Happy Born Again Birthday To Me!

Thirteen years ago on the Saturday after Thanksgiving I gave my life to the Lord. I was in my college dorm room lying across my bed feeling rejected and hurt. Sometimes people don’t accept God until all hell has broken loose in their life. I wish I could say that wasn’t the case for me but it was. I needed God really bad then, but you know what, I STILL need God really bad now.  That was the best decision of my life: one that I don’t regret making during my college years.

The past few years have been hard for me. They left a lot to be desired but thank God that He brought me through those trials. I remember thinking that it seemed like my best days were behind me. I was making more money back then. I had money left over from paycheck to paycheck. But the Lord assured me that my best days are still before me. God has been excellent. I have to praise Him for his continuous support. I was facing foreclosure this year but God kept me in my house. My little cousin was killed in a hit and run accident but God’s grace has sustained our family. Another cousin needed a heart transplant and received one through the grace of God. There were a few other emergency situations that took place in my family this year but God kept us through those times.  He’s been covering us under the shadow of HIS wings and I’m not moving from that place. I have so much to be thankful for! God is TOO good! I give HIM all the glory & praise for blessing my life. 

National Day of Prayer 2011

I woke up earlier than usual this morning and started praying. The urge was very strong to pray. Imagine my surprise to learn that today is the National Day of Prayer! As an intercessor, my spirit was ready to join in with millions of others that are praying today. Hopefully this day will turn into many days for people to pray. The need is always there. We are to 'pray without ceasing'! The following is my introductory prayer video. Stay tuned for more to come.

Which God are you talking about?

I feel the need to clarify who I'm talking about when I speak of God. I am a Christian so I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He is also the Son of God the Father. The term 'god' floats around so much and often I discover that the God that I believe in is not the same god that others are referring to. When I talk about God, I'm talking about the Number 1, Premier, Supreme, Magnificent, Greatest, Chief, Finest, Most Excellent, Preeminent, Outstanding, Celebrated, Remarkable, Exalted GOD! The Almighty! He calls Himself 'I AM.' You know how people call you on the phone and say, "This is me."  I've had as many as 4 people calling or leaving messages saying, "This is me." He would say, "This is I AM," and you wouldn't have a question of which I AM is calling because there is only one.

IT IS WHAT IT IS???

Have you ever prayed or asked someone to pray for you about something, then about ten minutes later; you say something contrary to your prayer?

I was talking to the Lord tonight about a predicament that I was facing. I had taken a few steps to work it out but was not feeling like it was going to change. I said, “Lord, I don’t know if this term fits this situation or not but, ‘It is what it is.’ Meaning, it’s the way it is and you [I] can’t change it. Its hopeless, just deal with it.

I said this in ignorance because after I thought about what that term means I had to recant that statement.  I said, ‘Wait a minute…that doesn’t apply to my life.’ It’s not what it is. It’s what God says it is.

I forget sometimes that nothing is too hard for God. It’s like I give Him easy stuff and I hold on to more challenging things with worry. You take care of that God but I’m going to worry about this one.  Why is it so easy to forget how mighty our God is? I forgot who I was talking to. Lord, forgive me for forgetting how great You are; that You are looking all over the earth to see who You can show yourself strong to.

The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Psalm 119:130, NKJV.

God’s words bring light. That means it brings hope to dark, hopeless situations.  It brings insight. It causes you to take a look from another direction, taking a different point of view. My statement was indeed ‘simple’ but it eventually caused me to pay closer attention to the words that I speak. I can’t afford to speak words that imply that things are so hopeless that they can’t be changed.

I’m an optimistic person. Not only is the glass half full, my cup is meant to be running over. 

Moving Beyond My Solar Eclipse.

For this blog to be a blessing to people there is a deal of transparency on my part that is involved. I don’t know just how transparent I want to be but I learned something today. I was talking to a friend about God and how we can let our issues get in the way of seeing Him. It’s like a total solar eclipse.

During the time of a total solar eclipse the moon comes in between the earth and the sun. For a few minutes the sky is either totally black or we see the moon with the outline of the sun around it a few hours. That is what happened to me in my view of God. I let my issues/failures get in between me and God and I couldn’t see Him. All I saw were my issues. But as I began to praise God in spite of MYSELF, my focus on those issues shifted and I could see His goodness again. I could see His sweet, tender mercies that are renewed everyday.

I was disappointed in myself for doing something that I said I would not do again. Like most people, when I mess up I’m my own worse enemy. I will mope around and after a few days talk to God about it. But that wasn’t the case today. I had to get in an atmosphere of praise & worship so that “I” could move out of the way. My eyes were on me and not on HIM. He promised that if I keep my eyes on HIM he would keep me in perfect peace. I feel like preaching in here...LOL. So don’t let your issues or worries get in the way of seeing God. He is not going anywhere. Just like in a total eclipse the sun is not moving. It’s the moon that is moving. So when your worries or issues get in the way and you can’t see the goodness of God, lift up some praise & worship and watch how it moves out of the way and His GOODNESS shines through.  Your focus won’t be on you but on HIM.

Romans 8:38-39, the amplified version says it best:

38For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, 39Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

My Spirit Sings: Moving Forward

When I wake up in the morning most of the time there is a song on my heart. I always think of this as my spirit singing. I love music. I grew up loving it because my dad is a musician and was always in a band. My mom always had the radio on. Most of the songs that I hear are christian songs but there have been times when they are secular. I believe that what you listen to makes deposits on your spirit. Music can make you feel good, sad, angry, sexy, confident, etc. That is why listening to positive things is so important. It can build you up in areas that you need to be built up in. Use it to your advantage. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Even those times that I hear a secular song in my spirit its always a message that I need to hear. One morning I woke up hearing Survivor by Destiny's Child. I could be wondering about things the night before and as soon as I open my eyes its like the radio turns on in the inside of me. It will even continue through out the day. I know many people are like that. Your spirit is always singing. We have to tune in to see what God wants to say to us. The song on my heart this morning is Moving Forward by Israel Houghton. Just for a second last night I became a little discouraged about my future. I've got to get a thicker skin. It only lasted a moment but I guess it was enough for God to address it through this song. In this video, Israel talks about this song.

• 
  

Waving out my car window at 2010.

As I think about the close of this year I have to say that I'm grateful that its coming to an end. I learned a lot of hard lessons. Some that I just don't want to repeat. But the beautiful thing is that God knows how to restore the things that I feel have been lost. He says that all things work together for good to those that love Him and that are called to his purpose and will. I meet all those requirements. Which means that I can be excited about what's to come in 2011. He's so Great...Awesome...Encouraging! He's my biggest cheerleader! Your Latter Will Be Greater by Martha Munizzi is fitting for this time of the year. I am so ready to get this show on the road. He's driving and I'm going to enjoy the ride. My best is yet to come!

What Makes a Good Worship Song? Part 2

I posed this question last week to a friend who also happens to be a worship leader. Our conversation inspired my previous post: What Makes a Good Worship Song? She mentioned that its more about the attitude of the worshipper. Sometimes you can go into a service where the music or singing is not 'on point' and the people are just there. Their bodies are there but there is no expression of worship. They look bored while hindering the atmosphere. When you find yourself in situations like this, my friend says that you have to make up your mind to worship no matter what. Its your attitude that says, "I'm giving my praise and worship to God no matter what because He is worthy!" She sent me this YouTube video of Mali Music talking about what worship is. Check it out:

I can't hold it! Praise is the way I say THANKS!

When I hear J Moss' song Praise on the Inside it excites me so much that I sing it as HARD as I can and SCREAM it as LOUD as I can. Sorry neighbors. I just can't help it! This maybe because I pick up on the excitement of J Moss as he worships. A shout bursts forth from me because that is the spirit of this beautiful song. This is the way praise should be. It shouldn't be constrained or stifled but free to come out whenever, where ever, and however it needs to. Its militant in nature. When the Israelites went into battle the praisers were first in line.

²¹ And when he [Jehoshaphat, the king] had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever.”

The Israelites won the battle afterwards. They were triumphant. And as they were so are you! Praise breaks down everything that the enemy can present to discourage you. We are not to be ignorant of the enemies devices. During these times you have to praise your way through as my former pastor used to say. Its so important that when we go through trying times that we keep praise music playing in our environment. Music changes the atmosphere. You will have hope and have the faith that God is going to strengthen you and give you peace as He brings you through your situation. You can't listen to this song and not be pulled along into the shouts of praise that it inspires. PRAISE IS THE WAY WE SAY THANKS!

Taste Like Chicken!

Here is something funny that I experienced the other day. I was preparing to fry chicken and I seasoned the chicken with garlic powder & pepper. Since I thought that the garlic powder would be salty, I didn't add any salt. Normally I use seasoning salt and pepper on my chicken and then fry it. Well anyway, that was a mistake. The chicken came out nice and crispy, golden brown, just not salty enough for me. So the very next day I tried frying chicken again...this time I included the salt with my garlic powder & pepper combination. It came out fabulous...just writing about the results make my mouth water. So I'm eating the chicken going on and on...'Thank you God for this chicken...it is so good...You don't know what you are missing.' I thought that was pretty funny, telling God that He didn't know what he was missing by not having the privilege to eat some of my fried chicken. Then I thought, does God eat? I don't think so.

So the next morning, I am listening to my bible on CD and I'm listening to Leviticus 2...God has such a great since of humor. I laughed so hard when I heard God's instructions to Moses concerning the meat offering. King James version calls it a meat offering but the New King James version calls it a grain offering. God instructs Moses on how to prepare a meat offering, saying to season it with salt, etc. Here is the link for Leviticus 2. I am mostly referring to vs 7-9, 13. Anyways, I thought it was so funny because when the priest offered the meat offering on the altar, it went up before God as a sweet savour or a sweet smelling sacrifice. That was my equivalent to God eating chicken...lol. The smell of food is related to how it taste. It reminded me of my bragging and saying that God didn't know what He was missing when it came to eating my fried chicken.

After digging a little, I found that the meat referred to was not necessarily real 'meat', but any sustaining food. I still thought it was interesting. Check out this link to read more about it.

Leviticus was all about how to worship God. Our life, our worship, prayers, etc should all go up before the Almighty as a sweet savour. Something He will be pleased with. Something that He will go on and on bragging about how good it is to Him.

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!

I can truly understand how people can get stressed out and want to eat every sweet thing in sight. I have never felt like doing that until yesterday and today. Usually when I used to get stressed out, I would just go to sleep. Was the problem gone? No, but that's what I did. Well, yesterday, I did what a lot of women do! That Chick-Fil-A milkshake and strawberry cheesecake hit the spot! The sad thing is that I actually felt guilty after I consumed all that stuff. I didn't feel guilty because I was worried about my weight [I can gain a pound or two]. It was because I used food to comfort myself because I was feeling anxious. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, not a cookies and creme milkshake with a slice of strawberry cheesecake! I ate it all in frustration and instantly knew that the Lord was not pleased. I don't know who I thought I was fooling. I was so irritated and instead of complaining, I chose to eat. Is that any better than complaining? Who was I fooling? Obviously myself. God knows us so well. He knows what we are thinking...He knows our thoughts before we even think them.  

I know that I am so close to fulfilling the dreams that God has put inside of me. God's favor allowed me to win a scholarship. I hit a few stumbling blocks when making arrangements to use the money. The Lord's blessings maketh rich and add no sorrow! "I SAID THE LORD'S BLESSINGS MAKETH RICH AND ADD NO SORROW," that is how my grandma would say it to get her point across. If God has blessed then leave it up to Him to work everything out in your favor. Oh, Taste and see that the Lord is GOOD; Blessed is the man who trusts in HIM! Psalm 34:8.

Messing up your crown & glory!

Since starting this blog, I have made it a point to spend time in worship. It is important to listen to music that takes you into heavenly worship. That might not be the quartet song that you grew up listening to. Especially for us southerners, quartet music like church is apart of our culture. I grew up listening to quartet music because my dad was and still is a gospel musician. I am not downing it but I believe it has its place just like all genres of music do.  

I have been saturating myself listening to Williams Murphy's The SOUND! I know this cd has been out for a while but I finally got it. Walmart had it for $9.88. My favorites are I Will Rejoice & Angel's Cry.  

                                       

Angel's Cry describes how the angels or "live creatures" as Revelation 4 says, cry..."Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." Then the 24 elders fall down before the Lord and worship Him. They throw down the crowns that they are wearing. I am sure they are looking quite stylish wearing crowns on their heads. There is nothing raggedy about heaven...Its all splendor and glory. So it made me think about how no matter how cute we look with our hair done and wearing our Armani suits.

We still have to worship God! They didn't care about getting down & dirty and throwing down their glorious crowns. How do you feel about messing that hair up on Sunday that you just got done on Saturday? Can you stand to risk getting makeup on the $2000 Armani suit for our God? He is worthy to be praised! No matter what!

Grandma's peach preserves.

The Lord preserves us. When I think about preserves, I think about how my grandmother would "can" peaches.  We were from the south so someone was always coming through with fresh fruit and vegetables from their gardens. Whenever my grandmother got a few bushels of peaches, she would always put some aside to be preserved. My sisters and I always hated that she did that. We always wanted to eat all of the peaches.  After she preserved them, they always seemed to sit on a special table in the kitchen for years until she felt like opening them for us to eat.  I don't know how but those peaches tasted just as fresh and good as if she had just "canned" them.  

As I read through out the scriptures I see how the Lord preserves his people. Check out Psalm 41:2a The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth... When we trust the Lord, He is able to preserve us. We don't have to spend precious time worrying about insignificant things that really won't matter after some time has passed anyway. Worrying makes you look old and haggard, not preserved at all. Although my grandmothers peaches would sit for years, they never tasted rancid. They tasted just like the peaches that you purchase in the grocery store. Canned fruit should never taste bad because it has gone through the preservation process.

Worship gives us the opportunity to have an audience with God. If we are worshipping, then worry should never be apart of our lives.  Think about it...you are spending time with GOD! What on earth, under the earth, or above the earth could make us worry so much that we forget who our God is!  He is great, Almighty, El Shaddai!  If He can't take care of the situation, then the situation can't possibly be taken care of.

Worshipping God will give you a supernatural glow that is visible. Continuing to practice the presence of God is going to allow His glory to rest on you and people will see it. Remember when Moses came down from the mount in Exodus 34:35a And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone... His face had such a glow that the people were afraid and Moses had to walk around with a veil over his face.  People will definitely note when you have been spending time with God.  Some people may not understand what it is about your appearance. They may just call it beauty or attraction, but that is not the case.  It's the glory of God on you that people will be attracted to.