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!!!

Your Gifts

I had a total moment of praise and thanksgiving come over me this morning when I was contemplating how good God is to us. Proverbs 18:16 says, "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men." Well, I just looked back over my life and realized that it has been so true for me. I don't know what to make of all the people I've met over the years in my profession, but what I do know is that I've made connections with people that has really impacted my life in a great way. Sometimes we are too busy worrying or complaining to realize how good God is. In the midst of this horrible pollen season kicking off, this morning was so awesome taking in a deep breath of God's creation as I walked to my car.

I encourage you to figure out what your gifts are. If you don't know how to do that, then just go to the creator. Once you find out what they are walk in them and don't look back. Do it like your life depends on it because it does. I don't know where she got the quote from, but I once heard one of my Christian sisters say, "Your passion will pin you to your purpose, and your purpose to your destiny". God bless each and every one of you spiritually, mentally, socially, physically and financially.

Let Go

I shared a little inspiration this morning on my twitter, instagram (@des10d4gr8ns) and facebook (Mike Createdtoexcel James) this morning but I just wanted to expound upon the thought a little more. There are so many things that come at us every single day in life that will deter us from the path that we are on, however it is important to remember that God will provide us daily with what we need. So many times we can't move forward because we hold on to too much.

Someone is in a relationship that they feel and know in their heart that is holding them back, but because they "love" the person, or because they don't want to hurt the person's feelings, or because it is easier to stay together, or because breaking up is just so hard... they stay in that cancer of a relationship. LET GO!

Someone has been hurt by people over and over again in life. It seems that every time you give people a chance they find a way to hurt you. You feel like you have, is and will always be in this fight alone. You feel like everyone is out to get you. Now because of that you just can't seem to find joy in any person or situation. LET GO!

Someone has emotional stress from a family member, friend, associate or loved one who died and it seems like they left too soon. It seems as though God wasn't thinking about how it would affect you when He called them home. You wake up everyday and wonder if you will be able to make it through. Nothing keeps you going but the memories you have of them. LET GO!

Someone/anyone/all of us have issues, stresses, events, fears that we face everyday and everyday God gets us through them. Now I'm not saying that it is easier to do, but I'm saying that with God's help and your willingness to move forward you can let go of many of the things that could possibly be holding you back from the next level in life. It is already said in Philippians 4:13 "I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (NIV) So begin to speak that in your life and LET GO!

As always I pray that God blesses each and everyone of you spiritually, socially, physically and financially. All is ask in return is that you pray the same prayer for me. Share Life, Let's Go!

What If?...

Hey all you strangers! I say that because I realize that it has been forever and a day since I last wrote an entry. Well it's time out for the silence. As I've said many times before when I get inspiration for a post I usually wait a few days and pray about how to put it out. However I've been wanting to write something for a while and it was instant this time.

In bible study tonight someone raised their hand and asked my pastor, Bishop Jim Lowe of the Guiding Light Church, a question. The young lady asked if you don't know a lot of bible verses and you're still learning yourself, how do you witness? Bishop Lowe responded that he was going to get to that soon enough. So after the flood of scripture that we received as we always do, after the other questions, after the entire bible study, the final analysis was in order to witness you just need to simply share your story. We all have a story.

It reminds me of this guy that was born some years back. He was born in to a large family, and so that meant that he saw struggle a lot growing up. Likewise because he was from a large family, another thing that he saw a lot of was death. In fact when he was born both his grandfathers were already deceased. At the age of 5 one grandmother died. At the age of 10 the other grandmother died, and exactly one year later around the same time his mother died. Later his father remarried, but the story doesn't end there. Some time later his stepmother died. Well this guy continued to live. He was one of the few of his family to have a degree from a university. Well the light in his story doesn't last long. The year after he graduated from college his father died. Yes, he was left to face the rest of his life with no parent be it mother, father, grandfather or grandmother to call on and say I need you, to say I miss you, to say I just called to say I love you. Amazingly he kept pressing forward and became a professional in his field of study. He lives everyday as if he has not been through anything negatively. He is forever striving to make someone else smile because he realizes how hard it is sometimes to produce a smile through it all. One would ask, how in the world did he do it. He would just simply say, "If it had not been for the Lord who was on his side through all that he has been through there is NO WAY he would have made it". So are you wondering why I spoke in the past tense? Is he dead now, you ask.

WHAT IF I told you that man was me?...

I'll end the same way I always do by asking that the Lord will bless each and every one of you spiritually, mentally, socially, physically and financially. I ask in return that you pray the same prayer for me. God Bless, and remember... Share Life!

Jesus Wept

Yes I know it's been a while since I dropped a few lines. Well I received the inspiration behind this blog entry while at bible study last Wednesday at the Guiding Light Church. We all know that sometimes you get to the point in life where you feel like you're going through tests and trials and no one cares. It seems as though the more you pray you don't seem to get an answer from God. Well hopefully this will speak to you if you feel that way.

My pastor, Bishop Jim Lowe has been teaching a series during bible study for a few weeks on Death. You may ask why in the world is he teaching a series on death. Well, he wants us to fully understand what death is for a Christian. The more you know about a topic, the less you fear it. On last Wednesday what I remember most is when he went to Matthew and was talking about the story of Lazarus. You know the story right? Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus was sick. Jesus loved that family, yet he stayed where he was another 2 days. So Jesus finally told his disciples, Let us go back to Judea. No on the way Jesus said that Lazarus had fallen asleep and he was going to wake him. Cleary Lazarus was dead, but for a believer death is but sleep. Anyway Jesus arrived and Martha was the first to approach. She came with an attitude. Just imagine Martha coming out with her hand on her hip and rolling her neck when she said, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." A little after that imagine when Mary came out she was weeping a little then fell to Jesus' feet and she said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Now to the part this whole blog is about...

John 11:33-35 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept.

Now we all know that Jesus wept is the shortest verse in the bible, but allow me to suggest that it is probably one of the more significant verses of all 66 books and the over 31,000 verses that are in the bible! Jesus did not cry because Lazarus died. Jesus did not cry because he believed all was lost for Mary and Martha. Jesus did not cry because he thought it was too hard to revive Lazarus. Jesus wept simply from seeing Mary and the other Jews were weeping. Let that marinate for a minute! It is amazing to know that we have a God that hurts when we hurt. It is amazing to know that we have a God that doesn't want to see us struggle. It is amazing to know that we have a God that rushes to our rescue when He sees us down.

So let me encourage you in knowing that just because it doesn't seem like those tests and trials are passing, God has already sent your rescue(answer) it is just up to us to have the faith and patience knowing that help is on the way. I'm reminded of a motivational youtube video where a speaker said that pain may last a second, a minute, an hour, a day, maybe a year(s) but... it will eventually subside. The only way it wont is if you quit. So don't quit people. Hang in there, God has already shipped your deliverance. Build your faith and know that God is building your spiritual muscles when you go through. Most of the time you will see me happy and smiling because I know that through all that I have been through in my life, and Lord knows I've been through a lot, that God has, does, and will always bring me out of a storm better, stronger, newer, fresher, and wiser than when I went in! Stay encouraged... help is on the way!

As always I pray that God will bless you spiritually, mentally, socially, physically and financially.

Encourage Yourself...

As I minister to you, I minister to myself, life can hurt you so, 'til you feel there's nothing left. (No matter how you feel), (speak the word and you will be healed).

The preceeding is an excerpt from Donald Lawrence's song Encourage yourself. I know that in the times we are living in many people need encouragement. Many people are struggling. Many people are lost. Many people just need a boost. Well I am a firm believer that the best way to encourage yourself is to encourage someone else. I think the most important line in that song is the first sentence of the bridge. "As I minister to you, I minister to myself."

It is so important that we help someone else along our journey and encourage as many people as we can. I promise you that everytime you do it, it makes you feel a little better than what you did when you started. It's almost like it's a relief for you. That's why I encourage. That's why I blog. That's why I share life. It is simply because the more I do for you, the more I help myself. There are many times when I need an encouraging word and the minute I encourage someone through a social media outlet or through some form of communication, it always gives me a boost.

So the next time you're feeling down, just find someone to encourage. The next time your are struggling, find someone to assist. The next time you don't feel like smiling, find someone to make smile. For it is better to give than receive. God Bless!

What do you do when you're at the bottom?...

Ever felt that you have hit rock bottom and it seems as if there is no way back to the top? Ever felt that all of the hard work you have done up to a certain point was but a breathless vapor? Ever felt that the very person(s) that you thought were in your corner is the very same who landed the knockout punch? Ever felt that every step you take in a positive direction you seem to figure out how to stumble two back? Ever felt that life just had your number?

Can I be the first to suggest that you are not alone in your feelings? However, the bigger questions are what do you do now that you feel that way? Where do you go from here? What's your next step? Who do you turn to? If your car is in park and you want to get out of the driveway, an action must take place. By faith you turn the key and then proceed to put the car in gear. Only then can you get to your destination. So right now, if you feel like any of the aforementioned questions the only way you're going to get from where you are is with action. Now you know you need action, but what action.

There is this awesome guy who said, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 Go to the source from where all blessings flow. You've been provided with a road map that is the top selling "how to" book of all time. Last I checked, I think it is called the bible. Begin to rebuke those things that are holding you back. The next thing is important... Realize the most powerful name to make things line up. Yeah, you guessed it, it's the guy I mentioned. The name is JESUS! There is power in the name. There is love in the name. There is prosperity in the name. There is hope in the name. There is deliverance in the name. There is life in the name. There is strength in the name. Did I mention there is power in the name?

I don't know your situation. I'm not sure what you're going through. I don't know which one of the beginning questions apply to you, but what I do know is that as long as you have the breath of life in you God is not through with you yet. Begin to establish the strongest foundation possible. No, I'm not talking about concrete. I'm talking about a foundation based upon the word of God and true (eternal) life through Christ. Seek what God's will is for your life. Ask Him to teach you to overcome, teach you to prosper, teach you to witness, teach you to be successful, teach you His ways. Begin with these steps and something has to change. There is nothing too hard for our God. He's delivered you before, and yes He will deliver you again.

Yes, that is what I needed. I was typing to myself the whole time. I don't know if this will speak to anyone, but Lord knows I needed it.

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!

Disobedience or Not?

John 14:12-17 This passage of scripture is so powerful. Jesus not only let us know that we need to and can continue to do what He did while He was here. However, the most important scripture in this passage to me is verse 15. "If you love me, you will obey what I command".
This week is about disobeying God. The problem is many us of don't actually take the time to realize what disobedient actions are. So I think sometimes we just need to stop and say, "Lord teach me right and wrong all over again like I'm a child."
I was tweeting earlier today on the topic Open Your Eyes! I was just wondering if Christians are paying attention to what is going on in the World today. If we don't think that it has spiritual implications then we simply need to Open Our Eyes! So if every religion on the map is coming out stronger than ever and we as Christians are hiding, is that disobedience? If we walk along see someone who looks distressed and hurt and we don't try to witness to them, is that disobedience? If we are around our family, friends, co-workers, etc. who will know are not saved and we don't lead them to Christ, is that disobedience? If we're disrespecting the order of God in and out of Church, is that disobedience? If we are cursing, lying, cheating, stealing, drinking, partying, and any other thing not conducive to the Christian lifestyle, is THAT NOT DISOBEDIENCE?
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Many people think I'm trying to be all "holier than thou", but I am the first to admit that I am a sinner saved by God's Grace and I'm thankful everyday. I just wish that Christians will stop making excuses for their sin and citing that "God knows my heart." Let's obey at all cost, by any means necessary. Let's come out of the closet since everyone else is, and stop being ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 1Samuel 15:22 To obey is better than sacrifice!
As always I wish that God will bless you spiritually, mentally, socially, physically and financially.

Don't Let The Devil Ride...

Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

Many times in life we go through everyday not realizing the full consequences of our actions. We say things that we may not need to say to others. We do things that we probably should not be doing. We talk a little different then what we possibly should be talking. Then when things start happening for the worse in our life, we wonder why. Let me simply suggest that we can not let the devil ride, he will try to drive! If you give him and inch, he's taking a mile. If you crack the door, he's going to bust it open. He's always going to overstay his welcome.

Don't Let The Devil Ride! If you know you have a problem with alcohol, then don't put yourself in places or situations where is alcohol is a focus. If you know that you have the mouth of a sailor, watch what you feed into your gateways(eyes and ears). If you know that you have a problem with lust, fornication or anything else involving the opposite sex then don't flirt or allow them to reel you in. Whatever the problem may be just remember that in James 4:7 it tells us that if we resist the devil he will flee. Just try not to entertain anything negative or against the will of God.

God is able to help us through anything, but we can't keep putting ourself in the same situation that got us in trouble before. We should strive everyday to grow in life and more importantly in Christ. So remember... Don't Let The Devil Ride, He Will Try To Drive! I pray that God blesses each and everyone of you Spiritually, Mentally, Socially, Physically and Financially. Share Life, Let's Go!