So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2: 6-8

Pardon me on getting this message out so late. First I want to send a sincere apology to all of the teachers I have ever had. I am sorry for talking in your class while you were trying to teach, running in the halls, not handing in my homework and anything else I may have done to upset you. I am so beat and tired today that it is not even funny. I spent most of the day grading papers and working with my students, the highlight was that I got to take one to lunch for being an exceptional student and answering a series of questions correctly. Call it bribery, call it what you want but I need peace and happiness in the class room!

Sorry for the rant, I had all intention to stick with Peter for today’s verse but I found this verse and it spoke to me so I decided to share this instead. It is a common message that we stay and remain faithful to God’s word and his teachings but I appreciated being reminded of others deceptive philosophies. The tongue can be very manipulative and our minds tend to clutch at things that sound appealing to us. Many have done terrible things because they were manipulated into believing what they were doing was right or justified.

So in today’s world with the advent of the internet and some of the most charismatic speakers around people are constantly looking for something to align themselves with. We all are whether we would like to believe it or not. It’s easy to believe that if presented with something that seems out of touch with our upbringing we would reject it. But we all know this is not the case. So today I think of this word as a sign of warning. Beware of all that glitters for it is not gold, and be careful of slick tongues that may attempt to bring you down a path that is neither beneficial to you or in line with the teachings of our Creator. Peace and Grace be unto you!

The eyes of the wise person see through you.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: Romans 5: 2-4

The word said we glory in tribulation; you read words like that when you’re at your deepest bottom and you think to yourself, God is bugging. Alright maybe you’ve never had those thoughts but I have. Yet it was me who was bugging because the word also says that tribulation builds our patience. Through tribulations that we are patient enough to endure we are blessed with experience and through experience our Lord has blessed us with the ability to hope. Hope, you see the experience whether it was good or bad gives rise to a different way. That’s our hope, when we stop hoping for a better way, for a better tomorrow, it is then that our spirit is dying.

I can only speak for myself but when I allow an experience to strip me of my hope I become void inside and that to me feels like a spiritual death. So I don’t quite know if I glory in tribulation, glory might not be the first term that comes to mind. However, I see the good in hardship because it is my hardships that have made me a better man. It will be my continued endurance through this game called life, these experiences, that will allow me to hope for a better day. And when that better day comes hold it up as a testament to the Lord’s work. Moreover to even get to that hope, to get through life’s experiences we must be patient. I am one of the most impatient brothers you have ever met. My mother says I want everything on my time; she’s probably right, I mean I got things to do, lol. However I am slowly but surely learning, often the hard way that my time does not matter. God has a plan and I am more of a servant to his time. So all we can do is live, and through living we will acquire experience whether it be good or bad, it is these experiences that will build an unyielding faith in our spirits and allow us to hope for our greatest good. Peace and Grace be unto you.

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah 8:19

Don’t Stop Believing!!!!!! Just wanted to share with you my concert in the shower this morning; American Idol ain’t got nothin on C. Shine. Don’t stop believing in the power of the Lord, that is the real message that needs to be conveyed. We are living in a time when faith is needed more than ever. The staircase has has less light and some steps are missing along the way. This causes us to be even more frightened of the world and times we are living in. We may turn to other mediums to find salvation, to seek out our own happiness. The word specifically asks us ; “should not a people inquire of their God”? Of course we should but in times of weakness the devil tempts us, tempts us to hold true to anything that looks like an answer.

Well don’t stop believing! Believe that you are on the right path by following God and his wisdom. “Should not a people inquire of their God”? Well who else are we to consult. It takes a deep inner faith to believe and understand that God has something great prepared for us. Some of us will miss the boat and lose out on the wonderful blessings that were rightfully ours because we stopped believing, we were caught up in the ways of the world and only the tangible things we could see. I’m in major figurative mode today because I am seeing the stairwell and the missing steps and I know that if I let God guide me I will skip over those downfalls. This does not mean that I will not stumble but I will have missed the bigger fall, the uglier stumble which could leave me in a much worst state. So stumble, fall down and get back up again because in order to achieve we must inquire of our God and not the worldly nonsense that may possibly cause us to fall down into something we may not get up from. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Unless you call out, who will open the door?

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

While watching an old episode of the Arsenio Hall show, Louis Farrakhan quoted Jesus saying “know the truth and the truth will set you free”. Powerful words, which have been spoken so many times from our different leaders that we forget the originator of such wisdom. Truth can be a vague term however, there are no absolute truths, except for the Glory of God. But I always try to look deeper into the God within me, and I ask myself for my own truth. When we live in the truth’s of other people we are essentially living our own lie because we are not being true to ourselves.

We must define ourselves prayerfully through the noble principles that have been set forth by our Creator. We have to really find the truth within this path the Lord has set for us, so that way we are truly giving it our all. Think about when people live for their parents; solely what their parents want of them, or their friends. They live empty lives because they are not chasing their own true passions. I don’t think it’s any different with our belief in God, we must seek out what God means to us and how he resonates within us. I can’t just rely on the fact that my grandmother was a devout Christian and let that guide me. What happens when I am faced against a wall and I am working on borrowed faith; I may abandon it because it was not genuinely within me? So today I am looking to follow the words of Gangstarr and “step back and observe with couth for we all must meet our moment of truth”. I want to be able to look within myself and define my reality for me, define my relationship with God, friends, and family for me. So that I am not chasing a false dream but walking towards the truth that Jesus told us will set us free. Peace and Grace be unto you!

One falsehood spoils a thousand truths

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Luke 12: 22-26

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105

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.

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Romans: 1-3

What perfect Christians, muslims, buddhists, people; what perfect people we are that we feel that we can judge others. Of course I am being sarcastic, but this is the attitude that some people, not all, but some have towards other groups of people and individuals whose actions differ from theirs. Judgment of people is at an all time high and when I read this scripture it bugs me out how we have the nerve. The word clearly states that when we judge one another we are essentially condemning ourselves. When did we become God and have the right to judge man/ woman and their actions?

No sin is greater than another, so to hear folks degrading people because of something that they do, that you do not approve of, when I am sure you sin as well makes no sense to me. I am speaking specifically about people who choose to condemn people in the name of God. God says right here that you do not have the right and because of you exercising this right that you do not have he will make sure to pass his judgment on you. This attitude of being better than thou is what has us struggling as a people. Struggling to get to the Kingdom of God, struggling to create a world where we can love each other and grow together. Let me be clear, I am not judging those who judge, I have no room to judge anyone. I have been living an imperfect life since birth, but I pray that the Lord sees that I am trying. I pray he sees the sincerity of my heart and forgives me for the mistakes that I continue to make. Lets move as a people toward kind words to one another, towards helping one another get through our trials and tribulations rather than passing our criticisms on our own people. We all live imperfect lives, let’s work to build our relationship with God and help each other build a relationship in the name of God so that we can succeed together. Peace and Grace be unto you!

He who is guilty is the one that has much to say.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3: 15-17

The high road; often the road less travelled but yet still a road for us to take. We are challenged everyday and judged by the decisions that we make to those challenges. Sometimes those judgments are hard and very hard to deal with, but there they are staring you in the face. How do you react? Do you fight fire with fire, do you judge right back? We might, but for what, don’t you remember when you were little and your parents told you to ignore somebody. If you ignore them that they will go away, or they will become so angry that you aren’t fueling their fire that they would cool off. So how come now that everybody’s grown we have to have something to say. “No, I’m grown”, I hear it all the time, well then act like it and turn the cheek and do not concern yourself with such foolishness.

People are going to judge you, their going to judge your belief in God, your clothes, your choice of profession. People are so nosey they judge how you spend your money. Listen to the word, don’t get mad; simply respond in a respectful manner because you are a respectable person. Let them know why you do the things that you do and how great you feel for doing it. As the word says they will be ashamed of their slanderous words because you didn’t respond and help fuel their anger. I’m talking to myself so don’t think I’m talking to anyone else. People get on my nerves all the time, so much I have to call my mom! Lol! But seriously if you are doing the right thing, and being judged for it the word tells us it is better to suffer for doing good rather than doing evil. Don’t be impressed by those who are getting by, I can’t even front; when someone is causing me drama and I take the high road, I become obsessed with how they’re the ones doing wrong but I’m catching the jack. I have to lose that mentality, and realize that whatever lesson I am supposed to learn from that suffering is God’s will, not my own. Let’s learn to take the high road more often having faith that the reward at the end of that road is greater than any other reward we could ever receive. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Suffering is prior to attaining success or perfection

The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper” Genesis 4: 4-9

Pardon me, today I chose this verse because I am upset with the senseless killings in our neighborhoods. I thought what better way to illustrate such sin than the story of Cain and Abel. What causes such hatred, what makes people act the way they act! Jealousy and envy consume people and drive them to do heinous things. I’m not here to moralize on anyone but when young children are getting sliced in their face, murdered in cold blood we have to say something. It says it right there in the word thou shall not kill, yet often we show our children and family the energy that is behind such senseless nonsense. Jealousy! The Lord asks why are you angry, I ask too, why are we angry?

The Lord spoke to Cain, he told him when you think these evil thoughts, when you plot against another sin is crouching at your door. He said it desires you; that’s powerful we all want to be desired. When we lack attention and we start “hating”, we are showing our communities the same energy the Lord asked Cain to rectify. By no means am I calling us murderers, but I am speaking of the jealousy that is invoked when people see people living a life they wish they were living. The need to keep up with the Jones’, has caused us to lose sight and create a material world where our children don’t know the difference between right and wrong. The root of it all is our negative thinking minds, inspiring and injecting hate into the ones that watch us. Why not eject love, I know I’m guilty of being slick with my tongue. You know what words do, they conjure up a feeling, bad words conjure up bad feelings. If from day one we teach respect to our to sons, our mothers wouldn’t have to bury their sons. Maybe death is too deep for someone to understand well I see it in the church, I see it in the streets, man I even see it in the classroom. We are dying, if not physically, symbolically because we lack the love language that our Creator teaches us. God gives freedom, God gives knowledge, lets take that same knowledge and feed our youth, feed our people no matter what race or creed or gender! It may sound cliche but with a little bit of love this world would be a better place. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Anywhere I see suffering, that is where I want to be, doing what I can.