Speaking from experience, I know the feeling of praying everyday and never seeing any results. How many of you have prayed
everyday and feel that your prayers are not being answered? I am sure there are a lot of you, me included. That said, I must
now say that although I never saw all my prayers being answered, many of them were. The
problem was, I was so caught up in all my other problems that I missed the answers God was sending.
Let
me try and explain. Most people pray for money or pray for health reasons, would you agree? I know I did. But amongst those
prayers, I always added other ones. Okay, I never really prayed for world peace or anything like that, but I did
pray for my family and friends. I even prayed for people I never met. I remember one of my friends was going through
a really rough patch in her life. She just lost her job and did not know how she would pay the bills. I remember praying
for her and within a week she had a new job making more than she did at her last one. Because I was so caught up in my own
problems, I never really paid attention to hers. It wasn't until God finally opened my eyes that I saw the answers
Sometime
Gods puts the answers right in front of our face and we miss them. Not on purpose, but because we are so blinded by everything
else that we miss what is right in front of our eyes. On the night I was going to take my own life, God pointed out to me
that poem "Footprints". Why then? I mean it was always there. It had been in our house for years, but it wasn't
until that night that God opened my eyes and it was like I read the poem for the very first time. God
was telling me to LOOK, LISTEN I am giving you your answers. On that day I finally looked and I listened
and I am here today.
I guess when I was praying I was always looking for something big to happen. If I did not see
it, then I felt my prayers were not being answered. I never looked for the small stuff. I never saw the little things going
on behind the scenes. When I wrote my poems and I was looking to get them published, I sent them to a bunch of people to get
their opinions and no one answered. So I felt here is another prayer unanswered. That was until a few weeks later. One
of the people I had sent the poems to was Joel Osteen. He runs what some may consider the largest church in the
country in Houston, Texas. Although I sent him my poems, I really did not expect to hear back from him. However, a couple
of weeks later in the mail I received a book from him entitled "Making Wise Choices". Under the title it read "Your
decisions determine your destiny". I never ordered the book and it came with an order form that said $0.00 amount
due. I read the book, and it was one of the reasons I sent my poems to a publisher. This is what I am talking about
when I say the little things going on behind the scenes. I had prayed to God for help with my poems and getting them published.
Since I did not see anything big happening, I just assumed that my prayers were going unaswered. When in fact they were not.
God had started the ball rolling.
We have to understand that God does not do everything. He will open the doors for
us, but it is up to us to step through. We just have to keep our eyes open so that when He does open a door, we see it.
We need to take the blinders off and look at the big picture. If I did not see that poem that night, chances are I would not
be here today. If I did not receive that book in the mail from Joel Osteen, I might have never sent my book to a publisher.
What I am trying to say is that when we pray, God is opening doors all over the place for us. He wants us to step through.
Sometimes though, God may keep a door locked. We may pray for something and He may not feel it is the right time for us to
proceed on that path. He answers prayers in His time and not ours. The journey of life is not always going to be paved
with gold, we all know that. Sometimes there are going to be bumps and pot holes, or in my case and maybe yours, mountains
and craters. But with God on our side we can cross those obstacles.
If you pray and and your prayers have
yet to be answered, open your eyes. Maybe the answer is right in front of you. If not, maybe God does not feel this is the
right time. Know that God loves you and only wants to help you. He wants you to live a happy and meaningful life. Sometimes
to get what we need we have to wait. In my case I prayed for a year and half straight, day and night and I still got to the
point of suicide. Today, I have a good job, I am a published author and I wake everyday thanking God for the life He gave
me. Don't give up. If your prayers are unanswered know there is a reason. No matter what you are going through in life there
is a reason.
Now here is the most important point I want to make. You need to pray everyday and not just when you need
something. Most people tend to pray only when they have problems and they need help. You need to pray
everyday. Pray and thank God when things are going right in your life. Don't just come to Him when you are in dire straights.
Yes, He wants to help you when you need Him, but you need Him all the time not just when things aren't going well. I ask you
today even if things are going great in your life to take a moment out of your day and pray. It's not all about you. Many
people around the world could use your prayers. I know I pray for a lot of people not just myself. I have people email all
the time asking me to pray with them and I do. We are in this together, so lets pray together. A world
that prays together stays together. I hope God is answering all your prayers and if not give it time
and don't give up. Until we speak again...God Bless.
I get a lot of emails pertaining
to the fact that I speak with God on a daily basis. To clarify the situation, It is not like a conversation that you or I
would have if were talking on the phone or at a restaurant. I really don't know how to describe other than to say that
it is more like a conversation of feelings.
It can be anywhere, but I usually speak with Him in the morning to get
my day started. Sometimes I get answers and sometimes I don't, but either way I feel better knowing we had the talk. When
I speak with him I usually ask about my life and the day. Like yesterday for example. I needed to buy a car because mine was
on it's last legs. I don't need anything fancy, just basic transportation. I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to get
it, but the Lord told me not to worry and that it would be taken care of. So I proceeded to the dealership and drove
home with my new car.
In my life, there have been numerous times when I was not sure how a particular situation was
going to be taken care of. When I spoke with God, He told me not to worry and everything will be taken care of and in
the end it was. I have grown to accept Gods word. You have the same ability. God wants you to talk with Him. He wants
to help you through any situation good or bad. He is there for you 24/7. You just need to talk.
I know some people
will say that I am crazy because I talk to God and I am okay with that, because I know the truth. They have obviously
never taken the time to even try and speak with Him and that is their loss, because He is there for all of us should
we choose to let Him into our lives. If you have read any of my previous blogs, then you will see that He has helped me through
many situations. You will see that I got my book published because of Him. I even new that my mother had passed away before
I heard the news, because I spoke with Him. That is the true power of God. I ask you to please let Him into your life.
Take a few moments out of your day and speak with Him and His Son Jesus Christ. Jeremiah
29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart".
Acts 17:27 "That they should seek the Lord. if haply they might feel after Him, and find
Him, though he not be far from everyone of us".
My question to you today
is...Why don't you speak with God? Do you feel silly, ashamed or embarrassed that some one might find out? Why should you
feel that way in front of the one who made you? He wants to speak with you and is willing to do so if you give Him the chance.
1 Peter 3:13 "And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which
is good". So I ask you again, Why don't you speak with God? If I look foolish to
other people or people think I am freak because I talk with God, then I say let them believe what they want to believe,
because I am a freak, a Jesus Freak. And I will proclaim it to anybody who dares question my undying love for our God
and His Son Jesus Christ. Let them one day stand before God Himself and tell Him that they were too ashamed of what others might
think if they knew that they had spoken to God and worse yet He answered. To those people I pray for your salvation
and I forgive you for what you say and think.
We are so quick to verbally thank others when they
give us a birthday or Christmas gift. But when it comes to the one who has given us the greatest gift of all, the gift
of life, we choose not to thank Him verbally. Isn't the gift that God has given you, worth a few minutes of your
day? I hope so. I hope people will take the time and have that talk with God. You never know what might happen... Until we
speak again, God Bless.
I want to start out today's blog by asking all of you for your prayers. Not for me, but for everyone
who has been sending me prayer requests. I have been receiving a large number of them lately and I am a firm believer
in the more prayers the better. So if you a have a moment, please pray for everyone on MySpace
who is in need of prayer. There are so many. Thank you.
Today I want to blog about the power of God. Since I have been
getting all these prayer requests, I wanted to let people know that anything is possible with our heavenly
Father involved. Case in point: Kevin Everett a tight end with the Buffalo Bills football team received a life threatening
spinal cord injury. He fractured 2 vertebrae in the cervical area. Fractures in this area are usually considered to be
fatal. After Kevins surgery, the doctors were not very optimistic about his prognosis. They said that if he survived, he
would probably never walk again and would have life long problems because of his injuries.
The Power of Prayer:
Since his injury on Sunday, people from all over the world (me included) have been praying for Kevin to
heal. They have been praying for a miracle. Well, today they may have gotten that miracle. As of Tuesday night, Kevin was
voluntarily moving all of his extremities. The doctors are now saying that there is good chance that Kevin Everett will walk
again and may possibly live a normal life.
Do you think these things just happen? No they do not. Divine intervention
has played a key role in the sudden turn of events in this young mans life. The power of God and Jesus Christ to heal is amazing.
Matthew 7:7 says "Ask, and it shall be given
you, seek and ye shall find; knock. and it shall be opened unto
you": Psalm 91:15 says "He
shall call upon me, and I will answer him.
That is why the power of prayer
is so important. Between his team mates and his family, their prayers have reached the highest of highs and it appears they
have been answered. When you pray for someone it is not a one time shot. You need to keep praying until the prayer is answered.
Far to many of us give up when we do not see instant results. As I was telling somebody else the other day, we
live in a fast food world. We want it NOW and if we do not see it now, then we assume that it will not happen
and we give up. Why? That is ridiculous. We have to remember that God answers all prayers in His time and not ours. What
seems like a lifetime to us, is just a blink of an eye to Him. DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOUR PRAYERS!!!
Keep on praying, do not stop.
When I was going through all my problems.
I gave up after a year and a half. I figured nothing was going to change in my life. I prayed everyday and I went
to church every week and still nothing. At the last moment possible, I prayed and asked for help one last time and He
answered. It took a year and half, but my prayers were answered. This is what I am talking about.
God is listening. He is always listening. He knows when you are praying and he already knows the outcome of those prayers.
I ask you to never give up on your prayers. No matter what your circumstances are, never give up. Send out prayers requests,
ask people to pray for you. I am telling you God is listening.
If you are in need prayer, send me a prayer request
and I promise I will pray for you. I will also add it to my MySpace group for prayer requests. The more prayers the better.
Until we speak again...I'm praying for you and God Bless.
It's okay, you're only human...
It's okay, you're only human. You are going to make mistakes. We all do. You need to make
sure you allow yourself this "out" when you are going through some tough times or when you've made a mistake.
The journey of self discovery is a path filled with mistakes. So instead of considering them to be mistakes, you need
to look at them more like learning experiences. Now you know what not to do.
It does not matter what
you do in life, mistakes happen. Do you think every invention that was ever created became a reality with out its
share of issues. I think not. Since that statement is true, then we can conclude that before we reach our ultimate
goals in life, we are going to confront a few problems. Some of these problems are going to be man made and created
by us. Sometimes we just "over think" too much and in turn make silly mistakes. That's what happened to me
when I was a child at a school spelling bee. I put way to much pressure upon myself and ended up miss spelling the word I
was given. I did not know it at the time, but a teacher took me to the side and said good job, but then informed me that
I had put to much pressure on myself and it could be seen on my face as I struggled to spell the word. I was
like GOOD JOB! What? She then told me that I did my best and now I know how to spell the word I missed and will never
forget it. I must admit she was right. To this day I can still spell the word acknowledgement on demand. A-C-K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E-M-E-N-T.
The point I am trying to make is yes, we are only human. We only know so much. So we are going to make mistakes and
it is okay. Acknowledge your fault and move on. Eventually you will accomplish your goal and you will feel good
about it, because you did not give up. Could it be just that simple? The answer is Y-E-S I-T C-A-N.
Matthew 6:14
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you".
How many of
you at this very moment are still holding grudges? Maybe it is a grudge from something that happened 20 years ago. How many
of you when scorned, find it very hard to forgive the person who scorned you? I must admit that I was in this club. For
the longest time, I was the king of holding grudges against people. If you dared to do me wrong, I did whatever I could to
get back at you.
Whew, I am glad those days are over. Looking back, some of the grudges I held were over absolutley
ridiculous things. Today I can laugh about them. Unfortunately, that is not the case for everybody. I spoke with a person
a few weeks back who has been holding a grudge against someone for almost 10 years. It goes back to his high school days,
and yes it concerns a woman. The only part of the story he would tell me was that he was dating a girl and she started
to date someone else. Not much to go on, but it was a start. I asked him the first question I usually ask someone who is having
a problem "Are you a Christian?" In this case he was.
I asked him if he ever read the Bible? He told me
he had read only portions of it. I suggested that he read Matthew Chapter 5, The Sermon on the Mount. To paraphrase a
portion of it, I told him that when Jesus was speaking he said "That you have heard the phrase love thy neighbor
and hate thy enemies, but I ask you to love thy enemies. and do good to those that hurt you, and pray for those who use you
and persecute you." I told him I know it will be hard at first to forgive someone who may have hurt you, but in the end
I promise you will feel better. With that we parted company. I don't know if he ever forgave the person or not, but I could
see a little relief on his face when he left.
How many times have you ever asked God to forgive you? In my case I
don't think I can actually count that high, but I know he has forgiven me. We need to do the same. If God is willing to forgive
us for all we have done, we should be able to forgive others in the process. I know the first time that I forgave someone
(whom I had a long standing grudge against) it was very difficult. I still had that feeling of hate in me. Because of
that, I knew that I did not trully forgive that person. It was not until I was able to forgive and completely let go
of any negative emotions associated with that person, that I was able to really find any true peace from the situation. When
I did finally forgive, it was like a massive weight had left my shoulders.
As a Christian we are asked by God
and Jesus Christ to forgive our enemies. I saw a court proceeding on a cable network and I got to see for the first time
what it looks like when someone finally lets go of all their anger, and actually forgives someone. The case involved a young
man who had stolen a vehicle, and in the process struck a young girl. The girl who was struck eventually died from her
injuries. The mother of the deceased was in court to face the man that killed her daughter. The camera was focused on the
mother and you could see the rage in her eyes when she began to speak. All of the sudden in the middle of talking to the judge
she turned and faced the young man who stood accused. She looked him in the eyes and forgave him for what he had done. Once
she was done she took a deep breath and left the courtroom. It is almost impossible for me to put into words the look
on her face, but you could see the relief. It was amazing. The young man just burst into tears.
The point I am making
is, yes sometimes we will struggle with forgiveness, but know that in the end it is what we as Christians are supposed to
do in the eyes of our Lord and Savior. Jesus said "Be merciful as your Father is also merciful". So I ask you today
to be merciful and forgive those who have wronged you, as God our Father has forgiven you. Until we speak again, God
Bless.
Far to often we assume we are doing everything we can to get into heaven. But are we? Are we really doing everything
we can? What does it take to actually pass through the gates?
The Bible says in Matthew 5:19: Whosover therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosover shall do and teach them the same, shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. So where are you right
now? What will you be called?
In John 5:24 it says: "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but
is passed from death unto life. Have you heard the word? Do you believe?
It is so easy for us to say to ourselves
that "yes" I am doing all I can. What we need to do is step back and take a look at the big picture. We are human
, we stumble, we make mistakes and God knows that, but do you pick yourself back up and ask for forgiveness? Or do you
just go about your day assuming God has forgiven you? If so, you need to understand the acts of forgiveness. In 1
John 1:9 it says: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness. Do you think the unrighteous are admitted in to heaven? No, it clearly states that you
need to repent of your sins to be forgiven.
Imagine this... You are standing at the gates of heaven and the book of
life is opened up. In it is everything you have ever said and done in your entire life. What will it say about
you. Will it say that you lived a good life of servitude to our Lord and have asked and been forgiven of all
your sins. Or will it say, He believed he did all that he could in servitude to he Lord, but he never asked for
forgiveness. Whenever he stumbles, he continued on the same path.
Okay, here's another quick myth busted... Going to
church every week will not get you into heaven. If you believe (for some idiotic reason) that because you go to church
each week, that the gates of heaven are just going to open wide for you when you approach them...you are sadly mistaken. You
my friend are living in your own little world. You need to be living the Christian life everyday in all you do. It is
not just about attending a church service. Anybody can go to church, but not just anybody can live the way God intended us
to. It takes a special person who has that do whatever it takes mentality that will pass through the gates.
Some tips
to being a good Christian are found in Ephesians 4:32: And ye be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
The steps to getting into heaven are clearly out
lined in the Bible. Put your trust in God that he will guide you in the direction you need to go. Psalm 48:14
clearly states that God will guide you in your ways, it says: For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even unto death. Follow his guidance as it is written and the kingdom of heaven shall be yours.
Psalm 73:23-24 says exactly this: Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by
the right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy councel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Bottom line... If
you are not doing all you can to live the Christian life, then your chances of spending eternity with our God and His Son
are at risk. Only you and our good Lord above know the truth of your life. Just remember, we never know when we may be called
home. I hope for your sake that you have done all you can. If not, here is your chance to turn your life around. Today
is the day, because tomorrow you may be standing before the gates of heaven, wishing you had one more chance. The
sad thing is you did and you did not take advantage of it.. Don't chance on getting into heaven. Make it happen.
Until we speak again, God Bless.
