BE AWARE OF YOURSELF
It can make for a brighter day…

When I arose to meet the day, I thought to myself, what an awesome day. I commended God for His beauty in the atmosphere. I know that in all parts of the world, the day is not the same. For many, others may have looked outside into snow, or rain and storm. But a day doesn’t have to be reflective of only its outward observations. A day can be made by the climate of one’s soul; your inner conscience that gives you personal awareness. Your spirit gives you God consciousness, your body gives you world consciousness, but your soul gives you self consciousness. Why not choose to brighten up your soul today, even though your actual day is gloomy. It is a double advantage when the actual day matches the brightness of your soul. Many folks envy the all year round sunny Southern California weather. Many have lived there and have moved away. But the sun doesn’t have to stop shining just because you have moved away. Let the Son shine in your soul. Be aware of yourself. Be aware that there are more things well about you than bad. If you indeed are able to still sense your consciousness and recognize the day, you are miles ahead of many who wish they were in your shoes. Every situation is relative. There is always someone else out there who would love to be in your shoes. Let us be less judgmental and more grateful. Perhaps this in and of itself will make for a brighter day. Enjoy the Son, as He enjoins you! Peace…

HOPE

In light of all that is happening in our world. Hurricanes, floods, fires, wars, terrorism, etc., have significantly of late created an atmosphere of fear and skepticism. For all of us, I offer these words of HOPE.

Psalms 46 (Quoted from the New Living Translation)

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! (Interlude)
A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of he Most High.
God himself lives in that city; it cannot be destroyed. God will protect it at the break of day.
The nations are in an uproar, and kingdoms crumble! God thunders and the earth melts!
The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. (Interlude)
Come , see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world
and causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear in two; he burns the shields with fire.
“Be silent, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
The Lord Almighty is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.

Galatians 6:9

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (NKJV)”.

The natural pressures, worries and cares of life are enough to cause anyone to let out a big SIGH! However, the Word of the Lord encourages us to not be weary. To be weary according to Webster’s Dictionary means to be exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor and freshness; having your pleasure exhausted. I would paraphrase it by saying you have run out of feeling good. Many times we feel this way for justifiably natural reasons. But let me remind you of the spiritual reason why you feel this way. It is because you are doing good; And because you are doing good, in your mind the cycle of reciprocity should bring some consistency, pay off, reward or benefit for doing so. As the Scripture stated, be not weary in well doing. It is the well doers who are feeling worn out. The non-well doers keep making it happen. It is those of us who know we have to wait when God says wait. We don’t’ want to start anything that God has not sanctioned. So it is pressure on us to trust God. God promised Abraham, He would bless him through his own loins. It took twenty five years before God birthed Isaac to Abraham and Sarah. Talk about weary in the meantime. Read his account and you’ll see some pretty foolish things they both did, while waiting. I write this to say, while waiting, try not to get weary. For the end account of Abraham was blessing. The final part of the text intimates that you will reap if you do not lose heart. Keep the faith my brothers and sisters. It may be taking a while, but it is sure to come. Post a comment below and tell me some things you are waiting for, and I will pray with you that your strength will be restored. Have a great day!

How Long Can Bread Really Last?
John 7:26-29

The Word of the Lord says that many followers of Jesus were doing so because of the physical needs He was meeting in their lives. But His instruction to them was to not serve or follow Him for the natural food that perishes, but instead to follow for the food which endures unto everlasting life. They replied to Him by asking in what way can we labor to get this kind of bread? His response to them was to simply believe in Him, Christ, whom the Father has sent. At the time that I was studying this, I was quite hungry, and could physically sense the struggle one may have with having the physical needs satisfied. But Christ abruptly interrupted my hunger pains to say, my hunger should be for the food that doesn’t perish. For they that hunger and thirst for righteousness sake, shall be filled (Matt. 5:6). I have always thought that the prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 was asking God to give us our daily physical bread. But today, I realized that it is the daily bread of heaven that is needed to survive in this world. For Jesus is the Bread of Life, and all who feed from Him shall never hunger or thirst again. Recently, I threw away a couple of end pieces of bread that no-one likes to eat, and usually sits around until it molds. The bread couldn’t be eaten because it went bad. But Jesus teaches us today, that He is the bread that won’t go bad. And if you eat what won’t go bad, you won’t go bad. In fact you’ll live forever, spiritually that is. Mind you, I am still going to eat natural food today, but it certainly won’t take priority over the spiritual daily bread I need from my Father. Perhaps we should ask ourselves, why we are following Christ. Are we following only for the physical things He provides? God is pleased by our faith above anything else. Show Him you believe in Him today not just for the money, the house, the car or the fame; but rather show Him you trust Him for His spiritual provisions that give you life eternal. The Bible later states that many followers left following Him, because this was too hard a thing to do or understand. All they knew was the physical. But it takes stronger and deeper followers to see into the next dimension of The Daily Bread. There are provisions that satisfy greater than any physical parameter imaginable. Have you had your daily bread today? If so, how long does your bread last? Post your comment below!

Psalm 31: 1-24

The Lord a Fortress in Adversity

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

New King James Version

1. In You, O Lord, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. 2. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. 3. For Your are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name's sake, Lead me and guide me. 4. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. 5. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. 6. I have hated those who regard useless idols; But I trust in the Lord. 7. I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For you have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities, 8. And have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy; You have set my feet in a wide place. 9. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! 10. For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. 11. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. 12. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. 13. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together agaist me, They scheme to take away my life. 14. But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." 15. My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, And from those who persecute me. 16. Make Your face shine upon Your servant; save me for Your mercies' sake. 17. Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave. 18. Let the lying lips be put to silence, Which speak insolent things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. 19. Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! 20. You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavillion From the strife of tongues. 21. Blessed be the Lord, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! 22. For I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before Your eyes"; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried out to You. 23. Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints! For the Lord preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. 24. Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.

Lower your Expectations; But Raise your Standards

Don't give to EXPECT; And don't EXPECT to give; Because God gives when you least EXPECT it! Most of us have learned that if we give something away, we should expect something in return. While this is a true semantic, when we finally recieve what we have been expecting, doesn't it seem less appreciated when we feel it is our just deserve? What if we learned instead to give away without expecting anything in return, perhaps life would be the sweeter. In fact I believe that true praise, appreciation and effective adulation comes from those who have learned to forsake the expectation. Many of us feel that people owe us, in fact even God owes us; And when we receive our just due, we actually feel better about life. But is not the contentment experienced, due to satisfaction of the once altered attitude with justice instead of the actual items recieved? This is something to look into a little further. Is life to be lived expecting apologies, affirmations and applauses just to make us feel better? If so, we will never really learn to appreciate what we receive due to our selfish desire of expecting. A very good example of this can be seen throughout the world in various races that feel, or in fact have experienced some form of injustice. Some races live expecting things from other races due to their past unfair treatments. Because these expectations are not yet completely met, the races develop increased hostility toward one another. While justice is warranted in many cases, perhaps the hostility would be reduced, if we simply reduced our expectations. I'm not suggesting that lowering the expectation means to become passive, I am simply pointing out how attitudes can quite possibly be negatively impacted when we don't get what we think we deserve or want. If in fact one may believe that God is the True, Just and Fair God, then if there is anything due to you, you will receive it when you least expect it. Lower your expectations, but raise your standards. Decide to live by a higher principle or code of ethics. Choose to have character enough for life to deal with both injustices and justice. Don't only live for what is right, for in doing so, you will be sorely disappointed. Your expectations will continue to increase, and you will continue to be let down. I am suggesting a coming up in thought (Higher Thought). Raise the level of your thinking and accept rather than expect what life offers you. Appreciate what you have. Everyday is a day with enough in it, to enjoy it. We often pass those experiences while looking for what may never come, simply because we're expecting it. Remember why you are here, not so much as to receive, as you are to give. But remember, don't give to expect, nor expect to give. Even giving is a privilege. There are thousands of people who would love to give, but don't have to give. The fact that you can give, is not something you should always expect to be able to do. Appreciate that you can give today, and pray that you will be able to tomorrow. Life becomes less weight for us when we don't carry what really isn't there anyway. Life is about trust; Trust that all we deserve is being calculated, and at the time that we need it most, it will be provided. God gives when we least expect it!

Remembering 9/11

To thousands of families that suffered through this terrible terrorist tragedy some five years ago, the family of Faith offers its prayers, comforting wishes and condolences. We who did not experience such a loss can in no way imagine how you must feel. For this type of loss is different from any other loss. It was the act of terrorism. A crime of hate and senseless envy. It wasn't an accident, or a loss due to age in natural timing. But one of which the likes of us would never imagine or have even thought up in our minds to be prepared for. Our hearts are towards you, as our prayers are toward Heaven. To the heros who saved, fought and cried. We offer a whopping thanks. For your faithfulness and dedication, you are remembered. For many of you, that is why you signed on for the type of job you have, because you value safety. Just think, if you hadn't chosen your profession, perhaps even more lives would have been lost. From those of us who haven't a 1/3 of your courage we salute you and say "Job Well Done!" As survivors in the USA, we must go one, but we musn't forget! We remember this day not as a day of sadness and endless remorse, but as a day worth reflecting upon because out of such a bad event came so many points of honor! May the Grace of our God be our comfort and protection, both today and forever more.

I remember learning in school about free writing. My professor instructed us to write whatever came to our minds. The free thinking alone, was self liberating. It inspired more critical writing in my future works. I was led to believe that good writing came from a really serious approach and therefore would take a lot of time to do. Because it was presented to be such a tedious task, I often chose not to write at all. However, once I began free writing from free thinking, I felt a fresh sense of inspiration and became less afraid of my own criticism. Of course my free writing was not my final draft, but it did give me a place to start and revisit. There is a scripture in the Bible that says, as a man thinks, so is he in his heart. Free writing helped me see myself more objectively. I began to see that some of what I was writing, was me on paper. Looking at myself from the outside, allowed me to better analyze some of my personal thoughts, belief systems, values, and patterns. I can't thank my college professors enough for turning me on to the world of free thinking and free writing. This tool has been valuable in solidifying my confidence to write more constructively.