My New Blog Address

Hello all. I've transferred all my blogs to www.quincyrolle.com. All my new posts will be available at the new site as well. Blogger.com has been good to me, but it was time that I upgraded. You can continue to look for riveting articles on topics like Purpose, Leadership, Lifestyle and the Prophetic!

See you all at the new site!

7 Secrets to Being a Person of Influence

First and foremost; you won’t find these secrets anywhere else on the internet but HERE on this blog. It’s an exclusive! That’s a fancy way of saying I wrote it myself. But more importantly, it’s a way of arresting your attention. Once the arrest is made, you’re really at my mercy. Download your FREE copy, and I’ll show you how.

Just so you know, what I’m about to share with you will change the way you think about speaking. So, without further ado, download the 7 secrets you need to know to be an influential person.

Download your FREE copy today!

How to Discover Your Purpose

So have you ever said something and in return, someone says to you, “It’s so funny you should say that because…”

Whether you know it or not, that’s something divine. It wasn’t planned, at least not by you, and usually you have no perception of just how relative what you’re saying really is-if that makes any sense. Every human being, all 6.7 billion of us were born with a spirit that is from God. Actually, we are spirit first, human second. Therefore, you have God’s DNA running through your veins and the more you get in touch with Christ, the more aligned your speech will be. More aligned to what? His purposes, of course. Isn’t “purpose” humanity’s greatest pursuit? If you're not seeking purpose, you're probably seeking happiness. Those that seek happiness are shallow; you’re not wrong, just not in touch. [It's ok, keep reading.] To seek constant happiness is to say there is no purpose for any other feeling. I can’t tell you how many different feelings I’ve had just in this day alone! Am I a failure because I was not happy all day today?

Happiness is the pursuit of a follower; purpose is the pursuit of a leader. Followers do what others do because they can’t think otherwise. Leaders think otherwise and people follow. If you seek purpose, you obtain a greater commodity than happiness; you obtain fulfillment.

So, you definitely want to be aligned with God’s purpose for your life because this is how you attain fulfillment. Here is how your speech brings you into alignment with purpose.

What was the first thing you learned when you went to school? For me, it was lunch time, but for you it was learning how to read. They taught us grammar, vocabulary words, numbers and how to form sentences. They didn’t do this because they were trying to turn a bunch of first graders into prolific writers; they were laying the foundation for us to learn the language. When you understand the language, you can communicate effectively. Ever been to a foreign country where they didn’t speak your language and all you wanted was some Tums because you ate something from the menu you couldn’t pronounce? Yeah. You know how important language is. Well, let me put it like this; purpose has its own language. Purpose also comes from a different country. Many people can’t find purpose for the same reason they can’t find Tums in a foreign country-they don’t know the language.

So what language does purpose speak? Well, just like any other language, you have to learn grammar, vocabulary words and sentence structure- you can’t get away from this. It’s just fundamental. You also have to practice speaking. The more you learn the language, the better you can understand purpose and communicate with it. Even the name of this language is powerful. I’m talking about Faith.

If you feel lost in life, think about how well you know faith.
If money no longer satisfies you, think about how well you know faith.
If you desire a fulfilled life, first think about how well you know faith.

You find Purpose by studying Faith. Faith originates in one book, and that book is the Bible. If you really think about it, the Bible is God’s mind on paper. Just like the manual in your car is the manufacturer’s mind on paper. And who knows the purpose of its product better than the manufacturer? God made us, so what’s more logical than reading His mind to find out why we were made? It just makes sense.

Take a look at these references from the Bible in Jeremiah 29:11;

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Or how about this one from Romans 8:28;

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

It’s pretty obvious that God is waiting for us to learn the language. We learn the language when we read the Book. When we read the Book, we learn to align our speech with purpose, and therefore we speak the right things, at the right times and achieve the right goal-A fulfilled and purposeful life.

Speaking With Power

In my reading of the Exodus, came across chapter 8:18 and it just stuck out. Here’s what it says:

The Third Plague: Lice
16 So the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’” 17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast.

With a continuing theme from my previous blog, “Understanding Power”, God seems to be revealing more about, ‘Power’.

It really just grabbed my attention that the magicians couldn’t turn dust into lice. They could cause frogs to appear, make water, bloody, and even turn a rod into a snake, but they could not turn dust into lice. Well, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: There is only one voice capable of creating life from nothing but dust, and that’s the voice of God. In early Genesis, God spoke to the dust and man became a living being. The magicians realized they couldn’t accomplish this, that’s why even they said, “this is the finger of God”. Exodus 8:19

In my previous blog, I mentioned that satan compromised the stream of God’s power to mankind. He got Adam and Eve to download a virus; once that happened, he was now able to control their thoughts and thus feed humans artificial or manipulated data. YET, even with satan controlling the stream of power (to those who haven’t removed the virus and put up a firewall like Brent Wong suggested) he STILL could not create life from dirt. What this tells me is that satan’s manipulated power that he gives, is in no way shape or form complete enough to be comparable with the Power of God. I eluded previously to this battle between God and satan, but really, how dare we compare the Author and Finisher to an interceptor and deceiver? That would be like comparing a luxury car manufacturer with the guy on the street that steals them, changes the VIN #, repaints them and sells them.

The devil is merely being allowed to manipulate streams of God’s power for a time; however, once the voice of a people who are eager to operate in their purposes come forth and speak to dust and creates life (because we are made in God’s image and likeness), satan will know his operation is in jeopardy. He may have gotten humanity to download a virus, but Jesus gave us disk clean up and a firewall! Even the airwaves will be reclaimed and controlled by kingdom minded people. MTV is definitely one television network that will broadcast God.

Once we begin to gather voices, we will be strong enough to overthrow the evil power in this world. We will take it by force! This is eRevolution! The Bring the Fire Revolution!

Understanding Power

I’ve constantly heard about this spiritual battle between good and evil, or rather between God and the devil. I’ve heard about evil powers of satan and the righteous power of God. But how is it that there seems to be two separate sources of power when we know God to be Omnipotent? Omnipotent is supposed to literally mean, “all power” or “all powerful”. So, if God is ALL powerful and all power in the universe is in Him, how is it that satan has power as well?

Here is how it was revealed to me.

God’s transfer of omnipotence happened regularly in the garden of Eden.

Everyday, Adam would download the newest software updates from the Internet onto his computer hard drive so that he could carry on his duties at the office. His Boss, who was a great Boss, told Adam he could go to any website and download what he wanted except for one website, badfruit.com. The Boss knew badfruit.com was full of malicious software containing viruses which would only cause breaches in communication and the ultimate crash of Adam’s hard drive. Adam knew he shouldn’t go to the website so he didn’t. He relayed the message to Eve, his co-worker and friend.

However, one day, Eve was surfing the Internet [she was probably slacking off at work] and she got a pop up on her screen that read, “Be Wise in Your Own Eyes! Click here to visit website.” So she clicks on the ad and she realizes its badfruit.com. Just when she is about to leave the website, she gets another pop up that says, “But Wait! Download our software now and receive FREE Anti-Virus software. Your computer will never crash again!” Well, I guess Eve didn’t realize she didn’t need antivirus software, but since she heard FREE…why not?, I mean, who could pass up free anti virus software that you don’t really need? At this point that Eve downloaded the software onto her hard drive. In fact, she told Adam about badfruit.com and he downloaded the same software as well. I’m not sure why Adam downloaded the software even though he knew the Boss told him not to-Personally, I think Adam had a thing for Eve.

It was at this point that there was a breech in the Omnipotent power stream from God. Apparently, Adam and Eve downloaded software with a virus attached that left secure ports vulnerable allowing the devil to intercept the flow of God’s power through these ports. By intercepting the data at the port, the devil could manipulate it and then re-route it to Adam and Eve’s hard drive. However, this new data was malicious. It was corrupt. And, it eventually led to the crash of their hard drives.

Oh, but it gets worse. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, we all have the same virus. [I know, but it’s too late guys, they’re both already dead]This malicious ‘virus’ is what led to the “perverted knowledge” that exists in the world today. For example, psychics, astrologers and all the like, have podcast subscriptions to this perverted data and made a business out of it! They download the latest podcast from badfruit.com everytime they do a reading and then they charge you for it. This is why they can only tell you some things, some of the time-their podcasts aren’t in a continuous stream; more like a here and there kinda thing. And even though the data might seem accurate to a certain extent, you have just downloaded another virus because you can’t transfer infected data to another computer hard drive with out infecting the hard drive where the data is going to. You are now loyal to this manipulated data instead of the Truth from the originator.

Do you know why you don’t know your purpose in life?

Do you know why you can’t seem to progress?

I’ll tell you why. You’ve got too many viruses! Get rid of them!

When Jesus died and rose again, He created a new website for us, called eternalfruit.com. From this website, we can actually download the truest anti-virus software that removes any viruses we have and gives us access to the very same software on Jesus’ hard drive and our updates come directly from Him! No more intercepted data, no more breeched ports, no more lies filtered in with truth-nothing but the Truth directly from the Omnipotent One Himself, God our father.

If you’ve never downloaded the mind of Christ, I’m telling you, you are living a lie. But don’t take my word for it, hear it from Jesus Himself.

Let It Rock!

Enough Games, Enough Cliches, Let's Take Authority!

All the bad people in the world don’t have to “change” for the world to be a better place. This makes sense when we realize all the righteous people in the world don’t have to change for the world to be an evil place-it already is! Evil governs by powers and principalities set up in high places according to the Bible. It seems pretty clear then where the real battle is taking place-at the top! It is pretty evident however that the righteous ones are currently losing the fight. If we look at the world in terms of market share, evil has a monopoly. Sad as it may be, we’re just not choosing our battles wisely.

As disciples of Christ, it is our calling to be salt and light. Salt preserves, light illuminates. It’s Who Christ Is! When salt is applied to meat, preservation begins automatically. When the light switch is flipped on, darkness leaves immediately-no questions asked. My point is that we’re working too hard to convert lost souls, and equally as hard to fill churches. But, before you slap a label on me, consider this:

Jesus never tried to convert, but rather revert. He told us to repent, or change our thinking and perception because the kingdom is here! Kingdom, as used here means governance, authority, ruler-ship. Jesus wasn’t merely giving us salvation, He was giving us back the authority we lost when Adam and Eve fell from dominion. The biggest problem with “converting” lost souls is simply the angle; the perception it brings. On one hand, Jesus tells lost souls to refrain from being deceived and change their thinking to retake their rightful authority, but on the other hand we tell lost souls to stop sinning or else they will burn in hell. Well, there’s usually two responses to this message. Convert and become a Christian, whatever that means. And the second is the person who runs further away from God because he/she doesn't want to know a God who would “send them to hell.” But let’s go back to the first group of responders who decide to convert. Why is it the greater portion of these “converts” convert back to their previous state not long after they made a decision for Christ? Take a look at this excerpt:

In 1972, Campus Crusade for Christ had a huge evangelistic conference in Dallas, TX called Explo ‘72. Attendees were equipped and sent home with the vision of sharing the Gospel with every person in the United States of America by 1976. Though it did not happen, the campaign did “reach” millions with the Gospel.

Phase One of the project was to wear buttons and have billboards and newspaper advertisements that read: “I Found It!” (’it’ meaning eternal life). Phase Two involved trained volunteers making millions of evangelistic telephone calls. Those who prayed with the volunteers, were “visited by the volunteers, given follow-up literature, and encouraged to join a Bible study group in their neighborhood.”

By the end of 1976, 6.5 million people had been contacted, and 536,824 people had indicated they trusted Christ for salvation (60,000 of those joining the neighborhood Bible study group). It was estimated that 50 million people saw the television special that went along with the campaign! Amazing stats...seemed quite effective at “reaching” the United States with the Gospel.

“Though the campaign’s statistics seemed, good, the campaign drew criticism from experts on church growth. Win Arn noted that few of the converts actually joined local churches. For example, in Edmonton, Canada, 1,700 workers from 63 participating churches recorded 1,009 decisions for Christ. Only 250 of those people actually attended one Bible study, and not a single person became a church member as a result of the campaign. In Indianapolis 823 volunteers made 28,976 telephone calls. These calls produced 1,665 decisions for Christ. However, only 242 attended a Bible study, and only 55 became church members. Of these, 23 were transfers from another church. Therefore, the net gain in membership in area churches was 32.” (John Mark Terry, Evangelism: A Concise History, 189-190).

It seems to me that hell fire, the promise of eternal life, and even salvation isn’t the correct angle all by itself. Even more than that, it isn’t holistic enough to be a complete gospel. When Jesus preached the gospel/good news, it was always about the kingdom. The gospel wasn’t salvation, eternal life or hell fire, it was the kingdom-regaining our rightful position as children of God; Salvation is how we get into the kingdom, but the kingdom is The Message.

With that said, we need to go back to basics. The basics of the kingdom. Once we understand the kingdom, we will understand the angle that every human being on the face of the earth can relate to; the angle that gives them the perception they need to realize Christ in fullness and in truth. We all have circumstances we go through, we all have burdens we need lifted; it's the message of the kingdom ( Governing Circumstances: The Way of the Kingdom, Part 1, 2, 3, 4) that fills the need of every human being on the face of the earth, making it the one true common denominator for all of humanity.

It is the kingdom of God in us that will fight principalities, powers and strong holds in high places. Once we regain authority in these high places, the world will change, because it is from the high place that a world is governed.

Upgrade Your Building Code!

For those that have realized God, there are those questions that will come up at some point. What is my calling? What is my purpose? How do I please God? Well, Pastor William Ilnisky of Lighthouse Christian Center Intl. put it this way: “Pleasing God is different for everyone. God has impressed different things on our individual hearts and when we walk in alignment with these things, we are pleasing God.” In other words, lets say God called you to write for His glory, and He has given you an anointing to be a writer. But I see that you are writing and you are ministering to people, and God is blessing you so I decide to write as well when God really gave me an anointing to sing. It isn’t that I shouldn’t be a writer, it’s simply that I am writing for the wrong reasons and I would please God if I were to focus on what He has anointed me to do. So really, what Pastor Ilnisky was getting across to me was that Purpose is directly associated with Pleasing God.

The bottom line is that if I knew my purpose, I wouldn’t have to preoccupy my time with trying to look holy, or look like I’m pleasing God.

I will tell you though, a lot of times we confuse purpose with process. Do you know anyone that has a job but is always complaining that they are so much better than this job, or someone who doesn’t even have a job and cant wait to get a job? Many times people living for God find themselves saying, “God, I need you to take me higher, I want to do your will but I know it’s not here. I just know it.” It’s almost like we are looking for some kind of, ‘first class calling.’

The truth of the matter is, Purpose is a Process. If God is the center of your life, then where you are right now, is exactly where you need to be in order to advance according to God’s calendar. I know the winds are blowing; the storm is brewing, and it seems like more harm that good is taking place. But we have to be built on a firm foundation to withstand the storms of life. To stay put and pray, instead of retreating and revoking God's will for our lives. Like Esther Ilnisky said at a Wednesday night Bible study, "Christians need to upgrade their building code!"

Take Joseph, son of Jacob for example. He told his family about some dreams he had, and ended up being thrown into a pit by his brothers; they just didn’t like him. Many of us are in ‘pits’ right now, and that’s why we’re crying out saying we need something better or something more in order to please God or walk in Purpose, when in reality we’re just fed up with our circumstances. Well, Joseph didn’t stay there for the rest of his life, and neither will you. But, we have to learn patience; we have to upgrade our spiritual building code to withstand these trials. Joseph was sold into slavery and became the head servant in the house of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officers. God’s favor was on Joseph, and God blessed the work of his hands. Joseph honored God wherever he was and because of his devotion to God, (not laying with his master’s wife) he ended up in another pit, Pharaoh’s prison. How many of us today feel that where we are in life is like a prison? No way out; dead end; walls closing in on us. But, Joseph being committed to God and trusting God, rose to the ranks again, and became head of the prison. Eventually, Joseph made it to Prime Minister of Egypt where his dreams became reality.

What is the point of this excerpt? The point is that Joseph trusted God with his life. He was in some pretty uncomfortable situations and probably would have loved to be relieved of them immediately and go directly to the palace, BUT there was a process that Joseph had to experience first.

The job that you are on today is apart of that process. The horrible circumstances you are facing right now are apart of that process. The people that have thrown you into a pit, spoken negatively about you, and just out right hate you for no apparent reason, are all there because there is a process. God didn’t cause Joseph to be sold as a slave anymore than he causes people to hate us or speak bad about us. God, in His foreknowledge knows about it, and is using it for His glory. Romans 8:28 says it best:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God; to them who are called according to His purpose.

Not our purpose, but His purpose. Don’t boycott your job; you’re messing with His purpose for your life if you do. Don’t give up and throw in the towel, promotion is coming; it’s a guarantee! It’s all a part of the process.

So then what is the purpose for process? The purpose of process is prepare you to handle power and authority. It is God’s original mandate to mankind when He told Adam to take control of the garden, to keep it, subdue it and have dominion over it. The problem is that we lost that place of authority when Adam and Eve sinned, causing Jesus to have to come to earth and die as a ransom for us all. However, most of what we hear in ‘Christian’ circles, stop right there. It never gets beyond the cross. As important as the cross may be, we allow emotion to keep us there. We wear them on pendants around our necks and erect them in our churches, saying we choose to remember Jesus dying on the cross. But what about Jesus resurrecting? If you ever notice, hardly anyone has a problem with you expressing Jesus’ death, but if you talk about His resurrection…. You are looking for trouble! This is sad. It’s sad because there is no power in death alone! Power comes through resurrection!

Acts 2:23-24 says:
23This man [Jesus] was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

Ephesians 1:18-23
18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Philippians 3:10-11
10That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Death is apart of the process to get us to that original state of man before the fall in Genesis 3. The process that Jesus went through, the processes that we all face here on earth are all designed to get us back to our place of authority and dominion over the earth. Like Paul says, “…being conformed to His death”. Surrender our will to Jesus and run with His will. Dying to self is to live for Christ. Strange enough, we will see that just like Joseph, if we do God’s will, we will end up achieving the very dreams we had in the first place. Stay on course, don’t detour; you will achieve all that God has for you!

Doing This Now!: Creating Miracles - The Process

Doing This Now!: Creating Miracles - The Process: "usual fruit, but leaving the safe region and stepping out in faith will yield a grea"

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Wow. Never really thought I'd be posting a forwarded message on my blog! But, it actually went beyond mental capacity and straight to the heart. Not sure who wrote it, but I'm glad they did. Reminds us to live outside the box. So, here it is:

Ruth went to her mail box and there was only one letter. She picked it up and looked at it before opening, but then she looked at the envelope again. There was no stamp, no postmark, only her name and address. She read the letter:

Dear Ruth:

I`m going to be in your neighborhood Saturday afternoon and I'd like to stop by for a visit.

Love
Always,
Jesus

Her hands were shaking as she placed the letter on the table. 'Why would the Lord want to visit me? I'm nobody special. I don't have anything to offer.' With that thought, Ruth remembered her empty kitchen cabinets. 'Oh my goodness, I really don't have anything to offer. I'll have to run down to the store and buy something for dinner.' She reached for her purse and counted out its contents. Five dollars and forty cents. Well, I can get some bread and cold cuts, at least.'

She threw on her coat and hurried out the door.

A loaf of French bread, a half-pound of sliced turkey, and a carton of milk...leaving Ruth with grand total twelve cents to last her until Monday. Nonetheless, she felt good as she headed home, her meager offerings tucked under her arm.

'Hey lady, can you help us,lady?'

Ruth had been so absorbed in her dinner plans, she hadn't even noticed two figures huddled in the alleyway. A man and a woman, both of them dressed in little more than rags. 'Look lady, I ain't got a job, ya know, and my wife and I have been living out here on the street, and, well, now it's getting cold and we're getting kinda hungry and, well, if you could help us. Lady, we'd really appreciate it.'

Ruth looked at them both. They were dirty, they smelled bad and frankly, she was certain that they could get some kind of work if they really wanted to.

'Sir, I'd like to help you, but I'm a poor woman myself. All I have is a few cold cuts and some bread, and I'm having an important guest for dinner tonight and I was planning on serving that to Him.'

'Yeah, well, okay lady, I understand. Thanks anyway.'

The man put his arm around the woman's shoulders, turned and headed back into the alley. As she watched them leave, Ruth felt a familiar twinge in her heart.

'Sir, wait!'

The couple stopped and turned as she ran down the alley after them. 'Look, why don't you take this food. I'll figure out something else to serve my guest.' She handed the man her grocery bag.

'Thank you lady. Thank you very much!' 'Yes, thank you!' It was the man's wife, and Ruth could see now that she was shivering 'You know, I've got another coat at home. Here, why don't you take this one.' Ruth unbuttoned her jacket and slipped it over the woman's shoulders. Then smiling, she turned and walked back to the street...without her coat and with nothing to serve her guest.

'Thank you lady! Thank you very much!'

Ruth was chilled by the time she reached her front door, and worried too. The Lord was coming to visit and she didn't have anything to offer Him. She fumbled through her purse for the door key. But as she did, she noticed another envelope in her mailbox.

'That's odd. The mailman doesn't usually come twice in one day.'

Dear Ruth:

It was so good to see you again. Thank you for the lovely meal. And thank you, too, for the beautiful coat.

Love Always,
Jesus

The air was still cold, but even without her coat, Ruth no longer noticed.

Jesus Had a Secret

What is faith? Well, faith is that thing we get when we’re in a jam. How much is enough faith? I guess enough that you get what you want. I don’t know about you, but I’m done treating faith like a concierge service. I don’t have faith to get stuff; I have faith to gain access to the presence of God. In His presence is the fullness of everything I could ever need in this life, into eternity. Faith is my key to His Presence.

The simplicity of it is this. Why do we worry about our lives? What we will eat, drink, or wear? Observe the birds of the air, they don’t sow or reap like many of the “Faith teachings” we receive, yet the God of all creation takes care of them. Are we not more valuable than birds?

It always boils down to the basics. Walk by faith, and not by sight. We walk by that which enables us to see and experience God. While Jesus was here on earth, He performed many miracles, and He would always say, “I only do what I see My Father do.” He didn’t say, “I do what I do because of my faith in the Father to accomplish what I want.” Jesus was trying to get our attention by repeating that simple statement because it contained a key:

Use faith to see what God sees, not what our circumstances suggest.

So how do we see what God sees? Well, you have to realize first that Jesus and the Father were one. John 17:10-12 and 20-23 says it best:

10All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one.

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

When our consciousness comes to the place where we know we are in the Father, and He is in us, then we begin to see His power manifested through us because by virtue of this unity, we have what God has.

This unity is not the same as a union. Unions fight, just watch the news. When there is unity, there is order and we all know God is a God of order. It was chaos that He reached into when He was forming the earth, and made order.

This unity is not pie in the sky, it’s attainable, here and now. But to gain this unity, it will require you to repent! Or, in less cinematic words, change your thinking.

All your life you may have believed that if you had a whole lot of faith, you could make a whole lot of things happen. At least that's what religion teaches. Truth be told, everything we have is simply because of God’s grace in our lives. And, we don’t get a lot of what we ask for, because we ask amiss. Which takes us back to Matthew 6 where Jesus reminds us that God knows what the birds need, how much more, us, the apple of His eye.

See, there is much commentary on how people used faith in the Bible, and you can pick and choose which verses you will use in your defense. For instance, we try to use faith to get stuff because of the scripture reference where Jesus says, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains.”

Yes, this is true, you can change your circumstances if you believe you can. But that’s elementary thinking. It’s basic. You have to take it a step further and understand that Jesus wouldn’t teach anything that He didn’t believe Himself, and He always taught that He only did what He saw the Father do. So, understanding this, we should use faith to gain access to God and see what He sees, this way we can look at our circumstances through God’s eyes and bring into this temporal world that which we see in the spiritual world. If you’re asking God for something, it should be for a realization of His presence; for your eyes to see what He sees; for His consciousness.

Once we can see what He sees, then we can look on a temporally sick person and speak healing and change their physical circumstances. How? Simply because sickness isn’t a reality to God, (because God cant experience sickness), so if we are one with God, just like God would, we will speak order into disorder and change what is temporal to look more like what is eternal; all for God’s glory. That’s how Jesus did it, anyhow.

Here’s some food for thought. This happened to me on the weekend past.

Danielle and I volunteered at the Urban Youth Impact Back to School Bash with our church Lighthouse Christian Center Intl, at Gains park and while we were walking over to the park, I saw a logo on an SUV in the parking lot and I just thought it was the coolest thing since sliced bread, so I showed Danielle and she thought so too. Anyhow, because we got there late, we weren't assigned to any particular station so we went looking for work. We came up on these two guys wearing red "safety patrol" shirts and asked them if they needed any help, but they didn't. We ended up chatting for a bit, and we came to find out that one of the guys, John, actually owned the company for the logo I saw in the parking lot! It was his SUV! He also let me know that his website has been under construction for a while and really wants to get it up and running.

Well, guess what I do? I create websites. So, he asked me for my card and we're gonna get his site up and running. Personally, I just thought that was the craziest thing ever! Almost 1,000 volunteers scattered about the park, (and its a huuuuuge park) why did we approach that guy who just so happens to own the logo that I thought was soo cool?

Did this happen by chance? Not a chance. I didn’t go asking around for the guy who owns the logo, but I did go asking how I could serve, and they were the first people we asked.

Here’s the point. God knows how my bills are paid. He knows how much I need to buy food and He knew I would need money because my radiator just gave out on me this morning! Grrr. What God did at the park was show me how he was going to provide for me, while I was providing for someone else. The few seconds of interest I showed in that logo was enough to begin the process of bringing what I needed directly to me; the way it should be.

Though, had I been MORE consciously aware of God’s active presence at that moment I saw the logo, I would have known I would meet the owner and get work, making me rest easier about any financial circumstances I may have. Thus, giving me peace. All this assurance would come BEFORE I even meet the owner.

But as you can see, it is a progression in the right direction. The more of God’s consciousness I receive, the more of His intent I can create and give life to.

It goes without saying however, that I met the owner primarily because I was busying myself trying to serve. I wasn’t asking where the hot dog stand was, or where the restrooms were, I was asking how I could serve. We are most like Jesus when we serve. Not when we speak ever so eloquently, or do something that makes people say, “wow.” But, simple servant-hood.

Giving Makes Cents!

I remember when I first started college a couple years ago. Those early morning classes were killers! If you didn't like coffee, you drank it anyway, at least if you cared enough to not waste your parents' money by sleeping in class. Of course, just starting out in college, things got tough from time to time, financially anyhow. On those tough mornings, we would stand up at the cappuccino machine waiting for people to stop by to purchase a 40 cent cup of coffee and ask for the change! It didn't take a whole lot of pride-trust me. But, you did what you had to do for that early morning jolt of energy.

Now, when I'm grabbing a Coke or something at a vending machine, I leave the change in the tray. Hey, quite a few times I've enjoyed my coffee this way.

The reality of it is this: It is so easy to be a giver.

You don't have to give a million dollars to a charity to be considered generous in God's eyes, you just have to give with the right motives. Don't give to receive, even though you will receive. Instead give out of the realization that everything you have was given to you, so it is only honorable for you to give as well.

"Oh, I work hard for my money, Quincy. No one gave me anything!"

Really? Just like you work hard for the air you breathe, right? We all have to work to achieve in life, that's a given. But it is only by God's grace that we have what we have. If we can understand this simple principle, we are on the right track to living a fulfilled life.

How's Your Jump Shot?

The 2008 NBA Finals is in full effect right now. I think its so amazing to watch the best of the best battle it out in such a fierce rivalry. Of course, I'm a die hard Chicago Bulls fan since the days of Michael Jordan, buut our team is in the process of rebuilding its new dynasty; say watcha' like, we'll be back!

But all the commotion, emotion and sheer thrill of the game somehow got me into a state of meditation-yeah, not sure how that happen, blame God.

I think what I'm recognizing more and more, is that there are messages in EVERYTHING.

He's not my favorite, but I think Kobe Bryant is a very talented basketball player, so is Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. However, it's Kobe I wanna use for my illustration because out of them all, he most closely resembles MJ, and hate him or love him, MJ took basketball to another level.

In a few of the past games I watched, I have just been amazed by some of the jump shots Kobe has gotten off! I mean, some tough shots! Defenders right in his face, all over him, double teaming, slapping his arm, the ball, I mean, just alot to be up against and still sink the basket.

I love the game of basketball and played some high school ball so I have some understanding of the training involved in maintaining such a high percentage jump shot-it's not as easy as it looks, but it is easier than you think. Here's what I mean. When Kobe shoots the ball, everyone watches the ball being released from his hands, and follows it into the hoop. Then, we say, "wow, what a great shot!" The thing is, that "great shot" wouldn't be possible without strength in his legs. The jump shot is unique because there are a few dynamics working all at the same time to get off the perfect shot. Momentum, release and the jump. Momentum and release is what we tend to focus on, but the true test of a great jump shot is in the legs.

What does this have to with anything, and why am I looking at Kobe's legs? lol.

Ok, smart guy. The observation is this: The success behind Kobe's jump shot is like the success behind our lives. We tend to focus on the things that will get us the most recognition, when in fact we have weak legs.

I can practice good momentum all day; catch and shoot drills, off-the-pick shooting drills, wide open shots. I can practice good release all day too; lining up the basket with my elbows, snapping the wrist after the shot to follow through; there are tons of drills. But, if I don't have any strength in my legs, my shot wont have proper elevation. And also, what happens when I get tired? Obviously my jump shot percentage goes down because I have no strength to draw from when I need it most.

What are you drawing from when you get tired, stressed, and worn out? If you have tired legs, like I've been having lately, then there's a good change you might just collapse! Collapsing in life is only a bad thing when you stay down; the key is to get up again, and again and again, and exercise the muscles in your legs which will give you more stamina, agility, and a better jump shot.

How do we build strength in our legs? Lifting weights of course. However, the only weights you need to lift in life are the ones in your mind. Psalms 55:22 says, "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." Meditation is strength for your legs. Make it habitual to continuously cast any burdens on the Lord, it does wonders for your spiritual legs, trust me. Just like athletes make it mandatory to exercise, we have to make it mandatory to exercise our consciousness. The Bible even makes it pretty easy by telling us where NOT to focus, and there where we are to focus. Matthew 6:25-34 says:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.

29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

These instructions can appear impossible at first, but remember, you dont start off lifting 200 lbs in the weight room the first go around, you start small and as you get stronger, you can handle more. The important thing is to not try to do it on your own, ask God to sustain you.

So, today, take one issue that has been bothering you and tell God it's now in His hands to sort out because you're too busy thanking Him for everything He has done for you so far-that means you actually have to spend the time thanking Him. Watch and see that your issue is taken care of. I'm speaking from experience.

I will tell you though, the biggest road block I've found with living this way is my own inconsistency. I would give these issues over to God, spend time thanking Him and watch the miracle happen, but then I go right back to worrying about some other problem as if I forgot how many times God has come through for me-that is the real killer. It's like an athlete saying, "Well, I won the last game/match so I don't need to keep exercising." Right. Let me know how that works out for you. It wont.

We have to keep the focus on what's most important, and strong legs is the foundation for a great jump shot, just ask Kobe.

Who Wants to be a Trillionaire?

The temporal things that money can accomplish wont last, only the endeavors with eternal life built into them will stand the test of fire. With that said, as a trillionaire, what will you accomplish for the kingdom of God that you couldn’t accomplish with $500 per week? This is an important question because alot of us think that if we just had more money we could do so much more for God, when in actuality, we don’t have the slightest idea what we would do for God with even a million dollars if it just dropped in our laps. Furthermore, God doesn’t need us to do anything for Him. But He does need us to make ourselves available for His Holy Spirit to accomplish things for His kingdom through us.

The thing is, anyone can make alot of money, because its based on a set of universal biblical principals. If you give, you will receive. If you sow, you will reap. Possess qualities like diligence, consistency, and discipline and pretty much anything you set your mind to, you can accomplish.

The simplistically profound thing is this: Money isn’t everything! And, money doesn’t equal success in life! So really, you don’t have to beg God for more money, just go out and create it. It’s not the most significant thing in life whereby you have to spend a lifetime trying to find it; it’s just simple principles.

What we should spend our time doing however, is seeking God’s kingdom. To seek His kingdom is to seek after that which will bring it about. The primary enabler of God’s kingdom being manifested is our individual purposes being revealed to us; this is what a successful life looks like.

A successful life constitutes doing that which you were created to do. Just like money, the fact that you were created, means you are here for a purpose. And, it is knowing this purpose that will determine just how much you will accomplish for the kingdom; not how much money you have.

The purpose of money is to help you relate a message. This is true in all aspects of life. We live in nice homes, drive nice cars, and eat gourmet foods because of the message it sends; the message it sends to our own consciousness, and the consciousness of others. Money sends a message through rap music, money sends a message in political campaigning and it also sends a message through charity. Money is a means to an end; a way in which we can communicate what’s inside us to the world around us. It possess the functionality of your own personal courier service.

Stop for a minute and think about the messages your money is sending.

Now back to the original question. As a trillionaire, what will you accomplish for the kingdom of God that you couldn’t accomplish with $500 per week?

The simplicity of it is this: If you cant find a reason to dispose of millions, billions, or trillions of dollars, then you wont ever have it. This is true in the kingdom, but it is also true even if you don’t believe in God. I mean, even lotto winners have a reason for playing lotto. “Then, why should I believe in God if I can make lots of money otherwise?” Well, the obvious answer is because money isn’t everything. You don’t stay home from school everyday just because you can read the same text books at home; obviously there is more to school than just reading text books. In the same way, there is much more to life than making money. More importantly, a life void of a relationship with Jesus Christ is a life without purpose. And, a life not lived on purpose is an abusive and destructive life. It’s the difference between using a kitchen knife to cut a piece of birthday cake, and using it to stab someone. Using your car to take a friend out to dinner, or to take him out! Using your speech to encourage or to tear down.

Extreme examples? Sure. But this is what happens when purpose is aborted.

The kitchen knife was designed to cut cake, not to stab someone. Your car was designed to carry passengers from one point to the next, not run them over! And our speech is to encourage, not cast curses on people. Our lives have purpose as well, and just like the manufacturer tells us the purpose of a knife and a car, so the Manufacturer of life will impart to us our reason for being.

So here are some bottom line principles:
Money is a powerful communicator.
Money is a means to an end.
True Purpose equals success in life.
The person with lots of money and no purpose is like a teenager with a case of beer and a Corvette.

Answering our original question in detail takes more than perspective; it takes divine impartation from God. It’s not a question everyone is asking themselves, but for those of us who are, we should ponder and really understand the reason for financial wealth if we find ourselves on such a path. Not understanding will most certainly lead to our own destruction. To whom much is given, much is truly required.

I am aware of something though: If I’m certain about building God’s kingdom, and communicating its message, then I’ve found a reason to have a trillion dollars at my disposal.

A New Normal

I used to think subconscious faith was a stretch; a far reach, but worth the effort. Now, I realize it's not some lofty ideal, instead, it's a prerequisite to seeing the results of the Kingdom of God manifested in my life. Before I can experience God's purpose for my life, my outlook on life MUST change, or in other words, I have to start seeing through a different set of eyes. Why? Simply because God's purpose has already been revealed in the spiritual realm, so its up to me to start looking there. But before I can see out, I have to look within and cultivate the soil of my heart with joy, prayer and gratitude. When this soil receives the seed of the Word of God, something starts to happen-yes, a subconscious faith is being developed.

See, the consistency of the soil is important and greatly determines the speed and nurture of the seed. No matter the outward conditions, the soil must be consistent otherwise, the seed is affected negatively. This is why 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 tells us that in all circumstances we are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful, for this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. Not because its the lofty thing to do, but because its a requirement for Seed to grow healthy seed! When you read the Bible (the Seed) do you feel like you get nothing from it alot of the time? Meaning your faith isn't strengthened, and you are seeing no miracles when you believe on the Word? No, that doesnt make you a heathen, it simply means the soil of your heart isnt as nourished and cultivated (with joy, prayer and gratitude) as it should be. Here is why. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us insight into the Word, right? Right. Well, we know that the presence of God, His Holy Spirit ministers to those that follow His will. And we just read earlier that 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says that it's the will of God to have joy, be prayerful and thankful no matter what. So, the point is that good seed must fall on good soil for there to be good results.

But thats not the end, it's really the beginning in fact. Now that we are developing this subconscious faith (the continuous process of good seed falling on consistently fertile soil), what do we do with it? How do we capitalize on subconscious faith and make the plans and purpose of God real in our lives!? The same way a farmer capitalizes on his crop; take it to market.

We have to take our subconscious faith, not primarily inside the four walls of a church building, but out into the world system. We take what we have cultivated on the inside and change the world around us; we can even change our circumstances! So, thats where we take it, but here's how we use it. Speak.

When the farmer knows his crop is top grade produce, his words are saturated by a confidence born out of subconscious faith that sends off vibrations straight into the consciousness of his customer, causing him to not only buy 10 bushels, but to silently think to himself, "Wow! I want what that guy has!"

Our words are more powerful than we think they are. More importantly, because we were made in the image of God, our words are creative. So now do you see why we can change our circumstances by having subconscious faith? Because speaking out of this kind of faith brings favorable results.

Some readers may not like my next statement, but really, that never stopped me before. Conscious faith is quite elementary; its uncultivated. Don't get me wrong, seed can grow in uncultivated soil, but what kind of crop will it produce? Clearly not the kind that causes you to easily sell 10 bushels of course. Here, let me try to explain what I mean. Conscious faith is reactive, because it goes out to meet our circumstances. Subconscious faith is proactive, because it's there before our circumstances arrive. So it's like this:

Let's say you own a jewelry store but you don't have an armed officer present; you just have his phone number in the event of an emergency. Of course you are uneasy about this, but your store is in a good area and you want to save as much money as you can. So, a robber notices your vulnerability and sees opportunity to steal from you, and so he robs you. Then, you call that emergency number, the officer shows up, takes a report and goes after the robber.

Wouldn't it be easier to just have an armed officer present, so that if a robber still decides to rob you, he meets the barrel of a shotgun?

We've lost so much in life simply because we thought reactive faith was enough. I know I have. With subconscious faith, we worry less about being robbed, and focus more on kingdom revenue.

And, like I've asked in many other blogs, where is your focus?

Many Thoughts

So many thoughts. It's like having an aerial view of spiraling and overlapping highways with vehicles in route to many different destinations. This of course, is nothing but a part of his design. I don't mean God, I mean satan. Don't think for a minute that only God has plans for your life; satan definitely has his own agenda.

Satan's number one goal is not to make you a blatant sinner; his goal is to distract you. Making us blatant sinners would to easily be recognized by our moral radars, so satan opts for deception, the oldest trick in the book. Last week at Bible study, pastor Ilnisky taught about a subject that definitely needs as much attention as it can get-Obedience. He talked about Adam and Even in the garden and how their disobedience has engrained in us the same sinful nature of disobedience and rebellion. I guess you can see why the topic isn't heavily raised. It's much easier to talk about 10 ways to get your blessing than 10 ways to live a life of obedience. But, I thank God for vessels that are willing to teach us the the tough lessons that we all need.

Obedience is a key because whether we know it or not, we're all obedient to something or someone. The long short of it all is that our obedience is based on our thought life. When Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he tried to relate the importance of this by telling us (in 2 Corinthians 10:5) to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Why? Because thoughts that aren't captive to Christ are captive to another power. We already know that Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life (John 16:4) so any other is obviously the opposite, being The Wrong Way, The Lie, and The Death. If your thoughts aren't captive to Jesus, then its captive to confusion, lies and death.

So, with that said, are all my thoughts really captive to Christ? Haha, obviously not. If they were captive to Christ, I wouldnt allow my mind to look like a convoluted highway system, which like I said earlier is satan's goal; distraction. He doesn't have to try and make me a blatant sinner, he just has to distract me enough to lose focus of Jesus, so my thoughts will be captive to him (satan).

Once my thoughts are led astray, sin is pretty much inevitable. But the sin by itself is not the worst part; the worst part is not being able to discern the spiritual struggle behind the scenes because now, I wont ever repent, which would stop me from moving forward and experiencing the fullness of God's plans for my life. Do you see how subtle satan is? It's no wonder the mind is the true battlefield. Our mind is like the rudder of a ship; and whether we like it or not, someone is at the wheel directing our path. Who is the captain of your ship?

Living a Successful Life

Don't succeed in the wrong assignment.

Being busy is not the same as being effective. The key is to know your purpose and to spend your time and energy pursuing it. The True meaning of a 'Successful life' isnt making alot of money; you can be successful in making a lot of money, but making alot of money can never constitute a successful life. Furthermore, money is never an end, it is a means to an end. For example, I can have 10 million dollars in cash sitting on my desk in front of me, but unless I decide to use that money for some cause, like putting it in the bank to gain interest, or buying real estate, I am nothing more than a poor person with alot of cash. Money is always a means to an end. Therefore, money used in correlation with your purpose, can constitute a successful life, but never money in and of itself.

Purpose. Why is it so important? Consider this. You study for months and months for this test you have to take. You read your books inside out and you feel pretty confident about passing it. You sit down to take the test and the professor says, "Be sure to answer only the odd numbered questions." Now, you, filled with both excitement and anxiety, don't fully hear the assignment, so you answer all the even numbered questions. Now, even though you may have gotten all the even numbered questions correct, all your months of studying helped you to be nothing more than a successful failure.

Why did you fail? Well, let's look at what you did: You followed "The 10 Steps to Acing Your Exam", "The 5 More Steps" the other book left out, you did a few study group sessions, got advice from people you considered successful...MAN YOU DID EVERYTHING THAT SHOULD MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL, right? WRONG! You missed what mattered most: The Assignment, odd numbered questions only.

Do you know your assignment?

Don't be fooled or falsely impressed; many people driving nice cars, having high profile careers and nice homes, are not necessarily successful in life. "Success is not measured by wealth, but by purpose."

And you know, it's not rocket science to figure out where to find our purpose in life; the more difficult part is waiting for it to be unfolded to us. Yeah, that nasty word, "Patience."

Consider this. If an indicator light turns on in your Mercedes Benz, where do you find information regarding the issue? The instruction manual, right? Where did the info in the manual come from? The manufacturer of the car, right? So in other words, the only authorized, trusted and certified place to find information about your vehicle is from the manufacturer, simply because your car was his idea in the first place. What about if you aren't sure about the use of a function in your car? Where do you look to find the answer? That's right, the instruction manual. Like I said, the place to find purpose isn't rocket science, the harder part comes in understanding what you've found. But, don't worry, for this, there is also a solution. If the instruction manual seems a bit confusing, you can stop off at your nearest authorized Mercedes Benz dealership, and they are more than capable of explaining to you what is being said in the instruction manual.

It's not that the people at the dealership are smarter than you, or that their cars never have problems, it's just that they have a relationship with the manufacturer who fills them in on how to handle such issues. This is not to say you cant contact the manufacturer directly, because you can, and you should primarily, develop a relationship with the manufacturer. But, the purpose of the dealership was the manufacturer's idea, to be his representative, so we should definitely make use of it. In fact, the manufacturer even made it convenient for us by placing these dealerships in cities all over the world. Though I will tell you, when it comes to observing some of the manufacturer's representatives, you just have to remember: The manufacturer is a great guy, (just look at your beautiful car) but he sometimes has the worst PR people!

Don't let poor representatives cause you to miss out on important information the manufacturer has for you!

Now I know I've said a lot about cars, authorized dealerships and manufacturers, and I'm sure you now understand the purpose of that instruction manual, the dealership and the manufacturer, at least to some extent. You might be wondering how this applies to finding purpose in your life. Well, you're life is represented by the car, the instruction manual is the Bible, God is the manufacturer, and the dealership is the church.

To live a successful life, is to live a purposeful life. And who knows the purpose of the product better than the One who created it? A Successful Life is within your reach; just get in touch with the Manufacturer, or stop by an authorized dealership.

Toy Soldiers

"I want to get away, I want to fly away...yeah, yeah, yeah."

Im so sorry for the hurt I've caused you. Life is so fragile. Life is like a car going 200 mph, where a tiny stone in the road could potentially throw us off course. Again, life is also like a frog in hot water. If you place him in hot water he will immediately jump out to save his life, but if you put him in room temperature water and then turn the heat up underneath him gradually, by the time he realizes he is in danger, he would have already been killed by the boiling water.

Why am I saying these things? Im saying them because I need a reality check! The long short of it is simply this: I cant live my life the way I want to! In fact, its not my life in the first place! When my life was surrendered to Jesus Christ, I in essence said, "More of you, less of me." Right about now, it doesn't feel like it's about Him at all. Ask me the last time I read my Bible. Well, last night I finally picked it up, but before then it was weeks! See that's a big deal. Let me show you why. How many days can you go without drinking water of kind? Personally, I cant go a day. If we stop drinking water, we'll eventually get dehydrated and die. So what Im saying is, the Bible is "Living Water" and right about now I am feeling spiritually dehydrated.

How did this happen? Well, it was a process. It's like when you pull a flower out of the ground. Even days after the flower's root has been disconnected from the ground, it can still look alive. But after a couple weeks, you notice the leaves start to wither, and the flowers start to fall off, and the overall color begins to change from the vibrant greens, yellows and reds, to a deathly, dried, brown and black. In a nutshell, thats how we become spiritually dehydrated. We think we're doing just fine by not staying in the Bible, by not being grounded in what we know is Truth, but really we're already dead, and we're just lookin "righteous".

Well, I'm tired of looking the part, Im tired of playing the part, day by day, I want to live the part. See, we all have patience as long as there isn't a reason to be anxious. We all have love so long as there isn't a reason to hate. We all have joy as long as there isn't a reason to be depressed. Well, thats not really patience, love or joy even though from the outside it sure does look like it. Just like Im not really righteous just because it looks like it. When trials and unbearable circumstances come, when we've lost a job, a loved one or just feel like life isn't fair. Its when we can experience these things yet still say, "though He slay me, I will still trust Him." It's knowing that we are taken care of every step of the way; and because of this we can do things with the strength of God where anyone else in our shoes would simply die. It's not us, it's simply His power in us.

Righteousness is simply being in right standing with God. Anyone can be in right standing with Him when were isolated from the world, but the true test of righteousness comes when we are mixed in a world filled with sin, and our actions become our greatest asset and tool for the Kingdom of God.

Good To Be Back

Wow. It’s been a while. A lot has happened since the last time I wrote. A lot of trials, a lot of disturbances, a lot of turbulence, a lot of strain, a lot of stress. Yeah, I know, “good Christians” aren’t supposed to talk about how stressed out they are, cuz’ if they’re stressed that means they are defeated, right? Yeah, ok, let me know how that works for you. The fact is, it doesn’t work for anyone; keeping those feelings inside and letting them boil does nothing to help us overcome them. Just ask king David, or better yet read the book of Psalms [um, that’s in the Bible for my non-Bible reader friends.. I’m sure to hear about that comment later lol] But in Psalms we see David, better yet the straight forward and unadulterated heart of one that was considered a man after God’s own heart. So, let’s step back a minute. WE say don’t talk about being stressed and how pressed we feel because we are supposed to “name and claim” the way we ought to feel. David, the one whom God considers a man after His own heart, pours his heart out beyond tears subjecting himself to a realm of utter weakness and depression, only to be raised up EVERYTIME even stronger than he was before.

So, who’s report do you believe? God’s Word, or our fellow “Christian” do-gooders?

All I know, is that the road hasn’t been easy, and quite frankly, it shouldn’t. There was a time in my life when I was on EASY St. [I still live on NO WORRIES Blvd. however] but those days are gone, and I really don’t miss them. Life then was way too stagnant for my liking, but because my focus wasn’t entirely on Christ, I tolerated a lot of things and mediocrity began settling in. But now, I experience way too much turbulence to say I have a mediocre life. I’ve learned, first hand, that the minute you start to do something with your life, people hate you, try to pull you down, lie about you, or better yet, try to be your best friend. All of these we have to watch out for because satan does what he can to move our eyes off of Jesus, and onto the situation or circumstances at hand. See, satan can’t stop the plans and purpose of God for our individual lives, only we can. So, if he can cause things to be thrown right in front of you, and you choose to let your circumstances get the best of you, then satan has done his job in being a deceiver and destroyer. PEOPLE!! I hope you just heard that, because satan doesn’t want you to know that he really doesn’t have any power over your life except the power YOU give him! Do you know why people are demon possessed? Do you know why we live in bondages daily? Do you know why we live defeated lives? BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN DECEIVED!

I know personally I’ve been deceived many times, and even today I have to be so careful with where I put my focus. It’s kinda like driving 120 mph on the high way [not that I’m, um admitting to going that fast on an actual highway] taking my eyes off the road for a split second to pick up my cell that dropped could mean the difference between life and death. Well, 120 mph is about how fast many of our lives are going, and there are many things that try to take the place of where our main focus should be. The thing is, why do I care that my cell phone dropped on the floor? Well, my mind tells me that oh, I might miss an important phone call so I better pick it up. What my mind should tell me is that oh, you pick up that cell phone right about now and it could be the last thing you ever pick up again! Do you see how easily we can be deceived? Yeah, I know you were probably thinking about huge matters in your life where you might be deceived, but satan is sneaky, even driving a car he wants to mess with your mind.

The good news is however, that God sends His angels with us wherever we go. I’ve had some close calls, but the point is, they were just that, close. Angels step into our lives many times during the day and thwart away a lot of evil that we cant see with our physical eyes. That’s a reason why 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 can tell us that the will of God for our lives is to pray always, be thankful always and to be joyous always. It’s not a pipe dream, it’s not an impossibility to be that way, it’s very much a reality. But it all boils down to, “focus”. If we are focusing on our problems then 1 Thessalonians isn’t a reality. But if we keep our focus on Christ, a joyous life is certainly a given.