routine rather than a chance to worship with likeminded believers.

My concern with today’s church is that we have adopted more of the church culture than Christ’s culture. We have shouting, hollering, the “look” of worship, stadium style sanctuaries, state of the art kitchens, classrooms, contemporary color schemes… we have it all. Yet,we lack the essence of what the sinners need- Christ. I’m not here to act like I’m perfect, but I am here to say that we can all stand to evaluate ourselves a little better.

How often doo we openly criticize and embarrass people in churches for not shouting when others are? Or for not worshipping exactly like we do? How often do we do the same when people don’t follow our agenda for the church or even dress like us for the church?

Don’t get me wrong, there are limits to everything. I honestly believe that a person who’s had a true encounter with Christ will change things to become a better person. But, how often do we even give a fighting chance?

I'm not trying to present some type of deep theological argument on this guy or what he said… As a matter of fact, it was said my sophomore year of college, almost 6 years ago. The point I’m bringing up is that we have adopted what church looks like more than we have adopted what Christ looks like. The way we dress, talk, shout, worship, speak in tongues, the way our churches look… everything is influenced by what we have seen from others. But i want to ask everyone reading this to PLEASE spend some time with God and see how HE wants you to do it... “It” being this whole Christian living thing. We are the body of Christ. We are his representation in a world that seeks to wipe him clean out of our society. We need to look like christ! Act like christ. Talk like Christ! Adopt Christ’s life! Adopt Christ’s Culture! 

DON'T MOVE

            It amazes me how quickly things switch up for me… I think that’s possibly the least admired part of my journey- In every area of my life, at any moment, things can change. Literally…every area. At any given time. Things can change… for the better or even for the worse. It’s difficult for me to handle at times, but I have some mechanisms that I use to help me adjust. But honestly…Sometimes, this causes me to be a little anxious about life. Even though the Bible commands us in Philippians 4, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” I’ll admit that Sometimes, I do worry. My life, at times, doesn’t make me feel like I'm the most stable guy in the world.

            If I can be real with you, sometimes, the things the Bible says can seem and feel a little unrealistic. Before you gasp with unbelief and write me off and turn away from anything else I have to say, hear me out! I mean… this is my life. My future. My purpose… HOW in the world am I supposed to be so nonchalant about it? How can I not worry? How can I not be concerned? The direction here is to pray about it. And I do that… but everything else that follows the prayer is what makes it so difficult. The fact that I can’t stop thinking about it. The fact that what I know will come and what I see right now are two totally different things…. with that on my mind, how can I fully and truly trust God with it? I mean, this is a lot to ask for. It’s a lot to consider. I’m a human… I’m bound to human limitations. And according to our society… “Seeing IS Believing”! I know what I see... I also know what God told me… and the two are just not meeting up right now.

            This quick little scripture tells us to “Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done.” To be honest, this helps me… When ever I pray about something that I desire and after I pour my heart and soul out to God, I thank Him for something that was already done in my life. This changes my mindset most of the time (Sometimes the worry is a little difficult to shake). But for real, thinking about the times that I honestly should have died from making stupid choices… The times where I should have failed, but God filled in the missing pieces and helped me to succeed...Everything! There are a lot of times where I have to trust God, and thanking Him for the ways that have been made, where it couldn't have been anything else but his power that created a way, REALLY helps me.

            In the book of Acts, in the first chapter… It discusses the final moments of Jesus on this earth before He ascends into heaven. In one of the verses, he tell his followers “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised, as I told you before”… Every time I read this passage, I have to stop and ask God for courage and endurance to hold on. That’s what this passage of scripture reminds me of- “Holding On”! We’ve established that this is way easier said than done, which is why passages like the one from Philippians also helps me… but this scripture from Acts… WOW!

DON’T MOVE!!!

Living a life like mine, where things can change at any moment, makes THIS difficult to do.  Part of my problem is that I try to have a plan of some sort. “If this doesn't work, then I can do that” or “If that doesn't happen the way I’ve planned, then I can get still take this away from it…” I’ve learned that this isn't how we need to work with God. We gotta give all our trust to him. No back up plans… We follow His voice… Heed to His commands, and he’ll give us the provisions that we need.

“Do not leave!” That’s what Jesus said… I want to encourage people reading this (and myself)… Don’t sell yourself short. You received a promise from God. You received a calling and a purpose from God. Though where you are may not be comfortable. Though what you are experiencing may not feel good. PLEASE!!! Don’t move before your promise arrives! God is sending your gift. He hasn't forgotten about you. He’s on your side! He wants you to succeed… You just have to have faith that it is actually already done…you just haven't entered into yet. Don’t let what you see cause you to waiver… gain the experience that you need. Learn the lessons that you need. Meet the people that you may need. Develop the relationships that you may need and trust God that your promise IS being sent. Trusting God isn't easy… but like Philippians Chapter 4 says, Thank God for what He’s already done. Change your mindset. Most importantly DON’T MOVE!! At least not until its time. ;-) 

Love Makes the Difference

John 13:

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

Coming up in the AME church, we had a Bishop, Robert Thomas, Jr., who had a popular saying that he coined: Love makes the difference.  As an adult I have learned that this is so true… Love makes ALL the difference. The issue is the blurred view as to what love is in our society. How it looks, what it takes, how it makes us feel…. Now, I’m NO expert on love, but I’ve had enough life experiences to understand that it isn't what I originally thought it was. I used to think that love was this warm and cozy feeling that was brought on through physical attraction between two people. I used to think that love was owed to us and that we didn't have to give anything… love just kind of happened. I mean… that’s how my family loved me. I didn't have to do anything but exist and they loved me.  I used to think that love wasn’t something that could be earned or worked towards… you either loved someone or you didn’t. There was no gestures, sayings, anything to push someone towards loving you. While I’m not an expert on love… I’ve learned that there’s more to it than that. I’ve learned that there are different types of love for different types of relationships and that each kind is important… but we as a society have become almost immune to real love. We’ve become cold. We’ve become distant… All of this has happened for many reasons, but one thing is for sure: As a result of all of that, love isn't easy to find.

Love makes the difference.  As a kid… these were just some cool words that a Bishop in the AME church said. It sounded nice. But it seemed to lack meaning to me. Clearly I didn't have the most sound understanding of what it meant to love or be loved, so that played a part in me not grasping the depth of what Bishop Thomas was saying. As time went on, I’ve learned that love is so powerful. It really does make a difference. I mean, the most that anyone really can ask for is to be accepted… to be loved. The lack of love or the feeling of the lack of love can drive people to do some crazy things. It pushes some people into dark places because we long for the acceptance & love of others. We want to matter to someone… anyone. The people who love us are the driving force behind the choices we make. They give us something to live for. Spouses, Children, nieces, nephews, cousins, special friendships, romantic relationships… they push us to want to be better. The power of love is so deep. Even the things that we do and sacrifice because we love someone… it further demonstrates my sentiments that love is powerful.

What intrigues me the most are the people who have the ability to love… even when the person they love doesn't acknowledge their love or even show that love in return. The spouses who remain faithful even when it seems that the other is pulling away, the parents who continue to pray and try to help their wayward children… or even Jesus, who loves us so much and proves it over and over again, yet we fail at showing our love to Him on a regular basis.

Love provides hope. Pure, unadulterated, untainted love… it’s one of the most powerful things we have. It’s a gift for one another. Here in this referenced scripture, Jesus is telling us to properly use this gift. He gives us a new command: Love one another.

Jesus’ life was one of sacrifice… he did things the right way. In doing so, he set the perfect example for us. When told to love, He not only gives the command, but He tells us to how to do it. “Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”  Jesus has unconditional love that isn't based on things that we do, or kind words that we say or anything like that. He loves us without regard for our positions, as the Bible tells us, He does not play favoritism. He loves everyone… even those who choose to not believe in Him. Those who claim they love him but don’t live like it. Those who speak negatively about him… He continues to love. Despite the hurt it must cause Him, He still loves them. If these same people were to come to Christ and give Him their lives, He’d accept them and treat them as if none of that ever happened! That’s some real love!

We have to love each other like Christ loves us!

We are to love and respect each other… no matter what. If we disagree, have had some issues in the past, even those whose character we don't particularly LIKE… we still have the command to LOVE! Love is what will separate us from the world. Our ability to endure hardships and still treat people right, our ability to still smile at people after they may have done us wrong, not looking down on people who may not have the means to have materialistic things… We have to show love in all of these areas. It’s important! Our love is what will make people see that we belong to Christ.

So please, show some love today and every day! You never know who you’ll be helping by providing a smile, encouraging words, and hope through your loving ways. Love will make you stand out because LOVE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! 

Where do I begin?

Chasing a dream is probably the hardest thing that I’ve ever done. 

If I’m gonna be a vessel of God and used to spread the gospel, at some point I have to start being open and if I can be honest: this is hard. Not because I don't love it, that’s actually what keeps me going… but the process is so difficult. A lot of times, the “Behind The Scenes” stuff and the moments that go unseen feels like it’s almost too much to bear. Being obedient and doing this God’s way means that I have given up control, I’ve given up my plans, and I’ve told God that He can move forward with His plans for my life. As a result, I have no idea how to do this. Most times, I don’t even know what’s coming next…. All I know is what God said. I know the vision that He gave me…. I know the end, at least I sort of know. 

I have dreams about it. I can see it… I see myself moving in the calling that God has given me... and it scares me! Not because I can't do it… but because I’ve worked so hard and sometimes it feels like it won’t happen. 

I know I can’t be the only one to experience this…. doubt. 

Doubt is a very real thing. It’s so real that it pushes us into acts and thoughts that are birthed out of desperation. It causes us to settle for far less than we have the potential to reach. It puts a false sense on and causes us to rely on reality… when we have been called to rely on faith. Doubt gives birth to fear, at least that's how I see it. I feel like fear is nothing more than thoughts that come out of doubt. The doubt of believing that what you were called and created to do won’t work… that you’ll fail.  Fear that you’ll get hurt. Fear that you won’t succeed. From these thoughts of doubting, we create these false images and scenarios in our head of all of the negative that we could experience and based off of that, we place limits on ourselves. Perhaps even mores than that, we place limits on God. We go for the things that are right in front of us as opposed to reaching for the stars. We stay in our boxes, full of things that we can see and control rather than moving on faith and going for things that are, seemingly, beyond our reach. That’s not living; that’s insanity! If we don't test our limits, we’ll never know what we are made of… we’ll never know the full potential of what we have. This fear that’s birthed from doubt robs us of so much. It robs of experiences that we need to move forward and to develop to fulfill the purpose that we were created for.

One thing this whole experience of following what I believe to be the voice of God,  in moving forward in music ministry is that I (we… YOU) can’t let fear rob me of my purpose. I have to learn to move past what I think might not happen and focus on what IS! God IS! I have had to learn to love unconditionally because people WILL hurt you. I’ve learned to live courageously because sometimes you don’t get second chances. I’ve learned to worship intently because so many things come to distract you away from the thing we are supposed to be devoting our lives to. 

I have no idea how to do this, I don't know where to begin, but God does! It’s the price we pay for obedient living… that’s why we need faith- unwavering faith. However, if we continue to focus on God, he’ll reveal our next steps on the journey!