Abstaining

Abstinence is rooted from abstaining. Abstaining in my book is to keep oneself from indulging in anything idol. An idol is usually recognized as a figure or replica of a statute that people can see. But we hardly recognize the idols in our lives that make up illusive thoughts. An idol mind is the devil workshop because of the illusion he paints. We have to remain constantly aware of what we allow into our minds from which our eyes stay fixated on. The finer things in life does not necessarily mean to have all that you want in order to be happy. Those are idols. We worship these things without even knowing that we have fell into a trap of disbelief and formality. And then we hate our lives because we don't have what we believe we should possess. Many of us have idols that stand in our way of progressing. The lack of money, resource, and will power falter our own perception. Abstaining from idol thoughts will allow room for proper use of time and energy. And allow for one to function in a capacity that is suitable to fit ability. Abstaining should be used as a rule of thumb to be applied when our focus becomes idol and our thoughts don't progress. 


Duly Noted and Marked 

Set Goals

We're embarking closely on Christmas Day but many of us have already completed all of our shopping and made plans for the day arrival. Some of us have set our heights on New Years Eve to establish new goals for the New Year. And a few of us would like to bypass the Holidays bliss. For those of us establishing new goals we should not forget our old ones. Setting goals is like writing History. History repeats itself and some of our goals should too. Even if you have not started or finished your goals put them back into motion. We don't set goals for today but we set them for tomorrow. We set up our distant future with the plans that we do for today. I for one is setting a goal to continue writing for this blog. I never thought that I would actually continue something that I started and to be consistent with it. Over a hundred blogs completed but still realizing that I haven't reached the cusp of what could be done. If you set your goals high I believe that you can achieve your goals as your level of maturity increases. You become aware of realistic goals verses idealist goals. Your status doesn't change by completing goals your status changes by setting them. Once your attitude changes your whole world is set. Make an attempt to establish goals that reflect your new outlook and adjust your old attitude. 


Duly Noted and Marked

Take The Load Off

On this past Sunday a word message went forth and it reminded me of the constant  plague that many of us is bound too. I know that we are embarking on a season of giving but many of us still want the benefit of receiving. How often do we get things that we do not deserve. How many times have we been blessed when we have not been a blessing to anyone? And for those who give and ask for the gift back, what was your intent? Sometimes I think we choose what we want to do in spite of doing what we know to be right.God recognizes our heart over our actions. Many of us live our lives for the approval of others. I read part of a passage on yesterday that said, “if God has proved you, who’s approval do you need?” People are being exposed of hidden agendas. Everyone is looking for something and finding what they need in the wrong thing. We want better but we live worse off. Our living is only in vain if we are living according to our selfish desires. You want but you don’t need and you have but you’re not willing to give.This generation can solve the co-existing problems we have in society today, but no one wants the responsibility.To carry burdens of other people are heavy weights to bare. Especially when you are functioning off of what you have to carry for yourself. Burden barriers have the strength of Samson but the weakness of his heart.
When we look at our own hills we see defeat but when we have people who can stand beside us to encourage us it enables us to become stronger. We don’t necessarily have to count on one, we can now count on two. God has placed people in our lives to be our strength when we need it most. Not everyone is experiencing hardships and even so God makes light of them all. People in Leadership positions and power need our help. The way we can help is by taking the load off of their shoulders by using our God given gifts and talents to be of service. Talents are applied skills in areas that you have knowledge in. What are you doing with your talents? I challenge each of you to start thinking of places that you can be a benefit to.What have you not done that you know you could do. God provided His service to us and He displayed many acts through which He was called to do on this earth. And He has called us all to do greater things than He. Life’s practical lessons are first instituted in the home and if it starts there then there should be a display of reaction from which we receive. I can’t make it without you and you can’t make it without me. I urge each of you on today to display some form of service. It is our responsibility to give when we have the means to and to give out of  what we are required to. No one needs to force you into using your talents for servitude but your greatest gift comes from putting a smile on someone’s face.



Duly Noted and Marked

Truth in Waiting

For the last four months I have been contemplating on making life decisions based off of emotions and based off of past experiences. It left me in a state of turmoil. I had no real answers and I saw no real solution. I started to distant myself from my relationships because I felt the need to be alone. I was hiding behind a smile but all the while I wasn't smiling when I was left all alone. I gravitated toward things that desired more of my attention than I could give. And I was left feeling so empty. When you are under spiritual distress the only thing good for you is what you pull away from. Even though I was asking God for the answer and the answer didn't come when I expected it to. It came when I was ready to hear the truth. The answer came while I was waiting for His response. The reason why my go through was as intense as it was, because the underlying reason why I was in this state of being, was because of me. To hear the truth didn't make me run and hide, the truth allowed for me to finally set my heart and mind free. The cause of everything was me. My ears and eyes were congested with what I wanted to see, hear and believe. I didn't ask God to help my disbelief for the fact that my belief in me was disbelieving. It had nothing to do with Him but all to do with me. The truth in waiting was for me to finally see myself in the image that He created. What a loving God we should want to serve. He sees pass our mishaps and finds something special in each of us that made Him say, it is finish. We are all remarkable prospects in the eyes of God full of grandeur and potential that can set this world axis off course. Who you are and what you can do there are no limits. You set the stage and you orchestrate your own performance and the one who's been applauding has been waiting on you all along. 

Duly Noted and Marked

To My Dad:

You are more to me than anyone could ever be. You saw past my inadequacies and gave me hope for a future. You love me when I couldn't stand to see a reflection of me. You gave me what I couldn't give myself. In the time of need you supplied all. For the rest of my days I will long to be with you forever. And when I failed you, you held me in the palm of your hand and you kept me close. Through sickness, heartache, failed relationships, near death experiences you signed my name across your heart. And I am forever indebted to you. How many ways can I tell you how much I love you ....dad..for my life will be a living reminder of how much I do..... 

your daughter

Perception

The unpredictable nature of life’s consequences and outtakes tend to arrive in a person’s life when circumstances are unforeseen. People measure pressure based on the weight of the problem. With distinction we can view our problems with the ability to decipher if it’s based on a situation that we can handle or one that we can’t. Many of our problems are caused by using bad judgment. No one likes to make a mistake and no likes to payback. It is possible to see the problem through different perceptions. Our perceptions are outlined by the intake of what we would like to see but in reality it’s what’s hidden from us that we don’t see. That's why you have to know when it's a matter of vision or a bad glare.  If there is no truth to back it up it becomes invalid. Always go to the source before you make a decision based off the perception. It's hardly ever what it looks like but if it is then it’s a reality check. Just as your season changes so does your perception. Every encounter is not meant to throw you off course. Some are meant to put you back on. The choices you make are yours to live with it. No matter what no one else says? The only time you can go back on a choice is when you have options. Do not take options for granted they are your way of escape. Use them when needed. Otherwise you’ll lose your focus.

 

Duly Noted and Marked

 

Balance

Balance is a figurative word I rarely like to use. I thought motion sickness came from driving or flying but balance is one of those words that tend to make me nauseated while thinking. Trying to balance love, life, relationships and ministries adds its own frustrations. Learning how to accommodate them all is not impossible but the reality is you can’t balance them all. I believe in putting things in systems, functions and perspectives.  I believe that in order for one to complement the other you have to allow room for error and repeats. The balancing act never allows room for mistakes because if one fails then they all fall. People are usually caught in the middle trying to even out both sides by alternating back and forth from one side to the other. This seesaw act is impossible to remain steady or in control. Your time and attention will never fully develop this way. We have to learn to place our lives, our jobs, our ministries, our passions, our attentions to details in a system that works and functions properly. The key to mastering them all is never allowing you to get ahead of yourself. Set boundaries and limitations that you must follow along with those following you. Each individual has a unique way to adapt to climate and changes.  If you set the bar other must meet up to your expectations. Proper planning is the way to succeed in life. No plan, no balance, no system and nothing will function.

 

Duly Noted and Marked

Insecurity

Insecurity is a false sense of hopelessness. Often times we have insecurities because of what we are unsure of. You have to beware of your insecurities in order to overcome them. It is not always a superficial thing, majority of the time it stems from a lack of self-awareness.  Not knowing who you are plays a part on your insecurities. Inadequacies, promotion and validation from others stems from insecurities. You never realize how insecure you are if you’re always surrounded by people who address your ego. Being alone allows you to see what people tend to overlook. Drawing attention to yourself or having the attention drawn away from you shows a lack of security. People who like attention cling to other people that will give them what they are looking for and eventually those types of relationships feed off of each other. People who draw away from attention lack the desire and company of people for they lack security within themselves. Insecurity is the inward mobility that stops production. Lack of Faith is insecurity. We are aware of what we can have in God, but we are too afraid to allow God to dwell in us for the lack of security.  Insecurity will kill everything alive surrounding your life. It will withhold from you prosperity. It’s not what people say or think about you, it’s the bottom line that separate you from being insecure and feeling secure about who you are. Where you draw the line will distinguish how far the line should go. Insecurity can hold us back from moving on in our personal and business life.  When we are afraid to leave relationships and jobs because of losing our security, we hinder our own development.  Your value depletes when you know your time is up. Taking chances is the way of life for those who have a Plan A and stick to it without ever having to make use of a Plan B.  If you feel that you cannot make it on your own you will live in someone else’s shadow.  Never be afraid to admit your insecurities to yourself. Confession is good for the soul because it sets your insecurities free.

Duly Noted and Marked 

Connections

It’s hard to see those that are in connection to you to suffer silently. Suffering will have you to believe that no one cares and it will make you feel that you are all alone. Pain is a constituent to those that are in connection to you.  Emotions and forms of embrace are ways to connect. That is why when a friend is overwhelmed with emotion and exert in a way of tears, tears from our own eyes tend to flow because of what we have experienced through the connection.  Connections keep the focus of all people involved.  We stay connected because of what we feel for each other. That is why it is so hard to let go, because we share a connection. No one is ever meant to be alone. This journey is meant for us all to help each other along the way. Selfish pride and anxiety of our past gets in the way of us admitting to our own faults. No one is perfect and we all make mistakes but secluding yourself from those that love you and placing yourself in complete isolation only hides you from your own truths. It breaks my heart to see what a person could be in their future but they never invest in their own potential. We have all been let down by people who we have trusted in connection. No one is exempt.  If you continue to allow the challenges of this world to make the choice for you and how you will live, then you make God into a little god. One of the greatest fears that people never admit to is the fear of love. For love, has no barriers and in connection with people you can’t keep one up.



Duly Noted and Marked

Weakness...es

There are people in our lives today that are drawn to our weaknesses. This is one of the deceptive plans where the enemy tries to manipulate our future with past experiences.  His plan is to use our weaknesses to disable our power usage. If we neglect to use our source then we will feel powerless. We can only overthrow our weaknesses through the power that has been given to us through the use of a Prayer Life. Mark 9:29  And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” When you pray you must be honest with God. Honesty breeds openness and openness breeds exposure. Exposure exposes the enemy that is fighting against you. God will reveal to you in the most intimate settings how you can defeat the things that are trying to weaken you. Too many times our fellowships with each other (home, work,) can and will handicap our power. We give more time to others than we do in prayer to God. We get involved in fellowships because of what we don’t have in order to offset what we think we must gain. Relationships with others are essential but our time with God is our being. When desperation kicks in and anxieties follow we search for people who will give of their time and their sympathy. We must be careful who we choose to draw from, not everyone’s well springs forth life, some spring forth a well of contempt, displeasure and disaster. Choose wisely how you spend your time; make sure the time spent is used to draw closer to God in those who you choose to connect with.


Duly Noted and Marked

The Truth

“ Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.” Exodus 32:26

There are so many avenues one can take with this scripture text. There are people that are genuinely with you and yet there are people who talk a good one.  Moses had to do a heart check on the people of God. He saw their actions but he didn’t give up on them from choosing to serve God. Many of us let people go from our lives because of what we see and hear but we never ask them why they choose to live other than the way that is commanded. We fail to realize that we become judge and juror and never allow the person to defend their case. Maybe they don’t know maybe no one has ever shed the light of the “Word of God” for them to see clearly. But when you know the truth and all you have is a bunch of excuses as to why you want to follow your way, then you now have allowed your flesh to feed you. This time and age we are seeing many people who are becoming a lover of themselves. No one wants to live for God because they rather live a life that is pleasing to them. You can only be true to yourself when you uphold ‘The Truth’. You will live a lie and the truth will not be in you. When you serve yourself instead of serving others you become a ravaging beast. One who looks for meat in obscured places from whomsoever. Your appetite will draw you away from God. Be careful of your desires. Choose to serve God today and there will be no good thing that He will withhold from you.

Duly Noted and Marked

Rewards and Benefits

 
Life rewards come at a cost. We endure sacrifice but we also endure benefits that are rewarding. While waiting for the rewards we often struggle with the obstacles life presents. The challenges that we face are due to the reoccurrence of tests that stand midway between the start and the finish. Commanding and demanding our lives to look the way that it should, shed’s new light on how we should position ourselves to stand still at moments of despair in order to reap benefit from the cost of our sacrifices. People who have vision see beyond limitations. A visionary is a person who is ahead of time but never works out of time. Visionaries work with what they have and don’t place limits on what they can do. In order to obtain you must use what’s already inside of you. Those that lack vision lack perspective. You cannot see where you’re going if you can't see what's standing in front and beside you. The midway point is merely a distraction. It’s the point that misguides many of us from moving on. If you give in then you’ll give up before things get better. Nothing in this life comes easy without hard work. A little sweat and a flood of tears has never hurt anybody but it’s made people like you and me into visionaries that command and demand life to render forth it’s rewards and benefits.

 

Duly Noted and Marked

Agreement

The word of the Lord says,”How can two walk together unless they agree”. Amos  3:3

This scripture text resonated so much in and on my life this morning. I started thinking about whom I serve and why I follow Him. How can I say I am a believer of Jesus Christ when I agree with people who still want to do other than the word of God?  Am I being judgmental or am I following Christ? I was the type of friend who agreed on having pre-marital sex before marriage, because it was what I was doing. I even agreed on drinking to a point where you thought you controlled how many shots of patron you could handle and allowed you to drive home drunk. I was the type of friend that fought and literally fought in fights that were caused by malicious behavior that my so-called friends caused, but since I was a friend I had their back. How foolish was I. I patted people on their back telling them they were right when knowingly they were wrong. Was I really a friend? As I reflected back over my life and even as I write this now my hands are trembling because I know that this may not hit you now but you will have to come back to this later to reflect. I’ve had boyfriend relationships that where apart of God’s plan but not of God’s purpose. If a MAN is of God’s purpose for your life, you will not have to force the word of God on him but he will do according to the word of God. And any man who is in Christ is a new creature and follows the law of God and does not allow you to follow into SIN (Please remember this…ladies and gentlemen) God has not and will not condone a lifestyle that is NOT of His word. We walk as believers walk, we don’t talk it. We live the way God has taught and told us to live. If you do anything outside the will of GOD you are working for satan.  Period.  He rules in disguises and many of us right now are being deceived by what we THINK we want and IT is not of GOD. I can’t have this word on the inside of me and not share it, because I really love you. It’s not right and it will never be right if you are not following Christ the way HE said to do.  When you agree on things that are contradictory to the word of GOD, you will face consequences that will cause you to call on His name. Warning comes before destruction. The order of GOD is HIS word! BE NOT FOOLED for God is not mocked

 

 

 

Duly Noted and Marked

 

Relationships

“Never love someone so much that they don’t have a desire to Change”

Love is meaningless when it is based on what you do for someone else. When you are able to walk away from someone you love it is a possibility you may be doing them no harm but more good. For love is not defined as a narrative but a formative action. When you desire to be loved, love doesn’t come easy but it may come quick. You give love to receive love, but if you expect it back the way you gave it, it’s not love. Love is not equal. If you go into a relationship in hopes that it will be, then your portion will weigh in on the relationship. Love is mutually shared.  You have to be in tuned with those that say they love you from their heart. For the heart has a mind of its own.  When love plays a role in the relationship it builds on satisfaction more than standards. For we set the foundation on which it stands. And we have to be careful with using the word in association with what we see. For we can only love someone when we recognize that love is not all we need. Check yourself about the word love. Redefine love by characteristic traits and intent. When your heart has a mind of its own it will go off of a feeling. It feels good to hear someone say that they love you, but it feels even better when you know they mean it. The intent of a person’s heart will deserve your attention. Be true to love and love will come through for you.

 

Duly Noted and Marked

Signal Change

Most of us head in the wrong direction because we don’t know where to go. We’re looking for direction but can’t seem to find any that will help. We’re in dire need but no one is around.  What do we do? We end up moving without waiting. The error in most of our lives comes from moving out of turn and moving when not supposed to. No one likes to wait for a signal.  We are anxious creatures with impulse drives that leave us moving ahead of ourselves and leaving others behind. You can’t move unless you’ve been told to go. Signs are always around you but you only pay attention to the sign that you want to see.  We run and bump our heads too often with the same mistakes time and time after time again. It can’t be a changed season if you don’t change your direction. Direction is important as to staying focus is. A change mindset is a changed behavior. Progression equals results and change signals responses.  Lead by example and signal change for the entire world to see.

 

Duly Noted and Marked

Happy Divine Appointment Day!

Departing is not sweet sorrow sometimes it is bittersweet, but there is a season for everything.  We are in a season of change and change for the better. I believe that for many of us that this change will be better than the one before. This is a time and season where we will look to be validated by the one who has created all things in His perfect will. And I believe that in this season we will see our dreams come true. There is a clause. You must first believe. The power of believing comes from knowing not seeing.  We are often distracted by what we think we control. In fact what we think we have control over still has power over us.  When you’re driving your automobile, you think your controlling the steering but you don’t control the car. It is powered by a source that has total control over you and where you’re going. You believe that where you’re headed will eventually get you to where you want to be.  But what has the power to stop you can detour you.  Life is not meant to be lived by what we control. Life is meant to be lived through the possibility of believing, for that, “All things are possible to them that believe”.  This season is a season of growth and maturity. If you latch on to this everything else will detach itself from you that means you harm. Hold on to nothing that does not see the value in you. In this season do not be afraid to be alone.  Everyone in your life cannot be a part of this season. You paid a price that caused you to sacrifice some of your hearts desires and you will be rewarded. Situations came to show you what you’re made of, but believing made you believe in you. Now you’re self-identified by your DNA (Divine New Appointment).  This is a place where you have arrived. What a journey this has been for many of us and a journey it will continue to be.

Happy Divine Appointment Day!

Duly Noted and Marked

The Obvious

Getting off course from your assignment will leave you to believe that it’s your business to focus on the obvious when in fact the obvious is what’s blinding you from the truth. When you’re about your father’s business His focus is now your focus and His alone. When we deviate from the assignment confusion, frustration, depression and uncertainty sets in. We believe that what we’re doing is right and it could be rightfully so, but also rightfully wrong as well. Who determines the right from the wrong will determine the outcome. We have to be careful to not allow our footing to tread upon territory that will take us away from safety. Being defiant and misusing our power will have one to believe that we are in control of our own lives. Many people that fall from grace believe that they have mastered enough power and gained enough control that the power that is in their hands, is the absolute power that can triumph overall.  The horror behind believing that you and I alone have the power will make one believe that we are gods in man creation without the spirit of God. Be cautious of people that have their own mind. They are the very ones that work in deception. When you practice to deceive, the ending of an anything is total destruction. You can only control what is allowed through complete submission. You can influence people to do more or you can influence people to do less. It’s all up to your standard of living. Who you are today says a lot about the decisions you've made. Irrational people make irrational choices. Sensible people make wise use of their time and place more effort toward the assignment than the obvious. When you are on an assignment you are governed by one authority, one rule and one government. There is no democracy in decision making. In decision making, lean not to your own understanding. We have all been called to complete our assignments. Every assignment has classified information only to be revealed at the opportune time of relieving upon the completion.  When you are in the middle of chaos that’s when you know that you're assignment is close to end.

Duly Noted and Marked

Go

Why am I here? Are questions we tend to ask ourselves when things are not working out as we’ve hoped? But why are we here? Is there a force making us stay or are we forcing ourselves to stay? Why do we allow finances and the opinions of others to delay our moving plans? Taking chances is another way to increase your faith. You must see yourself moving before you actually take the first step. When you believe in you, delayed applications will not hinder your next move. Where you see yourself is where you ought to be. Now the real question is, “How do I get there”. The simplest explanation to the question can be the hardest thing to digest. But the simple truth lies in what you believe in. The image that you see daily is the truth of the matter but we don’t face it. We never own up to what went wrong and we view critiquing as criticism. Critiquing is not based on your reflection but based on your response. You can gain a broader prospective through someone else’s view. The more you know the more you will see where you ought to be. We make things complicated when we double back on wise counsel. Poor judgment never leaves you at a standstill but wallowing does. If you continue to be a monument then you’ll see peoples faces, places and opportunities pass you by while you’re contemplating your next move.

“Go if the opportunity exist, Stay if the opportunity presents itself, you’ll never know if you never increase your faith”

Duly Noted and Marked

Unbreakable, Unbendable, Unshaken

When we think about a house we tend to think about a place in which we live. Our mortal bodies takes a form of a house. A house is a place that we live in but it is also a place that we must continue to repair. In the form of relationships, we entrust our homes to easily in the cares of others because we're more concerned with entertaining and occupying our homes with guest. Relationships must have a common bond. Whatever the bond is will prove to be the foundation of the relationship. You have to be careful in your choosing. Foundations must be solidified with a raw material that sets the house in order. If your house is not in order its in disarray. Careful planning must go into preparation before the house foundation is set. When we do not inquire of a persons foundation we open ourselves up to fall. Once the foundation of the home is set and its joined together with another foundation. Then the two are in agreement. Foundations are a major part of our decision making. Foundations are a vital instrument used to build. If the house is shaken and the foundation is set incorrectly, it will fall at the hands of the builders. Experience can not be your guide when building. The setting of the foundation will require a raw material that is unbreakable, unbendable and unshaken. When a foundation is laid on a"Rock" the home is sturdy. And it's able to withstand the floods. 

Duly Noted and Marked 

Call and Plan

What makes us great will not necessarily outline our purpose. Life is full tasks, missions, and strategies that are geared toward fulfilling our purpose, but never allows us to understand “The Purpose”. When we arrive at the conclusion we gain full knowledge of what we are capable of, even when were faced with difficulty. Purposeful people never allow themselves to stay off course for too long. And they never get caught up in what people say about them that makes them great. They are the ones who will leave an indubitable impression.  Legendary people leave legacies.  We tend to miss out on our call and plan because we tend to focus our sights on the things below rather than the things above. We are a people filled with many traits and God given abilities that make us master in our own right. Mastering an ability in order to be great is a feat and a challenge, but mastering many takes ingenuity. In the Word it says, "We are called accordingly to His riches and His glory". If we are a called people and are called accordingly to one purpose does it mean that we can only be great in one area? Many are called and the chosen will be few since there is only a few of us that want to be legacy driven. A legend acts according to the call and plan that is set to fulfill “The Purpose”. If we deviate from the call and plan then greatness doesn't get achieved and the purpose becomes unfulfilled. Lack is an area of confusion. People lack because of what they don’t want to know. Many will fail to understand but there will be those who never give up. Giving up will never be an option when you are called according to the plan.

Duly Noted and Marked

Not you than who?

Today's generation is lost in today's system. The system that teaches them that waiting is not worth it, if you can have everything now. We are beyond the microwave generation. We are facing a generation that exploits and expects results in such aways that is producing an appetite for desires that are beyond imagination. This desire has our generation rebelling and looking for substitutions in substances, materials and physical means that have only short term effects. And the sad thing is that they have no clue what they are doing to themselves. The detrimental effects of these choices are going to produce negative results throughout their lifetime. At this very moment I am asking myself what can be done? We've heard in times past in order to teach one you have to reach one. But if you are too caught up with yourself then you'll miss the opportunity to be the one who could possibly change someone's life. They need us more now than ever and I urge you today to look beyond yourself and reach out to someone who needs someone like you in there lives. If not you than who? 



Duly Noted and Marked

Will of a Whale

There was no excuse for Jonah to run away from doing the will of God. He ran not out of fear but because he thought what he wanted to not do was more important than rescuing the people who needed to know God more. The people actually needed to see a physical manifestation of God’s word through his works. Jonah was a living work of God’s word. It wasn't just his dramatic rescue from being spewed out of the whale’s belly that made Jonah renowned. It was the fact that Jonah was called before he fled.  How often do we run with no though of turning back? How often do we see our own needs before we look to lend a hand to someone else? We are favored people by God, whose call is to proceed to action without hesitation. Within hesitation becomes frustration. Nothing will work out until we (you) (me) get our will of a whale out the way. Jonah’s will became his whale. His will was enlarged by what he thought was right. If I never learn anything else from today, I've learned that my will of a whale must die in order to gain passage into the Kingdom of God. If (we) I stop now we will become endangered species to a generation in need of the message that we have to bring. I salute all that desires to know God intimately. This is a place where we will understand that God’s will, is what we really want.

"Thy will will be done on Earth"

Duly Noted and Marked

Graduation Day

There is nothing like being set apart from the crowd to do something extraordinary. To be the one person chosen out of many to excel to another level of achievement. The feeling that you can get from such an accomplishment can only be felt from a person who has sacrificed part of their lives to reach such a goal. In order to see opportunity one must blind themselves from the outside world. You have to disciple yourself everyday to recognize the potential distraction that will hinder your climb. To see what's ahead one has to remain focus. Precautionary measures must be taken with each step. It's a delicate situation that a person can find themselves in. You never know the road ahead but you must prepare for what's to come in order to be satisfied with the decisions and mistakes that will be made. These measures keeps you game focused. Minor set backs has a way to become hazardous if you can't redeem yourself. Mistakes are liabilities but when your future is insured it turns out favorable. The greatest obstacles that stand in the way are the bumps in the road. When you persevere through the hard challenges, you tend to appreciate the luxuries that life has to give. True happiness comes from a job well done when you don't take the experiences for granted. The beauty about life is the 360 degree angle. It takes us back around to reflect on our past to ignite our future. Humility is the antidote to life to keep you grounded and to remain. One must recognize that in all achievements that the higher you go the loner the climb will seem. Reaching the top is not a one man's flight many hands do make the work light. For what was once impossible now became possible through what you believed in.

Personal Share:

This past weekend a dear close sister-friend of mine graduated from Law School. What an exciting time we all had to see someone who we all hold dear in our hearts. To walk across an Historic stage to accept an academic achievement reward that will not only open doors but it now places her in History. Overwhelmed with emotion but overjoyed to know that if you press your way, that the way that's made for you will set you on a high pinnacle. She did not forget where she was headed. She planned ahead for this future and she obtained what many fail at. This beauty of nature made in His likeness has set the stage for many. And today Trenika I honor you my sister-friend. With love and admiration. I speak life and that more abundantly for you. God is the wiser of us all and in Him you will see where life unfolds.

Love you dearly


Duly Noted and Marked

Missed Opportunities

Missed opportunities are missed blessings. We are in a season now of change and change for the better. We cannot allow yesteryear to rain on our today. If we stop and think, what we must do in order to change we will see the silver lining of Hope that God has shown. And in that He has not forsaken you. What we have to acquire is a new spring, a well of life that waters and never runs dry. God is more if we allow Him to be more. What is impossible can turn out to be what you have been waiting for. But you cannot allow situations to take you away from this season. It’s impeccable that you heed to the call now and not later. One of the many things that I admire about God is how He will never allow your situation to detour you away from His purpose in your life. For if God is your purpose you'll have clear vision. Having clear vision has you to see beyond the mountains and hills. Even in the low valleys you will be able to look up. Open doors are always open. Walk into it today!

God Bless

 

Duly Noted and Marked

Grow and Change

Frustration is one of the signals you can identify with when your going through growing changes in your life. Everything around you and in your possession will frustrate you. It seem as if nothing is going right and everything you put your hands to turnout bronze instead of gold. Your life focus as it may seem will make you negate from your true purpose. Only if you don't recognize the cause so you can affect it before it effects you. We have to make the best out of the worse situations. If we don't then the worse will get the best out of us. When your growing and changing life takes on a course of action that realign our way of thinking. If our mood changes then our disposition does as well. Many of us have set our ambitions to low and we find ourselves achieving under our abilities. The more difficult that life gets the more appealing shortcuts seem to be. Life does not work that way, if so then the majority of us would be reaping a harvest based on merit and not achievement. In order to be successful at anything you must be willing to allow room for growth. No room, no movement makes a person more frustrated at themselves more than anything. For a person to grow and change, you must have a repentant mind. A mind that stays the same is unruly and it yields to default. But a mind that repent's yields to humility and disdains from self-gratification.


Duly Noted and Marked

Desire for More

People go through life expecting destiny and purpose to one day hit their lives, without desiring the more of their current situation. If we have the desire for more then our destiny and our purpose would already be fulfilled. We are required by man's law to live according to what we currently have, but according to God's Law we can live this life and live it more profoundly. If we live beyond our expectation we can become what we desire to be without ever giving up on ourselves. The desire for more is required from us all. And if we desire it we can have it.


Duly Noted and Marked

Complete Love

Love is intoxicating. It is one of the most powerful instruments alive that can be used on any and every one that comes into contact. It is an embodiment of what nature intended but what Heaven prescribed.  When you are mature in love, love is what it continues to do. Falling in and out of love is not love; it’s a substitute for an immature emotional tie that has a few bound to a feeling that cannot be explained to justify the nature of the relationship as being one in love. Love is described best in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, this passage goes on to clear up any misconception of our definition. As human beings we can never amount up to this type of love without searching for the one who gave His love. The passage alone never states that love intent is to hurt, misuse or manipulate to get over on anyone until they give in to what you want. The truth in love allows for us to no longer be bound by our own misconstrued thinking. For a man/woman may think within his/her mind because he/she is foolish to believe that love is just a word to use when it’s convenient. Its encompassing power gives us the strength to see things for what they are and who people intend to be. Love is never blind and that’s why it holds all truth. We are one because of one. There is no greater love that has been shown for all to see throughout eternity that the fulfillment of love is complete love. Being complete in love is being whole. There are no divided parts or half-heartedness to love. Without ever knowing complete love you will fail at loving.

 

Duly Noted and Marked

Past Memory

Focusing in on the past occasionally brings to mind a disfigured perception of a previous memory. When we think of the past we go to the core of our problems or what we think it could be. And we blame whatever it is that has brought us to this state. There are people who like to wallow in the past for attention. There the ones always bringing it up because they can't let it go. What tends to happen is that they draw attention back to the past so that everyone involved could relive the hurt it caused. Memories are imputed in our brain to recall happy thoughts. Memories are not intended to cause trauma to the brain. The state of self worth comes from self reservation. The past can't be a reflection of who you are today. Taking your present state and reflecting on past mistakes will leave you resentful. You do not have to get over the past but get over yourself. The more you become aware of who you are the past becomes irrelevant. Your identity became consumed through the hurt. But your rebirth into this new life came from the process. We all go through and some of us go through backwards. Eventually you'll have to see where it all leads. And in that junction the nature of who you are will not be where you once were.

Duly Noted and Marked

While Waiting

"Patience is the highest order of discipline"

We strive for many things in life but we fail to strive for the very thing that could help motivate us to have peace in our minds. There's only one set rule to patience, "to endure beyond ability while waiting in the process". It's hard to realize that time waits for no one and to visualize why we have to wait for what we want? How can the two seemly work together? I believe that there is a period where you have to wait and wait patiently to earn a claim. We have to realize that we are not in this race alone. There are others bidding for the same claim and have worked a lot longer at the same level but at different speeds. What could be rightfully yours could be someone else's privileged to have or behold. We have to remember that having patience goes beyond what our ability is. Our abilities can only handle what we allow when stretched to our limits. Knowing that we must have patience gives us something to model after. Without it we would be less likely to strive for more. Patience is a modest trait one that is easily found but hardly ever recognized. In time we all must endure our feats through many obstacles that will try our patience. If we assure ourselves that having patience on our side is a sign of complete submission, then we'll omit any other trait that will cause us to loose sight of waiting patiently.


Duly Noted and Marked

One Rule

We as a people, an embodiment of God's creation will sacrifice a lot of ourselves in order to become one with the greatest plan. God has ordained us and us all with no respect of persons to join together to ratify the nation to be subjective under one rule. God has designed us to radicate Heaven on Earth. To serve the one the only Sovereign God in all of His majesty. What we forget and tend to overlook is why He created us. He made us to be in His like image to serve each other as He has served us. We all have a purpose and the purpose is to instill in everyone we come into contact with the Love of a Sovereign God. He never meant for us (mankind) to be so cultural complex by Religion. All He wanted and still does is a relationship with His creation. A religious denomination is not an identity. My name is not an identity. Our identity comes along with living in complete awareness that the one who created us has single handily constructed perfect beings with a mind of their own. What we can't decipher at times is free will from His will. The word He has given and mandated over our lives is to reach out to all the earth to compel those of like faith and non to become believers of Christ. There is no set religion on this earth that can redeem us from the enemy. The enemy is one we don't fear but he's the one we must overthrow so that the earth is back under one rule. There's no denying and no mistake, that there is more to life than we know. There is something so great and to be magnified that when explained you can't find the correct wording. Science is a state of evidence not a state of being. You cant explain manifestation of a being who came in spiritual form to live a physical life through science. Science states that this can not be possible. In my opinion, this concept is not for science to theorize or have an answer to. It can only be solved when we all come under one rule and authority. This message is to impart into every reader that there is a great mandate on us all. We can't deny that the frustrations we have been experiencing for sometime now is because our identity has been deceived. Your frustrations won't allow you to wrap your mind around the notion that God is the one rule. It's never been about religion and the time is now to set aside our differences.

"I am only one voice but you and I together are many."


Duly Noted and Marked

Does this make sense?

Before I write anything I'm always going back and forth in my mind what to say, how should I say it and does this make sense? When you try to meet the masses its hard to reach out to everyone. And every week I hope that if the person doesn't find it in this weeks read that they will come back and see if the following week was what they we're looking for. This is a constant thing that I do because you want what you do to be of some value to someone else. I told myself I have the gift of writing. And only gifts are given to those who want their skills to be used. I don't have much to say but once you get started its hard to stop. And that should be anything that you love to do. Even when the only audience you may have is you. Today I took a personal reflection. And I had to see for myself if what I saw made sense. Does what I see add up to what I know or to how I feel. Its hard to be in a place where others don't see it but you do, and then to be on the receiving end where they see it and you don't. Your opinion of yourself should be the only opinion that makes complete sense. People in position can make mistakes. When people don't know you and prejudge you. They miss out on your value. Its easy to become distracted with people who continue to dance to the same beat while you remain still. Stand your ground and remain focused even when you feel like falling. Remain on the set course. I believe that this journey that you and I are on is one that is going to take more than skill to get us by. But what we will need is each other. It does makes sense when you realize why. We all have a power on the inside of us. And if you activate what you have and I activate what I have, the two combined together will send off an alarm that will disrupt the nation. If you are in agreement with me on this one thing, nothing will stop us from here on out. Say this with me, "No more doubt". The possibilities just now became endless. And the reason of the why just made complete sense.


Duly Noted and Marked

Ending

I was just in thought about how certain things in our life don't want to let us go. For some its a relationship that keeps dragging on beyond its expiration date. For others its a dead end job that seems to give us enough to get by but its our only way of making it. So we hang on in there until tomorrow and repeat tomorrow the next day after and remain unfulfilled and unhappy. How is it that we allow ourselves to continue this way and never say when. Most of us are waiting for an answer in a sign. One that says go and one that says no. Life has never been that easy and frankly it never will. I wonder what life would be like if I made a decision based on the amount of time I've put in rather the time I've wasted. I wonder what life would be like if I said no and never changed my mind. I wonder what life would be like if my opinion was the only one that mattered. I wonder what would life be like if I stopped thinking about how life could be. We can not base our lives on what if's, if we do we will hinder our own progress. We have to start preparing ourselves for what we want to happen. A person who has no direction lives a sheltered life. A person who doesn't live out their dreams becomes hopeless. You and I have to make better choices and when we do we will start to live better. In order to have overall success in every area of your life you have to allow success in. Every dry place needs watering and if we don't water the dry areas they will break off and die. In some cases dying is not the end but only the beginning.


Duly Noted and Marked

Mistakes

The concept of learning from mistakes are somewhat hard to grasp. We tend to see mistakes as failures and failures as mistakes. If you never understand the concept of learning from a mistake, then you'll continue to see failure. Being a great success you will learn to accommodate mistakes by the order in which they come. Order is a reflection of how we manage our time and our business. If you and I don't have order in our lives we invite chaos. There is a degree of separation that we must instill so that we won't be pulled into the circle of life by repetition. Learning from a mistake takes pruning and priming of ones own inhibitions and failures. You'll gain more accolades but feel less rewarded and the challenge will be to remain focused. Working hard for anything has its benefits and rewards. You'll always be rewarded on merit and honor. But you'll never be rewarded for your mistakes. Mistakes ushers your greatest achievements. But making the biggest mistakes can heighten or destroy any success.


Duly Noted and Marked

Distraction

What is a distraction? A person, place or thing that draws away your focus. Is a distraction a bad precept or concept? Not necessarily. Distractions can be roadblocks set up to take you off of one path and lead you to another. How come the word distraction has a negative condemnation? People see distractions as hindrances toward future application rather than seeing distractions as being helpful. The attraction to distractions are usually based on our own selfish wants. We want what we think we should have, and we set our focus on how to obtain it. This motion that sets into ones mind makes room for outside forces to become the distraction. Hence wise the negative condemnation of distractions hinders a person progress. You don't progress because you don't have, you don't progress because your agenda is out of alignment. When your focus is off you take plunges into waters that are only waist deep and when you hit the bottom, your dreams become shattered, because of the illusion of the distraction in which you've allowed. After being broken you learn that before you dive into anything, everything must be tested. It's important to form an opinion, so you can have a mind of our own and you won't be easily swayed. People who lead learn to follow. And those that follow learned that great people too we're once tested and we're tempted by distraction.


Duly Noted and Marked

True Sign of Belief

A true sign of belief is breaking down what you've built, in order to see whats been stopping you. I often struggle with my own belief because of the mere fact of what I've created within my own mind. Your mind can have an imagination of its own that will create an elusive complex that will leave no room to escape. Mental traps bury you in a hole with seemly no way out. What sets you free is the hole that your in. The hole is a mythical place where dreams are made alive. The darkest hours creates the most ingenious things to aspire. The hole is not where you are but the hole makes you see where you should be. One of the hardest obstacles for people to understand about belief, is the very thing that stops them from believing. We build our mountain with our own doubt and incapabilities. People who doubt themselves never have anything good to say about themselves and they only move out of place when they don't have any other choice but too. Timing is not always perfect but making the move proves to be perfect timing. Sitting around waiting for life to happen is not sound judgment. You'll end up loosing your mind over to what you can't do rather than what you should be doing. The only sign you need to believe in is the sign that doesn't wait for one. If now is your sign then now it is, if tomorrow is your sign then tomorrow it shall be. When you start to believe in you, you will recognize the true sign that's been there all along encouraging you to move.


Duly Noted and Marked

Frustration

"Never allow people to take from you,unless there willing to give it back"

Frustration is one of those feelings that can trigger different emotions. One moment you can feel like things are moving in a positive manner and on the other hand you can feel as if things our out of control. You don't recognize yourself because you hide behind the truth in order for it not to be revealed. The first trigger in emotion is anger. You literally want to be angry at whatever it is, that is making you feel such a way. By the time you realize that anger is not the culprit then confusion sets in. Not being able to talk about it leads to frustration. Bottled up emotions can spill out at any moment. Those who say what's on their mind with the best intention tend to be the people who don't allow emotions to set them back. Truth doesn't feed into lies, it hates it. And if your withholding the truth you are now apart of the lie and the lie is what's frustrating you. A lie can never be the truth. Lies feeds other lies and the intensity of the lie builds up into hurt. Ask someone who was lied to for years about a hidden truth and when the time of revealing came, it became hard to cope. Not knowing how to deal with an emotion can hinder moving on. If the lie is making you angry it's liable to make you frustrated. Tell the truth and never withhold your peace. Though it may not seem likely, frustration builds character. It's what we least expect from something that breeds restraint.


Duly Noted and Marked

Fate

Relying on fate as an affirmative approach to design your whole life around is comparable to betting on uneven odds that will never work in your favor. Fate if you allow it will foretell a story and have your whole life fall right before you. Those who gamble with their lives always end up losing. For those that believe in fortune tellers, horoscopes or fairytales which embodies fate as their predetermined future. Allow the hands of mischievous acts to underhand and undermine the development of Faith in one’s life. Faith is not a fictional love affair like its rival fate. Either you believe in Faith or either you allow fate to rule in favor of what your life will be. Neither fate nor man can determine anything that the "Creator" has created himself. He is all knowing, an undeniable being, that activates on Faith. Never give your life over to fate give in to Faith. Fate tells you to leave it up to the cosmic while, Faith tells you to believe when cause and factors don’t seem reliable. Only chaotic situations that rely on fate tell you that Faith doesn't work. But the reality of fate and Faith is that, one works and the other is make-believe. Our dreams are based on Faith. We believe therefore we have hope and in hope we have Faith. To operate in Faith is to gain and to endure is to succeed.

Duly Noted and Marked 

Deceived

We've all done things that we said we will never do again. And in certain predicaments when the story was retold you couldn't believe what was being said. I've made the mistake to go as far as saying; it wasn't me it was someone else.  What leads to deception is when you allow your desire to override the approval of your own mind. They say if you go off of your first mind it won't lead you astray, but the second and third mind is usually jumbled by a matter of other opinions.  The deceiving process begins by allowing an opposing side to lure one into continuing to do his/her own will to justify "all” matters in lieu of doing what’s willfully right. When your will is intact you think everyone and everything else is wrong and you’re the only person who's right. You've now made yourself to believe that if you had to do everything by yourself you could because no one besides you is able to. This is where the enemy gains a hold of our lives, when we’re in a place where no one can defend us and we are all alone. His number one ploy is isolation. Isolation leaves you needy and starving for attention which makes you more willing to latch on to anyone. He knows that two is better than one and when working together we strengthen each other, but divided we all fall. How do you recognize the signs of deceit? You can only recognize the signs when you unfold the plan. Usually the signs are the ones that have hidden agendas. People will never flat out tell you that what they have in mind for you is to bring harm to you. What they will try to do, is wear you down until all of your senses are thrown off by fake ploys to desensitize you. By taking away the things that makes sense and the people who do. So often we think that we are being deceived by the very people that tell us the truth about ourselves even when we don’t want to see their way. Good friends don’t withhold secrets in order to spare the others feelings. Would you rather hurt now so you can get over quickly or linger in the pain awhile awaiting the hurtful truth?  When good people leave it’s an indicator that something within you and your decisions may have turned them off and away. When you start to blame them and never look at yourself, it could be your surrounding that could be affecting your environment. Uninvited guest tend to lurk around to hold your first mind hostage by eluding you away from your focus. We have to be smart to the game that's being played on us. People just don't leave without reason. Its one thing to not have a clue but it’s another to act like you know when you don’t. Our deceiver uses bold defenses to counteract the workings of good when we’re oblivious to evil. He has a way to single handily destroy the existence of who you are by allowing him too. If you give him reason then you’ll see the effect. How you get rid of the deceiver is by using what he doesn't have against him, the “will” that is not of your own, but the one that triumphs in Victory.

Duly Noted and Marked 

Attraction

 One of the ways the enemy comes in to our minds is by keeping us so busy that we become distracted. He figures if he keeps us busy long enough that we will be so far off from God's purpose. His ultimate plan is to confuse us, to follow his lead according to his plan. He has set out to destroy God's creation to make them falter and to fail the intended plan of God. We work tiresome on things that have no importance to Gods plan and purpose for our lives. This takes the focus away from reading, praying, intercession and hearing God. Making our lives difficult to do any of these things, which are required to live a God filled life. Havoc comes into the mere places that are in dire need of God’s attention. We allow too much attention to go toward the problem; therefore it gains our attraction and steals us away from our focus, to get closer to the one who is the situation resolver. The enemy brings in the cares of this world to obtain the heart of God's people. Self-Gratification through pleasures that have their own appetite seeks nothing of God, but draws to the plan of destruction. The enemy wants us to be concerned with what we see; in order to paint a subliminal picture of what life could be like, if we have the things that we want. He shows us pictures through magazines, and television shows that are unrealistic, to eradicate Gods desire for us. And we wish on those things to come to past. What we say he knows he can activate if it’s outside the will of God. When we wish for substances outside the will it becomes substance abuse. That is why it is important to say, “Thy will be done”, because if it is not God’s will, then who's will is it? We have no idea of the outcomes because we too focus on what pleasures it will bring. Rely on what God shows you through the vision he has given you. The devil does not have the power to give you anything. But by you activating what is seen through the natural eye it gives it life, even when what you see around you is dead. Aim for wanting what God’s wants and if his heart is in you, your desire becomes his.

Duly Noted and Marked

Free of Debt

This year for me has started off in a progressive way. Of the ways was applying a "Healthy Wealthy",mindset to go according to my future plans. Wanting to be rich was now out of the question, that was someone who I thought I wanted to be, but in the interim, being rich is a poor mans dream. The more I feed into that mentality, the more destitute in mind and wallet I became. What I really wanted to be was a financial proof of success. One that people could see and hope to be. Once I started processing financial freedom in ways that I didn't think I was capable of doing, I became "Healthy Wealthy". My financial "Resolution" for this year is to be Free of Debt but not debt free. When your free of something, it no longer holds you and you can't go back because being free wont let you. I spoke Free of Debt over my life and in my pocketbook. I gathered my belonging together and I thought to myself what should be the first thing to go, "Credit Cards". One of my credit cards had a 600 dollar limit but I spent almost 4000 over the course of one year. How could that be you ask? If you allow yourself every month to run up your card and every other month pay it off and repeat the same steps again. You'll find yourself in the same place repeating the process. And this time around for me I had to break this cycle of the rotating wheel turning and never stopping. If this doesn't make sense to you, I get it, because it didn't make sense to either. This was absolutely crazy to me. To think I spent this much on one card and to have nothing to show for it was literally a waste of all my money spent! No way was I going to live 2013 as I did 2012 doing the same thing over again. I ended up cutting up the card and I'm now paying down the balance. The process is easy once you make a plan for it. And being 'Free of Debt' in mind and body has set me 'Free and Clear' to live peaceable.

"Fight the battle of bulge by gaining financial freedom and by loosing excessive debt"


Duly Noted and Marked

Identity

Who can remain loyal when being loyal requires solidarity. If we are not on one accord then what remains is division. And in division places each and everyone of us on opposite ends. Its sad to recognize that at this point in our lives that we have so many quarrels with family and friends based on a decision they made and one you decided to move forward with. Does it not seem fair to say that a person decisions are personal matters? And that we all have to make them one day for ourselves. We put too much of our own beliefs into someone else's life that is not our own. We try to mirror an image that we think would be perfection but it turns out to be deception. You can not live through a lens that is not prescribed to you. Everyone on this planet has their own identity. For a time in my life I lived through someone else's vision. Which made me more angry than confused. I allowed people to dictate how I was going to be by what they did, when I knew it wasn't even me. I lost a sense of self and time wandering aimlessly trying to figure out who I was and where I was headed. Its take a special kind of person to decide to change based on self identification. When you identify with who you are you set yourself up to place the World off it's axis. We are designed to be identified by "The One",who has made us acceptable beings but in a separable way. If I become like you and you became like me, then it would be hard to separate. A person with their own Identity can never be mistaken for someone else, even if someone's vision of you is obscured from their own beliefs.


Duly Noted and Marked

Big Payback

My heart goes out to those who have lost loves ones within this year. Some of us would be amaze to find out that within the first 7 days, death knocked on someone's door and they were left with no choice but to open it. How many times have we heard about someone dying and never taking the time to realize that if we're not to careful, our next move could be our last. Or the fact that we taken to many chances with our lives, but never taken steps of Faith to live a better one. What sense does it make to have opportunities and never see them through? Or what about letting go of something so small, that it caused damaged holding on to it, when you should have settled it before it got worse. When will we stop looking at God to blame and see that death comes as a benefit. He that gives us life also has the right to take it. But he chooses the time. And we must take measures to insure that if we care for our lives the way that God has intended for us to, that the 'Big Payback', is beneficial to us in many ways unimaginable.


Duly Noted and Marked