Sometimes, you have to encourage yourself!
On a certain occasion in the Old Testament, David and his men returned to their camp. When they returned, they discovered that the enemy had invaded the city and captured their wives, sons, and daughters. After David and his men had a pity party, David realized that his own men planned to kill him and David encouraged himself.
It was only when David encouraged himself that he had a conversation with God. God gave him permission to go into the enemy's camp and take back everything that the enemy had stolen.
There are times, in life, when we have to encourage ourselves. When others turn their back on you, encourage yourself! When it seems as if the whole world is against you, encourage yourself!
but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
(I Samuel 30:6)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
My Soul Cries Out!
There are times when we resolve that we are not going to "cry over spilled milk". We know that there is nothing we can do about what happened or what did not happen in the past. No amount of human effort can change it or erase it. Regardless to how hard we try or how resourceful we become, we can't ease the pain nor can we ease the frustration. It doesn't matter how hard we try, our own human abilities just CAN NOT do it.
Even when we resolve that
"it" is over,
"it" is in the past,
"it" didn't happen or
"it" won't happen, there are those days when we awaken and a part of our soul cries out in agony. Tears of despair seem to drown us as we gasp in desparation for hope and just enough strength to make it through one more day. At times, the cry is so loud that it almost overtakes us. The cry is overwhelming. No one else seems to hear our cry. How can they not hear the cry when the sound abates with every tick of the clock? My soul cries out!
What is this cry that plays and replays like a broken record? What is "it'? "It' is the dream that turned into a nightmare. "It" is the pregnancy that never happened. "It" is the shame and degradation that never seems to go away. "It" is the guilt from the past that forever haunts your present. "It" is the anger that won't go away. "It" is the disrespect that you continue to face. "It" is the marriage that failed and the relationship that turned sour. "It" is that one desire that won't happen because you are too old or your body is too broken down.
Everybody has or has had an "it" that often cries out louder than any emergency siren. No one can erase or outrun "it". The challenge is to hear "it" and face "it". How can a cry that shatters our soul not be heard by anyone else? My soul cries out!
What will I do when my soul cries out? How will I face this challenge? How will I deal with "it" before "it deals with me? That is the challenge- to say the right thing when the wrong thing sits at the tip of my tongue. The challenge is to do what is right even when you don't want to do it. The challenge is to know that you can overcome and that, in spite of what you are going through, you will overcome!
Even when we resolve that
"it" is over,
"it" is in the past,
"it" didn't happen or
"it" won't happen, there are those days when we awaken and a part of our soul cries out in agony. Tears of despair seem to drown us as we gasp in desparation for hope and just enough strength to make it through one more day. At times, the cry is so loud that it almost overtakes us. The cry is overwhelming. No one else seems to hear our cry. How can they not hear the cry when the sound abates with every tick of the clock? My soul cries out!
What is this cry that plays and replays like a broken record? What is "it'? "It' is the dream that turned into a nightmare. "It" is the pregnancy that never happened. "It" is the shame and degradation that never seems to go away. "It" is the guilt from the past that forever haunts your present. "It" is the anger that won't go away. "It" is the disrespect that you continue to face. "It" is the marriage that failed and the relationship that turned sour. "It" is that one desire that won't happen because you are too old or your body is too broken down.
Everybody has or has had an "it" that often cries out louder than any emergency siren. No one can erase or outrun "it". The challenge is to hear "it" and face "it". How can a cry that shatters our soul not be heard by anyone else? My soul cries out!
What will I do when my soul cries out? How will I face this challenge? How will I deal with "it" before "it deals with me? That is the challenge- to say the right thing when the wrong thing sits at the tip of my tongue. The challenge is to do what is right even when you don't want to do it. The challenge is to know that you can overcome and that, in spite of what you are going through, you will overcome!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
What If?
There is an ever popular phrase of encouragement that says, "When life gives you a bowl of lemons, make lemonade". What do you do on those mornings when you wake up and you don't feel like making lemonade out of your lemons? What if you want to tell everybody how you really feel? What if you want to tell that certain someone where to go? What if you just want to say, " the h--- with it"?
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Rewrite The Script!
There comes a time when the script that you wrote for your life does not line up with actuality.
As a result, you are depressed, discouraged, and disappointed to the point where you feel as if you are not going to make it. You are convinced that no one understands, and no one cares. You constantly replay the perfect script that you wrote for your life. Regardless to how many times you replay the script, it always falls short of reality. As a matter of fact, reality seems to move farther and farther away from your perfect script.
If you are going to survive and stop the mental torture and bondage that you allow, you must rewrite your script. You can't move forward with a backwards mentality. The old script that you replay everyday has gotten you nowhere. You are still broke, busted, and disgusted. You are still messed up from the floor up.
Please understand me - you may discover that the new script won't work any better than the old one did. But one thing is for sure, you can't keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. If you are going to survive, you must play the cards that you have been dealt. You can't play my hand, and I can't play yours.
I challenge you today, to rewrite your script. Stop allowing things to happen, and make some things happen.
When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, the majority of them had a wilderness script. Their script allowed them to survive only in the wilderness. They could not survive in the promise land with a wilderness script. Therefore, they were not allowed to go into Canaan. Only those who had a promise land script were allowed to go into the promised land.
Which script do you have? Is it for the wilderness? - the one that has you bound, trapped and preparing you to die before you reach your destination. Or, is it for the promised land? - the one that declares to the world that
-you will make it,
-you will overcome,
-you will have joy,
-you will have peace, etc.
Be Blessed!
- Perhaps, you have waited for your life to come into alignment with the script
- Perhaps, you have struggled and tried to manipulate your life into
alignment with the script; and - Perhaps, you have even believed that your life would come into alignment
with the script - only to discover that it is not going to happen. (There
are many reasons why it is not going to happen, but I'll save that for
another post.)
As a result, you are depressed, discouraged, and disappointed to the point where you feel as if you are not going to make it. You are convinced that no one understands, and no one cares. You constantly replay the perfect script that you wrote for your life. Regardless to how many times you replay the script, it always falls short of reality. As a matter of fact, reality seems to move farther and farther away from your perfect script.
If you are going to survive and stop the mental torture and bondage that you allow, you must rewrite your script. You can't move forward with a backwards mentality. The old script that you replay everyday has gotten you nowhere. You are still broke, busted, and disgusted. You are still messed up from the floor up.
Please understand me - you may discover that the new script won't work any better than the old one did. But one thing is for sure, you can't keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. If you are going to survive, you must play the cards that you have been dealt. You can't play my hand, and I can't play yours.
I challenge you today, to rewrite your script. Stop allowing things to happen, and make some things happen.
When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, the majority of them had a wilderness script. Their script allowed them to survive only in the wilderness. They could not survive in the promise land with a wilderness script. Therefore, they were not allowed to go into Canaan. Only those who had a promise land script were allowed to go into the promised land.
Which script do you have? Is it for the wilderness? - the one that has you bound, trapped and preparing you to die before you reach your destination. Or, is it for the promised land? - the one that declares to the world that
-you will make it,
-you will overcome,
-you will have joy,
-you will have peace, etc.
Be Blessed!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Stay On The Wall!
Some of you started 2011 with precise goals in mind and fervor to accomplish each task; However, as January has come to an end, and February has begun, you find your fervor dwindling with the passing of each day. Perhaps, you have begun to doubt whether you will ever accomplish the things that you planned to do. What you must understand is that most meaningful things take time and that even Rome was not built in a day. Don't lose your focus.
I'm reminded of a story about a man who was doing a great work- rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem that had been destroyed by the enemy (in the book of Nehemiah). When his enemies heard about his work, they tried to distract him and to coerce him into stopping his work. This man, Nehemiah, refused to stop his assignment. As a matter of fact, he told his enemies, " I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave to come down to you? " (Nehemiah 6:3)
If you are at this point, I encourage you to not abandon the good work that you have started. I encourage you to "Stay on the wall"!
I'm reminded of a story about a man who was doing a great work- rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem that had been destroyed by the enemy (in the book of Nehemiah). When his enemies heard about his work, they tried to distract him and to coerce him into stopping his work. This man, Nehemiah, refused to stop his assignment. As a matter of fact, he told his enemies, " I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave to come down to you? " (Nehemiah 6:3)
If you are at this point, I encourage you to not abandon the good work that you have started. I encourage you to "Stay on the wall"!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Prayer For the Haters
Thank you , Lord, for allowing me to experience your very presence this day. Give me a portion of your enabling ability that will prevent me from being sensitive to the negative influences of other people. Show me how to walk and show me how to talk when I am in the midst of haters. I will not pay attention to their faces , nor will I be moved by their negative comments. I WILL lift up mine eyes unto YOU. I WILL keep my mind stayed on thee. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Psalm 121:1
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psalm 121:1-3 (in Context) Psalm 121 (Whole Chapter)
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Psalm 121:1
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psalm 121:1-3 (in Context) Psalm 121 (Whole Chapter)
Isaiah 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Daily Prayer For the New Year
Heavenly Father,
I bless your Holy Name. This is the day that you hath made. I will rejoice and I will be glad in it. Because it is You whom I seek, it is You whom I serve. Therefore, I will not strive to please man and all of his ever changing ways. You, God, never change. Thank You, God, for being the same - yesterday, today, and forevermore. As I begin this day, I will work as if you are my employer. Prosper me in all that I put my hand to do. Order my every step. For the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Thank you for Your Word and for your blessings this day - in Jesus' name, Amen.
I bless your Holy Name. This is the day that you hath made. I will rejoice and I will be glad in it. Because it is You whom I seek, it is You whom I serve. Therefore, I will not strive to please man and all of his ever changing ways. You, God, never change. Thank You, God, for being the same - yesterday, today, and forevermore. As I begin this day, I will work as if you are my employer. Prosper me in all that I put my hand to do. Order my every step. For the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. Thank you for Your Word and for your blessings this day - in Jesus' name, Amen.
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