Is it time for you to reboot?  Where are you with the goals you set for yourself at the beginning a year?  We’re currently at half time, so what’s up with you?   Half the year is already gone, so what have you done for yourself lately?

So take out your goal sheet & your measuring stick and let’s take a look.  If you’ve been making good progress so far this year, you should have completed at least two out of the five goals/tasks you listed on your goal sheet.  Reward yourself with that already predetermined treat for your hard successful work!  You deserve it & you should be proud of the work you’ve done so for!  Enjoy!

Now, in order for you to defend the ground you’ve gained, sit down with God so He can help you uncover new goals to take the place of the goals you’ve completed and get back to work.  You don’t need to reboot but take the time to make whatever adjustments you need to in order to stay on course.

However, if you’re sitting there looking at your goal sheet and see you haven’t completed any of your goals this year, do not fret.  You need to reboot now!  But don’t get mad or let demons of frustration in!  You do still have time but you need to get moving ASAP!  Pull out some paper and a pen and let me help you get started.  Answer these questions for me please.  What has been your biggest problem or challenge?  What is that thing that keeps you from moving forward?  What’s your biggest distraction?  Your answers will reveal the enemies at work against you.  For example, fear, insecurity, laziness, procrastination, and rejection are all great examples of the spirits/demons working against you.  Take the necessary time to identify what’s holding you back so your next plan of action will work!

Whatever/whoever they are, let’s face these things again, but this time you will have the advantage!  I know you’ve fought these things before but always lost, so how and why would this time be any different?  The power is in how you reboot.  I asked the same thing when I first learned this, but it worked for me & so many others before me and it will work for you too!  But you have to get off your butt and get moving.  Let’s start with an example from the bible.

Have you ever heard of a woman named Rahab?  She’s mentioned in the bible in at least four different books! Not many people with the exception of Jesus can say that.  Her story is found in Joshua 2:1.  To read it click here. The reason I love her is because she is like many of us.  She looked up one day and found herself in a job she hated and never planned on doing.  Are you currently in a job you hate and didn’t plan on doing?  I’ve had my share of those.  When she dreamed, as a child, of what she wanted for her life I know she never dreamed of being a whore when she grew up.  Rahab was a hooker.  Rahab was a prostitute & she ran her business out of her own home.  Just so you get the proper context, she lived in a time much different from ours.  Her choice of professions made her a even more of a disgrace to her family than she would be in this day & time.  Also did I mention that her family lived in the same town, so you know they knew all about it?  And what they didn’t know, you know, the nosey neighbors made it their business to fill in any blanks!  So you know Rahab needed a reboot in the worse way!

You made a lot of promises to yourself at the beginning of the year, but, how close are you with the fulfillment of those promises?  Are your choices making you & your family proud?  Many of us find ourselves in places doing things just to pay the rent or just to feed your kids, etc.  God knew that, that’s why He sent you an out – a way of escape.  And Rahab recognized hers!  She hid two of God’s men from her city’s police because she recognized that God was sending her a way out of her current situation.  And in a bold, courageous act of love, she not only asked for her life to be spared, but she asked for the same blessing for her family: the same family who were disgusted & embarrassed by her professional choice.

But Rahab had heard stories of this God, His miracles of love and His wrath when you disobeyed.   So she took the leap of faith and made the best choice by believing in this God.  In her wildest dreams she could have never ever dreamed of the great things God had in store for her just because she believed Him and obeyed Him.

Now this is where the story gets good, not only did God keep his word by sparing her life and the lives of her family when the city was destroyed, but Rahab eventually married one of the two men she hid for God from the police.  That positioned her to be a part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ!  Holla!  It doesn’t get any better than that!  Did I mention that her husband was rich too!  She would never ever have to sell her body again!  When God frees you from something you are free for real!  Don’t you want a reboot like that?

So no matter where you currently find yourself this year, you still have plenty of time to take the next necessary bold leaps of faith to re-position yourself to walk into your own greatness!

So if it’s time for you to do a reboot, hit the reboot button now! Take God’s arm & let Him lead you to your way out!

[powerpress]

What’s your forbidden fruit?  Remember that story in the bible in the book of Genesis, when God gives Adam instructions on how to live in the Garden of Eden where He placed them to live.  God tells him that he can use/occupy any part of the Garden with only one exception – do not eat from the tree of Life!  But the garden was full of many trees and they had access to every other tree in the garden because God said that they were good for him to eat from.  Here it is in Genesis 2:16-17 (nkjv);  And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  God did this for a few reasons.  God did this for their protection, because He knew it would keep them safe.  God also used this as a test for them to see if they would obey Him.  Well, if you know the story then you know it didn’t end well for them.  If you don’t know the story about Adam & Eve, you can read about it in the Bible in the book of Genesis.

When presented with the choice Adam & Eve allowed themselves to be talked into disobeying God by Satan and their family paid a very expensive price for that disobedience!   Have you heard the story of Cain and Abel?  They were the children of Adam & Eve. In this story you see that the demon of disobedience was passed down from the parents to their children.  You can read about them in Genesis 4:8 – 12.

So what about you?  What are you disobeying God about?

What’s your forbidden fruit?  What are the things you know you need to stay away from, but can’t seem to quite do?  We all have them.  Sometimes forbidden fruit can be some type of food or dessert.  Forbidden fruit can also be a place, or a person (we all know this one), or anything that you know means you no good.  You know messing with it never ends well, but you are powerless to stop yourself!  “Just one little bit, just one more time” the demon tells you & it sounds sooooo good to you.  You really believe the lie that this will be the last time!  Why do we still fall for what we know is a lie?  We fall for the lie because we really like the idea of having something that’s forbidden!  No matter what the cost & we are losing to it every day.  However, God has put in us the power to beat our forbidden fruits but we have to learn to tap into that power!

It’s the New Year and again millions of people have sat down & made New Year’s resolutions to themselves & to the world.  The same resolutions that they made last year & the year before that!  What are you doing to make sure that this is not you this year?

Here are a few tips I suggest:

• Stop – Set-up a time & put it on your calendar. This will be the time you stop yourself, sit down with God & do an honest review & inventory of your life & how you are living it.  Keep tissue close if you think you’ll need it, but you have to be willing to be honest with yourself about yourself.  Every problem in your life is not someone else’s fault.  And the problems that were caused by others can not be allowed to stop your life’s forward motion!

• Cleanup – how bad do you want to be free from your forbidden fruit so you can stop spinning in circles & move your life forward? That being said, you have to be willing to clean house – your house.  This cleaning must take place on your inside & outside!

I think of it like lifesaving surgery.  You can read about it in John 15: 1 -3 (msg): I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.  You have to allow God to cut out the part of you that are still attached to you via your forbidden fruit.  Then you take the time God says you need to heal.  You know we always say we feel better before the doctor says we are completely healed.  Taking the time to completely heal is very important because you will need to do this again.  However, during this time of healing you and God can develop your “next steps” plan to implement once your healing is complete.  You will repeat this process as you need to in your life to keep your foundation strong.

• Enjoy! – freeing yourself from your forbidden fruits that have been sent to block you is an assignment that each of us have. Therefore, God has given each of us a way to overcome & defeat every one of our forbidden fruits.  But it’s up to us to work with God to face & defeat them.  Once you have freed yourself, the adventure that is your life can really begin!

Being free from your forbidden fruit will bring you a peace that surpasses human understanding.  Being free from your forbidden fruit brings the power & courage to explore and discover what God put inside of you & what you can do with it to solve some problem in the world.  Being free from your forbidden fruit will position you to live your dreams!

Once you have defeated & freed yourself for all of your forbidden fruits you will be able to spread your wings & fly!

[powerpress]

When someone shows you who they are, why don’t you believe them?  Why do people have such an urge to try to be the savior of another?  Didn’t Jesus already do that? Are you that desperate to be able to say “I got somebody”?  Why do we waste precious time trying to turn someone into something you think is better?  You do know that you can’t ever get that time back right?  Wouldn’t it make more sense to spend your time working on yourself so that you can attract what you really want?  I think it would.

We really need to spend the necessary time thoroughly assessing why we do the things that we do.  We have to understand that the reason we don’t have some of the things we want in our lives is  because of our own negative actions & behavior.  These negative things are blocking our blessings & the progression of our lives.  This causes us great frustration and it lends itself to disappointment, loneliness & unhappiness.  So creating & implementing a self-assessment plan is vital.

As a Pastor, I see it all the time & I’ve also lived it.  Stop letting any old body into your lives.  Start believing what they show you.  Stop trying to make them fit because that never works!  But what do we do when it fails; we try the same thing with someone else.  Isn’t that the very definition of insanity?

We are spiritual beings; but we spend so little time uncovering/discovering just how spirits affect/effect what we do & how we do it.  At birth Satan assigned a demon to each of us.  They report back to him our strengths & our weaknesses.  In order to be a least one step ahead of Satan we need to know what’s in our spiritual DNA; what demons have gained access to us via generational curses (the sins of our ancestors), and let’s talk about the sins we enjoy engaging in.  Satan uses all of this information to mount more successful attacks in order to destroy us & our families!

It’s amazing to me how we see these demons quite clearly on other people & how quick we are to tell them how to fix themselves, but we never seem to see the same demons in operation in ourselves!  Joyce Meyer says it like this; “we look at people through a magnifying glass but we look at ourselves through rose colored glasses”.  That simply means that we look at ourselves with a lot more grace, compassion & forgiveness than we do others. The Bible speaks to this in Matthew 7:5; (amp) ⁵ You hypocrite (play-actor, pretender), first get the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Every day of your life you are showing people who you are.  Every day of your life you are showing people how you are.  What are people saying about the picture you are showing them?  Are you willing to take an honest look?  You will never be able to grow up if you don’t.  So the first thing you have to do is to take an honest & complete inventory of ourselves – flesh, soul  & spirit.  The Bible tells us in Matthew 12:29 (amp) ²⁹ Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house; that you are the strong man & Satan will bind you first in order to steal from you.  Have you taken the time to identify who & how you have been bound?  If you don’t know who has attacked you, how can you do anything about it?  Have you ever had to call the police after something is happening?  One of the first things they ask is “Do you know who did this to you”?  They ask so that they can go get the person so that you can be vindicated, but if you don’t know who attacked you or how, the police may not be able to help very much.  You know like I do that many crimes are never solved because of lack of evidence.  Attackers come back to victimize you again once they find out that they will not be caught.  That is not how you want to live.

You have to remember that we teach people how to treat us, so who or what is influencing your behavior & your decisions?  Take a minute and look around at the people you have let into your life.  What benefits are they bringing?  What benefits do you bring to their lives?  Are you being used?  Or are you doing the using?

Let’s break this down even further by talking about some of the demons that are at play in our lives.  The first demon that comes to mind is the demon of “fear”.  How does “fear” influence your decision making?  For example, are you dating someone that you know is not good for you but you’re scared if you dump them you’ll be all alone again & you think that a bad relationship is better than no relationship?  Who told you that?  Probably that “fear” demon!  But you know for a fact it wasn’t God.  2 Timothy 1:7; ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].  How about this one, you’re scared to get on the airplane so you will only take vacation to the places you can reach by ground transportation.  God created this beautiful world & the demon of fear is keeping you from seeing & enjoying it.  What have you always dreamed of doing that you still haven’t done because fear has you tied up & you can’t break free?

Maybe the demon of fear it isn’t the main demon holding you back.  Have you met any of the demon of  fear’s friends?  How about lust, rejection, insecurity, shame, self-righteousness, & unforgiveness?  There are so many different demons that I know you have met at least one of them.  In order to be free of any demon you first have to identify them.   That could take some time.

Because of this, what do we do, we continue to waste so much time looking for other people to give us what we need & then we are continuously disappointed because what we look for people to do can only be done by God!  Time is a seed given to us by God so stop wasting it because you won’t get any more!

It all starts with a decision.  So make a decision to become & be the person you want to see enter your life.  Take some time & clean your inner house.  Those people around you that keep telling you they love you, but their actions repeatedly show you that they don’t – believe them & then show them the door!  1 John 4:18 (amp); ¹⁸ There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love]. That makes things very clear, doesn’t it?  Try to believe that & watch your life change for the better.

God said He will never leave you – believe that.  In Isaiah 41:10 (amp); ‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ Isn’t this what you want for your life? God makes it clear He has your back, He always has & always will – what would happen if you believed that?

So stop giving your heart to people and give it to God!  He will never mistreat you.  Put your faith & trust in Him because He’s showing you every day who He is & you CAN believe that!

Male vs. Man – do we really know the difference?  I know your first response is to say “of course” I know the difference between a male/boy and a mature man but look around, look around and then you will see there is a definite problem!  As you look around, take a look at your own dating life – when did you learn the difference?  How did you learn it & who taught the differences to you?   Ladies and gentlemen we really have to raise our standards!  It’s time we synchronize our definition about this with God’s definition!  Just like with everything, God’s way of doing things is the best for us.  No surprise there right?

As you look around at other people and maybe even yourself, you will see that most of us have fallen victim to “the grass looks greener syndrome”.  Married people want to be single & single people wanna be married.  No one is happy where they are & with who they are with.  It is such a problem Joyce Meyer even wrote a book about it called “Enjoying Where You Are on the Way to Where You’re Going”.  Why is it that we are so preoccupied with how someone else is living or what their lives look like, especially when we know people lie about how they are living to make people think things are better than they really are?  We know this but we continue to peep into the lives of others.  What would happen if we took our eyes off the lives of others & started looking at ourselves & our own lives?  Wouldn’t it give us more time to work on ourselves?  I don’t know about you, but I’m a full time job!  I don’t have time to mind anyone else business if I’m gonna keep me straight!

Looking into the lives of other people instead of our own lives is only the beginning of our mistake.  Life is a journey of discovery in order to discover & uncover our divine earthly assignments.  Therefore, each season or phase of life has its own purpose.  Each gives us the chance to learn, grow and put into practice what has just been taught.  I remember my parents telling me when I was a teenager to stop trying to grow up so fast.  I thought I was grown & knew it all.  They told me I would never get this time back & they were right.  Of course I didn’t listen to the degree that I should have & I missed some important lessons. It wasn’t until I grew up that I understood what they really meant.  As a teenager I thought they were just trying to keep me from having fun.  How many of you did the exact same thing?

But even as adults we continue with this childlike unproductive pattern of behavior.  Satan has us convinced that where we are is not good enough.  So my point is this – The summer is here and folks are hot!  As I look around me everywhere I see the results of bad choices based on incorrect information.  And I’m talking about folks in the church too!  The summer has exposed broken hearts, pregnancies outside of marriage, broken relationships and the lack of strong family units!

Ladies and gentlemen we have to raise our standards thus changing our conduct of behavior!  So today let’s talk about the difference between a male & a man from the perspective of one word – maturity!  I know we all believe we are mature adults but our behavior says something different!

The bible even talks about it in a few places.  So let’s start first with I Corinthians 13:11 (amp); When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.  God made us to mature as we grew in age, so what happened?  Basically we stopped looking to God for answers and started to do whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.  And who told us this was better than God’s way? See how that’s been working for us!  Ladies are having babies with no commitment from any of their baby daddies – many of them don’t even know who the daddies are!  If you think I’m lying just check out one episode of the Maury Show!  Guys make babies & find it easy to simply walk away never caring enough to look back.  As a result, our babies are dying in the streets & no one wants to take responsibility for that.

Let me help you out by giving you the correct information about what a real man is straight from God.  This has to be the only standard you live by.  No matter what anybody or anything (Satan) has told you this is how we’re supposed to live and it will give you everything you’ve ever wanted in a relationship with the opposite sex.

Males/boys grow into men by letting God mature them in the following areas (I’m only gonna cover a few of the basics areas).

1. A man has to be mature spiritually – to lead a wife and children by finding out from God the role of his family & how to get them there.

2. A man has to be mature in his personal self – To understand the true role of the man (& accept it) in order to be responsible in society & as a husband & father.

3. A man has to be mature economically – he must be able to hold a good job (yes ladies your man has to work) – He has to make enough money to provide for himself & his family & he must know how to handle his money properly – I Timothy 5:8 (amp); If anyone fails to provide for his own, and especially for those of his own family, he has denied the faith [by disregarding its precepts] and is worse than an unbeliever [who fulfills his obligation in these matters].

4. A man has to be mature sexually – He has to know that sex is meant for marriage  – for his one wife only – I Corinthians 7:2 (amp);But because of [the temptation to participate in] sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.

5. A man has to be mature in his character – his morals, ethics, and social behavior has to be in line with the word of God.

6. A man has to be mature biblically – studying & putting into practice the word of God has to be a part of his daily life.

Of course this is a very simplified version but this will definitely get you started.  You still have to sit down with God to get more details for exact application.  And don’t forget as you raise the standards of those around you, you must first live these standards out in your own life!  Because don’t forget – you are what you attract!

So what’s the difference between a male and a man?  The answer is simple – God  & maturity!

Dating purity, can it be done?  Of course it can be!  How do I know that?  I know because God says so.

Then why is it that single Christians struggle against and with the concept of celibacy?  Well, of course we know the answer is people simply like & want to have sex so they don’t want to be celibate. We also know that the desire or compulsion to have sex outside of marriage comes from our flesh via the lust demon (Yes, demons are real and they do have names). More importantly, we know how God feels about sex outside of marriage & He calls it a sin. His directions about it can be found in many places in the Bible but I’m going to use 1 Thessalonians 4:3 – 5 (amp); ³ For this is the will of God, that you be sanctified [separated and set apart from sin]: that you abstain and back away from sexual immorality;⁴ that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor [being available for God’s purpose and separated from things profane], ⁵ not [to be used] in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God and are ignorant of His will; as our example.  So if God says to be pure then it can be done, so why do people struggle with?  Let’s kick it around a bit.

Let’s start with how we do things.  In our culture we use dating as a path to marriage so let’s start there.

What is dating? The definition of dating is simply going out with someone whom you have a romantic or sexual interest.  Beyond that the dating process is used to determine compatibility for deeper connections like some type of monogamous relationship like marriage.

Just from that definition alone we can see the conflict of how the world dates and how Christians are required to date.  So the first thing a single Christian has to do is exchange the world’s definition of dating with God’s definition of dating.

Now the word “date” does not appear anywhere in the Bible, however, God does give clear instructions on what He requires from us regarding our behavior and relationships.  Let’s look at Romans 12:1-2 (msg)  ; ^1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  No matter what others are doing, as Christians we are required to live lifestyle God requires so it’s our responsibility to find out what that is & how to do it!  Here’s a hint – if you aren’t sure just ask God!

Dating as we know it did not exist when the Bible was written.  At that time marriages and how you met your spouse were arranged by your parents not due to compatibility but due to your family lineage and how much your family could pay in the form of a dowry.  How you felt about it didn’t even factor into it. Sexual sin was as prevalent then as it is now, so to avoid the deflowering of their daughters, marriages were arranged to help keep the family name & reputation clean & to avoid scandal.

Fast forwarding to modern day, the world uses dating – the social act of getting to know someone as a way to determine whether a person is compatible with them, but how effective is it really? Modern dating is used to fulfill many factors in our flesh. Lots of times marriage is not one of them.

So since we live in modern times how can we date and still stay pure because I’m not sure if you noticed but God has not changed His mind about sexual purity – He said ‘no sex outside of marriage” period.  God doesn’t care what times you live in, the olden days or modern times. He fully expects you to obey HIs word!

So let me help you out:

1. Be honest with yourself about the reasons you want to date. Are you just horney or do you truly want to get married.
2. Accept and face the facts. God wants Christians to not have any type of sex outside of marriage.  Yes, masturbation is a sin too.  So, make a decision, everyday if you have to, to not have any type of sex. Ask God to help you because you will need his help & He will.
3. Know your limitations. Spend some time with God listing your weaknesses. For example, I didn’t date at night without someone there to block & to act as a chaperone. Remember that song “Freaks Come Out At Night” by Whodini?  For me, the lust demon was stronger to fight at night, so I adjusted my behavior accordingly.  Once you know your limitations, you will have to do the same thing.
4. Surround yourself with people that have also made the same decision to stay pure. Remember 1 Corinthians 15:33 (amp) ; ³³ Do not be deceived: ^[a]“Bad company corrupts good morals.”  It really does matter who you hang around with.
5. Learn to live within the boundaries you & God have just set up to keep you safe. Don’t we give our kids rules to keep them safe? Yes we do. Don’t we have laws in our society like speeding laws to help keep us safe?  Yes we do.  God just wants you to be safe from all demonic attacks & physical ones that could cost you your life – can anyone say STD’s.

After living a very sexual life, once I reconnected with God I was celibate for eight years. During that time, I made many, many, many adjustments in order to date safely so I could honor God.  Just like most of you, I still wanted to have sex but I made the decision not to.  I wanted to please God more. Then God honored me with a great husband and we’ve been married now for almost 11 years.

With God’s help, you can date, have fun, and stay safe simply by working 2 Timothy 2:22 (amp) ; ²² Run away from youthful lusts—pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those [believers] who call on the Lord out of a pure heart & living within the lines.  It’s time to grow up people!

So is dating purity possible?  Of course it is & you can do it!

Do you know the signs that will help you determine if your life is a mess? I know we are all legends in our own minds, but in order to accomplish any goal you may have, you have to come to the place of maturity.  Put your big boy or girl draws (underwear) on so that you can take an honest look at yourself. So I’ll ask you the question again – Do you know the signs that your life is a real mess?

Now, if you live in a major city or if you’re online a lot or you use various social media sites or apps, you’ve probably heard on the phrase “hot ghetto mess”..  This term refers to some life situations such as:

1. You have many babies (three or more) fathered by many different men – none of whom has ever been your husband. And you’re no longer in relationship with any of them.

2. You’re over 40 years old & your still living with your parents having never moved out on your own. You’re probably sleeping in the basement pretending it’s an apartment!

3. You’re in your 20’s and you have a great great grandmother who is only in her 40s!

4. Your entire economic history is based on welfare and food stamps. And you have no desire for anything better.

Whatever your culture is and no matter where you live you probably have your own definition of what a “hot ghetto mess” is.  Normally, these are things that go against the status quo or what is considered a good basic way to live.  If you are not familiar with the term simply google it and then you’ll have a much better idea of what I’m talking about.  We look at these things as extremes and many of us would not find them acceptable even though many other people do. Whether you do or not your life can still be a mess.  So even if you are not on any “hot ghetto mess” list, your life can still be a mess.

You may not be a “hot ghetto mess” but your life may still be a mess in less dramatic and much more subtle ways.  For example:

1. Having a Negative Attitude – In addition to being a major turn off to those around you, this is a sign that you’re not happy within yourself. So it’s affecting how you talk to & treat people.  This includes how you treat yourself. You have to take control of your negative thoughts (the demons in your mind) and stop giving in to them. Identify the demons talking to you (they have names just like you do) and use the assistance of the Holy Spirit to help you take them out! This will give you control over those negative thoughts because you have to remember that attitude is a contagious spirit. It is transferable, so you don’t want to pass it onto others. Thinking positively will boost your confidence & support a much more constructive thought life and foster a positive attitude.

2. You feel overwhelmed. This is a great  sign that your life is out of balance – There is too much disorder!  Reach out to get the help that you need so that you can learn to prioritize, strategize, delegate, take some quality personal time by yourself & personal time to spend with God every day! Determine what is most important for you to accomplish, make a plan, ask for help, and make sure you have at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted, nonnegotiable, unapologetic time to just do you!  Learn to say “no” when you know your plate is already full & you can’t take on any additional projects!  Be willing to clear your plate of things on it that you know you really can’t do well. Use the Holy Spirit for direction.

3. Your home or room is a mess!  A mess in the places where you spend a considerable amount of time and your unwillingness to straighten it out is a sign that there’s distress inside of you. Doing what you have to do to restore cleanliness and order on the outside is a great first step to doing the same thing on the inside.  Be willing to throw away the things you haven’t been using.  Don’t give into the demon of fear as you sort & threw the things out that you’ve been hoarding.

4. Fixable health issues – Are you suffering from stress-related health issues? Consistent stress affects your immune system, opening the door for heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, obesity, diabetes, headaches, gastrointestinal problems and premature death.  All of these things can be fixed as you relieve the stress factors in your life. Don’t let the demon of fear keep you from reaching out and asking for the help that you need as long as your request is sincere.  James 4:3 (niv) – ³ when you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.  Reach out for the help that you need. There are many health professionals who are being paid to do just that!  Stop helping Satan take you out!

5. You aren’t your first priority – Are you a mess because you put other people and other things ahead of taking care of yourself? Are you sacrificing your life in order to help others – or so you think? Are those people and things returning the favor? Probably not!  The only person you should be putting ahead of yourself is God. Then you’re #2 & everyone else comes next & that includes your spouse & children in that order.  You are worth taking care of. Anything telling you anything different is simply lying to you!  Believe that God put His best stuff in you.  Just be willing to dig it out.

Now, if you find yourself, to any degree, in any of the places or areas above I’ve got great news for you!

Yes, your life may be a mess right now, but you have the power to change it at any time. And you can start that change right now!

God has been waiting and is so very willing to help you! All you have to do is ask Him. Yeah, yeah, yeah I hear what your saying – if God is so willing to help me where has he been?  Let’s talk about it.

Let’s check out Revelations 3:30 (cev) – Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.  God has been here all the time.  And, like it or not, God is a gentleman.  He has given you something called “free will”.  Therefore, He can’t help you until you invite Him in and ask for His help.  How would you feel if I broke into your house and when you found me in your house uninvited and you see that I broke in, I told you I was there to help you? You wouldn’t care what help I said was there offering – you would kick me out of your house wouldn’t you?  I know I would kick you out if the roles were reversed!  My anger in that situation would make me blind to any blessing you may have been bringing.

Well it’s the same with God! He will not break into your life, no matter how much He wants to and He does want to!  God is always there with us in Hebrews 13:5-6  ^5-6 Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?

Now that you know that God is always with you & He wants to help you, you can boldly ask for His help.  Then God will make his full power available to you because He created you and sent you to earth to fix a problem that only you and He can fix together.  That’s how important you are to God and to this world!

So I’ll ask you again, do you know the signs to determine if your life is a mess?  God sent me to tell you that no matter what mess your life may be in today, know that you working together with God can fix it!  Your mess will be your ministry – your life’s mission!  Holla!

Can you handle the truth?  What truth you may be asking?  The truth about you?  The whole truth, and nothing but the truth about you?

A lot of what we know about ourselves that we don’t like, we choose to try to hide from others if we can.  If we can’t hide it, maybe something like a bad temper, or bad spending habits, we choose to justify it as a character defect, right?  We say things like; that’s just the way I am or I can’t help it & people have to accept me the way that I am.  Have you heard any of these excuses before?  Have you used any of them yourself?

The truth is some of us are in complete denial about the “not so nice” truths about ourselves.  No matter how many times or ways it’s brought to our attention, we continue to deny them.  Isn’t it time we stop lying to ourselves?  You can never free yourself from something you can’t admit is holding you hostage in the first place. That being said, a great place to start is simply by asking God the truth about you, accept that truth, then work with God to free you from the bad truth as you build up your good truths.

Lately, we’ve been hearing the term “be your authentic self”, so people can feel free to decide who and how they want to be. This may sound good in theory, but how are we equip to make such decisions when we did not create ourselves?  I know I don’t have all the answers to why people choose to live the way that they do, but I do know who does have all those answers and that’s our Creator – God!  Since he’s our manufacturer who wrote the manual on our lives that’s where we all should go to seek every answer we need to live that life.  I didn’t create a hammer and no matter what I do with that hammer I can’t change a hammer into anything else. I may use it to dig up dirt but that doesn’t turn that hammer into a shovel. I can use the shovel to drive in a nail but that doesn’t turn that shovel into a hammer. Here’s my point, only the manufacturer determines the true purpose for the thing that he created, no matter what others may want to use it for or do with it.

Why am I saying all of this? I am saying that if you want to know what you were meant to do and what you were made for and what you were made of, only God can give you those answers.

The Bible makes it clear in Galatians 5:22 – 23 what God has deposited in us: ²² But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. But we are well aware of that Satan makes his contributions into us after we were created, after we have left the factory.  How we handle that Satan’s attacks play a big part in who we become.  God is well aware of what Satan has done and is doing to you and He has already prepared a path to get you back to him! Yeah! However you have to be committed to finding that path.

As you can see, you are combination of the spirit God made and put into a physical container so that you can exist on the earth + Satan’s attacks against you + the environment you were sent or born into + your reaction to all three.  Here’s a free nugget for you: your purpose for being here on earth is directly tied to where God has placed you in the earth and God knew exactly where He wanted you to be placed, no matter what it looks like and feels like to you.

Satan has been successful in making sure some very horrible things have happened to many people on this planet. Some of these things may have been horrific (sexual abuse, no family, poverty, etc.) and some may have been extremely subtle (some small things that are not evident but we just can’t seem to shake).  Either way here’s another truth that we have to accept,  all of us have to deal with Satan and his shenanigans. But the good news is, God has already paved the way for you and Him to partner up, giving you control over Satan and every demon working for him!  This is another truth that you have to accept to take your life into the successful direction God has already prepared for you.

Your goal in life has to be to use that control as instructed in Romans 12:2 amp (² And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be ^[a]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]) to renew your mind in order to line up with God so He can help you shed the things of Satan and all demonic control and build up the great things He already put on the inside of you!  This will make your life awesome and once you get the process down, you can now go and help someone else do it for themselves!  Go head wit you cha bad self!  Tellin my age huh?  OK, I’ll stop. lol

So, can you handle the truth? With God’s help, of course you can!

What Do You Really Know About God? I know as Christians, we say we believe in God, but what do we mean when we say that?   What do we really know about God as a spiritual being?  What do you think God wants us to understand about Him?  If you were asked to describe God to someone who never heard about Him, what would you say & how would you describe Him?  Could you do it using plain English, not the church talk we’ve grown so accustomed to speaking?  We can see in Jeremiah 9:23-24 (amp); 23 Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord; that God wants us to know Him up close & personally, but do we really know Him like this scripture says?

I would say we know “about” God.  The main reason I say that is because most people get their information, concepts & ideas about God from other people instead of from God directly or from His Word.  The demon of religion has us so satisfied with taking someone else’s idea’s & interpretations about God instead of checking God out for ourselves.  As we have seen over time, many religious teachers are just preaching what they’ve heard or think about God because they don’t know God personally either.

Crazy right?  Yes it is. How can we continue to build our lives around something that we really don’t know about first hand?  Our lives & the lives of our children & families depend on our knowing God for ourselves so that they can know the truth of who God is.  So let’s check God out for ourselves.

One of the biggest, most powerful gifts God has given us is the gift of “free will” & “free thinking”.  We have the choice to either chose God & His way or to go on our own way.  If we chose God we get direct access to God & His thrown.  We can talk to Him about anything, anytime & He will respond.  God has also made who & how He is clear in the Bible so we can see for ourselves what He’s about.  In addition, God also left us with the Holy Spirit to guide us & help us develop our discernment that uncovers the true knowledge of God & the power that comes with it.

 Let’s briefly take a look at just 5 of God’s major attributes & qualities that He shows us in His word.  This will help us know Him better & on a much more personal level.

1. God is our creator! Colossians 1:16 (nkjv); For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him; tells us that we were not created via evolution or some lucky accident but many people who do not believe God exists hold fast to this concept.

2. God is the supreme lawgiver – James 4:12 (nkjv); There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?; tells us God is the only judge & His law brings freedom.  We use it daily in everything like breathing, eating, gravity, etc.  God has given us directions to cover every area of life.

3. God is Love – “Love” is probably one of the most mis-used words in our vocabulary.  God’s definition of love brings power & freedom to our lives. – 1 John 4:7-10 (msg); My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.

4. God is full of justice & mercy – If you take a look at your own life you will see many examples of this but there is no greater example of this than what Jesus did for us on Calvary. Romans 6:23 (nkjv); For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

5. God is eternal – God has always existed.  People including Christians have a hard time believing this one, but it is true.  Just take a look at what Jesus said in conversation just before his crucifixion in John 17:5 (amp); And now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honor in Your presence as I had with You before the world existed.

As Christians we really need to spend more time talking to God about these 5 qualities.  There are many more but this will get you started.  What do these qualities mean for you & your life?  How can you benefit from them?  You need to know the answers to these questions, so get started now.

In addition, is there a way that you can emulate the above God-like qualities to enhance your live & the lives of others?  Do the people looking at your life want the God you talk about?

 Let’s start right now to simply turn up and step our game u!.  Just take a look inside yourself & start to do the things that you already know you should be doing.  Getting to know God better helps us to know the spirit side of ourselves better and since we say we believe we’re spiritual beings shouldn’t we know that side of ourselves better than we do?

So, what do you really know about God?

We all know Nelly’s song and have danced to too!  It’s getting hot out there and if you’re single (or married), it may be getting hot inside you, too! So be careful because fire is hot and you don’t want to be burned.  Don’t forget, sometimes the price of making a mistake is way too high!  Spring is here and summer’s right around the corner and the crazy has already begun.  Folks, just like the flowers and trees, are in full bloom.  As soon as it seemed to get hot I started seeing folks outside half-dressed, scoping out who’s available to play.

I’ve had more than my share of dealings with the demon of lust and it took me about two years to get dominion over it, and another six years maintaining that control over it, so I know it quite well.  So, what do you do when spring comes and the lust inside you wakes up or turns up its heat?

Most “grown folks” do whatever they feel they are big and bad enough to do, and we’ve all done things that we have later come to regret.  So let’s just be honest and put all of the cards on the table. Mark 7: 21-23 (nkjv); For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”  Aren’t you tired of being by yourself?  Are you dancing with the demon of loneliness?  Do you just want someone to love and to love you back?  Or do you just want to have some “no strings attached” sex?

Wherever you find yourself, it’s okay.  No judgments here because I did my own thing too – until Jesus!

We all know that love and lust are not the same thing, and they sure don’t come from the same source.  God is love, but lust comes from Satan.  Which one controls you?  Most of us have given into the lust demon and when we did we were left empty inside (James 1:14-15; We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. 15 Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead), mad at ourselves – again!  But, once you connect with Jesus and you submit control of your life to Him, being a “ho” is never okay again.

Now if love is what you’re after, then start with loving yourself inside your dark places.  Start accepting where you are, who you are today, and sit with God to develop a plan of action that will shine God’s light into those dark places and drive the demons that live there out.  But, how do you do that?

Well, let’s use Esther as an example.  Esther needed to become queen to save her people, so she submitted one year of her life to being trained to be a queen and to attract the king.  Esther 2:12; Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purification accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women (kjv). What kind of training to become a queen have you submitted to?  Most women want to be treated like a queen and to marry a king, right?

When I thought I was ready to get married, I went to God and asked Him to teach me how to be a queen because I wanted a king.  I did the homework and passed most of the tests.  God is so good that He let me take the tests I failed over until I passed them.  I learned quickly to do the work whether I liked it or not, whether I agreed with God or not.  I’ve now been married for nine years and my king keeps getting better and better.  But, that’s because we follow God’s lead in every area of life.  By the way, to all the fellas reading this, it works the same way – in order to marry a queen you too have to be trained to be a king.  Check out Jimmy and Karen Evans if you think you’re ready for training.

So make what you want clear inside yourself and talk to God about it so you can develop a plan to work this summer, because it’s getting hot outside and Satan plans to burn you inside his flames.  I don’t care how cute this dude is or how sexy and big her butt is, you better know who sent these people to intercept your life and don’t get caught in the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” trap!

However, if you do choose to wild out, because that’s your choice, be safe and protect yourself.  I know how attractive “hot” is so don’t get it twisted, mistakes come with a price to be paid (thank God for His mercy and grace that is new everyday), but you don’t want to pay with your life!

It’s getting hot outside!  How hot are you?