"Love"

The following is a quick, but powerful post on love. Enjoy!

" LOVE means to:

Listen - Give ear to their voice and hear their heart.

Overlook - Look beyond their faults, past mistakes & failures.

Value - Embrace the gift that they are to bring life to others.

Encourage - Push them to fulfill their purpose and destiny in life and give them Hope.

This is what you do when you truly walk in LOVE."

Apostle Darrell Brooks ~ 9.28.12

Adayinthelife :-)

The Thrill of A Roller Coaster

I don't know about you, but the simplest things cause me to worry. If I wake up a little tired in the morning, I worry about making it to work on time or how my day will go. If I forget to say my prayers before I leave, I wonder if God will be upset because I say them when I am distracted in the car. Then there's worrying about if I'm doing a good job at work or within the ministry. There are so many things on a daily basis that get into my head and threaten to fill me with worry.

I won't tell you that I am always able to just shake it off. That would be completely untrue. I have had moments of uncertainty that took over my entire day. In those moments, it was like having an out of body experience. I knew that worrying wouldn't solve anything. I knew that whatever it was would at some point be alright. I would make it to work. My day would be just fine. God would hear me no matter where I prayed. But, knowing what would likely be didn't stop me from living those moments with uncertainty.

Living with uncertainty is like being on a roller-coaster ride. It starts out slowly, but before you know it you are whisked away in a seemingly unending series of twists and turns. Similarly, when faced with uncertainty, your thoughts go from clear and focused to a speeding mass of whys and how’s. A roller-coaster has a way of taking control in the same way we are swept up in a bout of uncertainty.

The thing is, getting on a roller-coaster is a choice. We decide to approach the ride. We decide to get on or keep walking right on by. We decide. We decide if we want to stay calm and focused. We decide if we want to allow our day to be a speeding mass of whys and how’s. Living with uncertainty is just like the thrill of a roller-coaster, but riding it is up to us. We decide.

Adayinthelife :-)

Are You Valuable To The Body Of Christ?

A question was recently posed that I believe we all should consider. Are you valuable to the body of Christ? This is not to be mistaken with are you valuable to Christ? We are all valuable to Him, but are you valuable to the body? Basically, are you working to build the kingdom? Is your labor bearing fruit for God?

As followers of Christ, we must think about the way that He lived. He lived a life of service and example. Jesus worked tirelessly to make sure that everyone who He encountered had a true experience with God. He worked to build faith, trust, and commitment in those who were wandering around without a clear purpose. His commitment to serve, helped the disciples to become servants. His example of love, transformed an adulteress, a tax collector, and a murder.

Is your labor bearing fruit for God? Would you rather be served than serve? Do you find yourself putting your desires above others? Is your example of love stifled by the need to receive more love than you give? Is your labor bearing fruit for God?

The fruit of your labor is working for the opportunity to bring someone joy and not the thrill of a check. The fruit of your labor is seen after you have given yourself to the hungry and after you have satisfied the needs of the oppressed. 

Bring someone joy with a kind word, an unexpected gift, or a prayer said in earnest when they are down. Give yourself to the hungry by sharing the word that they need to fill their souls. Give yourself to the hungry by supplying a meal for a family who is less fortunate or a friend who simply enjoys your cooking. Satisfy the needs of the oppressed by standing up for the person who everyone else seeks to belittle. Doing these things might not seem important. You may not have ever thought of them as work, but all are essential to you laboring to bear good fruit for God.

Proverbs 24:11
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.

Adayinthelife :-) 

Do You Know What You're Fighting For?

Here comes another moment when I can't clear my mind.
I can't begin to focus in on what I'm supposed to do.
In a week of so many triumphs, I just left my resolve behind.

I won't do it anymore. I won't allow that door to open.
But it happens and I convince myself
I was never actually focused.

I am fighting my feelings more than I ever have before.
I know what I am supposed to do,
but I do what my flesh wants more.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Cast down your strongholds.
Pray to God and He will hear you.
Face the fact that He already knows.

He knows that you're struggling. He wants you to fight.
He has equipped you for battle.
All you have to do is what's right.

You throw out a punch. First a left then a right...
Somehow you're still standing
If you focus you just might

Realize that you can't win
You can't overcome
You can't even begin

To gain ground on your enemy.
But, you swing and you miss.
You are so busy trying to land a blow, but the fight is within

Do you know what you're fighting for?

It's your spirit not your flesh.
It's peace, joy, and salvation.
It's holding on until you get blessed.

Do you know what you're fighting for?

The battle you fight is bigger than what you just did.
It's as expansive as the mountain
that mustard seed faith once hid.

Do you know what you're fighting for?

This fight is bigger than your love for that girl or that boy.
It is as fierce as the ocean
that swallowed the Titanic like it was a toy.

Do you know what you're fighting for?

It's not about one sin.
It's not about getting even with someone who hurt you.
It's not about arguing until you win.

Do you know what you're fighting for?

If you don't please consider the cross.
Consider the battle that you think you're fighting
Might be one satan has already lost.

Do you know what you're fighting for?

Adayinthelife :-)

A New Beginning

For the past month, my Facebook memories have reminded me of all the things that at one point were wrong in my life. There was a whole week where I was so sad because day after day and memory after memory I was forced to relive just how bad things were. In this past week's memories, I noticed a shift.  There was that point where it was so bad I didn't understand how I would be able to go forward. I can see now that God was pulling all of the bad stuff out of the way. I had to let go of all the things from my childhood. I had to let go of the old loves, the old hopes, and the old dreams. I had to let go of so many things before God would allow me to embrace my new beginning. The tone and direction of my posts shifted as my mind shifted.

My new beginning started September 4, 2011. In the midst of that new beginning, there have been many more new beginnings. I have experienced new things that have happened to shape and mold me. Some have caused me to be sad and wonder where was my hope. I wondered if this was the new beginning, why was everything so difficult? With each challenge and crisis that I faced, God was always there.

God reminded me that it wasn't the situation that was so bad. The problem was my perspective. I say to you today, new beginnings happen each and every time we decide to let go of something from the past. It could be a past relationship, a past disappointment, a past desire, or a past dream. Yes, we can be required to let go of dreams. Many of the things that we dream about are just not in God's plan for our lives. Once we embrace the fact that our dreams are not always aligned with God, that's a new beginning all in itself. We are made new every time we open ourselves to embrace what God wants.

God wants us to be blessed, but sometimes we think we are unworthy of His aid. God wants us to live free, but we are mentally held captive trying to conform to the world's standards. God wants us to be saved, but we are holding on to the thought that we can somehow save ourselves. 

Every moment has the potential to be a new beginning. Renewing our minds is the key to activating it. 

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:2

Adayinthelife :-)