Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6: 10-12

A close friend of mine hit me up yesterday and said “can the next pardon me be about how much the devil is a hater”? To which my response was “well you know he’s a hater, he hates on me all the time; you just gotta ignore that dude”! But we can’t just ignore the devil; we cant feed his power either because he is a powerful being. Just look at all the evil and hurt in the world! What we must do is what the word above says; be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. While attending a church in Carol City, Florida; a section of Miami, the pastor gave three consecutive sermons about the full armor of God. The way he broke it down was so artful, essentially he spoke of our faith being the strongest part of this armor. We need this armor of God to protect us from the many ills of the world.

Look around at all the senseless killings, the molestation of our children, raping of our women; these are all acts of the devil, inspired by his evil schemes to corrupt us. The political climate; people rioting in Haiti, all across America people are losing their homes; the state of people’s lives is becoming chaotic. How many times have you heard; if your God is so good than why would he let you live like this. The movie “The Devil’s Advocate” displayed this lovely, they questioned our minds about the ills of this world and then threw it back on God as to say he was not protecting us, so he must not exist. That faith and the true armor of the Lord tells us this is not so. Don’t be fooled though, it should tell you something else. Its a war going on outside; the devil’s troops are strong in their conviction to collapse our faith, our good spirit and energy. Look at the spread of disease, drug epidemics, families turning on families. The media turning on the church; the church turning on the church and being more involved with numbers than wisdom and the word. You see it in your daily life, you find yourself struggling despite the fact that you believe you are doing right and being faithful to the Lord. These are all acts of the devil that we can not ignore. We have to suit up; get together and fight for our happiness, for the betterment of our families. We serve a higher power, we are playing for the right team so let’s acknowledge that we have some haters but be wise enough to know that we are blessed with the best protection and knowledge to defeat such clowns. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Snake at your feet a stick at your hand.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7: 7-8

Some mornings when I wake up thoughts run through my head. Often these thoughts inspire the Pardon me messages. So yesterday I had a talk with a friend, then before I went to sleep I had a talk with God. When I awoke, I was still asking him the same questions; so it makes sense that today’s scripture would be about prayer. Someone told me once, that Christians pray “specifically”, no need to persuade God because he already knows. Just come right out and ask him. So the scripture tells us the same thing, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. So what do you when you are asking, seeking, knocking but you feel your knocks and prayers go unanswered.

Of course you continue to believe, you lean on the spiritual people in your life but I have this conversation with myself (yea I talk to myself, been doing it since I was a kid) everyday. So what do I do when my knocks go unanswered, I stop knocking for fear that I’ll continue to be disappointed. The Pastor of a church I go to would now say in his sermon “oh look how yall looking at me” LOL. I continue to pray for others in their time of need, I truly believe in the Lord and I have watched him bless people and myself in such a way it’s amazing. So when I say I stop knocking, I just stop asking for myself, maybe I don’t know what I really need, maybe he sees that things aren’t good for me and is protecting me from it. Only God knows! Prayer, something some of us only use in our time of need, I pray everyday, I ask for guidance. I stopped asking for strength because then God would do things to test my strength, I already felt weak, I wasn’t trying to lift no more. But I pray for guidance, and hopefully through that guidance, through me acknowledging my struggles with the Lord I will be blessed with the wisdom to travel through whatever I need to and find true happiness where he wants me to. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.

Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10

I have a version of the Bible titled “The Book”, a brother gave this bible to me this past summer. In “The Book” this same scripture reads as, Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness! Yet many of us are chasing the dollar, I myself am extremely broke, and I won’t lie and say that I am happy in my broken despair (lol) but I do find joy. There are tons of things we can find joy in in the world but what brings me the most joy and I think is often taken for granted are our family and friends. Family and friends are those who support us when we are down, they are the ones who are most proud of our achievements and they give us the strength to keep pushing when we feel that we have nothing left to give.

The scripture is right, only a fool thinks that wealth will bring happiness. Well wealth in a monetary sense, because to have a wealth of good family and friends, let me repeat that, good family and friends are one of the greatest gifts we can receive from the Creator. As I travel to Philadelphia today I am thankful because I will be spending time with my family and friends as one of my close friends is getting married. A joyous occasion it will be, a joyous occasion I really do need. With all the stresses of life and school I look forward to spending time with people I care about and people who care about me. I know it is God who sees that I need this break, and he has afforded me enough money (NOT ALOT OF MONEY) but enough to give thanks to him and watch two people say their vows before him and in his name. Take time to remember the people we sometimes forget, I am sure they will make your day a little bit warmer. Peace and Grace be unto you!

The soul that is within me no man can degrade.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.  1 Peter 5: 10-11

After you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. I pray that this little while of suffering is not life and then I will be happy in the after life. I have heard scriptures be interpreted that way, I pray that is not the case. I think the Lord is saying I have given my all for you, I have been caused pain too by the sins of this world. Yet I have given my only son so that you can be strong, so that you may find a way to eternal happiness through the principles of love and peace that he taught. This temporary suffering is just that; temporary, and after you have suffered I will not only restore your original happiness, but I will make you strong, steadfast and firm.

We need opposition, we need tough times, we need them like we need those great moments in our life. We need tears, just like we need a beautiful smile. Common said “I guess knowing I’m weak is when I’m really being strong, some how through the dusk I could see the dawn”. It is at our moments when we feel our weakest, when we feel that the world is crashing down on us that we are exemplifying our beautiful strength that God has bestowed upon us. Why? Because we are still pushing, we are still hoping, despite whatever circumstances may be weighing us down we still have the ability to fight and push past these obstacles. Don’t be a slave to your vocabulary; suffering comes in many forms. It is not just physical pain or extreme heart break, no suffering is feeling inadequate about something, suffering is the mental anguish we deal with when things aren’t going the way we planned. But through faith in God and belief in oneself we can see the dawn. STILL WE RISE. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Many spiritual teachers - in Buddhism, in Islam - have talked about first-hand experience of the world as an important part of the path to wisdom, to enlightenment.

A wise man’s heart guides his mouth and his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones…. Proverbs 16:24

Last night I read something extremely powerful, I did not find it in the word, though I know it was heaven sent. I did not find it in any scholarly text books, nor was it a lecture by a famed orator. Nope, it was actually handwritten, on small sheets of notebook paper. Hopefully one day the contents of this letter I will be able to share with you but what impacted me most were the words. A gentleman who is locked away in prison sent me some of his writings and his words were so poignant, filled with hope and despair, filled with joy and pain. He thanked me for reaching out to him in his time of need and although he knew my reply would be “it’s nothing”, he went on for a paragraph or so just to thank me for taking the time out to build a relationship with him. Reading his words touched me in a way that I did not expect them too. His words gave me a sense of purpose and were extremely beneficial in me then writing three letters to three different brothers who are locked away as well.

With all the judgment that swirls around in today’s world it is easy for people to judge this man and his situation. However today’s scripture tells us that a wise man’s heart guides his mouth! This scripture is subtle yet extremely heavy because often the words that come from our mouths are not from our heart. We let our pain and fears speak for our heart and our lips just let it fly. But if we spoke from our hearts, think of all the good energy we would speak into the lives of other people. The word says pleasant words are sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. The young man’s words were healing to me, his compassion, his gratitude. What if we promoted this type of dialogue, would more souls be touched, would we be helping to create a more perfect world in which we are following Christ like principles? Just some food for thought. Peace and Grace be unto you.

Still your mind in me, still yourself in me, and without a doubt you shall be united with me, Lord of Love, dwelling in your heart.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

I went to bed with a lot on my mind Saturday night so of course I woke up with the a lot on my mind Sunday morning. I was consumed with mental anguish about different things and asking God where was he with respect to different situations in my life. However, with it being Sunday morning I was quickly reminded of the Resurrection of Jesus and I wondered who was I to have these thoughts. All of this reminded me of a story I heard Shirley Caesar tell on one of her albums. The story was of a Minister who had a son who was fighting in Vietnam. The Pastor and family would pray every night that the Lord would bring this young man home, unfortunately the young man was killed on the front line. This death shocked the Minister and caused him to stay away from the church because he was angry that the Lord had failed him. The Minister asked where was God when he was praying all those nights; a close Deacon friend said the Lord was right where he was when gave his only begotten son right there at Calvary.

The Pastor realized that life is a battlefield and by him leaving the spiritual battlefield of a pastor people in the church were spiritually dying. I use this story because despite the pains and troubles that we endure in our lives we must remain faithful to the Lord. A God who would give up his only son for the sins of the world; so that we could get to him through the ways of Jesus Christ. Principles of nobility, a kind heart, and doing unto others as you would like them to do unto you. So today’s scripture is a reminder to me that I serve a God who too has been pierced by the sinful ways of man when they killed his only son. But through his son, in believing in his son, in believing in the great powers of the Lord I can fight whatever internal or external battle I may have. That no weapon formed against me shall prosper because my soul is connected to the Creator. So despite troubled times, think to the troubles our own God has faced and find hope in that through our connection to him we can ACHIEVE whatever greatness we allow our beautiful minds to conjure up. Peace and Grace be unto you!

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

WHY boastest thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good’ and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. Psalm 52: 1-4

This scripture reminds me of being a little boy and my mother popping me in my mouth for saying something smart; I think I sat on her clothes for work and when she complained I said “I didn’t tell you to put them there”. Such a dumb kid to utter those words out of my mouth, but I am reminded of that story as I read today’s scripture. The first line blatantly mocks the man who boasts and considers himself mighty, or one who feels that they are great beyond measure. The line following pays more attention to the fact that it is God who endures, it is God who is ever present and affords us the happiness in our lives. We should never walk with our heads down, we should be proud without being boastful, confident yet humble. Humility is an attractive characteristic because while we know we are blessed with talent, and an abundance of love, the way we wear it speaks volumes to others who look on and how we exemplify the God within.

But back to a man or a woman’s words, how mere words can cut so deep baffles me. But the scripture tells us that words cut deep; the deceitful tongue causes problems and all type of drama in our lives. So how do we escape it; for starters, watch your own mouth, watch what you say, because you may bring trouble into your own house because of the negative things that you say. Furthermore, when you are confronted by people who use their mouths against you for disdain you must remember what these people are doing. Hating, simply put, a hating tongue is a deceitful tongue. We are too good of a people to be bothered by such nonsense, I fall victim to it, and i tell myself ” I don’t care what anyone says about me”. But when people spread falsehoods that attack your character it can be hard to turn the other cheek. I think today’s word makes it easier to turn the other cheek, to turn your whole body away because its not worth your time. The bible clearly ostracizes these people and their hating ways, so you are in the right and have to act accordingly. Focus on yourself and pushing your goals forward and please do not be concerned with the negativity, because when you entertain the negativity you give it life. Remember that goodness of God is everlasting, so you have some pretty good back up and some great company that you can easily turn the cheek and allow others to wallow in their deceitful pity while you Shine in God’s glory. Peace and grace be unto you!

Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.

March 7, 2008

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Good morning, I am having an excellent morning, and I hope you are too. Yesterday I had what some would call a horrible day; I got stranded on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with a flat tire and a broke jack as all of those 18 wheeler trucks flew by. I ate some bad chinese that made me throw up for 15 minutes, also on the side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I got other extremely bad news. All in all bad stuff kept happening to me yesterday, but I had a great day, you see I had a great day because of this relationship I have been building with the Creator. I already knew that those bad moments yesterday were exactly that, moments. They couldn’t consume me because I knew they were temporary and I know that I am protected as the word spoke of yesterday. Today the word tells us that we are soldiers of the Lord, we are his workers. And as workers we have an arduous task (S.A.T. word), but we have an immeasurable amount of work ahead of us. But look at the bright side, good workers get REWARDED. Often times we feel unappreciated, but we will be rewarded for our good works because our employer is no tyrant, he is the maker of all things. And our reward is the most simplest thing that is so very hard to achieve; peace of the mind, body and soul. We should feel good when we do the work of the Lord, its actually quite simple work. We smile, we encourage others, we lift each other up as a family. We keep within us the principles that are laid before us. Don’t be fooled by rough times, it is then that we must work harder because one of our hating competitors also known as the devil, is trying to throw some salt in  our game so that we will not experience the true blessing of our work. We can not be bothered with such shenanigans, because we are a mighty people and we have a path. Our path has been paved before us by our Lord, we will work to maintain the road but he has already envisioned a life of everlasting love and happiness for us; Lets get to work. Peace and Grace be unto you!

The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people.

March 3, 2008

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our lORD jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5: 1-2

Good morning, I’m not sure what the weather looks like where you live but the sun is shining bright here in the middle of nowhere, America. Today’s word has me feeling rejuvenated, like the sun is shining on us for a reason. Simply put its because we believe in a higher power, we believe that the creator has something great in store for us. Our faith that the Lord exists and our belief in Jesus has granted us peace with God. Peace, meaning there is no conflict that stands in our way, there are no reasons that we can not call out for the Lord and depend on him to help guide us to our happiness. We have gained access into his grace, to me its like we have favor in the Lord, like he rocks with me. He is on our side and will look out for us. And we can rejoice; rejoice, be happy, get excited and feel good because we know through God all things are possible. So what are we excited for, man I’m excited because I know that I believe, because i BELIEVE I am in the good graces of God. And because I am in his good grace, I don’t have to worry about the drama, as long as I do my part to reach my dreams and goals he will be right there providing me with his good works to get me there. Smile today because we are blessed, Peace and Grace be unto you!

Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn’t work, and second, the failure gives you the opportunity for a new approach

February 28, 2008

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40: 28-31

Everything is subject to its own interpretation! I read the first line this morning in the new international version, and then I grabbed my bible which is the King James version and the difference in word usage gave me a different perspective. Neither is right or wrong but I found it interesting how the Word is so often subject to the interpretation of the interpreter. So from today’s word I felt like the page was talking to me, like someone was hipping me to some new information. Hast thou not known — Have we not heard that our God and creator is amazing, that he doesn’t dwell in worldly problems for he fainteth not. He created this world, I felt like it was someone whispering in my ear and enlightening me to the best kept secret. Then it spoke directly to me and how i feel when I’m DOWN AND OUT. He gives us power, the strength to battle whatever obstacles present themselves. Even when we are at our weakest point, it is then that we are truly being strong. Think about a weight set, you see how strong you are when you pile more weight on. When we pile more stress on, it is then when we push ourselves to the max to achieve, that strength that we let out, that power, it is innate within us because at those moments we are channeling the God within us.

Even the youths shall faint and be weary! That is us, that is the young generation. The young shall utterly fall, is that not what is going on in our communities right now? People have fallen, we are filled with despair because we give to much power to objects and things that cause unhappiness rather than the Lord and finding peace and happiness within ourselves. But those who wait upon the Lord, those who channel the God within, he will renew our strength and we will be as fly as fly can be. No pun intended, but we shall mount up with wings as eagles and soar, be at peace, be plentiful because we walk with the Lord. All this walking with the Lord talk, what does it mean. I don’t know, I am not the Judge, thats your mission, thats our mission. My mother always says there is more than one way to the KINGDOM of HEAVEN. Maybe some of the routes we are thinking are correct are in fact not, that’s why its important that we go now and try to build this relationship with the Lord and move forward and prosper. I hope I am articulating my thoughts because I am not speaking of conventional ways, the Lord has blessed in us creativity and innovativeness. If he has given us such talents and gifts, why not use those same talents to understand him and the relationship that we can have with him. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Anticipate the good so that you may enjoy it!