Just Telling The Truth

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: AND THE GOVERNMENT SHALL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER: and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.


Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from h...enceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." Isaiah 9:6-7

I'm appalled by the attitudes of those who've chosen to demonstrate extreme, and drastic attitudes towards the re-elected president of these United States...running over their spouses with automobiles for not voting, as if to say they were responsible for Mitt Romney losing his bid for the presidency....using the "N Word" to describe the president and calling for his assassination...signing petitions to secede from the union because the outcome of the election didn't go the way you hoped....

"NOW LETS REALLY GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER"

Where was this kind of outrage and out-pour when dishonesty on every level was being allowed to operate during the hotly contested Bush/Gore race for the presidency?

Every opponent of the democratic agenda dumped the fiscal failure of the country on this president, all the while forgetting that it took twelve years of Bush to bring our economy to it's knees...

Selectively they forgot that the mandate of the GOP was not to help President Obama successfully bring this country out of our financial dull-drums, and they succeeded in doing so...

When he tried to reach across party lines to bring about a better solution, the GOP turned their collective backs to him not realizing that their actions were actually hurting America...

"LET'S REALLY GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER"

In the dis-tasteful spirit of tokenism many of you who are against the president honestly didn't realize how really intelligent this man is. You really thought that he was just a "one-trick-pony" and were simply anticipating his demise with hopes of electing the next candidate who is not like him..."IF YOU GET MY MEANING"...

"LET'S REALLY GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER"

Truth-be-told, you never anticipated that an African-American would ever be elected to the most powerful position in this country; you never suspected that he could still put in good work against all odds, and you most certainly did not expect him to be elected to a second term "UNANIMOUSLY"

The truth: the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is that you honestly don't want him to occupy the oval office because of his race....

"NOW I SEE YOUR TRUE COLORS SHINING THROUGH"

Let me explain this for you who are of the clueless generation....

"GOD IS IN CONTROL OF EVERYTHING"...

...regardless of how favorable or UN-favorable it may seem to you; and because He's in control your hatred will never rule the day no matter what tactics you employ or snares you attempt to set. And just in-case you so-called righteous folk have forgotten, "God Is Love" and love is the greatest commandment from the Bible upon which lies all of the law and prophets.

(Matthew 22:35-40)

If you really want to stand against something, stand against greed, selfishness, racism and bigotry....and if you truly want to stand for something; stand for holiness and Gods' righteousness...

"LET'S KEEP THE COUNTRY MOVING FORWARD"

"The Problem With Wasted Adversity"

“² Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”  James 1:2-4 (NLT)

Do you remember how people said that your salvation experience would be? Some told you that all of your worries would be over; they would toss around a bunch of good sounding church clichés leaving you in a state of euphoria. Not one person bothered to prepare you for the difficulties that were bound to come your way more sooner than later.

If your experience was anything like mine, you were made to feel invincible, just think back to how many times people quoted Isaiah 54:17 to you. It was always popular to encourage one another by saying that the weapons formed against you wouldn’t prosper, but they neglected to inform you that there indeed will be times when the swords of trials and adversity would cut deep into your spirit-man.

We view trials as something to distance ourselves from; hardships as undesirable; and pain as something to avoid at all cost. However, the Bible puts these things in a different perspective, and asks us to look beyond the immediate sensation of our trials and see Gods’ purpose behind it.

At times it’s very puzzling to realize that even when we strive each day to adhere to the precepts of holiness; God still allows hardship to attach itself to our lives. Yet Paul teaches us in 2^nd Timothy 3:12 –

“…all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”.

So we ask the question: “Why Does God Allow Hardship and Adversity to Enter Our Lives?”

1.      “He Placed Purpose Within You” – Think about Christ’s ministry for a moment… He performed many miracles by healing the infirmed, resurrecting those who passed on, feeding thousands with just a little. His fame preceded him throughout the land. Yet inspite of all his greatness and authority, his purpose would lead him to hours of physically painful suffering which culminated with being nailed to a cross to die for the sins all mankind…But the glory of it all is that after dying and being laid in a tomb for three days, he arose with all power.    

Psalm 37:23 say – “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…” God created us with individual goals in mind, and regardless of your particular assignment in life your purpose is to be a witness for Christ and to demonstrate the awesome love and power of God towards all men that will be life altering. This cannot be achieved if our testimony is only based on the goodness we experience. Proof of our walk with Christ lies in the fact that we’ve come through many difficult times and situations in life…it’s impossible for a person who’s never been sick to testify of Gods’ healing power; nor can one talk convincingly about Gods’ ability to deliver you if they’ve never been bound by anything.

2.     He wants you to experience great spiritual growth instead of letting the difficulties of life cower you into despair and discouragement. Adversity is designed to mature us at various levels of our Christian experience. Overcoming hardship can only be achieved by facing them head-on. Sometimes we win and other times we lose, but through it all we grow a little stronger, and are more than able to make it through the next trial…”each victory will help you, some other to win”.

3.     He wants you to know that the trial which looks as if it can destroy you will ultimately become the instrument that blesses you. In the book of Genesis we learn that Joseph was tossed into a pit by his brothers and sold into slavery…but the Lord was with Joseph and his new master recognized the integrity of Joseph therefore making him the overseer of his household… But after his master’s wife wrongfully accused him of trying to have his way with her, Joseph was thrown into prison…still the Lord remained with him and he was given charge over all of the other prisoners…The events that would follow within the prison ultimately led to Joseph being made second in command over all of Egypt. This could not have happen if Joseph made foolish attempts to avoid hardship; instead he maintained his trust in, and loyalty to God.
     (Ref. Proverbs 3:5-6)

The natural response to adversity is to plead with God to remove it; but when he doesn’t, we complain not realizing that complaining never makes us one with God, it makes us his enemy…we get angry and try to find our own way out of the difficulty and pain.

That is what’s known as “wasted adversity”.

Proverbs 14:12 states - “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are ways of death…”

By attempting to find our own way out of tribulations we tie the Fathers hand to deliver us thereby ending up in a deeper pit of anxiety.

When troubles arrive we must resolve to just let go and let God by learning to endure hardness as a good soldier… (Ref. 2^nd Timothy 2:3)

The proper response to adversity is to give God praise always knowing:  

“…he’s able to do exceeding, and abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that is at work within you”.

"When The Rebel In The Boat Meets A Rebel At Sea"

Isn’t it exciting when you have a good idea?

After thinking it over, writing the vision and making plan after plan your spirit is quickened and you just can’t wait to present this idea to your closest friends and confidants.

You just know that they’ll be as excited as you are and equally as eager to help bring it to past. Not for a moment do you ever consider that when you share your vision with those whose opinions you truly value; that they will give you a plethora of negative reasons for not going through with your plan.

 They will point out every possible obstacle that you’ll have to face, how much it will cost, the manpower and materials needed, the time it will take to complete, your age and lack of experience…

“And The Beat Goes On”

On this sea of life the visionary must be very careful when selecting the crew that he/she will allow to enter the boat with them; it’s tough enough having naysayers on land so it becomes very counter-productive to have the same sailing with you in the middle of the ocean.

The first sign of trouble will be cause for them to react to you in a mutinous manner only they won’t abandon ship; that would require them to “walk on water”, instead they’ll just hang-on somewhere in the back for a birds-eye view to watch you sink or just drown.

But here is the caveat, your vision is not some made-up scheme, or just another one of the many good ideas you’ve had in times past. Those closest to you have a habit of remembering you as the obnoxious rebel that you are prone to become at times. Little do they realize that your rebellious nature is just the reason why God placed the vision with you…

The Bible tells the true story of one particular voyage…

“And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:22-29

We must first take into account that it was Jesus who commanded His disciples to get into the ship and sail to the other side…this wasn’t just a good idea; it was a “God Idea”.

Don’t think for one minute that God hasn’t charted the waters which lead to the fulfillment of your vision; He knows the buoyancy of the sea because he created it. He understands that the waters will be turbulent at times and that strong winds will toss you to and fro… but your trust must be focused on Him.

God even knows that you might hit a Titanic sized iceberg that will cause the ship to sink but that’s ok….the vision will remain intact; sometimes the ship has to sink in order to drown the “boat people” who signed on the journey with you…

Never confuse boat people with the ship’s crew.

Boat people are those who do nothing but complain and speak negatively throughout the journey. They seek to cause mutiny and chaos while choosing another captain; themselves never wanting to lead, but always telling others how to lead them.

On the other hand, crew-members see the waters the same as you…it doesn’t matter what the tide brings; they will sink or swim with the vision and with you because they know all too well that success is imminent, and they are in direct communication with “The Captain of The Sea”.

Can you imagine Peter preparing to step-down out of the ship?

As soon as he headed towards the gang-plank all of those boat people started shouting, man you can’t even swim so how are you gonna walk on water?

These are the same people that you’ve entrusted with your visions and dreams, constantly trying to tell you why it won’t work and how you are too un-educated and stubborn to see it through.

In the case of Peter, he was a loud-mouthed rebel.

Always shooting from the lip, not prone to simply giving much thought to his words before spitting them out. The boat people were witnesses to him being rebuked by Jesus on many occasions because of his mouth. They were also witnesses to his temperament, knowing that Peter wouldn’t hesitate to pull a knife on anyone whom he felt was a threat to him.

Could it be that the rebel in Jesus recognized the rebel within Peter?

Remember; it was Jesus who defied the Pharisee’s when they accused him of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub. Jesus’ response to them was “a house divided against itself cannot stand”… and when his disciples gathered corn on the Sabbath to feed themselves those same Pharisee’s accused them of breaking the “Torah”…to which Jesus responded by reminding them of how David and his men ate the showbread from the Temple when they were hungry.

This is the same Jesus who defied the laws of the vineyard by simply turning water into the best wine ever tasted; “A Rebel”…

He defied medical science by spitting on the ground and using the dirt that he spat in as a salve to bring sight to one who was blind; “A Rebel”…

He would later defy death by resurrecting Lazarus from the grave four days after he was buried; “A Rebel”

… And now here He is defying all the laws of gravity by walking on the sea…  

Can you say “A Rebel?”

God has placed vision and purpose within you from the foundation of the world and now He’s calling in His card…

“…And the Lord answered me, and said, write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Habakkuk 2:2-3

This is not the time for you to be swayed by the masses to go in a direction opposite of the one to which you’ve been called; but this is the time to throw the cautions of mere mortals to the wind and trust that God has your back…. “That’s What Real Rebel’s Do!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”.

The world has a saying which goes; “game recognizes game”.

If the saying is true, then you must know that Christ (The Rebel) also recognizes the rebel in you, and you’ve been picked out to be picked on by naysayers and boat people to accomplish “God Ordained” goals that most could never aspire; so listen to the voice of the Lord and step out of the boat:

The “Rebel” at sea has need of you to walk on the water…

"The Right Connection"

Networking is a very popular practice in today’s society; everyone is looking to connect with a certain group, company, organization, or employer with hopes of securing a possible career upgrade or financial increase. Others network to achieve political goals or gain party alliances. Networking can be very beneficial to all, and is a great way to take a step upward…..it is just another of the many ways one can get closer to the who’s who of the world.

While it’s true that networking has its high points, there can also be letdowns involved with the process.

Unfortunately we still live in a “dog-eat-dog” culture which makes networking both a partnership for growth and a competition to succeed. Trust is a needed requirement, but not everyone you come in contact with is trustworthy. Not knowing who to depend on can be very confusing.

Sometimes you guess correctly and connect with a person who has your best interest at heart, another time you guess wrong, having your ideas stolen and dreams shattered.

“Another good intention...Another Bad Connection”

Networking mishaps are not regulated only to the corporate world and business society. During our walk with Christ it’s very important make the proper connections. Not everyone who attends church services is a “Holy Ghost Filled” believer…

Believe it or not jealousy and envy do exist in the church at large; yet in most cases we can trust and depend on each other. But in those moments when the human factor causes breakdowns in communication, creates cliques, and separates friendships where can we turn? When unbreakable bonds are broken who’s left for us to confide in and above all, who will extend a hand to pull us upward and bless us forward?

Jesus said: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

 If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:4-7

It’s always good to surround ourselves with people we trust, and it’s also good to align ourselves with successful people for the purpose of learning from their examples. But people still have the capacity to fail us. “Jesus Never Fails”…

For it is in Christ that we live, move, and have our being…and are also his offspring. (Ref. Acts 17:28)

As offspring (branches) of the Father, we are empowered to be productive citizens of the Kingdom. It is important to remember that our success is not measured by how financially well off we are, but is dependent on our obedience to Christ’s commandments.  

Joshua received the following instructions from the Lord: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8

By staying in Gods’ word, maintaining a consistent prayer life and extending brotherly love toward our fellowman the Father is glorified through the actions witnessed in us by those around us.

Therefore our success in Christ becomes the catalyst by which others seek to network with us and make the right connection with our Savior.

Successful networking is only possible when we make the right connection and abide in Christ….In Him there is no failure.

Pushed Beyond The Brink...."But It Ain't What It Looks Like"

⁹ Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. ¹⁰ Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. ¹¹ And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”

¹² As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. ¹³ Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. ¹⁴ “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”   

 1^st Samuel 1:9-14 (NLT)

Growing up I had a best friend who was one of the gutsiest and intelligent persons I knew. Although he had limits to what he would and would not do, there wasn’t too much that he was afraid of nor any persons that he’d back down from. On the block he out fought the best of them, but in the classroom he was a total honor student. When he wasn’t trying to honor his persona as a tough-guy he was probably one of the nicest and most gifted kids in the neighborhood. Unfortunately not too many other folk knew that side of him.

Because he wouldn’t back down from anyone he would often be drawn into fisticuffs; and because he was pretty skillful it wasn’t uncommon for him to come out of each skirmish victorious. But he never looked for a fight, didn’t walk around with a chip on his shoulder. His attitude was simply if you keep pushing him, you would pay a price. The problem was that he wouldn’t stop pounding his opponent until he felt a lesson was learned. Many parents saw him as an arrogant bully, never realizing the true facts as to why their son was beat-up, and never recognizing my buddy’s true value or worth.

Now he had a reputation that quite frankly he never honestly lived up to…. It seems that whenever a mishap or incident occurred in our community, and there were no witnesses to the fact; fingers would automatically point in his direction. Not many took the time to find out the accurate truth or even learn of the scars he kept hidden deep within himself. No one knew of the hurt he felt from not growing up with his dad. Even I wondered some days why he would hang out in our house and hold long conversations with my dad. It seems that most everyone had an assumption about my best friend; yet none of them were true.

There is a tendency both inside and outside of Christendom to make assumptions about individuals based solely on our own perceptions; with this being so, we fail to realize that our perceptions become our reality, but our reality is not necessarily the truth.
In fact, a great majority of us will look at an individual and assess what kind of person they are based on visualization, however scripture will bear out that “what you see ain’t always what you get”…

When we read Hannah’s story we find that while her adversary attempted to push her to the brink of insanity over her baroness, it only pushed her to fervent and effectual prayer. Apparently, Eli had never witnessed prayer being made in the manner that Hannah employed so according to his perception she entered the temple in a drunken stupor. Yet in her boldness at the brink, she stood her ground; explained her purpose and the end result of her laboring in prayer produced her later giving birth to Samuel.

Just like Hannah, many people made assumptions and had perceptions about my best friend. Some had him spending his life in prison, and after he was rendered paralyzed from the waist down by a stray bullet intended for someone else the prognosticators said that he’d never walk again, would never be able to have kids, no woman would want a man with his type of handicap and because of his condition and perceived history he’d never amount to anything. Some even felt that he got what he deserved. Well, let me tell you something about my friend…..

He learned to walk with the aide of a cane; earned a degree in computer science which garnered him positions as a computer analyst for a couple of major companies. He met his wife in college and fathered five awesome children. Not only was my friend able to walk, but he could drive every new car he brought without the use of hand controls. By the way; did I mention that he earned enough wages to purchase two homes and eventually retire from working at the tender age of 45 years old? His children have all grown up to be outstanding adults.

Not only did my friend leave his naysayers in complete shock, but he loved the Lord and the Lord loved him so much that my best friend now resides in His presence.
The moral of this story is simply this: never judge a book by its cover. Although a person can be pushed to the brink of losing it all; “It Ain’t What It Looks Like”… God will step in to provide blessing and favor beyond measure, and far beyond the perceptions of others.
  

"Conflicted, But Not Convicted"

“temp·ta·tion”

Noun \tem (p)-ˈtā-shən\

Definition of TEMPTATION

1: the act of tempting or the state of being tempted especially to evil: enticement

2: something tempting: a cause or occasion of enticement

Synonyms: allurement, enticement, lure, seduction

Back in the 70’s when I first accepted Christ as my Savior I was led to believe that things would suddenly change and living would be easy…I no longer had to be concerned with the issues of life; just live and trust in the Lord…

Through the years I have learned to put my trust in the Lord, but I can also admit that life as a born again believer has not been easy. Back then I didn’t take into consideration all of the variables and nuances that have always been a part of just living. We used to sing a hymn that said: “be not dismayed what ere the tide, God will take care of you…” Such a sweet, comforting song; and truthfully so. But I also remember a popular country/western song in those days that said: “I beg your pardon; I never promised you a rose garden…”

The Apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians 6:12 that we are confronted with conflict in the spirit realm daily. We fight and struggle from one battle to another.

As a former U.S. Marine I understood that the threat of war was always present and warfare is never easy; many would be wounded, captured, or killed. Our bravery and courage would be challenged regularly as would be our commitment to preserve the freedoms we experience. There are many who at one point or another are tempted to desert their post thinking that desertion may prolong their life.

“The same serves true for all of us.”

Ask yourself Christian: how many times were you tempted to stand in the lottery lines when urgent financial needs came into play? What about you unmarried Saints, how many times were you tempted to seek companionship when you were feeling lonely and un-wanted? And let’s not forget those of you who don’t mind a good brawl every now and then; how many times were you tempted to confront the person whom you felt  wronged you in some way?

What’s confusing about all of our temptations is that somehow we were led to believe as Christians that we aren’t supposed to be tempted on any point.

“Who Has Bewitched You?”

Jesus himself was tempted by Satan in the wilderness on all points (Ref. Matthew chapter 4)… Are we better than our Savior?

Ask yourself this question: Why would Satan dare target Christ, his master? The answer is a very simple one. Satan is our adversary and if he could entice the “King of Kings” to surrender to his will, then the promises found in the Gospel would be rendered null and void. Can you imagine Jesus deserting his post as the sacrificial lamb for our sins?

Here’s another thought; if we were never tempted during points in our walk, then it could possibly mean that our adversary was no longer our enemy, but an ally. In other words at one time or another, we gave in and caved-in.

The book of James has this to say concerning temptation:

“My brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers temptation; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire; wanting nothing.

(James 1:3-4)

You must understand that God does allow us to be tempted, but He does not tempt us…

“Let no man say when he is tempted that I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.” (James 1:13-16)

While it’s true that in God we live, move, and have our being, we are not untouchable from the wiles of the Devil. From the beginning of time mankind has always been involved in conflict be it spiritual or physical. If we are “over-comers” we must realize that we were made so by the conflict’s we incur day in and day out. Conflict is a daily staple of our walk with Christ.

It’s okay to be conflicted at times; just don’t allow yourself to be convicted.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23)

 

"What Do You Do When The Bottom Falls?"

“3 So David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, and every man for his sons and daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the Lord…” (1^st Samuel 30:3-8)

It’s not surprising that for 365 days life just happens…and when it happens it doesn’t discriminate. You come home from work one day, pink-slip in hand, pick up the television remote only to realize that the television is not working… and the reason it’s not working is because there is no electricity. Suddenly the phone rings; its little Billy’s school, seems he had an accident during recess and had to be rushed to the nearest hospital. You run out to the car only to see it being towed away by the repo-man. But not to worry, the phone rings again and your wife is on the other end letting you know that she’s already at the hospital with Billy; and although you can breathe easier  you can’t help but to worry just a little.

So you walk over to your favorite recliner to take a load off, but there’s a knock at the door. The gentleman on the other side identity’s himself and then hands you an envelope… your wife has just served you with divorce papers. That explains the thin look in the closets and both bedrooms, and you thought little Billy finally remembered not to leave his toys scattered all over the place. You reach for the phone and begin to dial your wife’s cell, but all you get is dead air space because just that quickly your services have been terminated.

No; this is not a calgone moment…you are in a state of Ziklag and everything in your life is heading south. You decide to walk to the neighborhood bar for a few drinks and end up closing the place. As you semi-stagger homeward the thought comes to mind to stop at the ATM.

No sooner than you withdraw your money some masked man whose name is not The Lone Ranger or Zorro puts a gun in your back and demands that you hand over all of your cash. You say to yourself; man I was gonna pay my best friend Jimmy back with that money. Wasted and dejected you head homeward.

As you draw near to your house you notice someone parked in the driveway. It’s Jimmy, your bosom buddy and life-long pal; he wants his money. You try and explain to him how you were just jacked at the ATM, but he’s not in the mood to listen because he’s in a financial jam and his wife is also threatening to leave him. Jimmy wants to fight; he warns that if you don’t have his money tomorrow there will be trouble and leaves you sitting on your front stoop with your head in your hands wondering what to do next….

In that moment you think you’ve hit rock bottom but truthfully speaking, the bottom has fallen.

This scenario or something similar has happened to all of us at one time or another. Even today someone’s mortgage has been foreclosed on, car repossessed, services discontinued, a loved-one hospitalized, the dog ran away and the cat was run over…society calls this “Murphy’s Law” meaning whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

In society when the bottom falls it is customary to surrender to the circumstances. One popular solution is to drown yourself and your bottomless troubles in the alcoholic beverage of choice, or just fix it all with narcotics; some have even contemplated suicide. Neither of these solutions will rid you of the problem, in fact they will only lead to more bottom falling incidents.

When David hit rock-bottom he was at his wits end; family taken into captivity, and his buddies threatening to kill him because they followed him into the same situation. David could have taken matters into his own hand from the start, I mean the man had just cried until he couldn’t cry anymore, why not wield his sword against his own men and afterwards head out by himself to search for his family.

The real question here is; what would he have gained by pursuing that line of thinking? Better yet; why take matters into his own hand?

Proverbs 16:25 states – “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are ways of death…”

David did the proper thing; he sought the Lord for instruction.

One of the requests that Jesus taught his disciples to make when they pray was “give us this day our daily bread…” this should tell you God already knew about the dilemma that you are going through beforehand, but he’s waiting for your permission before he steps in to lead the way out.

“He’s a Gentleman”

More importantly, a relationship must be established between you and the Lord which moves you to trust that he’ll deliver you from all of your troubles. There is no time to fear what’s happened and there most certainly is no time to fear in man.

“The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Proverbs 29:25

By seeking counsel from the Lord David was able to employ a strategy that allowed him and his men to pursue and destroy their enemy; and ultimately recover everyone and everything that was stolen from them.

Eventually all of us will experience those moments when the bottom falls. Life happens…. When it does you can cry until there are no more tears left. But the moment your tear-ducts dry up, that’s not the time to get high only to be brought low. “CALL ON THE LORD!”

 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy; to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25

Thank God for putting the floor back under your feet!

"Following In Dad's Footsteps"

One of the most heartwarming scenes to witness today is the loving interaction between a good father and his son. Right away you notice how the father dotes on the son, and how the son reverently looks up to his dad.

I'm constently reminded of how I saw my own dad; he was my hero and there was nothing that he couldn’t do. In our younger days my brother and I often went everywhere with him whether it was to his job, or the gym where he trained. We were afforded the opportunity to witness him in many facets of his life. Dad truly believed in the biblical adage of “train up a child…” with that said you can figure out that we grew up in church. In fact; dad was an ordained minister who would later become a pastor.

I recall how everyone in our large family always revered him and how people in our community respected him, and with moms help they raised four pretty decent kids. As we grew, dad dealt with each of us on a different level according to our various personalities. My sister was his little princess, my brother who was a year younger than I was the one he could easily pull pranks on, and my youngest brother was to dad what Gilligan was to the Skipper. But things were much different for me: being the first born my dad had greater expectations for me. The problem early on is that I had other plans for myself.

To be completely honest, I was very prodigal in my thinking. But no matter what or how I thought, dad always knew best and dad always had a plan. He’d often tell me that there would be no bums or jail birds leaving his house; and he meant every word. So from my mid-teen years till my early adult years I could be found with him almost daily because my dad believed that I should follow the same path as him. You can’t imagine how boring my summers were. While my buddies were attending summer football practices, I had to work with my dad on his tractor-trailer; and on Friday evenings I would be so tired from working that I often just wanted to sleep. During those long truck rides I’d often get an earful of do’s and don’ts; right and wrongs, one sermon after another…etc.

I thought that I was ignoring him, but to my benefit I heard every word. At some point I ended up serving my country in the military…just like my dad… I became a boxer…just like my dad… Would you believe me if I told you that in no way was I purposely attempting to follow that path? I tried everything that I could to not be like dad from gang-banging, to bar hopping. From being a booze-hounding, lie-swapping womanizer to eventually becoming a drug addict.

Then one afternoon, after an all-night crack smoking binge I realized that I’d finally reached my lowest point in life and I could no longer stand myself. Right away my thoughts went back to those many lectures that my dad would give me while we were on that tractor-trailer. By this time dad had gone home to be with the Lord, but his words came to me as clear as a bell. I could also hear my mother reminding me that whenever I found myself in a situation that I just couldn’t seem to bring myself out of, to just call on the name of Jesus…That’s what I did.

I guess you could say that dad’s ultimate plan for me was beginning to take shape. It only stands to reason that my dad never ceased to seek the Lord in reference to me and my siblings, because the very words that he spoke over our lives are still coming to pass. But here is the caveat; the path I now take wasn’t just a plan formulated by my dad. God set the wheels in motion before the foundation of the world.

Psalm 37:23 reads – “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”

So today according to plan I find myself doing many more of the same things that dad did. In fact, today I’m an ordained minister…just like my dad… With each passing day I find that I’m doing many of the same things that he did and I enjoy them just as much as he did, to the glory of God!

Even when I thought that I wasn’t paying attention to him, I was taking in every bit of his instruction and observing his actions very closely.  I was aware of his prayer time; our family studied the word of God together on a weekly basis. I listened intently to his sermons and gave equal ear to the many explanations and answers he’d given concerning biblical questions. I could often overhear the counsel he presented to the many visitors who came to our home seeking answers. Little did I realize then that one day I’d fill his shoes.

Jesus once said: “Verily, verily I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these…” John 5:19-20

This is so amazing; it does my soul good to know that not only am I walking in the path which God has designed for me, but I’m also:

“Following in Dad’s Footsteps”