The Desperate Place

I recently watched a video in which Vashawn Mitchell spoke about the young man that wrote the song "Nobody Greater". Apparently the young man was going through an extremely difficult time in his life. He turned to God and began to pray and worship. As he did, the lyrics to "Nobody Greater" began to flow out of him.

My point? When you go before God with a heart of pure prayer and worship you may find that what you need to change your situation is already inside of you. The young man had lost his job, but the song that is arguably one of the most beautifully sincere gospel songs ever written was inside of him. The song has touched people all over the world, and has assuredly changed his financial situation! Had he not been in a desperate place, would he have ever gone to God and heard those words in his spirit?

Often times we find ourselves backed into a corner and instead of going to God with pure worship we go in a state of panic and self pity. We throw "tantrums" and whine about how unfair life is when in reality this is the time to enter into worship. Its easy to worship when your heart is filled with gratitude, but can you worship when everything around you seems terribly wrong? Can you worship when it feels like God is no longer there? This is the truth of who you are. Are you a worshiper or a whiner? Can you learn to appreciate the process that will propel you into your destiny?

Time and time again we've heard testimonies of God delivering people out of tough situations just in a nick of time. The saying "He's an on time God" is well known all over the world. Why then do we fret when it seems as though the world is crumbling around us? Does He not know and understand your need? Is there ever a chance of Him failing you or not providing for you? No....not a chance! It's time to learn to appreciate the desperate place and use it as it was originally intended....as a springboard for your success!  God was a master plan for your life. If you begin to worship Him from the depths of your being, you may be surprised at what flows out of you. The next worship song that brings people all over the world into a place of peace so that they may experience the presence of God may be right inside of you! The next book that helps point millions in the direction of healing and wholeness may be waiting on you to open your mouth and worship your Creator! Don't get lost in the desperate place...worship there!

Watch the video I am referring to here

Living 101

John 10:10

New King James Version (NKJV)

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

I have read this scripture many times over and never had the level of understanding that I do now that I am finally doing that which I was created to do....write. When I began writing a few years ago I never imagined I'd feel the type of freedom and excitement I now feel when I sit down at the computer and complete a compelling chapter or blog post. I did not remember the young girl I once was that won literary award after literary award based on my writing ability. I forgot all about the applause and praise I received because of my raw ability to create story lines that entertained the reader. Now that the Lord has opened eyes I feel like I am living for the first time. 

The above referenced scripture means more to me than it ever has before. I feel like I finally have life. I've had my relationship with the Lord for years now, so spiritually I was fulfilled. My relationship with Him gives me great peace and freedom, but the natural side of me was lacking something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I had a decent paying career that I was very good at, but it never  made me feel like I was impacting lives to the extent to which I desired. I began to search within myself and question the Lord as to what I was really intended to do.

A few nights later I had a dream. In that dream the characters were having a heated conversation directly in front of me. I wanted to intervene and help through the conversation to come to a resolution. When I tried to intervene I woke up. I remember sitting straight up in the bed and realizing the dream could become a novel if I could dedicate the time it took to write it. I went to my desk in the corner of my bedroom, turned on the lamp and began to write in one of the many journals I store on the desk. That night was when it first hit me. I have the talent, to open up a whole new world with my mind. I can create a space for the reader to escape to when he/she wants to escape life. At that moment I began to live in a new way. My natural fulfillment began to match my spiritual one.

You may be wondering why I am sharing this with you...well, I'm inclined to believe I am not alone in the quest for natural fulfillment. How many times have you gone to work at a job that you hate? How often do you ask yourself what you can do to satisfy the creative side of yourself? If you were able to do anything for the rest of your life would you keep doing what you are doing? Most people are not doing what they love, they do what pays the bills. I submit that is not living life more abundantly. Jesus came that we would not only be forgiven for our sins, but so that we could live the best possible life while we are here on the earth. Often times fear holds us back and prevents us from ever creating the opportunities that will open the doors of our future.

We have the spirit of the creator on the inside of us, that means we should be able to create opportunities that not only provide for us but also provide a little earthly happiness. I urge you to pull on that creative side and create your next opportunity. Begin to live in the destiny you were created for. Shake the fear that prevents you from starting that business, earning your degree, singing your original song, or penning your first novel. You were created with a purpose and ability to be able to create something out of nothing. Have the courage to live in the creative mindset you were born with! Go back to the child you once were and create an opportunity to live the dream life made you believe you could not achieve. As long as you're still alive, there is still time for you to wake up and begin walking in your destined place!

The Naked Place

Genesis 3:6-10 

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself."

Of course in modern day we do not sew together leaves to hide ourselves, but the principle is still alive today. When we do or experience things that we are ashamed of we hide behind our smiles, designer clothes, titles, jobs, etc... Even though we know our God already knows and sees all we still tend to try to "hide" those things we are ashamed of. We are afraid to be naked before our God because being naked means admitting our mistakes, pain, anguish, despair, and failure. We are afraid of the vulnerability our nakedness implies. When someone is naked, everything about their body is exposed. That is how God desires us to appear before Him.  Not physically naked, but emotionally and spiritually bare so that He can get to the root of our issues and heal us from the inside out. 

It's time for us to stop hiding behind our culture, education, money, designer clothing, nice homes, children, spouses, etc... and admit to our God that we are in need of His expert assistance to deal with the issues of our hearts. When we do not allow Him to clean our wounds properly, they do not heal properly. Just as a natural wound becomes infected when it is not properly cleaned, so does your heart. Our hearts have to be purged of every negative word ever spoken over our lives. We have to remain open before our King to allow Him to operate on the broken areas of our life. Our experiences catapult us toward our destiny and purpose when we allow Him access to every part of our being, but when we limit His access by hiding behind stuff, positions, and titles those same experiences begin to hold us captive.

God desires to make everything work together for our good, but He can only use what you allow Him to use. Before He can use it, you have to allow Him access so that He can help you process it properly. Yield to Him. Disrobe before Him (lay aside everything you use to cover your issues). Give Him every part of you so that He may free you and use you for His original intentions. Allow Him to take you back to whole place you were originally created to live in. The shame no longer belongs to you. Jesus took it away when He died on the cross. Give all of your issues over to Him so that you can live in total dominion in every area of your life!

Where Are YOU Shining YOUR Light?

 

 

 

If you walk outside at the brightest point of the day when the sun is completely unobstructed and turn on a flashlight, will that flashlight produce light?  Sure it will.  Will that light help you to see any better than you already do?  That's doubtful since it is already bright outside.  The light of the sun will more than likely prevent you from seeing the light that is being produced by the flashlight.



Now wait until its dark outside, a night where the cloud are blocking the moon so very little light is being produced from the sky, go back outside and turn on the exact same flashlight.  Will that same light help you to see better than you already do?  Yes!  Why, because you have now turned the light on in a dark place.  There are no other light sources competing for the spotlight (that will preach all by itself, but I won't go there in this post)

Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our lights shine before others that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.

If we are only around places that are already filled with light (places where other Christians are gathered together), will our light still shine?  Yes, but like the flashlight, it won't help anyone to see our Father any better, because its already daylight in those places.  Instead, we should step into dark places, so that our light can be seen and draw people to the source of our light... Jesus Christ.  Have you ever watched insects buzz around a light at night?  They are drawn to the light.  During the day that same light can remain on, but there won't be any bugs around it.  Why?  Because the sun is out so there is light everywhere.  The single bulb gets losts in the sea of light being produced by the sun. The bulb no longer stands out!

To truly have an impact on our dark world, we (those of us that carry the light of the Lord on the inside of us) must begin to go into the dark places so that those that do not know Him, can become drawn to His light!  You are the representation of heaven on the earth.  If you aren't going into the dark places to allow your light to shine, those places will remain forever dark with no guidance into the light of life.

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY FEELING?

 

 

 

One of the 1^st things I tell every client I sit down with is that I’m not interested in talking about their anger.  Anger is the easiest emotion to feel because it does not require vulnerability or emotional nakedness.  It is a modern day fig leaf of sorts.  Just as Adam and Eve hid their nakedness from God behind fig leaves that they had sewn together, people often hide their pain, disappointment, rejection, fear, etc… behind a wall of anger.  When I’m angry I feel charged.  I feel like I could just run through who ever made me upset.  I don’t feel vulnerable at all.  I don’t feel scared. In fact, the person that I’m angry at should be the one that’s afraid.  Anger is the shield that helps protect our feelings….or is it?

I think anger is an excuse to remain a coward… YES, I said it!  When you constantly chose to become angry and lash out rather than deal with what is really bothering you, what you are really saying is, “I’m scared to let this person know I cared enough to be hurt.”, “I’m embarrassed to let you know how I really feel because I’m afraid you’ll view me differently.”, or “I’m afraid to let you see the real me.”

It takes a tremendous amount of courage to stand emotionally naked and let people see the truth behind your anger.  Are you really angry at the checkout girl that yelled at you, or are you expressing anger as a way to hide the hurt you felt from the verbal abuse of someone else?  As someone that formerly had an extremely bad temper, I have to constantly check the roots behind my emotions.  It’s not an easy process, but its one I am committed to.  I want to remain emotionally honest, not just with others, but with myself as well.  If there are triggers that cause me to become angry, I need to investigate those and seek God for healing in that area.  It’s okay to get angry, but it’s not okay to stay that way.  It’s also not okay to live as someone who angers easily.  Show me someone that can go from zero to one hundred over the least little thing and I’ll show you someone that has some deep pain that needs to be dealt with.

Stop taking the easy way out! Be courageous enough to deal with the real emotions!

No More Road Trips In Pintos!

 

 

One of the most beautiful things about humans is our ability to make choices. We are not purely driven by instinct, we can follow our hearts. The difficult thing about following your heart is sometimes the heart wants people/things that are not good for you. That’s where God's gift of free will comes into play. You can choose to connect with people that are going nowhere and taking you with them, or you can choose to let go of those people and connect with those that will help to propel you into your destiny. Choosing to remain connected to those that hurt, mislead, abuse, and misuse you and expecting to reach your full potential in life is like getting in a beat up 1970 Pinto and attempting to drive from coast to coast. It was a BAD idea to start with and you'll be lucky if you get five miles down the road! On the other hand, when your heart leads you to people/things that are in God's perfect will for your life, you must be willing to step out on faith and accept them. Examine your choices.....Is your heart leading you closer to Him, or further away? Do you choose what is right because it’s the right thing to do, or do you only do the right thing when there is an audience? Better choices= a BETTER LIFE! Stop being afraid of the big blessings.....step out and GO GET IT! -No more road trips in Pintos....they get you nowhere!!!