A Word of Encouragement

I love words. Words have a tremendous power behind them. They play a very important role in our lives. Words have a way of making us feel good or bad. There are encouraging words that inspire us as well as empower us. There are also erroneous words which can make us feel bad about ourselves which leave us feeling downtrodden. It all depends on what is being said to us or about us.

Today, I want to share with you some very powerful words of encouragement. Encouraging words can do a great deal for your self-esteem and self-value. First I was just going to share some of my own with you, but I realized that my words aren't strong enough. I will only use my words to introduce you to some other words I want to share with you.

So without further or do all me to share these words with you.

No matter where you are in life.

Even if you are swimming deep in a sea of sin far from a friendly shore.

You can be climbing the mount St. Helens of Mayhem

Living life 2 fast 2 furious.

A Prodigal son or daughter.

Partying in the land of Sodom and Gommorah.

A slave in the land of Egypt

A prisoner of war enslaved by and in Satan's camp.

Battling and wrestling with habits which have a super hold on you.

know you are never too far away from God's heart, His mind, His hand or His help.

Is 59:1,16-21
1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid F261 his face from you, that he will not hear.

16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

17 For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

18 According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.

19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

Isiah makes it plain that you are on God's mind and stay upon His mind at all times. That is why He stood up to come and help humanity in their situation. He always goes out of His way to save His children.

What sin(s) do you need deliverance from? What iniquity(ies)do you need deliverance from?

He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask. So name it and claim it and watch God do what he does best. Save you from yourself, your sins, your iniquities and your enemies.

John 3:16, 17
3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Do you know what that means? Let me paraphrase it in various ways to make it crystal clear to you and whatever your situation in life:

For God so loved Hitler

For God so loved Saddam Hussein

For God so loved Osama Ben Laden

For God so loved pimps

For God so loved murderers

For God so loved the hopeless

For God so loved the ruthless

For God so loved thieves

For God so loved drug addicts

For God so loved strippers

For God so loved prostitutes

For God so loved con artists

For God so loved serial killers

Jesus Christ died for the entire world and every human being so that they can be saved from their sins and whosoever repents will be saved. It is simple. Believe it, claim it, accept it, and live it.

God wants you to know that He loves you so much that He died for you, He is doing everything in His power to save you so you can have an abundant life.

God wants you to know that eternal life is the greatest gift a man can obtain. However you have to go get it to accept it because faith without works is dead.

Take Time 2

Time waits for no one.

There is a huge difference between finding time to do something and taking time to do something. What is the difference you ask?

The difference is this when you find time to do something you cut out a piece of your schedule to fill in or put in a task. Taking time to do something can mean hesitating or contemplating to do something and it can mean taking time to do a task or job.

We all have time for our agendas no matter how busy we are in life. When it comes to others especially when it comes to the Most High God we have a limited schedule. Even when we say that we don't.

We limit our time praying to Him.

Yet we talk with our mates, gossip and spend hours talking on the telephone

We limit our time in studying His Word.

Yet we have time to read mystery books, urban fiction, thrillers, self-help, history, magazine articles, and all manner of other literature

We limit our time to getting to know God

Yet we want to get to know people we work with, want to get into a relationship with and people we enjoy spending time with.

We even limit out time to be filled by His Spirit.

Yet we like being filled with our passions, our array of manifold emotions and everything else.

Ask Paul and he will tell you in 2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Which means that we must not read the Bible but we must study the Bible. Studying God's word to show yourself approved of God. God approves of you to endeavor deep into His word to get to know Him better.

As you get to know Him better you will fall in love with Him. When you fall in love with Him you will want to spend more and more time in His presence and share your love with the world.

Ask John and he will tell you in John 14:16-21

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: F28 I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Take time to fall in love with the Most High today. You will be greatly rewarded in many areas of your life. If you are faithful until the end you will dwell and reign with Him forever more.

So You Call Yourself a Christian?

It amazes me how many people call themselves Christians.

I say this because many people want to identified by the name Christian but are not willing to do what Christ did when he walked here on earth.

Here are 12 Things Jesus did and all Christians should do:

1. Jesus was baptized
2. Jesus kept the Sabbath (Saturday)
3. Jesus was tempted by the devil
4. Jesus ministered 2 people's needs and then fed them spiritually
4. Jesus did evangelism and did not just sit in the Synagogues on Saturday
5. Jesus ministered and healed the sick
6. Jesus lived an exemplary life filled with the Holy Ghost
6. Jesus never spoke in an unknown tongue when he preached or ministered 2 people
7. Jesus kept all the commandments
8. Jesus lived to do his Father's will
9. Jesus lived the truth, taught truth and corrected those who didn't know the truth
10. Jesus never turned away someone who was in need of a blessing.
11. Jesus introduced communion and foot washing ordinance
12. Jesus took up His cross

Now we have every last thing that Jesus did when He was here on earth. In order to call yourselves Christians you have to be just like Jesus by following His steps to righteousness.

That means we should be baptized (by totally being immersed in water) the biblical way.

Jesus did.

We should keep the Biblical sabbath that Jesus kept holy. which starts upon sunset Friday and ends sunset Saturday night. It is a twenty-four hour period.

Jesus did

We must be tempted by the devil and be tried in adversity.

Jesus did.

We must be into evangelism, not just sit in church and minister to those who need to hear the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Jesus did.

We must heal the sick by praying for them, visiting them, and by God's grace they may be healed. If it is god's will?

Jesus did.
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We try to reinvent the wheel by passing out a tracks and giving Bible studies without meeting people where they are at.

We must minister to peoples needs and then feed them spiritually.

Jesus did.

Many of us live a life filled with mischief.
We must live an exemplary life filled with the Holy Ghost

Jesus did.

Ask Solomon the wisest man whoever lived and he will tell you
in Ecclesiastes 12: 13, 14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing , whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

We must keep the commandments of God.

Jesus did.

Now if Jesus is our role model then we need to follow His ways and actions. No exceptions because He is the author and finisher of our faith.

So you call yourself a Christian?

Action speak louder than words. Do what you do and play what you say. Don't just talk about it walk about it.

Be on the lookout for my new blog "Lies that Preachers Told Me" coming soon.

Rest Assured

I happen to enjoy sleeping on a very comfortable bed. I can recall like it was yesterday.

I was out of town tired, just checked into my hotel room, slow waltzed into the elevator with eyes red from exhaustion. Thoughts of taking a nice hot shower and crashing skipped through the halls of my mind. After reaching my room my thoughts became a reality.

After the shower I put on my PJ's and jumped into the bed and whoa it was the most comfortable bed that I laid upon. I was definitely impressed because my bed at home is very comfortable but I would take this bed over it.

That was some of the best sleep that I ever had laying on a bed before in my life. I have slept on some really comfortable beds ranging from tempurpedics, water beds, and a host of others.

There are so many people in the world who cannot find rest. Some who have the biggest bank accounts, sleep in the best beds, and travel all over the world but they cannot find rest.

True rest that refreshes, restores and rejuvenates from the inside out. Divine rest that is highly unlike finding comfort. Comfort comes and goes. You can have a comfortable bed that you sleep in every night. However there are times when you toss and turn and cannot find rest.

There are too many people in life who cannot find rest. They look to find it in sex, drugs, money, fame and having fun. But you won't find it there.

You wont find it in a Long island Ice Tea.

You wont find it in a Newport cigarette.

You wont find it in a crack pipe.

You wont find it sipping syrup.

You wont find it in popping ecstasy pills.

You wont find it in sniffing coke or snorting dope.

You wont find it in a vacation to an exotic Island.

You wont find it in having sex and experiencing an orgasm.

Yes I said it because I keep it real.

You wont find it Serta Perfect Sleeper, or a sleep number bed

There is only one place that you can find it.

Where is that?

You will find it in Jesus. Ask Jesus and He will tell you

Matthew 11:28-30 (King James Version)

28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

It's that simple.

What are you waiting for you can rest assured today?

The Designer Frames

I recall back in the days in the 80's there was a huge fad of wearing designer frames in the African American community. Around the RUN DMC rap era. Even people who despised wearing glasses were caught up on it. There would even go as far as just purchasing the frames wearing them without any lenses.

Cazal frames were big block framed style with their name emblazoned in script upon their lenses and gold plated tag name on the arms. Were a huge hit, Yves Saint Laurent frames were also popular. It was definitely official.

Glasses were now in style. As i look back I think of how that time in history more or less helped me feel more comfortable about wearing glasses. It took a little getting used to but that phase help me to embrace the fact that I would have to wear glasses.

When I think about designer frames I think about how we all wear them.

What I mean is that we all have a specific design of frames that we wear to see the world. We all see the world through designer frames.

Some of us choose to wear sunglasses 2 block the shade of God's divine light from our view.

Some of us choose to wear glasses smudged by our fingerprints and we refuse to clean them to get a better view of life.

Some of us choose to wear glasses without lenses when we know we do not have 20/20 vision 2 see God's will for our life.

Some of us choose to wear glasses with transitional lenses so when God tries to share His radiance of righteousness our lenses darken so much that we are not affected by the light.

Some of us choose to wear other people's glasses that are too strong or too weak for our eyes and will only do further damage to our already poor eyesight.

Oh we are all wearing designer frames today.

What color is yours today?

Are they black, white, gunmetal, blue,red, or tan?

Are they heavy to the point that it has left a mark upon your nose?

Are they broken or all scratched up?

If so God wants you to know that whatever type of designer glasses that you have on He can fix them.

He can give you the right prescription.

St. John Chapter 9 tells the story of Jesus healing a blind man. Read it in your spare time. In this text there are many people in this chapter who are blind not just the man who was blind from his birth.

The disciples were blind to the fact that this was a tremendous opportunity to provide service to this man who was blind.

The disciples were so blind that instead of asking Jesus how can we help this man they asked him who sinned his father or mother an made him born blind.

Have you ever found yourself wearing those designer glasses overlooking someone in need?

Have you ever found yourself wearing those designer glasses asking god what sin has this persons parents committed that they are suffering?

The disciples were styling wearing their designer frames and they missed the point even walking and talking with Jesus.

Jesus confesses to them that this man is not blind because of his parents sins but he is born this way so God can manifest the power of healing in him.

Jesus wants to heal the blindness of us all. however, sometimes we get so caught up on our glasses and Hollywood status that we don't want to take those glasses off.

After Jesus gave the blind man the remedy some of his neighbors failed to see this man at all. They looked at him in disbelief in his being healed. It just couldn't be true. Some of them said it is him while others said it can't be him.

They contemplated is this our neighbor or is it somebody that looks like him instead of getting the story from the horses mouth.

Like many of us we get into our huddles and mumble about people and instead of going directly to them and getting the facts we are satisfied with our assumptions and speculations of what we think is the truth.

Oh so many people in this text were suffering from blindness in this text and in the world that we live in.

The man overheard them gossiping and says in response to their unsure bickering it is me. He testified that it was Jesus who made him see again.

Even after getting a wake up call and even hearing the truth from the horses mouth they grabbed him up and took him to the Pharisees.

The Pharisees who were supposed to be God's chosen people couldn't see the truth. They had on their designer frames which only allowed them to see into their so called spiritual mastery of the law. Which caused them to know the law but not Know God.

What a terrible thing to be wearing designer frames, be God's chosen people, and not even recognize or know who God is?

I'm thankful though.

That no matter how thick, how dirty, how closed, how twisted, how broken, how messed up your vision is there is somebody who can give you sight so you can see the light.

His name is Jesus.

He wants to open up your eyes so you can see through the designer frames. He wants to make your vision whole again. I'm thankful that Jesus is the eye opener.

Are you satisfied with your designer frames just as they are?

The designer frames are a statement to the word that you have taste, but you do not know the God of grace and healing.

The billion dollar question is do you want him to open your eyes so you can see the light, walk in his righteousness and goodness?

The choice is yours.

Get Your Shine On

There is an extremely popular phrase called shinning in the secular world. Where people talk about you can't stop my shine or I'm shinning right now. Which literally means right now I am on top of my game, I'm getting noticed by everyone and I'm sparkling like the brightest star in the darkest night.

People toss this statement out so loosely. The majority of people who use it are oblivious to the real meaning of shinning.

In fact, there is nothing new about the word. Just that in the secular world the concept that they have is all wrong. There is this grave misconception of the meaning of shinning.

The originator of the word come from the Most High. God invented it and man revamped it and twisted it. What are you talking about? I'm talking about the truth.

Shinning is all about being filled by the power of the Holy Ghost. Saturated with Holy Ghost Power that radiates God's presence and goodness in you.

When you are shinning there is no secret to who you belong to.

Adam and Eve were shinning when God created them. They were shinning from the beginning of humanities existence until the committed sin against God. That is when their shine left and they realized they were naked.

Moses shinned when he left Mt. Sinai after communing with the Most High and receiving the two tablets of stone the ten commandments. He was shinning so much that the children of Israel was afraid of him.

You see everybody talking about shinning isn't shinning at all.

True shinning is being empowered from on high by the Holy Ghost. When you shinning you are illuminated by God. When your shining nobody can stop your shine because God has ordained it.

When you shining everybody can see there is something different about you. How can you get shine?

You get it by asking the Most High to fill you with the Holy Ghost and you continue to pray daily asking Him to fill you with His presence. The more you study your Bible and pray the more you allow the Spirit of God to take up residence in your heart and life.

So get your shine on beloved. You can do it.

Ask the Apostle Paul and he will tell you:
"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, inn the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shins as lights in the world." Philippians 2:15

Ask Daniel and he will declare unto you:

"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3

People who struggle to see their name in lights usually overlook the light within them. -- Alan Cohen

Which light are you more concerned with?

Perception of Truth

The Bible says that the truth shall set you free. There is a misconception of this very statement by Christians around the world from various denominations.

What I am about to share is extremely potent truth that is not watered down. It is potent and there will be no chaser behind it.

It isn't for those thin skinned individuals who as Jack Nicholson said you want to know the truth you can't handle the truth.

There are lies being preached by preachers directly from the pulpit concerning God. I know that is a strong accusation to bring up but it is what it is. It is the truth.

There is a perception of truth that people are taught called Once Saved Always Saved.

The perception of truth goes like this when you accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are saved. There is nothing else for you to do or say you are once saved and always saved.

That is a lie.

King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived & walked on this earth declares in Ecclesiastes 12:13 " Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

The perception of truth says that the ten commandments were nailed to the Cross when Jesus died on Calvary.

That is a lie.

The only things that was nailed to the cross was the ceremonial law which called for slaying of sacrificial lambs and animals to wash away our sins. Jesus shed His blood on Calvary to wash away our sins.

This is why John the Baptist said to the masses while Jesus passed by "behold the lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world."

If you still having a problem with the perception of the truth?

Ask the Apostle Paul. For Paul declares in

Hebrews 7:18-25 (New King James Version)

¹⁸ For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, ¹⁹ for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

²⁰ And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath ²¹ (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him:


“ The LORD has sworn
And will not relent,

‘ You are a priest forever^a]">[a]
According to the order of Melchizedek’”),^b]">[b]

²² by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
²³ Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. ²⁴ But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

When people believe the perception of truth they get cloudy vision. The perception of truth is not the truth but a faulty perception of the truth. Millions of people will be lost because of their perception of the truth. The truth is strong medicine. The truth is thus saith the Lord. The truth is clearer than a bright sunshiny day.

The truth is unadulterated, self explanatory, Holy Ghost instructed and Holy Ghost convicting.

For the apostle Paul declares in Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is quick , and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

It hurts sometimes when you find out the truth. I can recall years ago being in love with a young lady. I loved her unconditionally giving one hundred percent of my love to her. I was in love. My perception of the truth was that she loved me the same way that I loved her.

As time went on I fell deeper in love with her. The more I gave of myself and my time. Before long it was time for the both of us to make a decision on where our relationship was going and I just knew we were going to take the next step.

Guess what happened?

The relationship disintegrated faster than you could say my full name. You want to know why?
It disintegrated because she didn't love me the way I loved her. My plan was to take it to the next level while hers was to get out while she could. I was dead wrong because of my perception of the truth.

The truth was she was just not that into me as I was into her. I was hoodwinked and bamboozled. Hoodwinked and bamboozled by my own perception of the truth.

The perception of truth can lead you down the wrong path, it can be heartbreaking, and it can obliterate you. The truth shall set you free and it will empower your life as well as reinvent your life.

I'm glad I know the truth now. I have stop settling for the perception of truth because the perception of truth can cause you to miss out on salvation and hinder from the kingdom of heaven.

God wants you to know the truth.

For the word of God declares in the book of Revelation 22:14,15
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever maketh a lie.

Making it to heaven requires us to live a life that is submissive to God. A life where we hear the truth, see the truth, follow the truth, making it a lifestyle and the cornerstone of our Christianity. For to be like Christ means to live like He lived.

Independence Day

Yesterday, while looking over my grandson. I began pondering how from the time that we were babies our parents or guardians look over us. They feed us, clothe us and provide for us. As we begin to grow we learn how to hold our bottles, we begin talking, and learn how to walk all by ourselves.

There starts the beginning of our independence. A time when we are learning to be more self sufficient. As we grow through the stages of life ranging from childhood, adolescent and eventually adults we pride ourselves on our independence.

In fact, how many times have you heard someone say I'm a grown man or woman? Some people add another word in the statement after grown but I'm not going there. You know what I'm talking about.

Am I right about it?

A funny thing about this word independence. We pride ourselves on it. We wrap our flags around it, salute our troops for it, blast fireworks and say happy 4th of July while many of us are not free.

Not free.

For many of us our slaves to our passions, desires, habits, and lifestyles. Fault finders quick to point fingers at others while we hate the finger being pointed at ourselves. We hold everyone else to a higher standard by raising the bar for them while lowering it for ourselves.

How independent is that?

What makes it all worst is some of us don't even know we slaves. Running around talking about I love my freedom and you living the life of a slave. When I was riding down here and passing all this land I envisioned how slaves must have felt working on those plantations in blistering heat. Working hard on their masters acres. I could see it, like a movie.

It's a terrible thing to be shackled and don't know it. At least our forefathers knew they were enslaved. The thing about modern day slavery is many people don't realize that they are slaves.

I can recall years ago falling in love with a woman who I loved dearly. We broke it off going in different directions. Even after we were done I was still held in captivity by what she meant to me. I always used her as a measuring stick against others. In fact, to make it clearer I was still addicted to this woman.

I couldn't shake it. I was shackled to her while she was long gone.

How sad is that.

I never gave the other young ladies a fare shot because I always scrutinized them for not being like my former lady. Enslaved emotionally. Thinking everything was all good with me. But it was not.

There are people who are enslaved emotionally, spiritually, sexually, financially, mentally, physically, and definitely. However, there is a way to be set free.

It was not until God brought to my attention that I sold myself into slavery of that woman. Only then could I ask Him to set me free. Listen how can you be set free when you shackled to someone, something, and you don't know how to get away. You don't have strength to get away.

God can set you free. He is a specialist at snapping chains. Ask the children of Israel and they will tell you Pharaoh had us bound until God came around. We were slaves in Egypt and God reeducated us in righteousness, brought us up out of captivity to the Promised Land.

Call on Our Father who art in heaven.

He is the shackle breaker. For he came to set the captives free.

When I was addicted to smoking cigarettes people prayed for me, I prayed from myself and God gave me the victory over that.

Listen when I needed to let go of the thought of my former girlfriend. God broke the shackles and set me free.

When I was feeling helpless in my battle to stop drinking alcohol God took the taste of it from me. Allowing me to drink from His living waters. Oh taste and see that the Lord is good.

Oh watch and see, He can set you free.

On this Independence day, beloved think of something or someone who may have you bound?

This Independence Day, bring it before the Master of the Universe. Allow him to unlock the locks. Allow Him to break your chains. When He sets you free you are free indeed.

Pray for deliverance from whatever has you bound.

Pray to the God who answers prayer because He will never let you down.

So pray that He will make a way out of no way.

Pray that God will wipe your tears away.

You can call Him G-O-D because He's God of Deliverance to me.

Let today be the start of your Independence Day. So you can really celebrate because you truly have the victory.

Why Pray

Some people pray just to pray and some people pray to know God. --Andrew Murray

There is no better way to start your day than to pray.

For prayer is the life blood that pumps life into our spirituality. Whenever we fail to pray, we go through life sluggish because we are running on fumes. Prayer brings power to any individual who takes out time to pray. God rejuvenates them with power from on high to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask.

There are people in the world who are losing jobs, homeless, hungry, fighting diseases, fighting drug addiction, have houses being foreclosed upon, being raped, beaten, talked about, lied upon, spat upon, shot, forced into prostitution, being conned and I haven’t even covered the tip of the iceberg. You would think that with all that we face as human beings that we would pray more.

Unfortunately, some people bring it to God after the situation has escalated. They allow the situation to turn into a problem. The problem turns to a bigger problem. The bigger problem now becomes the out of control problem that catapults into a crisis.

Our situation was once a little harmless adorable puppy who has become an enormous Pit-Bull who wants nothing more but to devour us. Now we are ready to run to God. Now we need Him to get rid of our crisis so we run to him to help us.

The good thing is that God knows our hearts. Even when we come to Him with our crisis, He never fails to come to our rescue.

I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go. -- Abraham Lincoln

Prayer is communion with the Master of the Universe. Prayer is the development of a relationship that God wants to have with us. A dialog where He wants us to tell Him what is on our minds and hearts. He wants us to get into the habit of getting close to Him. Lord knows we all need it.

When a Christian shuns fellowship with other Christians, the devil smiles. When he stops studying the Bible, the devil laughs. When he stops praying, the devil shouts for joy. --Corrie Ten Boom

The Script

I love movies with a passion. For every movie there is a script that actors must learn there lines to bring their characters to life. The director’s shooting script is the one he or she uses to bring the movies we watch to life. They are an ultimate escape from reality, a vacation from the norm whisking us away to a new world.

What I am about to show you is a shooting script that will change the movie of your life. Life is a real life movie. The better your script is the better your life becomes.

Today I want to discuss what the script is for those of you wondering where I am going with this. Hold on to your seats relax and get comfortable.

The script is an acronym for five different praying styles. All of these praying styles are extremely powerful. I will also give you the opportunity to contact me so I can send you a free book that you are absolutely going to love.

S stands for Silent Prayer
Praying to God is a very powerful thing. One thing that I have learned from experience is some prayers you just keep silent between you and God. I share this because Satan cannot read your mind. Many times people say entirely too much when they are praying to God giving the enemy ammunition to fire upon us.

I have heard women say that man can talk me into anything. I can see the devil now as he hears those words because he has an Aha moment now. To add visual and IMAX theatre to make it plain that is like a criminal giving a prosecuting attorney all the evidence he needs to lock you away for life. Some things you have to keep between you and God.

I recall years ago telling people cigarettes had me bound and were the hardest habit to kick. Guess what those cravings had me going like a crack addict feigning for a hit of cocaine. Cigarettes were one of the hardest habits I ever had to kick. I believe if I did not proclaim the power cigarettes had over me that my battle would have been a lot easier.

C is for Commitment Prayer
Commitment prayer is simply a prayer of commitment. When you tell God, I commit my car to you so that I can faithfully take people to and from church and minster to them. That is a commitment prayer. It can also be a prayer where you commit your child or family to God. It can be a personal prayer that you surrender yourself to preaching, teaching, helping anyone.

R stands for Revelation Prayer
Revelation prayer is the time we ask God to reveal something unknown us. A revelation prayer is one for divine intervention, awakening, and enlightenment. God only gives as He sees fit to reveal unto us. There are something’s He will not reveal because the secret things belong unto God.

The I stands for Intercessory Prayer
Intercessory prayer is what Jesus did when He was on the cross dying for our sins. Intercessory prayer is what my grandmother did over me when I was a young child and when my mother did for me when I was a menace to society. It is standing in the gap for someone who needs a word from the Lord, a change or some sort of miracle.

The P stands for Praying through His Promises
When you pray through His promises, you have a solidified guarantee that God will answer because He says His word shall not return to Him void. For any problem that you are facing there is a promise in the Bible that addresses it.

Praying through His promises gives you a solid foundation of prayer that is sure and true.
One of the most amazing books I ever read on prayer goes into claiming God’s promises in prayer called the ABC’s of Bible Prayer by Glen A. Coon. This book is a nuclear explosion of truth that can rock the foundations of this world.

The T stands for Thinking About it Prayer
Thinking about it prayers are prayers that I use when a person crosses my mind I say a silent prayer for them. It is similar to intercessory prayer but the Holy Ghost is prompting you to pray for an individual. You don’t know why but you just have to follow His lead.

When a thought passes of a goal I need to reach, I pray on it. It has been very effective and very powerful.

I have had people who came across my mind on a specific day or time tell me later on I had a rough week last week that I did not think I was going to get through and then strength came out of nowhere for me to do it.

Little do they know that it was the power of prayer? I cannot wait until tomorrow because I have some goodies for you.

Remember to e-mail me today at arbarnes30@hotmail.com to request your free book that you are absolutely going to love.

Have an awesome day God bless and keep you.

The Undeniable Power of Prayer

Do you believe in the power of prayer?

I'm a firm believer of the power of prayer. I am a diligent prophet of prayer. I eat, sleep, dream, work and promote the undeniable power of prayer. Prayer is the hand that rocks the universal galaxy.

This week we will delve into different types and methods of prayer. Prayer has literally been the driving force that has miraculously changed my life. Let me explain to you about the undeniable power of prayer and how it miraculously changed my life.

When I was 13 years old I lost my grandmother, Maudella Barnes. She was the spiritual backbone of the family. We were inseparable. After my grandfather passed away when I became old enough I became her traveling companion. We would travel back and fourth from NY to Virgina. She aught me how to pray, kept me in church and our relationship was remarkable. She was my second mother. I could talk with her about any and everything.

In later years she began to get sick. I can recall going to Virginia to see her pull through the first phase of sickness. I was thankful God spared her so I could reconnect with my grandmother.

The second time grandmother fell sick she passed. I didn't get to see her before she died. When the phone call came we learned she passed away before we left for Virginia to see her in the hospital. I was devastated.

At her funeral, I lost it. At the funeral's end I renounced God. I decided I wanted nothing to do with God. In fact, I felt a need to take an expressive stand against church, God and religion. My anger took control of me and the devil duped me to believing I needed to do everything contrary to the word of God and all that my grandmother had taught me. I became a straight menace.

I believe at that particular moment that Satan dispatched a special hells angel to me who would encourage me to be all I could be in wickedness.

From this point forward I decided to take bad to a whole other level.

I became a neighborhood terrorist. I tried various other religions and even became a member of the five percent nation for a short period of time.

It was them that I began starting my own street gangs, became affiliated with many other gangs, fighting daily, extorting people, running a criminal enterprise, carrying guns like a soldier of fortune, selling drugs and becoming a feared gangster. There are so many other things I became but I will not go into now.

I went through a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde metamorphosis. One that scared the hell inspired lifestyle out of me. Literally.

The words that my grandmother shared years ago began coming back to me. I started praying daily Lord I don't know who I am becoming and I believe you are the only one who can save me.

This became my prayer daily. I recall the first time so drug dealers came to take my life. I was selling drugs on a corner in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn on the corner of another drug dealers turf at night.

They came over to me and a guy we called Powerful and they tried talking to us. Being who I am fearless I began arguing with them because I wasn't scared to die.

That is when they pulled an Uzi and a nine millimeter out on us. I said well you better do what you have to do because if you don't I'm bring WWIII with me. The guy with the .9MM pointed and shot Powerful in the leg and said you think I'm playing games. Powerful screams out in agony.

I knew that was my cue. We took off and Powerful was on my back bullets were flying passed us like mosquitoes thirsty for blood trying to find a small spot to hit us.

By the grace of God when we made it to our destination safely. Powerful was only grazed badly, we laughed about it how loud he screamed and I cleaned and dressed his wound. Forgetting all along about my praying to God in the morning.

It was only after the second time some other drug dealers came to get me at the very same location. I was outside of the drug spot in broad daylight and another dealer who formerly owned this drug spot came to get me.

Long story short he came with a car full of people and another car came out of no where and they came to eliminate me. .38 pointed at my chest less than 3ft. in front of me they pulled the trigger boom. I knew that was the end of me.

I wasn't hit. God said to me at that moment you are not hit run as fast as you can and I have always been a very fast runner. I ran from Bed-Stuy back to Bushwick. Amazed at God saving my life and knowing that this was an answer to my prayer.

What made it all the more miraculous is I went back over there to the block with a friend who was one of the biggest drug dealers in the 80's to see an informant of his. He began telling us what happened earlier this afternoon. He didn't know me or who I was.

When he talked about the incident he said that black shot a guy outside of his old spot who ran around the corner and fell.

I know that wasn't what happened but who knows what God allowed them to see for me to make my escape. All I know is that the undeniable power of prayer saved my life. God saved me and I had turned my back on Him and He went all out to keep me here on this earth because He had a divine blueprint for my life.

People in my neighborhood thought I would be shot, put in jail or killed. Well after various hits put upon my life, many times being shot at in the hood, I have never been shot because God is my fortress, I have never been to jail because the truth sets me free, and I am still here because God has an amazing plan for my life and He keeps me in the hollow of His Hand.

Beloved you may have a family member who is just like I was. A menace to society.

Keep praying for them don't give up on them because God wont.

Keep them in prayer because prayer changes things.

Prayer fixes things.

This week we'll learn amazingly effective things about prayer that will miraculously change your life.

Until tomorrow beloved.

Be well, be blessed and remember prayer changes things miraculously.

Living It Up

Psalm 23:5,6
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

It's the end of a very blessed but trying week. The world has lost 3 great iconic figures who will be greatly missed for their contributions.

Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. I am deeply saddened.

Last night I was so distraught that I needed to take a nice long walk and talk with God. I usually do a walk & talk with God by myself when I'm sad or emotionally stressed because it relieves the tension. My burdens evaporate easier when I participate in a prayer walk with the Master of the Universe.

Today I want to finish up on the twenty third psalm where I left off at. Today I want to talk with you about living it up. I want to discuss with you living it up. Not in its general meaning of living La Vida Loca as Ricky Martin sings.

Growing up I was always into living it up. I always attended the best parties, clubs, lounges and I was a dancing machine who loved to go throughout the boros of New York dancing and battling people long before You Got Served was even thought up.

Michael Jackson influenced me to be a dancing machine and I loved every minute of it back in the day.

It was all about living life to the fullest by enjoying every minute, every second of the hour. I became a track star racing down the runway of living it up. Along that road I made bad choices. Choices that would forever change my life.

It can be like that in life if you have the wrong concept of living it up. That was my problem I had the wrong concept of living it up.

Always looking to have fun but never finding true happiness.

People get it twisted.

Fun is fun.

Fun is limited.

I mean you can go to a party and have fun dancing and listening to music but when the music stops and the party is over the fun stops. You can go to an amusement park riding your favorite rides with your family and friends but when you leave the park the fun ends.

Too many people trying to find happiness by having fun.

However, fun is short lived. True happiness is eternal.

Fun is the short-term fix. The knockoff brand of happiness. It is the old bait and switch that millions of people are duped by. So much so that they spend their lives having fun chasing the very swiftly elusive happiness.

There is nothing wrong with living an excitement filled life.

King David lived an excitement filled life.

Anytime you start a humble beginning tending to your father's sheep in a house filled with older brothers who look at you as a weakling and a mere musician and poet.

You go from living in your parents house being faithful in all of your duties to exalted to the king's house. That's exciting.

His life was exciting when he went to take his brother's food at his father's request and heard a giant named Goliath cursing God and mocking King Saul and the children of Israel when he declared to the soldiers who is this uncircumcised dog that he should mock God and the children of Israel.

David was fearless of any opposition including a big mouth Philistine Giant.

His life was exciting when his brothers told him to be quiet, go home, mind his business and he stood his ground saying I will fight this giant and slay him.

David's life goes from a rather melancholy setting to an action movie unlike no other. He went from a faithful shepherd keeper, to platoon leader and onto king of all of Israel.

This is living it up in the divine, supernatural,spiritual and life transformational way.

Living it up in this since leads you to the very source of eternal happiness.

It is what so many people are looking for when they take tokes of of marijuana, sniff cocaine, shoot dope, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, to experience this amazing euphoria that is only short-lived.

What the world needs is what David had.

What the world needs is what Dr. Martin Luther King preached about when he said I Have a Dream.

What the World needs now is what Michael Jackson sung about in Heal the World.

Oh beloved, too many people looking for fun, having fun and chasing it down like a coveted runaway slave.

Only to find out fun is the counterfeit of the real thing.

The real thing is happiness. The eternal missing link of life. The unequivocal answer to life itself.

Where can you find this happiness?

The Good Shepherd. God's got it.

Do you want it?

When you find it you will be able to handle the haters who want to destroy your character.

Ask David and he will tell you in Psalm 23: 4-6 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

Let me make this crystal clear to your eyes and ears.

Listen David was able to live it up because he knew the Most High.

David lived a life filled with excitement, and eternal happiness because he knew the Master of the Universe.

David says that when you know the King of Kings and Lord of Lords he will prepare a table before you in the presence of your enemies. I can recall a Thanksgiving day that my mother and sister did in Virginia.

Many family members living down in Virgina came to the occasion and there was so much good food available I felt like I was at the king's feast. It was laced with various mouth watering dishes to make your taste buds skip like children jumping rope.

Now David's statement is profound.

It is profound because if an enemy walks up into your home that last thing you will do is sit down and not protect yourself and family.

David says God prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemy to say that you can rest assured the haters are going to see what God has prepared for you. You will not have to jump up to defend yourself because God has everything under control.

He goes on to say that God anoints my head with oil. He immerses you with the oil of the Holy Spirit that saturates your head in abundance. Leaving you dripping with an unlimited source of Holy Ghost power to turn the world upside down like the disciples on the day of Pentecost.

David says my cup runs over. It is running over because God is bestowing upon him
everything spiritually that he needs in an unlimited abundance. He can sip from it's refreshing flavor forever.

Ask David what else can you tell me about living it up and he will tell you that when you find true happiness from the Good Shepherd Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you for all the days of your life and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever.

David says when you are living it up

God is the Abundance Amplifier. So taste and see that the Lord is good for yourself.

Everything that I need in life God Is....

God is the joy and the strength of my life He moves all pain misery and strife. He promise to keep me and never leave me he never falls short of His word.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

I am fearless and Living it up because God ordained it all. It is well with my soul.

God keep us all faithful. This is my prayer.

So we too like David can be living it up on earth.

Until He comes and all of the faithful will be living it up in heaven.

Fearless

Psalm 23:4 (King James Version)
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Everyday that I live the twenty-third Psalm takes on new meaning. That is because God is continuously revealing, and unfolding secrets within the Psalm to me. Therefore, it is with an open heart, an attentive ear and open mind that I sit at Gods feet as He shares with me and I with you.

Before David became King he was a little shepherd boy. This is a very humble beginning for a very powerful man of God. A man who God says is a man after His own heart. This explosive expression God uses encapsulates the very nature of David.

It also screams the magnitude of David’s persona to us.

Understand it is a beautiful thing when someone gives you a compliment on something. I mean who doesn’t like when someone says you are beautiful, you are a good singer, a great athlete, a good parent, a dedicated worker, a wonderful friend.

Whenever someone compliments me, it’s like hearing a beautiful song where every note moves you; the pitch is just right, it soothes your soul and gets you excited at the same time.

When God gives anyone a compliment, you have to pay very close attention to His words. Because after all, it is with words that He spoke the elements into existence.

David more than likely penned this Psalm when he was still a shepherd boy just anointed by Samuel to be king.

The perception of a shepherd who tends to sheep is usually they are peaceful person. A person who is as nonviolent as Dr. Martin Luther King.

Don’t let your perception fool you.

David was a clean cut person who didn’t look like he could do much.

He is one of the most powerful warriors to walk the face of this earth.

To give you a visual of how David got down he would have held his own in Gladiator, 300, and Troy making those stars look like the little rascals.

David was a beast when it came to war. His success rate was off the Richter scale. Why was he so powerful, successful, and fearless?

David knew God, knew God’s purpose, knew he was unstoppable anointed appointed and ferocious in faith.

I mean David was a man who possessed strength to slay a lion and a bear with his own hands. That was before Goliath.

Sounds like when the Spirit of the Lord was upon him he possessed supernatural strength like Sampson.

David was focused though. When you are focused, you are upon a whole other plateau than those who are not.

When your focus is that strong you know your place and believe you are unstoppable. You become fearless. Not cocky but you display a sanctified arrogance about yourself.

You know what God has called you to do.

When you know, that you know, that you know.

Nobody can block your blessings.

Nobody can block you anointing.

Nobody can stop you from walking into your destiny.

Nobody can stop you from praising God from whom all blessing flow.

Nobody can make you back down.

No Giant can win against you.

No Foe can stand to defeat you.

No roaming Lion who seeks about whom he may destroy can scare you.

No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Nobody can scare you because you are fearless.

I remember when I was growing up in Brooklyn, New York in a section called Bushwick. It was extremely wild out there. A concrete jungle only the strong could survive in. The cops would ride around in fear when gun shot rang out they would speed away and flee the scene.

I recall that my little brother use to venture out off the block sometimes. Sometimes he was picked on by people who liked starting trouble. He would tell them o.k. you have a problem with me. You feel like starting with me, why don’t you fight my brother he will fight you. When my brother gets here you can do all that to him and me if you like.

When I would receive word that my brother was in trouble I would run to and beat the living daylights out of them.

Oftentimes when people see me coming they would start copping pleas to my little brother. You could always tell it is me from a distance from my walk. The fear would run through some of them faster than dope from a hypodermic needle.

I was always short so my size made many underestimate me.

They had to learn the hard way.

By being knocked out, pounded out, and realizing that I was not one to fight, even if you had a weapon.

There was nothing sweeter for my brother to see me coming to his rescue and taking care of his enemies. Watch this.

My brother was fearless because he knew he had a big brother who will come though hell or high water to his rescue. A big brother who not only takes care of business but who will eliminate any threat posed to him.

Guess what beloved you do too. He is the Good Shepherd

David can say I am fearless because he knew he could handle himself well. He knows that it’s not about him by realizing the source of his strength.

That is why he can pen these words

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me and thy rod and staff they comfort me.

David knew he couldn’t loose with the stuff he used. Any opponent is too light to fight and to thin to win against him. He knew they were going to be easy pickings because God is omnipotent and will crush any opposition.

I have always been fearless, like David. The difference now is I’m on the Lord’s side. Blessed and stay fearless beloved.

He is...

Psalm 23 (King James Version)
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yesterday, I shared with you on God being the abundance amplifier. How He does more than just provide our needs.

Today I want to speak upon the subject, He is.

I got up in the middle of the night to write this piece. The devil tried distracting me this morning from doing this piece. Around 4 am, he woke up a loved one who provoked me into an early morning argument.

Satan is always busy trying to stir up some strife of some kind. He is a liar. He ruffled my feathers a bit. Yes, he took a jab at me that caught my attention and I took bait. However, it is all about the Most High.

What the Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 23: 2, 3 are profound. It is very relevant to what just transpired with me a few minutes ago. It is of vital importance that we understand these verses on a deeper level than what you usually see on the surface of the scripture.

In order for this to happen, God has to give you a divine revelation by way of His Spirit. It is the Spirit of God, the master teacher, which leads you into all truth.

God is the Master Relaxer
Normally if you get me riled up early in the morning with nonsense, I will be ready to wild out all day. I have this warrior spirit about me. It equips me for battle when someone starts foolishness. I am speaking nothing but the truth.

As soon as I started flaring up scriptures began flying from my lips. I kept on shooting them off scriptures and the argument ceased.

I remember in my teenage years when I would get into fights people would say go and get his mother because she is the only one who can calm him down. I was a terror that people should have never gotten started.

Every time my mother would come to stop me from whipping someone’s butt, she would call my name and I would calm down. Stop me in my tracks.

This morning I felt like fighting but I felt the hand of God upon me calming me down. God is the master relaxer. I wanted to argue after being riled up but God laid His hand upon me and said peace be still.

He made me lie down and relax because He is the master relaxer. God did that faster than my mother does. When He cased me to lie down a peace that passes all understanding quenched my fiery flames of anger instantaneously.

God of Greener Pastures Who Refreshes Me with Living Water
When we go through life, we all set our minds on having and accomplishing certain things. Everyone is optimistic about something. Whether you are rich or poor, black or white, drug free or drug abuser, we all have high hopes for ourselves.

The rich person may think of ways to make more money or protect their money while the poor may dream of having more or making more money as well. The drug free person may reach for the stars to become a better person while the drug abuser is looking for a drug to make them high as the stars by experiencing euphoria.

There are many things that we want in life that we think are good for us. We look at the lawn across the street and say man there grass looks greener than mines. Some of us ready to run over there to experience our neighbor’s lawn for ourselves.

I think you have it twisted though.

You really need to read the fine print.

Green grass looks good, sounds good, and feels good. The world likes green grass.

Guess what?

Many of us are settling for green grass, satisfied with it and about it.

God promised you so much more.

God promised us green pastures. He has acres and acres of land for us to graze on to keep us well fed.

I told you that you have it twisted.

Now look at it from the Good Shepherd’s perspective and stop looking at it from man’s perspective. He wants to keep you refreshed with still living waters. I told you God is.

Soul Restorer & Righteous Way Maker
Throughout the course of life, we get weary sometimes. Dealing with difficult people, working jobs that leave us tired, and being bled dry by emotional vampires. Gatorade, PowerAde, and Vitamin Water can give you a sugar rush and replenish your electrolytes.

Only God can restore your soul.

When you are suffering from low self-esteem, when your are suffering from a broken heart, when you have been laid off or fired from your job, when you have been betrayed, when you are feeling depressed.

The Good Shepherd has the remedy. He can make you whole by restoring your weary soul. Oh, yes He can.

I am a living witness of what He can do for you. You see I turned my back on God at the age of 13. I renounced everything about Him and His teachings after my grandmother died. Anger took complete control over me the devil wooed me to his cause. I became a hell raiser tearing the streets up, selling drugs, fighting and all that.

God never gave up on me. He knew my heart. He knew I was hurting internally and He reached out His everlasting arm to save a chief sinner such as myself.

He told me you are not a thug but a child of the King.

He accepted me as I was.

God told me believe on me and I will change your life.

God washed me in the blood of the lamb and all my sins were washed away.

Now the record is clear today for He washed my sins away.

By His blood, I am redeemed and esteemed.

My soul is restored and I’m adored.

For He continuously leads me in all His ways.

I can declare from first hand experience that He is.

Abundance Amplifier

Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. King James Version

Psalm 23 is one of the most well known pieces of scripture in the Bible. It is a familiar passage especially to Christians. Oftentimes we read it and we miss the magnitude of meaning to it's verses.

For the rest of the week I will share some very keen insight into the Shepherds Psalm.

David says "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

I say He is the abundance amplifier. Why do I say that?

Let me explain.

God is the supplier of my needs. He also gives unto me avalanches of abundance. He doesn't stop there. God amplifies what I already have by multiplying it by which ever number he sees fit to at the time. Most times it is seven times.

I can recall working at a job were I was making less than 20k dollars a year. Now you maybe asking yourself why didn't I go and get another job? Why stay at a job where you are getting less than your worth. Let me tell my story so you can get the answers to your important question.

You can't do much living on less than 20k a year. But when you serve and trust God you will be surprised at what He can do with your little bit.

He fed 5000 with two fish and five loaves of bread. Matthew 14:16-21

He multiplied the widow's oil in 2Kings 4:5

Surely if He did it for them God could do something for me.

Living on less than 20k a year I was faithfully paying 103.00 a week child support so knock off 5,356 dollars off of that along with the taxes I was paying. Now we have an even smaller number.

When you factor in carfare, bills, and all of the rest of that stuff it doesn't leave a brother with much to work with now does it?

I was making less than 20k I don't even want to tell you how much it was exactly because I'm a bit embarrassed.

Despite making this little bit of money at my job the Almighty blessed me to live as though I was making 75k a year.

I had the best clothes to wear, a nice residence, kept money in my pocket, traveled 2 to 3 times a year and I was never broke.

That's why he is the abundance amplifier. He made sure I had all the luxuries that I needed to have in life and He can do the very same for you even in the midst of a recession God is still in the business of blessing His children.

He will always be my abundance amplifier and I am thankful that He is.

The Filing Cabinets

I remember years ago working as an assistant of the executive director of a major organization. Let's call him Douglass.

He was one of the realest people that I ever met. He was the stern no nonsense type that stayed busy. In fact, he used to go to Met's training camp to work out and all up into his 80's.

I can recall it like it was yesterday he took me outside of his office to his secretary's office where there were eight huge filing cabinets. In those filing cabinets he had accumulated materials on every topic that interested him. He gathered them over the years and they were jammed packed.

Douglass is an excellent writer and expert in many areas. He is one who many people sort after to ask questions, interview and so fourth. I'm thankful I learned a lot from Douglas and I will never forget him.

I learned a lot about filing cabinets too. Throughout the course of life there are 8 file cabinets that we all have in our lives.

File Cabinet#1 What God has Done For Us
File Cabinet#2 Good Times We Have Had
File Cabinet#3 Friends
File Cabinet#4 People Who Have Offended Us
File Cabinet#5 & 6 Our Sins
File Cabinet#7 Hopes and Dreams
File Cabinet#8 Accomplishments

Out of these 8 file cabinets how many of these are filled to capacity?

Is your file cabinet of people who have offended you jammed packed?

Is your file cabinet of sins jammed?

How many of these cabinets do you spend time in reviewing information?

Today we should get rid of the file cabinet of our sins the way God throws all of our sins into the sea of forgetfulness.

Right now we should go into the file cabinet of those who have offended us to pray for them and forgive them so God can forgive us.

We should study the material in the seven remaining file cabinets. Seven is the number of completion and perfection. So we must go through all seven to have a more complete look at our lives.

When we do this we will soon be compelled to have a praise party because God has been too good to us to be quiet about it.

You can be quiet about it but I will start a riot about it. God is awesome to the infinite power and his mercy endures forever and ever. O taste and see the the Lord is umm umm good.

The White Dry Erase Board

I happen to love white dry erase boards. I used to use them at work to put up my agenda for the day on. I used it to remind me of certain dates and so fourth using different colors to signify the importance of each task.

Blue symbolized the tasks I didn't enjoy doing but needed to be done soon.

Green symbolized important tasks that are priority.

Red symbolized top priority tasks.

Black symbolized daily tasks.

Now imagine a huge 50inch white board in front of you. Upon it are the four different colors and it is filled up with writing. You are in the back of the room so you begin moving closer towards the board. The closer you come towards the board you begin to make out some of the words.

Lied about report
Stole 2 dollars
Cheated on taxes

As you come closer you see there are statements of sins.
The more you read these sin statements you realize that they are your sins. As you read each on flashes of the very event crack through your memory and conscious.

The black written statements are your daily sins.

The red written statements are your top priority sins.

The green written statements are your priority sins.

The blue written statements are symbolic of the sins you did but were hesitant about doing because your conscious tried to stop you.

The board's making you uncomfortable because you never really thought of your sins written upon a a white board before. You run to grab the eraser to remove that which is written. However you cannot.

This white board is filled with sins you failed to asked God forgiveness upon.

The longer you prolong asking the more writing goes upon the board and wall until it fills up the very room with your sins. Those sins will be written all on top of each other.

Let me ask you this what are you waiting for?

Only God can remove your sins from the board making it white as snow.

Leaving the board without a trace of your sins.

Go ahead, ask Him to forgive you. He's waiting for you to ask him.

There are somethings in life that you just don't allow to accumulate such as sin. The second is daily seek God's forgiveness for your sins and short comings.

You will notice a big difference in your life when you do.

Perfect

How many perfectionists do you know?

Those individuals who strive for perfection or should I say want perfection out of you and are unable to produce perfection themselves. I know a whole lot of perfectionists. I used to work with them

They have the critical eye and critical commentary on everything. They have the what's not right and what is right with that attitude. They have the celebrity look what I can do mentality along with having unrealistic goals for others and are suffering from the never good enough syndrome.

The funny thing that I have discovered is nobody is perfect and millions of people strive to be just that. When you strive for perfection you constantly beat yourself up and others when they fall short of expectations. So the perfectionist becomes verbally abusive to themselves and others. More than likely going into a depressed state because they failed to accomplish something.

Perfectionists will always fall short because only God is perfect. So we must strive for excellence because when we strive for excellence we can learn from falling short of a project and strategize more successful methods. Instead of beating up our fellow man and ourselves.

I want to share a verse in the Bible that has been a life saver for me. This verse was given to me by a strict Bible school teacher named Loretha at a time when I really wasn't into church. It came at a point when I had really turned my back on God.

Loretha selected a verse which God led her to share with me to memorize. Strive for excellence people and listen to what God has to say on perfection through his word.

"God is my strength and power and he maketh my way perfect." 2 Samuel 22:33 KJV

As you go through your day remember that when you strive for excellence allowing God to be your strength and power he will make your way perfect.

Stop being perfect and let God perfect you.

Feast on this truth, because it is the sweetest icing on the cake of life to have your efforts empowered and perfected by God because then they are flawless by divine design and cannot fail.

Priceless Opportunities

I want to discuss with you today a subject that is richly rewarding.

A subject that I like to call priceless opportunities. You may be asking yourself what does he mean by priceless opportunities? I am about to share it with you right now.

Priceless opportunities are unexpected moments when life's greatest jewels appear before your eyes for you to claim while they are available. You never know when they will show up or where they will show up. That is why they are priceless opportunities.

The problem is many people want to be cool walking around wearing darkly tinted sunglasses so they never even see them when they appear.

There are also those multi-taskers who are juggling more items than expert jugglers from a popular side show circus. Hurling their items up over there heads swiftly fixated their eyes upon them and clueless to what's going on around in the world.

Then there are also self appointed mail carriers (gossipers) delivering the New York Times, and Daily News to as many people as they can. Whose only concern is talking about the news and delivering it through rain, sleet, or snow.

Then there is the living legend caught up in their haze of arrogance. They are legends in their own minds. So heavenly minded that they are no earthly good. Suffering from the Kobe Bryant Syndrome (The Greatest Player on the Planet).

There was a lady who was stepping out on her husband. She was sleeping with four other men. Maybe she was with one because she liked the way he made her feel about herself.

I don't know.

Maybe she took on a second lover because her husband's sex drive was not what it used to be and he refused to invest in Viagra.

I don't know

Maybe her husband stopped buying her flowers or stopped talking and paying her attention so she found another lover.

All I know is that now this woman was getting around.

She was very popular now. She didn't want to be seen by her nosey public so she slid in and out of the house at different times.

She became thirsty and decided to go down to the well down the road roughly a bit after lunch time. Probably because she knew there wasn't going to be anyone around and didn't want to run into Phil's wife who vowed to kick her butt if she saw her out in the street.

There at the well she met a man unlike no other.

While attempting to load up on her water this man asks her to pour him some water too. Now all of these thoughts are ricocheting in her head because she doesn't know why is this man is taking with her because he is a Jewish man and she is Samaritan.

The woman responds Jews have nothing to do with Samaritans.

He says if you only knew the gift of God who is asking you for water you would have asked him to give you to drink from the living waters.

She was experiencing a priceless opportunity and didn't even know it yet.

Jesus asks her next where is your husband?

She responds I have no husband.

Jesus reads a brief line from page in her autobiographical book and says woman you have five husbands and the one that you have now is not your own.

Now she professes you must be a prophet. My family worships over there at Mountain Side Tabernacle. Everybody is talking about the Messiah who is the Christ whose soon to come and reveal all things to us.

Jesus replies I am He.

By this time his disciples are coming back looking on at what's transpiring.

The woman convicted by the words of Christ, drops her water pot zooms off into town and preaches her very first sermon "Behold a man who told me all things."

Priceless opportunities are always happening. We have to stop, look and listen for them.

As priceless opportunities come your way today pay careful attention to them.

Be like the woman at the well when it presents itself. Seize the moment so your life will never be the same again. Be blessed in magnanimous measures.

The Distinct Difference

Have you ever wondered why some people receive God's blessings while others receive avalanches of abundance?

I'm an avid student of blessing and avalanches of abundance. There is a very distinct difference of the two.

First let me share with you what God's blessings are in my own words because I know you have your own definition as well as heard different people elaborate upon it.

God's blessings are divine favor echoing into your existence magnifying that which you already have, while at the same time manifesting the invisible, breaking the laws of impossible and slowly infusing you with adoration and celebration to say thank you Lord.

Whew.

That is richer than Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Oprah Winfrey money combined and squared. God rains upon the just and the unjust. In today's terms that means He rains blessings upon saints, sinners, the good, the bad, the twisted & confused. Yes folks He is all that and loves you like that.

Now let me elaborate upon the distinct difference.

The distinct difference is your power and birthright to not only be blessed by the Most High but to receive avalanches of abundance.

I'm sharing this profound truth with you so that you may experience another realm of blessing that you may have never experienced before.

One that everyone can use in this time of financial difficulty.

Let's go to the DVD of Elijah in the time of Drought.

Come with me and see the prophet Elijah prophesying to the evil King Ahab(I Kings 17 Chapter) "As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand there shall not be dew nor rain these years according to my word."

The heavens are shut immediately God commands the prophet to a Brook Cherith that is before Jordan. For years the land is without rain or dew and bone dry. God commanded Ravens to show up at the brook to feed him food daily and Elijah didn't suffer any lack in the midst of drought.

Look closely so you will see that after a while the brook dried up because their was no rain in the land. Keep in mind Elijah is doing God's will He is only being blessed for his efforts. It is very important that you understand that.

Now listen carefully to hear the resounding truth ring in your ears and watch distinct difference happen right before your eyes. Elijah is now commanded by the Most High to go to Zarephath and dwell there because He has commanded a widow there to sustain him.

Elijah gets there sees the widow gathering sticks and asks her for a drink of water because his lips are parched.

You know that feeling you get when it's hot and humid you've taken a journey without any bottled water and your thirsty.

The woman slowly strolls towards her house to get Elijah's water. He calls to her again asking her to give him a piece of bread.

The woman spins around towards Elijah then says I'm actually gathering these two sticks to stir up my little meal cakes for me and my son to eat our last meal and die.

Elijah tells the woman if you would just prepare a cake for me first bring it to me before you feed yourself and your son. God will give you plenty and your meal or oil shall not fail until God allows the rain to fall.

I see the woman full of faith stirring up that little bit of oil and meal she has with determination in her eyes. Comes outside with the meal cake Elijah sinks his teeth into. She smiles makes her way back to the house starts fixing her food the oil and meal that was once empty is now filled to the brim.

There is a distinct difference here. Before Elijah this woman was living a life where she experienced blessings. A life that was good but could have been better.

She knew what it was to lose a husband.

She knew what it was to be a single parent.

She knew what it was to just get by.

She knew what it was to receive God's blessings.

She knew what it was to trust God.

She knew what it was to have faith.

She knew what it was to be down to her last.

However, the widow didn't know what the distinct difference was until Elijah showed up.

The distinct difference allowed the widow to go into a meal and oil business which supplies all of her needs and that of the community.

The distinct difference helped the widow get out of debt and get on the abundance ship.

The distinct difference allowed Elijah and the widow to receive avalanches of abundance for the rest of their lives. Once you experience the distinct difference your life will never be the same.

Now you know the distinct difference strive for it because God wants you to experience avalanches of abundance so you can shout what God is all about and He loves you.

The Awakening

When you wake up in the morning what is the first thing that you do? Think about it for a minute.

What is your normal routine upon awakening?

Usually when I awaken my senses are basically absorbing all that is around me. I feel my skin against the nice cool sheets, I hear the melodious chirping of birds,I take a long deep breath of air to expand my lungs, and my eyes open up to view my surroundings because we are fearful and wonderfully made.

All of these things I do before giving the Most High praise and thanks for allowing me to see another day.

It is not that I put these other things before speaking to the Master of the Universe. When He created us the Most High instilled within us all of these things so I just allow them to help me appreciate life and the Master that much more.

Upon awakening we have the greatest opportunity to speak to the Master of the Universe telling Him all that is on our minds and hearts. Never neglect this opportunity because it is our birthright to talk and fellowship with the Master.

It is at this very moment He prepares our minds and hearts to meet the public by clothing us in a robe of His righteousness that bares His Shekinah Glory to the World.

Revealing to the whole world these are my children who are perfect and holy in my eyes and set apart from the world.

Illuminated by His Spirit to do all things but fail, we are spotless in the eyes of God, spectacular in the eyes of men, and walking in wisdom into the promised land flowing with milk and honey.