You were not created to pursue people, places or things. You were created to pursue God and live out His will for your life. Things, on the other hand, were created to pursue you. So that as you follow Christ - people, places and things will follow (the God within) YOU.

Stop your pursuit of things. Save your time, energy and efforts for the plans & purposes of God. While the world is chasing things, you can rest in The Lord who can bless you exceedingly and abundantly above them all.

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6)

Your Mouth Reveals Your Heart

“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:11)

As Christians, we should be activating the atmosphere with light and love. When people come into our presence they should be built up and encouraged. Not torn down and reduced. Your speech reveals your character. Are you building people up? Are you edifying others? Or are you a destructive speaker? Constantly talking about people and spreading gossip. If you are constantly talking about others and spreading negativity - whether you are spreading your own negativity or being the carrier that spreads the negative acts of others - it ultimately reveals that there’s something wrong with you on the inside. You are “deconstructing” not “constructing.” You are not impacting the atmosphere with life-giving positivity. You are tearing down, not building up. 

What you put in your mind, determines what comes out of your mouth. That’s why the Bible says: "think on these things, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” (Phil 4:8). We are to program our thoughts with pure and lovely things and replace all negativity.

A negative mind, will rob you of the positive life you were created to have. A bitter tongue, a negative attitude and a rush to provoke anger or have the last word will never back the devil up. It will only keep you in a perpetual state of defeat. Ask God to create in you a clean heart and renew the right spirit within you (Psalm 51:10) so that you can walk in victory and have a life of abundance. You deserve it!

God knows who you really are, understands where you've been, is pleased with who you've become and gently invites you to grow. So be purposeful in your growing. Don't just allow the dates on the calendar to change, but as you get older, get better. Live realistically, give generously, adapt willingly, trust fearlessly and rejoice daily.

So many people lack the joy of the Lord. I see people who constantly frown and have a posture of defeat. God wants us to enjoy our lives and think on good things.You need the joy of the Lord if:

- you find yourself frowning all the time, 

- you get discouraged by most situations, 

- anything/anyone has the power to change your attitude at any moment,

- you live according to what you see,

- you lack enthusiasm for life.

If you can say yes to any of the above, then be encouraged! God loves you and has a plan for your life. That plan is to PROSPER you and give you HOPE. He can enable you to conquer any mountain in your life, right now. With that revelation, there is no need to frown. Putting on the joy of the Lord does not require a good sermon, good book, or having all of your desires met. It simply requires a CHANGED MIND. Decide right now in this moment, to walk in His joy and claim His peace. Put a smile on your face because God is not dead. He lives and He rules.

Spiritual growth is constant. We never stop growing, developing or becoming. In fact, we soon realize on our spiritual journies, that life is not about destinations. If it were about destinations, then the moment we reached certain milestones (marriage, children, college graduations, first homes, surviving setbacks), we'd be happy, full and content. But we rarely are, and any excitement that comes is short lived. Soon, we look for the next thing to achieve. So life isn't about destinations, it's all about the journey we are presently on and what we learn along the way. To fully experience the journey, we have to pack light - leave the past behind and release the urge to consume ourselves with thoughts of the future. 

Spiritual growth is never comfortable with us remaining the same. It requires that we grow, shift and release ourselves from attachments or beliefs that no longer serve us. Spiritual growth will allow you to grow to one level, and the following year, require you to depart from there and move on to something else. You find yourself thinking, "but wait, I thought I was evolved in that area. I thought I had done all of the healing, learning, developing I needed from that space." Fortunately, no. There's always more to learn. 

While on this journey, through the varying levels of spiritual growth, what I'm realizing is that I cannot be responsible for other people. I cannot be responsible for where they are emotionally or spiritually. Nor can I be attached to what they will think of me. This is not a new truth, but sometimes you don't "get it" until you're ready to "live it." I hold a fundamental belief that we should always be kind and polite. Compassionate and loving. But we cannot be held back by the opinions, preoccupations, judgments, actions, or mindsets of people. We cannot give concern to how they interpret our behavior resulting from our spiritual growth and development, and what God is doing in our lives. It is an enduring lie that if we aren't concerned about people's behaviors, then we don't care for them. We can care, love and pray for them - but that is different from being consumed with their shortcomings, which are mere distractions sent to move us from our personal journey for growth. So the question becomes, how bad do you want to grow? Because spiritual growth is not for the faint of heart. It is for those who can withstand the judgement, accusations and isolation.

Everyone has to do their own work. And until they dedicate themselves to their own life's work, they will invariably be focused on yours. Release the emotions that will come as a result of this. Move forward with fierce determination that you are going to reach the fulfillment of what God died to give you: life, more abundantly, to the full, until it overflows. 

You're a spiritual being first. A human being second. 

Wising you faith, hope and love.

Welcome to 2011

Welcome to a new year, filled with hope and possibility. I hope I am disciplined enough to achieve any realistic goals that I set. And I hope that this year brings even better opportunities for personal growth, travel and a few dreams that have been deferred. May your 2011 bring you blessings, joy and fulfillment!

Much Love

Who's Mocking Who?

It's good to go to church but when are people ever going to be changed?

You have perfected your dance but do you have any direction, peace or victory in your life? And when was the last time you made a decision based solely on the Word of God?

As much as we want to dispel the growing criticisms of the church, we cannot deny the continuous routine that takes place for many each Sunday. We go to church, participate in the praise & worship and listen to the sermon. And still our lives remain the same. We change like the wind, make decisions based on emotion and chase after things which are fleeting. We lack the dignity, integrity and maturity required to live a fulfilled life and corrupt those (young & old) who dare to follow our footsteps.

We lust with our eyes, deny God in our hearts and fail to control our worldly passions. As a result, our relationships are a mess, our homes are broken and many of our Pastors have conformed - not to a higher standard - but to what our itching ears want to hear.

Without God we can do nothing, but with God we can overcome any obstacle. We must strengthen our will and overcome those things that continue to bind us so that we can stop playing in atmospheres of foolishness and stand steadfastly on the right track. At that point, God will take us to places we've never seen to enact change we never knew we were capable of and our lives will be a shining testimony that God is good; all the time.

There is a higher standard and a deeper way of living. But we are not waiting on God to make it happen. God has always been waiting on us....