In Spite Of!

There are times I wake up tired. There are times where I feel like crying. There are times where I wonder will I make it. There are times when I don't feel like being positive or smiling. Then I think about my grandfathers whom I never met. Then I think about my Father's Mother who I only enjoyed for 5 years. Then I think of my Mother's Mother who I only enjoyed for 10 years. Then I think of my Mother who died a year later. Then I think of my stepmother who died years later leaving my Father as a man who had two wives to die. Then I think of my Father who died a year after I graduated college. Then I think of all of the many people who count on me to encourage. Then I think of all the people who can benefit from positivity. Then... I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He has done for me. In spite of all the wrongs I have done and the rights I have yet to achieve I have to put positive out so it will come back to me. I will boast the wonder of Jesus, and I will block the masquerade of the enemy.

Share Life, Let's Go!!!

Reconnecting to the Power Source

Acts 1:8 NIV But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you: and you will be my witnesses...

Yeah, so once again it's been a while since I took the time to sit down and write another blog entry, but I've had one brewing for a while now. Before I go into this entry any further let me encourage all of you that are on twitter to follow me http://www.twitter.com/des10d4gr8ns pretty cool to follow also you don't want to miss my inspirational segments called what... none other than #toiletdevotion. If you didn't know, you better ask somebody. So many times in life we go through trials and tribulations until it seems like we're constantly going through. However, it is important to remember that we're going through and not staying in. So many times in our lives we go through things so that God can prune us and grow us to the next level of where He would have us to go, but a lot of what we go through is because of our disobedience or better yet lack of obedience. That is what has lead me to write this particular blog.

When our carpets get dirty in our homes it usually means it's time to pull out the vacuum cleaner and do some cleaning. Over time our carpet gathers dirt from various things including our feet, dust particles, crumbs, and many other things. In other words our carpets just gather a lot of filth. So we begin to vacuum and we like what we see, but then all of the sudden we go around that corner and the vacuum stops! What happened? In the process of us getting rid of the dirt in the carpet and being so focused on the dirt we stretch the vacuum too far and it disconnects from the power source. Well, until we go back around that corner and reconnect the vacuum to the power source we can not remove any more dirt from the carpet. Yep, you guessed it that is where I'm going with this one.

In life there are so many things that get in our way of excelling or having a closer relationship with God. Simply put there is a lot of dirt that gets in our way. Any believer should be able to make it through these things the more we pray, study and commune with God. So let's just think of our ability to deal with life as the vacuum cleaner. Well sometimes we get to certain junctures in life where we feel like nothing is working. It seems like all we try to do fails. No matter how hard we fight, it seems that we can not see the light of day. Many times it is easy to fall into a state of constant stress or depression. Believe me I know, because I was there just last year as I wrote about in an earlier entry. I realize that sometimes we just hit that juncture so hard that we become disconnected from the power source. As a great prophet said, "God is the only boss that will fire you and let you keep working." In other words we can still be operating as a Christian, we can still be operating as a believer, we can still be operating as witnesses for God but yet we have no power.

Let me suggest to you that if you are going through some things in your life, if you can't seem to see the light of day, if you can't seem to see the end of the tunnel, if your life is worse now than it has ever been before, sit down and ask yourself have you disconnected from the power source. What is the power source you ask? The power source is the electricity of the Holy Spirit in your life. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV the bible says, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. That means that we have specific steps to reconnecting to the power source. Then when we start the journey to reconnecting to the power source we need to immediately begin to Praise God more in everything we do. For there is power in our praise. Don't focus on the dirt or the negative in our lives. That is the best way to disconnect from the source. However, allow the source to generate the good in our lives. We don't know how to get ourselves out of situations anyway. So many times what we think is the right thing to do is in direct conflict with the right thing to do. For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways, "declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. -Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV I was watching youtube videos last night and I came across and interview with Prophet Todd Hall. He said that God desires, deserves, demands and then delights in our praise. That is so powerful to me, and I immediately begin to bury that in my spirit. As i wrote in an earlier entry, when life gives you lemons don't make lemonade and show signs that you had lemons but Praise God and show signs that you've been blessed.

My prayer is that this will minister to someone in a special way. I love and enjoy writing because it helps me bless others when I'm going through or from what I've been through. I'm just walking in the gift that God has given me. As always I pray that God will bless each and every person that reads this spiritually, mentally, socially, physically and financially. I ask that you pray the same for me. God Bless you and I love you!

2 Seconds

So many times in life things come at us like a Mack truck from every direction. Sometimes it seems as though there is no stability in our lives. So in return we get trapped in the whole web of life. We're on top sometimes, and then there are more windings and links added to the web. So this entry is dedicated to the hardships of life. If allowed I would just like to take but 2 seconds of your time!

Second 1:
Psalms 150:1-6
Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his supassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
This chapter in Psalms to me is a parallel passage of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which says, In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
God clearly wants us to praise Him in all that we do, and in neither of those passages do I see a clause where you shouldn't. So even when people are taking advantage of your kindness, Praise! So even when you haven't got full grips on who you are in Christ, Praise! So even when you're a 25, 35 or 45 year old female and you just don't see "Mr. Right" ever coming, Praise! So even when you just can't seem to make that passing grade in school, Praise! So even when you are not where you want to be in life, Praise! So even when you think you are doing everything you can to be a good and no woman wants you, Praise! So even when you've been laid off or jobless and you think there is no way you will make it to tomorrow, Praise! So even when you think you've made it, but now life is even harder, Praise! Simply put you should always Praise God!

Second 2:
Now clearly I have taken more than 2 seconds of your time, but the title is just a metaphor to get you to understand the point that it doesn't take all day to just stop and say Lord please get me back on track. While you're moaning and complaining, that's 2 seconds that you could be giving to God! While you're changing your facebook status to negative things, that's 2 seconds that you could be giving to God! While you're out there giving up on life, that's 2 seconds that you could be giving to God! Also, this entry is in memory of my Father, the late, great Bishop Prince James Jr. My wife, Felicia would love when we went home and ate over my Father's house. He would ask Felicia or myself to put his food in the microwave for about 2 seconds. Now we knew it would take longer, but He was just telling us that it doesn't take long. So next time you feel down in the dumps, just look up and say Lord I thank you, and I Praise you for what you have done, what you are doing, and what you are going to do!

As I've told you before everything I write is as much for me as it is for you. As always I pray that God will bless you spiritually, mentally, socially, physically and financially. I just ask that you do the same for me. God bless you in Jesus Name!