Ya'll Gone Make Me Lose My Mind Up In Here, Up In Here!

^15-17 “If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you've made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church. If he won’t listen to the church, you’ll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentance, and offer again God’s forgiving love. Matthew 18:15-20 The Message Bible

Many of us struggle with the dreadful "C" word, conflict. Conflict is a part of life. There is good conflict and bad conflict. Some of us are taught to avoid conflict, but that can lead to misunderstandings, assumptions, lies, and torn relationships. We have to use conflict as a tool to get certain things accomplished. If you know you have a worker that is constantly late, and doesn't perform well, you have to speak to them, even if it may create conflict. They may not think coming in late is a big deal. But, in order to see change and make the work environment what it should be, a discussion has to be made. Some people hate conflict so much and want to always be the "good person", they will set other people up to be the criticizer and to take the hits. But, God has given us a road map on how to handle it in the above scripture. If you do not belong to a church, then go to a supervisor, friend, leader, family member, elder to be the unbiased mediator and witness. Work to settle the situation. Make sure that you and the other person is heard. (Rephrasing is a good tool to use). Most of the time conflict comes into our lives to make us better.So, next time you see conflict coming, don't run from it, speak the truth in love, hear what the other person is saying, and try to come to an end result that will be for the good (and that maybe losing something or someone). And most of all, learn from the conflict, what to or not to do next time you find yourself in a similar situation.

I Gotta Have Peace of Mind

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

We are bombarded with so much in our lives. Our days are full of work, family, activities,etc...Now that we have the internet, we can keep going 24 hours a day nonstop. But, there is a cry within our soul for peace. A time when we stop with all of our doing and be still. A time to connect with God, our inner man, nature, and world. In this stillness, we hear the answers to all of our questions. In this stillness we are aware that there is so much more to life than our problems. In this stillness revelation, forgiveness, and healing take place. In this place of stillness is peace. No striving, no goals to meet, no errands to run. In peace nothing else matters. This is essential for us to live a soul healthy life. So, take a little time each day to be still and allow peace to surround you and be in you. It can be 5 minutes or 15 minutes. Just take the time. And watch how different your days will be. More focused, less stressful, and more joyous. Go, and get your peace of mind.

Please, Don't Leave Me!

For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 
Hebrews 13:5

Please, Don't Leave Me by Pink is one of my favorite songs. One line says, " I always say, how I  don't need you, but its always gonna come right back to this, please don't leave me". How many times have we said this to someone? or felt this way about an object of our affection that we want to desperately keep in our lives? At the core of all of us is a desire to be loved and accepted. And, we spend our lives in pursuit of this happiness. This pursuit can lead us to feeling tired, frustrated, and discouraged. Why? because we are looking through tainted glasses of  fear, hurt, betrayal, abandonment, and desperation. We are looking for love in all the wrong places. How do we know where the right place is? How can we attain the love we desire? In God, all we need is in Him. He has to become the object of our pursuit.  As we accept Him into our lives and make Him number one we make room for love. This process is easy: Love God, Love Yourself, Love Others! And it must happen in that order for us to experience healthy, thriving relationships. The truth is he never leaves us, we leave Him by our shame, guilt, disobedience, and rebellion. So, now  when I sing the chorus of this song I think, I can't do it without you LORD! "Please, Please don't leave me!" And I find great comfort knowing that His word says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Keep Hope Alive

"Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick,but a sudden good break can turn life around." Proverbs 13:12, The Message Bible

Life can hit us with disappointment after disappointment. And with each blow we can grow weary, frustrated, angry, and desperate. These feelings of hopelessness can be valid. But, to turn things around we must realize that while life hits us with all its got, we are not victims. Keep moving, keep pushing towards tomorrow, even if you don't know what tomorrow holds. In reality, we live life moment by moment. Stay present, don't allow life to make you shut down and make you stop living your best life. Can you be down? Yes, but don't stay down, pick yourself up, get some friends that will help you up and support you in the tough times. Decide to face life head on and not hide your head in the sand.  Make the decision that you will live and not die. You will win! Get a determination and grit in you that you are a survivor and that what is happening now, will change, and you will be better not bitter. So  today decide to keep hope alive. And watch God meet you in this moment and give you exactly what you need.

Why, God Why?

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

Have you ever wondered why does God allow this or that? Why do people who have hurt me seem like their life is great? Well, you are not alone. Many people have questioned the Omnipotence of God. But, in reality, some questions will never be answered. God's agenda is bigger than our agenda. And he loves all his children, whether they are doing good or bad. When we look on the surface of things, we can come to rash assumptions and decisions, but there is always more. Trust God, even when you don't understand. Somethings happen to shape us and push us to our greatest selves. Even if it was birthed from great pain and tragedy. Asking why all the time creates pain, bitterness, anger and frustration. The better questions are, how can I make a change in what I don't understand? And what can I do to change me? When we do this, we are partnering with God and not going against His will and purpose for the situation. God moves in good and bad, we have to join his flow and trust that what doesn't feel good, will work out for your good in the end. 

If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Right!

There are times when we find ourselves in relationships that are all wrong, but feel so right. When we find ourselves in these situations, the goal is to move towards what's right. Learning not to move with the constant ebb and flow of our emotions takes discipline and faith. Discipline to let reason and prayer lead our decisions for who should be in our lives. And faith to know that what you want can be obtained and if you get past your feelings at the present moment, you will be okay. The days of settling for temporary fixes and quick thrills have to be over. These relationships leave us empty and in a constant state of thirst. They also steal precious time, that we don't have and can't get back. In faith and discipline, we have richer relationships, less drama, less entanglements, guilt-free lives, and relationship that can live out their true intent for our lives. Its been said that people are in your life for a reason, season, and lifetime, but some people aren't meant to be there at all! We have to figure who represents what. Loving you, may feel right, but in the end, may not be right! How do you know? Wait, pray, and let God show you who's for you and what's the purpose of this relationship. And then, be obedient! So, your new song will be Love & Happiness!

Nothing Compares To You

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. Romans 8:38-39 The Message Bible

In life we talk about love and say we're in love, but in reality, many of us have been in lust and don't know what real love is. Real love is an act of selflessness. Its putting someone before yourself. Its forgiving, its kind, its long-suffering, its truth. We get frustrated with people, we give up, we hold grudges, we are mean, we lie, we abandon,we manipulate,we judge, we belittle, but yet we say we love. What's real love then? The Bible lists what love is in 1 Corinthians 13:4-13. And the verse above tell us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing we say, do, or think. We don't have to be perfect. We don't have to do all the religious rituals. We just have to be. And that is enough for God to love us. Do we need order, spirituality, and righteous actions? Yes, these things affect the quality of life we will live,but with God, his love outweighs it all. So, just know, no matter what you've done, said, or thought, nothing can separate you from His love and Nothing compares to God's love for you!