Friday, November 25, 2011

Just Follow the Red Brick Road

Who has NOT experienced any trouble in your life, or has NEVER been in a difficult situation that YOU can't seem to shake or figure out?  If this is you, raise your hand and tell your neighbor....  Ok, so since we're not in church and I really can't see you, I'm just going to make a high assumption that none of you reading this actually raised your hand because this certainly didn't apply to you.  Even if you are fresh out of the womb, just one nanosecond old, you really can't raise your hand because the Bible teaches us that we are all born into sin.  And sin ain't nothing but what?  Trouble!  Am I right?  If so, keep reading...

I have never watched "The Wiz" before.  I came across it on Thanksgiving Day searching for something to watch so I paused there and watched it for a little while (though I did not watch the entire movie).  I turned to it at the point where Dorothy (played by Diana Ross) encountered the Scarecrow (played by Michael Jackson) for the first time.  She and her dog ToTo had been displaced from their home by way of some windstorm....you know the storyline.  So, she's in search of the wizard in hopes that he will be able to get her back home.  Well, it just so happens that the Scarecrow is missing a brain and could also benefit from visiting the wizard.  He joins her and they begin their journey, "off to see the wizard....the wonderful wizard of oz".  But how do they get there?  In this particular story, their only instruction is to "follow the yellow brick road".  And, of course, (as I'm sure you are aware), they encounter others along the way who are missing this and that and join their journey in hopes of getting from the wizard what's missing in their lives.  Hmmm...  I think it would be fitting to say that these individuals were in places of trouble and difficulties in their lives.....places where they were faced with situations that they couldn't see how to fix.  So, off to the wizard they all went.

What are you missing?  Who do you feel is missing from your life?  Where are you looking to find that which is missing?  Are you on a yellow brick road looking for some magical medicine to change your situation?  Wow!  There's sooo much to be said about what all we feel is missing from our lives and how we go about searching for those missing parts, but for the purposes of this blog I'm trying to keep it as short as possible :).  We really do all need to step back sometimes and examine the journey that we are on and answer these questions I have posed.  I'm thinking deeply and answering them where Tasha is concerned even as I type this.  One thing that is for sure....I definitely can't say that I've always looked in the right places or taken the right roads to get to the person/place holding my missing parts.  I'll go even further and tell you that I have felt myself to be missing some things (from childhood on up) that I have not totally healed from yet and am just now, with God's help, coming to grips with the fact that I was on the wrong road and looking to false things/false people to find them.  *Big Sigh*  And I'm not saying "false" in the sense that these things and/or people were fake.  They are tangible, they actually exist, but "I" was trying to make them exist for the wrong purposes in "MY" life.  Who feels me on that?  A songwriter sings that he "searched all over, couldn't find nobody....looked high and low, still couldn't find nobody".  He found NO ONE or NOTHING to be greater than God!  And I bet, without you having to think too hard about it, you can honestly report that in all your searching and in all your looking here, there and everywhere, there was not one person nor one thing to be found greater than our God.  Now, that brings me to this...  What road should we be on?  If you've been on a yellow brick road that has led you even greater misunderstandings of who you are, what you're searching for, who's gonna give it to you, I challenge you to flip it and step onto the Red Brick Road.  I won't lie and say it's an easy road to travel.  You will encounter many difficult situations and trouble along the way, BUT it has its advantages.  For one, it's the road less traveled so if you have road rage like me....sometimes....(work on me Jesus!), you will find the ease of traveling fairly decent.  It's red, vibrant color is easy to spot, so in the event that you kind of veer off of the road and lose your way, the bold color will easily attract you back to it.  Another advantage is that Jesus traveled this road already and has left directions (the Bible) on how to follow along it.  I hear that's why the road is red.  Because see, He shed a lot of blood for us.  As He traveled this road, He wanted to leave evidence that everything you would face on your journey; though it may not seem favorable to you at the time.....IT'S ALL COVERED UNDER HIS BLOOD!  Someone may be thinking, "Well I'm IN trouble, and you're saying to get on a road that I may face even more trouble on?".  To that I say this....it is better to face your troubles WITH Jesus than WITHOUT Him.  So much more happens on this Red Brick Road than meets the eye.  Yea, your troubles may be very visible, but there is also a work of faith and perseverance being performed in you that you may not readily see...but you will.  The encounters with trouble and difficult situations really are making you stronger.  Answer this...and be real...  Do you find yourself praying MORE when in a troubled or hectic place in your life?  If your answer is yes, then you are most definitely benefiting from the trouble.  If we draw nearer to Him, He will draw nearer to us.  The more we call on God, the closer He is to us.

Whatever it is in your life that you feel is missing, just follow the Red Brick Road to God.  Jesus knows the way; in fact, He is the only way and He'll get you there.  Just get on the road and refuse to get off.  You may have to go through hell and high waters, but you won't be consumed in it.  You will make it through!  And whatever it is.....God has it.

Be blessed...

Thursday, November 17, 2011

You ARE Better.......Than That

He didn't even know your middle name.  He didn't know how many siblings you have, who your mother and father are, where you went to school, your aspirations and dreams, your relationship with God....  Nope, none of these did he know or take the time to learn of.  Wait!  Well, he actually did know you when you think of it, huh.  He knew your phone number.  He knew you were "looking for a man".  He knew your bra, panty, and waist sizes.  He knew if he texted you, he'd get an immediate response....if he called you, he was your main focus.  He knew he was your god...

Girl, you are too PRETTY!  Look at you!

Yet boy after boy, man after man, you sought identity from someone who is mere human.  You looked for a confirmation of who you are that he couldn't give you.  Was he your Maker?  How could he then have so much control over who you felt like you were?  How is it then that he STILL is controlling you because you refuse to let go what he took you through.  Did he call you from the womb and know your name before your mama and daddy knew your gender?  No, he didn't.  Why?  Because though he may have been fine, he's not divine.  Stop making him a god in your life.  Trying your hardest to make sure he notices you out of all the other chicks in the room.  You gotta find the shortest dress with the least thread, sit the twin towers up, and all you'll end up being is another number in his bed.  Listen now....why do you do what you do?  When you attract the attention of those other than you desired, then you have a fit.  Bait is bait, and if you walk like bait, talk like bait....chances are that more than one fish will take the bite.

Girl, you are too PROSPEROUS!  Look at you!

When you're honest with yourself, you didn't even love him.  Did you?  You were barely feeling him like that.  Yet, you find yourself in a strange bed.....again.....yielding to whatever he wants you to do.  And when the act is done, you feel even less of yourself than when you got there.  Then it's off to the next guy who you want to add back to you what you feel the previous ones took away.  It's not gonna happen, honey.  True, he can tell you what you want to hear for the moment, but your true worth lies in your maker.  Until you turn to God for fulfillment, you will continue in this endless cycle of love/hope/worth chasing and end up at the same DEAD END.  Be mindful!  Every person you attach yourself to comes with more than just the risk of a sexually transmitted DISEASE, but also sexually transmitted DEMONS.  Now, not only are you fighting what was already in you, you are now dealing with the mess they were carrying.  You thought depression and low self-esteem was enough.  Now you have his suicidal demon, or that murderous spirit....or now that lustful spirit just won't leave you alone.

Girl, you are too POWERFUL!  Look at you!

Get up and do something with yourself!  Instead of waiting on that call after dark to hear whether or not "he wants" to see you tonight, get on your face and hear from God all the sweet "somethings" he will whisper to you.  This dude texts and you lose all focus!  Really, honey?!  You have to know your worth is indescribable, and it doesn't come from the mouth of a human being but from God.  You never have to lie on your back to prove just how pretty you are or feel that you are wanted by someone.  You can't scrub away the filth that is left.  Dove, Caress, Oil of Olay....neither of these is anointed to do the job of cleansing in your spiritual life.  It's the powerful, wonder-working blood of Jesus that will wash all of your sins away.  No matter how low you feel or how far out there you have been, the blood reaches high and low.  God has a great work for you to do in His kingdom.  He wants you, He loves you, He'll never hurt you, and He'll never leave you.

Girl, you are too PURPOSEFUL!  Look at you!

Monday, November 7, 2011

A Cup of This, A Teaspoon of That

It seemed tears had become my common language. I could barely go a few hours without thinking about everything God had done, is doing, and is going to do in my life. Yea, sometimes life is painful....not so much physically, but mentally considering situations we must go through. Relationships with people....they were once alive and well, now they are fainting and dying. Yep, you've probably cried over that too, asking God for understanding when you used to be so cool. Trying to get ahead two steps while being knocked back three. Problem after problem....issue after issue....storm after storm. Geesh! When will it all end?

Pain, tears, setbacks, cutting away, loneliness, persecutions, suffering, trials...
These are the ingredients (though this list is not all inclusive) of your testimony that God adds to your life to try you, prove you, and to bless you. They are not to paralyze you but to propel you into your purpose. "Think it not strange", the apostle Peter records in 1 Peter 4:12. The trials and the sufferings we face should cause us to rejoice because there is a greater glory to be revealed in us when we pass the testing phase.

No one but God knows whether you need a cup of tears and a teaspoon of pain or a pinch of suffering with a cup of persecution. He has the master recipe for the perfect mix of our testimonies where He will get the most glory. So after God takes our cup of this and teaspoon of that, He stirs it all up, pours it on us, puts the mixture in oven, and the heat is on. This is the part we really hate....things really start to get hot and uncomfortable, ALMOST unbearable. BUT at this point we are closer than we've ever been to coming out of it. It is extremely important to discern the season of life that you are in. If you didn't know that when the heat is turned up, you're almost at the finish line, you might would just give up and quit....not discerning that your coming out was just 5 minutes away when the oven timer went off. Please, please....if you know you are being prepared and are in a season of waiting on account of God, don't give up on Him. He is coming! If He told you that He was, He will. If He said you could, you shall. If He's telling you to hold on today, do not let go! I'm sure it has gotten very heated, actually I know it has. While cooking, impurities arise and are being taken out of us. The more unbearable, the closer you are. When He takes you out, you look like a glorious creation. You will have folks admire how well you look now, but they don't know the hell and heat you had to go through to come out looking like you are looking. Now that you are out, it's time to cool. God is putting His finishing touches on you preparing the Word He placed in you to be feasted on by the recipients of your testimony. You were tried through the fire, and look at you now. Pure gold baby! Go through it! God has your back. He won't let you come out undone, but rest assured He won't let you overcook either. These are the ingredients of your testimony.

Be blessed...

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Repeat Offender

How quick I was to blow up over even the slightest offense....against me.  Do you think I'm some fool!  How dare you try to make me understand how it happened again.....to me?  I have run out of mercy and patience with this situation.  Too many offenses....against me.  You've seen the last of my smile, the last of my warm eyes.  You have one, too many, times done this thing....against me.  Love doesn't live here anymore.  A heart turned cold all because there were too many offenses.....against me.

An image of what I despised stared back at me.  It was easy to judge an offense when it was done....against me.  But now I had become loathsome to myself looking to Jesus on the mercy seat....once again.  I had several times done what I said I would do no more.  Nevertheless, here I am again confusing grace with a free ride to sin.  How could I have become the person I was so harsh on before?  Charge after charge, piled up....I had become a repeat offender.  Strange thing is, I never heard one of the accusations I had relentlessly charged others with.  Instead of a blow up, I received a comforting whisper.  When I tried to explain, He already knew.  Expecting to be turned away....surely He had run out of mercy and patience with me.  He grabbed me and assured me the matter had been settled.  He said, "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool." (Isaiah 1:18, NLT)  I thought surely this is it.  No one can love me in the state I'm in.  I had let Him down too many times.  But the warmth and love I never thought I'd feel again embraced me.

God IS Love!  And it shines brightest in our lives when we least deserve it.  God is not like man that He would take His love away because we  have repeatedly sinned against Him.  No, he continues to wash us (after our repenting), and loving us evermore keeping no record of our wrongdoings.  I don't care what you've done or how often you've done it, God desires that you be made whole IN HIM.  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2, NIV)  The law said we deserved death for our sins, but Jesus came in the fullness of time giving His life as payment for the debt we owed.  He wants us to be free; otherwise, He would have died in vain.  Receive God's healing, His correction, and His love.  GET UP....and try it again.  Remember what it felt like when it was "against me (you)".  One death on the cross covered our many repeated offenses, and IN LOVE we were connected back to God.  Today, though you may very well be that repeat offender, you still have the option to offer up with a sincere heart true repentance to God.  He's not like me, he's not like you.  He won't turn his back,  but stands ready to forgive desiring that all would come to repentance.  Once you do, your record has been expunged...  Thank God for His grace and mercy :)

Be blessed...

Going Back Under The Rug

Healing does not occur overnight (though many of us would prefer it that way, right?).  Instead, it is a process that takes place IN you over time.  God is careful to take His time with us that we may not miss the message in the mess.  You might not realize what a blessing it is to be healthy until you have been sick....and that is applicable to both our physical and our spiritual.  Well...  How long does it take?  When will mine begin?  What will be my disposition post-healing?  These are questions ringing in our heads...no one knows but God.  However, the one area He leaves to your control is when it will begin.  At the moment you recognize your need for healing and invite God into your situation, He will begin His work of healing IN you.  So now that you've realized that you need to be and WANT to be healed, then what?  You have to go back to the rug, and deal with what's underneath it.  A lot of us, perhaps, have been trained to see the dirt and as an effort to not have anyone else see it or hide it from our own view, to just sweep it away....under the rug.  Well TODAY, God is calling you back under the rug.  You will have to go back with much prayer.  Ask God to help you raise the rug and deal with the dirty past without the shame and guilt it brought.  We try to get as far away from our dirtiness as possible....and this is good.  But at some point, the dirt has to be dealt with in order to be truly clean.  I know it's not the easiest thing to do.  Going back is painful.  It may make you sick, literally.  Healing is like the "nasty medicine" you were made to take as a kid.  Who remembers cod liver oil?  Jesus!  I would have rather suffered in my sickness another couple of weeks than take that!  You didn't feel good, and it most definitely didn't taste good.  BUT guess what....it MADE YOU BETTER.   

QUESTIONHow far removed must you be, and then again how close should you be as to not be so far removed?   
ANSWERFar enough to not get caught up again in those same situations, yet close enough to be healed from them and to help others in their healing from like situations. 

Remember....we don't go through for us alone.  There are souls attached to our testimonies, and God WILL get the Glory.  When realness hits you from the testimony of your own mouth or from another's, don't judge, but embrace that person or yourself in love.  Release past hurts, shame, condemnation, unworthiness, etc....none of these has God called us to walk in.  We may go through periods of them, but we're coming out with a testimony, a greater love for Christ and His people, and most importantly...with a revelation of who God is and what He can do.

Your healing....receive it in the name of Jesus.  Go back under the rug.  Don't merely raise it to peek at the dirt.  Snatch off that false sense of "I'm over it", "I forgive them", "I forgive myself", "That never happened" that is disguising itself as a rug......face the dirt, and give it to God.  It really never did leave you before anyway.  It was there all the time hidden under the rug.  I don't know what your dirt is.  Some woman may be struggling with forgiving the man who hurt her, or the man who can't get past the woman hurting him.  Maybe you've hurt someone and can't forgive yourself.  Somebody may be struggling with an addiction that you can't seem to shake.  Or is it you, woman, looking to find acceptance and love in any man who will look your way...because daddy never showed you this.  Perhaps you're reading this and you knew too much about life too soon, either because someone took the innocence or you gave it away.  Someone may be dealing with forgiving the father who was not there, or the mother who was not there.  Or maybe neither parent was there and you want to blame them for things you have had to endure.  Let's pause here:  Nothing catches God by surprise, and every intricate detail of your life was etched out in heaven before you ever became a being on Earth.  So, what you dealt with, what you're dealing with, and what you will deal with is all a part of God's perfect plan to mold you into who He has called you to be.  It was all purposeful.  Yea, it made you cry....it may still make you cry sometimes, but trust that God has your back and that it is all for your good.  Whatever it is...YOU HAVE TO LET IT GO!!!  You will not heal properly until you do so.  It doesn't matter what happened.  It doesn't matter how long ago it was or how recent it has been.  It doesn't matter the frequency of the situation.  Nor does it matter who did it to you, or who you did it to.  God is more concerned with you being healed and free than with any of that.  Leave those things to Him....He is way more qualified to deal with it.  You focus on receiving what God has for you.  Now that you are ready to deal with it and be healed and truly cleaned, go enjoy a new freedom and real peace.  You will say to yourself:  "Wow!  Is this what true freedom and peace feels like?  Am I what it looks like?  Is this what it sounds like?"  Your life will change as well as those around you.  When people ask what's up this this new you, tell them "I WENT BACK UNDER THE RUG"...