Friday, July 30, 2010
Self-Help or All Satisfying Saviour
Some say that Buddha and Christ are similar.....I say that they are very different. Buddha taught that inner peace is a human achievement, Christ taught that it was a God achievement. Buddhism basically says that life is full of suffering due to human desire and you must enlighten yourself to end it. It seems to me that this is simply far too self-preservational to have a solution behind it. If enlightenment meant the end of human suffering, then why do we still suffer from evil? Is it because of the lack of enlightenment? or is it because of something else? If enlightenment is the key then we should all just meditate and read books and evil will just simply leave. This is why Jesus is not equal with Buddha. Enlightenment is not to be taken personally, but corporately. Meaning once we have the Light (Jesus) we are not to keep Him to ourselves, but to spread Him around to others. Jesus taught that we suffer from evil because mankind is inherently evil due to his twisted nature that was born out of Adam's sin (falling away from God) Jesus taught that the only way out of this predictament was to believe that He is and was the Son of God, that He died on the cross for mankind and that He rose to liberate us from these sinful desires and the evil that rages in our hearts. Not a self help guru, but Saviour. Either Jesus satisfies all the desires in your heart, or you are still a slave to your sin. One or the other. Jesus cannot simply be a way to a better life when He is the way to the Father. Jesus said it himself if you do not believe I am who I say I am you will die in your sin. There are only two choices when it comes to Jesus. Either He is who he said He was or He's a stark raving madman. There isn't room for a great moral teacher/self help guru. He is either Saviour or the saddest mental case in all of history. But there's not a trace of His bones on Earth. However you can visit Buddha's grave. Kinda makes you think doesn't it?
Greatness vs. Success
People often say I want to be successful but hardly ever do you hear people say I want to be great. Possibly because the two terms have been overused and confused with each other. In success there may be a measure of greatness but greatness is never measured by success. In my mind I hear Success asking Greatness "How I can be like you?" and I hear Greatness replying "Forget about yourself, but do it all for others." As far as my writing goes I want to be remembered for my honesty, my openess, and my ability to allow others to understand why I do this. I could care less for success, I desire greatness over success. When you think of me I want you to think that young man is great, I really mean like one of the best of all time. One day I'll be in the same breath as Hughes, Dunbar, Frost, and Woodsworth. Most of these men were not "successful" until they died but they were considered greats long before the measureable success came. So honestly my true goal in writing is not to get fame or get rich I just want to leave you with some fingerprints. Something to inspire my kids with if they come. If not perhaps I'll just be one of those figures you read about how this person had a passion for what they did and poured themselves into it regardless of what they were repaid with. Honestly my greatest fear is measureable success, I have no desire to sell myself out for a little bit of money. It's never worth it to alienate the people you love nevermind the Lord above but this is just me. Someone else might say I'm not trying to be broke all my life, but allow me to ask you is any of this notoriety worth the tagged price? The lost time with friends, the loss of privacy, the loss of touch, the loss of humility....oh but you make a lotta money though. Something here says success lies in the way of greatness...success makes you settle for good enough because you get paid for mediocre content. What I write I feel like nobody else can offer up because everyone else worries about perception, I know I'm not perfect and I don't care to put up curtains like I'm some kinda super Christian. It's really sickening to me personally when people paint this rosy picture of serving God as if you'll never have problems, struggles, fights......it's all a part of carrying that cross. That cross means death it means pain but it also provides you with hope, for Christ overcame the cross. Again success versus greatness.....Christ wasn't "successful" but He sure was great. I realize great is a weak word when it comes to Jesus but I'm going somewhere with this and other distinctions between success and greatness.The last thing is just two definitions that probably illustrate the point greater than anything I've written so far. Check it.Success:the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors. 2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like. 3. a successful performance or achievement: The play was an instant success. 4. a person or thing that is successful: She was a great success on the talk show. Greatness:unusually or comparatively large in size or dimensions: A great fire destroyed nearly half the city. 2. large in number; numerous: Great hordes of tourists descend on Europe each summer. 3. unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity, etc.: great pain. 4. wonderful; first-rate; very good: We had a great time. That's great! 5. being such in an extreme or notable degree: great friends; a great talker. 6. notable; remarkable; exceptionally outstanding: a great occasion. 7. important; highly significant or consequential: the great issues in American history. 8. distinguished; famous: a great inventor. 9. of noble or lofty character: great thoughts. 10. chief or principal: the great hall; his greatest novel. 11. of high rank, official position, or social standing: a great noble. 12. much in use or favor: “Humor” was a great word with the old physiologists. 13. of extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable: a great statesman. 14. of considerable duration or length: We waited a great while for the train. So let me ask you, would you rather be a success, or be great?
The Real Reason for Racism
As I look around at the recent injustices done to two Black people and 74 protesters it has occured to me that this is less a skin issue as it is a heart issue. Although I realize that God's justice will come about, I also believe that it is our responsibility as a society to ensure that the justice we enact is rightly done. My problem is that Oscar Grant was clearly an innocent man and the little girl that was killed by mistaken police was clearly an innocent and senseless death. How do you pull the trigger on a little girl and show basically no remorse? This shows a clear deficit in the matters of the heart it is not enough to say that these actions are "racist" because that lets the root of racism off the hook, the darkened heart of man. It is easy to say that Whites abuse their power but it is harder to say why with a clear understanding about it. My thing is this: If it is only because they are White and have power to abuse, should not this happen much more frequently? Do not more Whites have power than Blacks? So in my mind this is not the clear answer, but a very attractive scapegoat. People find comfort in whatever conviently explains away the problem, but offers no solution. So it is easy as a Black male to say that these things happened because they were Black and the people who have done it were not, however this does not offer up any solutions. The ones pulling the triggers suffer from something deeper than simple racism, they suffer from a lack of knowledge about God and how God feels about ALL of His creations. Albeit racism may be a side-effect of this ignorance it is not the root cause for racism. The root of racism is a dark and evil heart. Something that we do indeed all share as a result of our human condition. It is not limited to one particular shade of people, but we all share this darkened heart. What is the cure for this evil? Understanding that Christ's sacrifice was not made for a group of people, but for all people. All of God's children suffered from delusions about sin. The Jews thought salvation was only meant for them, without understanding that God's plan included all of humanity. This is the delusion that died with Christ. Should not the delusion that justice is only for the rich or for the privliged die as well? Racism is not the reason, but only a symptom of the reason. Remember that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers and wickedness in the heavenly places......our fight is not with them, but the demons they allow to rule them.
The Foolishness Of Human Empowerment
Empowerment:to give power or authority to; authorize, esp. by legal or official means: I empowered my agent to make the deal for me. The local ordinance empowers the board of health to close unsanitary restaurants. 2. to enable or permit: Wealth empowered him to live a comfortable life. —Synonyms 1. warrant, commission, license, qualify. With that being said, there is no way that a human can truly empower another human simply because it is outside of our scope of ability. There is but one who can give power or authority and His name is Jesus. Humanly I may be able to speak encouraging words, words of life, words teeming with life, but then who empowers me to do such things? Certainly not myself. The power comes from one with much greater authority, much greater power than I could think to even possess. The gifting does not come from the vessel itself, but the gifting has to come from the one who is molding the vessel. Therefore, empowerment itself is a gift of God not of men. I implore those of you who glean some kind of encouragement, some kind of growth from what I write to you to seek Christ's empowerment. The human empowerment that I give is only meant to supplement what God has already given you. Perhaps I am meant to serve as a reminder for what the Lord has already spoken into your life. True empowerment comes from a higher source than I am even capable of supplying. True empowerment comes from the Christ of the cross. Seek His empowerment.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Standard
What are healthy standards? People say that those who want a lot have "high standards" but is that really a bad thing? God has high standards. He desires that we be perfect and holy, but we desire that we be imperfect and compromise what He requires us to be in the interest of being "cool" and "acceptable". Funny how we don't want God to fade on His standards but we fade on ours and rather eaisly at that. As a man, my standards are simple. I only want to be like Christ. As a man, I have standards that anyone that I'd be thinking of pursuing must have. They must desire to be like Christ. See how this works? our standards are not to be superficial, but they must be no more than we are willing to be ourselves. Otherwise you have forayed into that hypocritical zone. No one wants a hypocrite. I say that to say this: Where are the standards? Where is the pressure to conform to an image of Christ? Where are the Fathers, the men who would teach the younger generation how to be like Christ? Where are the Mothers, the women who would teach the younger generation to say with conviction, If I perish for the sake of Christ, I perish? Looking at the standards which have been bent and honestly broken so much over the years, one comes to wonder, where are the standards at? Homosexuality is commonplace and even accepted in the church. There are men in the church who sleep with married women in the church, vice-versa. There is more evil in the church than there is outside of the walls. One reason and one reason only, there aren't any standards based on Christ. Fix your standard on Christ and it will not be shaken or moved. Make Christ's approval your standard.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Lost?
I hear a lot of people say that the sisters should be "lost" in Christ. Let us look up the word lost. no longer possessed or retained: lost friends. 2. no longer to be found: lost articles. 3. having gone astray or missed the way; bewildered as to place, direction, etc.: lost children. 4. not used to good purpose, as opportunities, time, or labor; wasted: a lost advantage. 5. being something that someone has failed to win: a lost prize. 6. ending in or attended with defeat: a lost battle. 7. destroyed or ruined: lost ships. 8. preoccupied; rapt: He seems lost in thought. 9. distracted; distraught; desperate; hopeless: In this light, I believe the more accurate statement should be grounded in Christ. When lost in Christ what do you have to hold to? I prefer that she is grounded in Christ as opposed to being lost. Again let us look up the term grounded. the solid surface of the earth; firm or dry land: to fall to the ground. 2. earth or soil: stony ground. 3. land having an indicated character: rising ground. 4. Often, grounds. a tract of land appropriated to a special use: picnic grounds; a hunting ground. 5. Often, grounds. the foundation or basis on which a belief or action rests; reason or cause: grounds for dismissal. 6. subject for discussion; topic: Sex education is forbidden ground in some school curricula. 7. rational or factual support for one's position or attitude, as in a debate or argument: on firm ground; on shaky ground. For our purposes let us focus on the fifth definition, there ought to be a foundation of Christ that has been laid down that you can firmly stand on as opposed to not really knowing where you are in Christ. I say this because if you are lost in Christ, do you know where to stand? Being grounded in Christ allows you to truly understand where to stand and why to stand. I don't care if you agree or disagree with what I say, I just ask you to think about what it means to truly be grounded and sustained by Christ and what it means to say you are lost in Christ. Just keeping it real.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
The Mind Of Christ
Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. A simple sentence packed with so much to dig into. Think like Christ. How did Christ think? Glad you asked. Christ thought Kingdom first, how to get the rest of the people to understand the Kingdom second, how to get them to apply Kingdom third. Now if this is the pattern of the Chief Shepard then what does it say of the sheep who say they follow Him? Should we not be concerned with the matters of the Kingdom first? Should we not seek for others to understand this Kingdom and then apply the Kingdom mindset to Earth? Examine how Christ sought God's glory in all that He did. Every miracle that He performed screamed To God Be All The Glory. Christ did nothing to make His own name great, but due to His obedience to God, God brought His name glory. He was even obedient to the humiliating death of the cross, which God used to lift His own name up. What a ironic turn of events. That which they meant for shame and humiliation, God used for Glory and exhaltation. Let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. The mind of Christ says Glory to God not Glory to Man. The mind of Christ says I only accept Glory from God and not Glory from man. The mind of Christ says service over savoring sensation. Christ's mind says that this walk is not about me, yet this walk is about us, brothers and sisters in arms carrying each other to the finish line. The mind of Christ says give and give with reckless abandon. The mind of Christ.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Ties
Honestly what ties you to Earth? Let me ask it like this, what would keep you from being satisfied when you die? I would have to echo John Wooden the famous collegiate basketball coach when he was asked in an interview "Are you afraid to die?" Mr Wooden replied "No. Why would I be afraid to die? It's the most wonderful thing that could happen to me." That is serious battle hardened faith. Coupled with the astute realization that there was no treasure to be had on Earth that would warrant competition with the treasure to be had in Heaven. Namely fellowship with God and Christ being able to see Him and the price He paid for our redemption's sake. Nothing should keep us from being able to lay this life down eagerly and expectantly when we leave. For this reason I have no understanding of sadness when people die for that is why they were born. We cannot live here forever, we weren't designed to do so. Although early exits do tend to catch us offguard there is comfort in knowing that the dearly departed had a walk with God. I worry more for those whom we do not know about recieving Christ as their Lord and Saviour than I do for the dead. To be honest about it, I would have to take the same route as Lecrae here, if they die without hearing the gospel, I hold myself fully responsible. Not that I give them scripture and a sermon, but that I make them aware of the reality that there is nothing they can do, nowhere that they can go, nothing that can be thought that can effectively excommunicate them from Christ. I have a responsibilty to make Him known and if I shirk that responsibility, thier blood is on my hands. Yet the question I must ask of all of us is what is going to keep us from bringing as many people to the table as we can? Why be satisfied with only bringing ourselves? Jesus has illustrated in many of His parables that we are to be outwardly minded, meaning that we be not selfish with salvation, but we share this true wealth. It is the only thing we recieve on Earth that we can take with us when we die. Salvation is true wealth, not money, not abundance of things. Salvation. With this in mind the only thing that we should truly be tied to on Earth is seeking salvation. Not for our benefits but for thiers so that as a byproduct when we do die, we can do so with a clear consciousness that we have done what the Lord wills. We can then die free.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Looking.....
As I look around at relationships I see one thing that we should definitely take into account. We are created to glorify, honor, and respect God in all our ways. But it seems like this is given a backseat to our own desires when we enter a relationship with another person. Maybe it's the Adam and Eve syndrome coming out to where we honor thier desires more than we honor God's desire. But here it is. We should seek to honor God's heart by searching out what He desires of us as individuals first by this I mean we should definitely be sure that we are serving others not to be seen serving by others but for our hearts to be seen humble by God. We should esteem others as better than ourselves, we should beat each other in showing honor, love, and respect to each other. Not to impress the other person, but to honor God's heart. The thing about us is that once we do "find" someone it seems we are willing to do anything to please them, and that should not be so. We are placed on Earth to please God, not ourselves. The only one we ought to bend over backwards to please is God because His standards do not waver in the wind as ours do. However I see in our relationships that we tend to base our actions on if it will please the other person versus will this please God? We do throw God out on the street once we achieve what we desire. Like alright God, I have what it is I desire, I no longer need or desire your input, begone. Which is ridiculous, because with one word what you have could just as eaisly be taken away by the God you have just thrown away. Thus you will have repeated the sin of Adam and Eve of coming to treasure the gift above He who gave it. It's like this, if we treasure God and the Cross above all things it stands to reason that God will reward you with the desires of your heart so long as your desires will not supplant the desire you were created to fulfill. So yes, in relationships you should enjoy the other person, it will not always go smoothly, however as long as you both keep God centered views things will go a lot smoother in the long run. Yes there will be a long run when God is the glue that holds your house together. But this is not the reason why God is the center, God is the center because without Him, nothing exists that was ever made and God is the center because you prize Him above anything that He made. That includes him and her. Therfore, treasure God in all that you do relationally and individually because from that desire to please God do all things flow. Be God lovers. Not lovers who just have a knowledge of God. Huge difference.
True Freedom
Freedom is not free. Let no one delude you into believing freedom is indeed free, it may be free to you, as in you do not have to pay for it in a sense but let me assure you that someone pays for it either with blood or with guns drawn in it's name. For the Christian, freedom was purchased with the blood of God. Namely in the person of Christ as God the Father watched from Heaven as His Son poured Himself out so that we could all be rightfully called Sons and Daughters of the King. Our freedom cost this great sacrifice. Picture you eternally recieving praise and worship and choosing to step down and recieve curses and hatred for the sake of those who curse and hate you. That in itself was a great sacrifice. He did not choose to make Himself great for His own sake, but He chose to make Himself humble for our sakes. He had to be a common man for they would never crucify a King. Here is the irony for in crucifying a percieved human, they crucified a King. It took His sacrifice to purchase our freedom. We could not atone for our own iniquity for we are prone and exposed to sin since flesh was sewn on bones in a word since our conception. It took one who was human and divine to lift our sin curse. It took this great sacrifice of God-blood to give us our true freedom. Freedom defined: the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial. 2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc. 3. the power to determine action without restraint. 4. political or national independence. 5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom. 6. exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually fol. by from ): freedom from fear. 7. the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc. 8. ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country. 9. frankness of manner or speech. 10. general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation. 11. the absence of ceremony or reserve. 12. a liberty taken. 13. a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes. 14. civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government. 15. the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like. 16. the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library. 17. Philosophy . the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination. Compare necessity ( def. 7 ) . (Dictonary.com)
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Encouragement
People seem to think that encouragement is only when you are weak in your walk, in your faith, or in your life but that is a flawed view of encouragement and what the word really means. To encourage is to:to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence: His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running. 2.to stimulate by assistance, approval, etc.: One of the chief duties of a teacher is to encourage students. 3.to promote, advance, or foster: Poverty often encourages crime. (dictonary.com) Thereby encouragement is not soley limited to those who have fallen on hard times, hard circumstances but encouragement is for all times no matter if you are up or down. Every now and then everybody needs to hear a simple you are doing the right things, stay on that track. We as people have conditioned encouragement to be something synonomus with struggle and that is just not so. Encouragement is just as much needed at the top of the mountain as it is when you are struggling to breathe in the valley. It simply means to assist, to advance, or to inspire. Needless to say about mountain climbing one peak is just another valley when you look at the grand scheme of things in life. Sure it might look like a person is at the height of achievement, but in reality they are stuck in another valley as it relates to the entire mountain range. So it is with life that we not only need encouragement when we fall, but when we succeed as well. We still need that push to drive us to keep on climbing that next mountain and that next mountain until we have conqured them all and it is time to retire. So encourage somebody today, tommorrow, next week, next month. You never really know how much it will help them to endure the next set of challenges they might have to face.
Deservedness
What do we rightfully deserve? Life? Not promised. Money? Not necessary. Happiness? Depends on what you make of what you recieve. I ask this question because when something bad happens to one whom we would call "good" we question if they deserve this to happen to them. Let me take the blinders off. God calls none of us good but rather justified. We are not inherently good, no matter what we do or don't do there is this monster raging to be released in us. This monster is revealed as our sin nature and it rears it's ugly head whenever it recieves the possibility to do so. Even when we do not seek to have it released. This is probably why Paul says Every time I desire to do good, evil is always present. At every turn at every moment our sin nature threatens our percieved deservedness. Which is why we all deserve death. We all deserve wrath. We all deserve repayment for every one of our iniquitious sins. This is our only deservedness in life. We do deserve the pain of the cross daily, we deserve suffering, we deserve to be reckoned with as our hidden evil desires bring upon us. The wickedness of man deserves to be punished. I will not be heard complaining because I realize what I do indeed deserve. I deserve punishment. But behold, there is a lamb of God's provision that took the destruction I was due and thru Him, I was made deserving of the presence of God so long as I will believe and so long as I am convicted to believe I will act out of that conviction. Deserving nothing, thru Christ we recieve that which we do not have a right to recieve. Our deservedness.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is required of us if we desire to move on with life, and with our relationship with God for Jesus spoke plainly of it in Matthew. Jesus says if you do not forgive men, do not expect your Heavenly Father to forgive you. Jesus said it. To forgive is to: to grant pardon for or remission of (an offense, debt, etc.); absolve. 2.to give up all claim on account of; remit (a debt, obligation, etc.). 3.to grant pardon to (a person). 4.to cease to feel resentment against: to forgive one's enemies. 5.to cancel an indebtedness or liability of: to forgive the interest owed on a loan. (dictonary.com) This being said to truly forgive someone means to no longer hold what they have done to you, your feelings, your ego, or even your faith against them. This means they are in the clear. Anyone who tells you that you can forgive and not forget is only telling you a lie. You must forgive and forget. God forgives and forgets our sins and is faithful and just to do so if we will confess them to Him. If you cannot forget what they have done to you, you haven't forgiven. You need to go back to them and ask them to forgive you of your debt that you hold against them. Again Jesus said this in Matthew. So this is not my teaching or admonition but His. To move forward with your life indeed you are bound to the law of forgiveness which says not only do I not hold you responsible for what you have done to me, I don't even think about it. True forgiveness is this and this only.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
False Beauty
She's beautiful been beautiful her whole life
but she's been taught so many lies
told psychologically that she wasn't good enough because she doesn't look like them
she's not built up like them and she doesn't have the light skin
the wavy or straight hair that they desire to lift her higher
because she was born dark skinned
men
tell her if she was just half a shade lighter she'd be fire
liars
because she doesn't fit the magazine's definition of what's in
she begins to blame her skin
her nose her hair her eyes
as reasons to why
the men in her life
never stayed with her long
but that's wrong
she blamed herself for years of pain for years of trying to be
what she already was
I hunger for the blood
the blood of these people who told her she wasn't pretty that she wasn't lovely
because they lied
they told her that because she didn't line up with a magazine's description
she can't fit some man's prescription
because she doesn't fit this cookie cutter mold
well she can't because honestly she's so much more
more than what they took the time to show her she was
her family had no time to show her love
mama and daddy both worked themselves to death
to provide everything on the shelf
but had problems developing her sense of self
so when she grows up she has a deficit
her image of self is derelict
empty and void
because her parents never showed her what she was over society's noise
that she was much more valuable than money and cars
now she's chasing all that plus some rich star
who can make her feel worth pursuits and pleasure
but nobody ever told her she was beautiful beyond measure
but she's been taught so many lies
told psychologically that she wasn't good enough because she doesn't look like them
she's not built up like them and she doesn't have the light skin
the wavy or straight hair that they desire to lift her higher
because she was born dark skinned
men
tell her if she was just half a shade lighter she'd be fire
liars
because she doesn't fit the magazine's definition of what's in
she begins to blame her skin
her nose her hair her eyes
as reasons to why
the men in her life
never stayed with her long
but that's wrong
she blamed herself for years of pain for years of trying to be
what she already was
I hunger for the blood
the blood of these people who told her she wasn't pretty that she wasn't lovely
because they lied
they told her that because she didn't line up with a magazine's description
she can't fit some man's prescription
because she doesn't fit this cookie cutter mold
well she can't because honestly she's so much more
more than what they took the time to show her she was
her family had no time to show her love
mama and daddy both worked themselves to death
to provide everything on the shelf
but had problems developing her sense of self
so when she grows up she has a deficit
her image of self is derelict
empty and void
because her parents never showed her what she was over society's noise
that she was much more valuable than money and cars
now she's chasing all that plus some rich star
who can make her feel worth pursuits and pleasure
but nobody ever told her she was beautiful beyond measure
This is What Goes On In My Mind.....Hope It Looks Familiar
hey
ever wonder what happened to our sense of self?
if it packed up and just left or did we just push it off some remote cliff somewhere off the coast of California.....
if it was in us. we could just get it back. it's deeper than that
we don't get taught sense of self...it's something that people say develops..but it only develops if it's been properly cultivated......
which indicates a teaching on some level or another
but you can't teach yourself how to respect yourself......thus is the problem. no body teaches children what they are worth, so they just accept society's substitutes
if you don't know it's disrespect. you don't know you need to grow
not if they disrespected themselves first.
they condition themselves to believe that is normal or acceptable unless they are taught better
if they aren't caught early enough it can lead to a life of chasing acceptance in false expressions of respect/love which is often confused with lust.
lol it just gets easier to see things once you strip them down to bare basics.....and the basic problem with us as a people is we have been taught how to seem successful versus how to be successful....we have been taught how to look good, walk good, talk good.....but not how to sustain a good life....taught by our own culture that having things = success......when success is being happy with what you have....looking successful versus defining your own success.......people fail to teach children how to be versus how to seem....seeming to be right or good without actually having right or good in your heart is simple hypocrisy....on a broader scale that defines American policy
and it sickens me how parents don't teach sons and daughters their true value but instead a relative value.....you are only valued by what you produce or create......you aren't valueable by virtue of being who you are....BIG PROBLEM
What happened to our parents? think about that for a minute.....I'm talking about the failures of that generation and how it was passed onto this one.....how they became slaves of "the life" and had no time to really raise children effectively.....we are headed for the same end if we do not stop long enough to care what our children take in.....I think about raising children because it's coming....and I do not fear it.....but too many just lay down because they lack the foundation of love and respect for self and by extent respect of others.....
teachers don't raise kids
parents do
and that's definitely what I plan on doing
both really. lol
cuz I'll be home enough so I can effectively monitor what they take in.....and make sure they get full development as people.....the wife will help when she can.....I'd understand if she's too busy and can't always be there.....but she would pitch in whenever possible for her to....she's responsible for them just like I am. (tm)
ever wonder what happened to our sense of self?
if it packed up and just left or did we just push it off some remote cliff somewhere off the coast of California.....
if it was in us. we could just get it back. it's deeper than that
we don't get taught sense of self...it's something that people say develops..but it only develops if it's been properly cultivated......
which indicates a teaching on some level or another
but you can't teach yourself how to respect yourself......thus is the problem. no body teaches children what they are worth, so they just accept society's substitutes
if you don't know it's disrespect. you don't know you need to grow
not if they disrespected themselves first.
they condition themselves to believe that is normal or acceptable unless they are taught better
if they aren't caught early enough it can lead to a life of chasing acceptance in false expressions of respect/love which is often confused with lust.
lol it just gets easier to see things once you strip them down to bare basics.....and the basic problem with us as a people is we have been taught how to seem successful versus how to be successful....we have been taught how to look good, walk good, talk good.....but not how to sustain a good life....taught by our own culture that having things = success......when success is being happy with what you have....looking successful versus defining your own success.......people fail to teach children how to be versus how to seem....seeming to be right or good without actually having right or good in your heart is simple hypocrisy....on a broader scale that defines American policy
and it sickens me how parents don't teach sons and daughters their true value but instead a relative value.....you are only valued by what you produce or create......you aren't valueable by virtue of being who you are....BIG PROBLEM
What happened to our parents? think about that for a minute.....I'm talking about the failures of that generation and how it was passed onto this one.....how they became slaves of "the life" and had no time to really raise children effectively.....we are headed for the same end if we do not stop long enough to care what our children take in.....I think about raising children because it's coming....and I do not fear it.....but too many just lay down because they lack the foundation of love and respect for self and by extent respect of others.....
teachers don't raise kids
parents do
and that's definitely what I plan on doing
both really. lol
cuz I'll be home enough so I can effectively monitor what they take in.....and make sure they get full development as people.....the wife will help when she can.....I'd understand if she's too busy and can't always be there.....but she would pitch in whenever possible for her to....she's responsible for them just like I am. (tm)
Conversation on Family Between Myself and Anthony Lewis
Anthony Lewis:" That will be one of my greatest accomplishments...teaching my son that a woman is the greatest thing to walk to earth...that she is second to none, but is rarely properly appreciated...that in himself, he holds to key to some queen unlocking the fortune of her potential.."
Daniel Johnson:" careful that he doesn't put woman too high, she walks on clay feet too.....I will teach him what she is worth......and I will teach my daughter(s) what her worth is and what she is to expect and accept from a man.....all she will have to then do is look at the men in her immediate life....after the initial teachings of her worth, her value, who she is, what really defines her and why daddy loves her like he does.....and the son will learn how to value himself enough not to seek his own value or validation within the embrace of a woman, he will learn what makes him who he is and that he is valuable and valued by that alone and that what he produces only accentuates that......he will learn how to BE, not how to SEEM....they both will. He also will learn why daddy loves him like he does.....for love isn't limited to daughters......such is the problem with "men" these days.....love and affection are seen as soft and "womanly"
Anthony Lewis:" I completely agree. I do not fear fatherhood...I see it as one of many opportunities to leave this world better than I found it...and what better way than to raise a productive and profound member of society. I also see it as a way to share the love I have inside of me..and children are vessels of love and info; as they grow, the two coalesce and give the foundation for who the child will be."
Daniel Johnson:" exactly the way I feel about it bro.......God is our foundation.....and we build everything on that strong foundation......and when they have outgrown our house....the foundation will allow them to tap into what we ingrained deep within them as children. the entire meaning behind training up a child in the way they should go and when they are old (enough to make decisions) they will not leave it."
Daniel Johnson:" it takes a MAN and a WOMAN to raise children......not a Man and a grown girl or a grown boy and a WOMAN but two mature, whole, complete people who come together and intertwine the greatest parts of themselves to create something even greater than the parts"
Anthony Lewis:" Yessir. A child, no matter what, is the sum of the parts of those who make it...however, if you provide love and support as the adhesive for said parts, using tools made by God, the child can succeed no matter how many obstacles lie in its path. A man and woman are meant to have children because they are the most prepared for the labor of love it is to rear a youth...they are the most likely to base that child's growth in His flowerpot, rather than the loose soil that is entertainment/society."
Daniel Johnson:" careful that he doesn't put woman too high, she walks on clay feet too.....I will teach him what she is worth......and I will teach my daughter(s) what her worth is and what she is to expect and accept from a man.....all she will have to then do is look at the men in her immediate life....after the initial teachings of her worth, her value, who she is, what really defines her and why daddy loves her like he does.....and the son will learn how to value himself enough not to seek his own value or validation within the embrace of a woman, he will learn what makes him who he is and that he is valuable and valued by that alone and that what he produces only accentuates that......he will learn how to BE, not how to SEEM....they both will. He also will learn why daddy loves him like he does.....for love isn't limited to daughters......such is the problem with "men" these days.....love and affection are seen as soft and "womanly"
Anthony Lewis:" I completely agree. I do not fear fatherhood...I see it as one of many opportunities to leave this world better than I found it...and what better way than to raise a productive and profound member of society. I also see it as a way to share the love I have inside of me..and children are vessels of love and info; as they grow, the two coalesce and give the foundation for who the child will be."
Daniel Johnson:" exactly the way I feel about it bro.......God is our foundation.....and we build everything on that strong foundation......and when they have outgrown our house....the foundation will allow them to tap into what we ingrained deep within them as children. the entire meaning behind training up a child in the way they should go and when they are old (enough to make decisions) they will not leave it."
Daniel Johnson:" it takes a MAN and a WOMAN to raise children......not a Man and a grown girl or a grown boy and a WOMAN but two mature, whole, complete people who come together and intertwine the greatest parts of themselves to create something even greater than the parts"
Anthony Lewis:" Yessir. A child, no matter what, is the sum of the parts of those who make it...however, if you provide love and support as the adhesive for said parts, using tools made by God, the child can succeed no matter how many obstacles lie in its path. A man and woman are meant to have children because they are the most prepared for the labor of love it is to rear a youth...they are the most likely to base that child's growth in His flowerpot, rather than the loose soil that is entertainment/society."
Conversation Between Myself and Jason Johnson
Daniel:
First off man has been misdefined.....told that he's as good as what he produces...when a man is what he does, not what he has to show....that line of thinking corrupts relationships both with women and with other men and ultimately with God Himself....for they cease being images of God and become an image of created matter......
Jason:
men have been uneducated by our forefathers
many things have played an influence in bringing down the foundation of manhood
Jason:
drugs, alochol
the miseducation of men mistreating their women in front of their sons
Jason:
men out here not seeing their true potential because the enemy fill their mind with poison
Daniel:
yes men have been not educated by the fathers and reeducated by society and those men went on to teach their retaught philosophy to their sons...which was not at all how or what they were to learn....when God instituted family the man was taught by God and the man was to teach the family according to how God taught him and what God taught him he was.....men got away from teaching and even being taught...and as a result, everything that men have touched has become corrupted. they don't know what makes them up....they don't know what makes up the woman therefore they cannot understand how to raise sons and daughters and seek anything to fill that God void....be it drugs alcohol women or other pleasures.....
Jason:
the enemy knows how to break down the foundation of men by taking away the leader in their household! We as men have to come together no matter what for the Glory of the Lord
Daniel:
we allowed him to break down the foundation by ignoring the true foundation.....God. once we did that, it was easy for him to shift our attention to meaningless things to take God's place....and we mistrust men because we mistrust God and His ability so we naturally mistrust His creation made in His image....that's male and female.
Jason:
Amen!
We have to educate our young ones because the more and more of them are being poisoned by the world the more and more we are losing them to the streets and bad influences who become more of a father figure to them then true men of God have been
we have to bring the VILLAGE BACK TO THE CHILD
Daniel:
that we definitely do...but first we have to trust the village enough to leave our child there.
Jason:
put all this together because our men our only understanding the fellowship of a bullet and getting that money right now instead of and education and most importantly God
Daniel:
and that irritates me....how can you love money more than you love your own brother? but this is the root of that well known Bible verse that states the love of money is the root of all evil....and since they have chosen to make money their God, blasphemy is not tolerated not even by family, preachers, or even God Himself......and that is a most dangerous state of mind. If somehow we can get them to realize their greatness is not conditional on how much money they make but true greatness in only dependent on how much they reflect the light of Christ....for outside of Him ALL is VANITY. But they have been raised in a generation in an age that believes that Christ is the great deception and everything deserves more than He does....you believe in 2012 but won't believe in the God that made Time exist.......the beginning of knowledge is the reverent fear of the Lord....knowledge is the beginning of wisdom....and wisdom leads a man in all his paths.....the sooner we start teaching Godly foundation the better....human education void of God is the highest form of vanity in existence
First off man has been misdefined.....told that he's as good as what he produces...when a man is what he does, not what he has to show....that line of thinking corrupts relationships both with women and with other men and ultimately with God Himself....for they cease being images of God and become an image of created matter......
Jason:
men have been uneducated by our forefathers
many things have played an influence in bringing down the foundation of manhood
Jason:
drugs, alochol
the miseducation of men mistreating their women in front of their sons
Jason:
men out here not seeing their true potential because the enemy fill their mind with poison
Daniel:
yes men have been not educated by the fathers and reeducated by society and those men went on to teach their retaught philosophy to their sons...which was not at all how or what they were to learn....when God instituted family the man was taught by God and the man was to teach the family according to how God taught him and what God taught him he was.....men got away from teaching and even being taught...and as a result, everything that men have touched has become corrupted. they don't know what makes them up....they don't know what makes up the woman therefore they cannot understand how to raise sons and daughters and seek anything to fill that God void....be it drugs alcohol women or other pleasures.....
Jason:
the enemy knows how to break down the foundation of men by taking away the leader in their household! We as men have to come together no matter what for the Glory of the Lord
Daniel:
we allowed him to break down the foundation by ignoring the true foundation.....God. once we did that, it was easy for him to shift our attention to meaningless things to take God's place....and we mistrust men because we mistrust God and His ability so we naturally mistrust His creation made in His image....that's male and female.
Jason:
Amen!
We have to educate our young ones because the more and more of them are being poisoned by the world the more and more we are losing them to the streets and bad influences who become more of a father figure to them then true men of God have been
we have to bring the VILLAGE BACK TO THE CHILD
Daniel:
that we definitely do...but first we have to trust the village enough to leave our child there.
Jason:
put all this together because our men our only understanding the fellowship of a bullet and getting that money right now instead of and education and most importantly God
Daniel:
and that irritates me....how can you love money more than you love your own brother? but this is the root of that well known Bible verse that states the love of money is the root of all evil....and since they have chosen to make money their God, blasphemy is not tolerated not even by family, preachers, or even God Himself......and that is a most dangerous state of mind. If somehow we can get them to realize their greatness is not conditional on how much money they make but true greatness in only dependent on how much they reflect the light of Christ....for outside of Him ALL is VANITY. But they have been raised in a generation in an age that believes that Christ is the great deception and everything deserves more than He does....you believe in 2012 but won't believe in the God that made Time exist.......the beginning of knowledge is the reverent fear of the Lord....knowledge is the beginning of wisdom....and wisdom leads a man in all his paths.....the sooner we start teaching Godly foundation the better....human education void of God is the highest form of vanity in existence
Chance Meeting
she knows her physical beauty is only a shell determined to leave a legacy behind when she dies
daily she fights so her flesh meets demise she's much much more than meets the eyes
she's a real prize but she's not one to be won or fought over
she's a lover of many things but none greater than Jehovah
and any man that is to love her must love Him more than he loves to love her
she sees what she wants and she goes after it her vision is superb
although she has been hurt in the past her walls are not incredibly high and vast
she knows what is acceptable and what is not tolerable because she's in that Word
checking scripture on every sermon heard
diligent and driven she is every man's wife description
but she never places herself on a pedestal she knows her propensity to fall from the perch
this woman lives her life knowing that God is able to take all of her hurts
the pain in her past that would have crippled the average woman she smiles
and with her ever graceful style
attributes her ability to the cross and the work on the tree
she sees the reality is that it could easily have been me
caught up in earthquakes famine and disease
yet God saw fit to spare me
she knows she lives each day by new grace and new mercy
and she finds great joy in passionately working
working to expose truths to those shrouded in darkness
working to give hearts of flesh to those who have become cold and heartless
she does all that she does to glorify the Lord because she knows how to serve
and for that reason she never gets unnerved
by what goes on around her within her world
she just reaches out to touch and teach she realizes growth makes women out of girls
and she just wishes that they realize their potential is only as limited as they make it
for those who don't realize this her heart is breaking
she's devoted to developing herself and others
she's just a lover
she loves humanity but hates all the depravity
poetically she flies free
I stop as I gaze at her body of work and it blows my mind
because she is a breath sent from the Divine
daily she fights so her flesh meets demise she's much much more than meets the eyes
she's a real prize but she's not one to be won or fought over
she's a lover of many things but none greater than Jehovah
and any man that is to love her must love Him more than he loves to love her
she sees what she wants and she goes after it her vision is superb
although she has been hurt in the past her walls are not incredibly high and vast
she knows what is acceptable and what is not tolerable because she's in that Word
checking scripture on every sermon heard
diligent and driven she is every man's wife description
but she never places herself on a pedestal she knows her propensity to fall from the perch
this woman lives her life knowing that God is able to take all of her hurts
the pain in her past that would have crippled the average woman she smiles
and with her ever graceful style
attributes her ability to the cross and the work on the tree
she sees the reality is that it could easily have been me
caught up in earthquakes famine and disease
yet God saw fit to spare me
she knows she lives each day by new grace and new mercy
and she finds great joy in passionately working
working to expose truths to those shrouded in darkness
working to give hearts of flesh to those who have become cold and heartless
she does all that she does to glorify the Lord because she knows how to serve
and for that reason she never gets unnerved
by what goes on around her within her world
she just reaches out to touch and teach she realizes growth makes women out of girls
and she just wishes that they realize their potential is only as limited as they make it
for those who don't realize this her heart is breaking
she's devoted to developing herself and others
she's just a lover
she loves humanity but hates all the depravity
poetically she flies free
I stop as I gaze at her body of work and it blows my mind
because she is a breath sent from the Divine
(tm)
Heaven & Hell....Reality Check.
First off Heaven is not for everybody but those God called elected and has chosen and whom have answered God's call with a yes Lord. Not a physical yes, but a spiritual yes. Heaven is specifically set apart for the set apart. Heaven is not another physical plane of existence but it is spiritual in nature. Everything in Heaven reflects Jesus, the Light of Heaven which is why the streets are clear Gold and the walls are of precious stone to reflect as much Light (Jesus)as possible. The rest? Spiritual as well for your bodies no longer exist in the natural state but in a transfigured state to further reflect Jesus and His Light. heaven is not about your rewards physically, but about your rewards spiritually. You get rewarded with a crown related to your works which you cast at the feet of God because those works were not done for man, or simply for some blessing of God, but God Himself. You get rewarded with no sickness, no pain and no death because you are back in the original state of creation. A people for God's glory dwelling in God's glory. Everything in Heaven is spiritual and God-related in it's nature. No. Heaven is not for you because it wasn't earned by what you wanted but by what God wanted. Heaven is God's place of existence which is why those who have honored God in Earth are allowed the privilege and honor of being with God of seeing God face to face. Because you honored Him when you couldn't see Him but He could see you, He chooses to give you the privilege of seeing His face. Conversely Hell is a place of spiritual darkness given over to Lucifer or Satan to rule over the souls which followed darkness all the days of their lives or who had chosen to forsake the light for the darkness of man's empty philosophy. Hell is a place of eternal torment, but your physical body does not suffer at all. Your spirit your soul suffers because it is made aware of God's love it is made aware of His absence, His mercy, His love, His compassion. But the soul is made acutely aware of the hatred Satan always has had for it simply because of the fact that God made it, handcrafted it and cherished it while God had it in the fires crafting it after Himself. Satan can still see that even in the darkness and so Satan hates all who come thru Hell's gates. Hell is not a place of physical fire but your soul longs to be free of the oppression and hatred of it. Weeping and gnashing of teeth ring a bell? Slavery produced those same effects on slaves. so think about it, your soul is shackled to its sin and your soul feels the pain of death every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every instant of eternity. But it can't die. This is just a snippet of the reality of Heaven and Hell....there is not time enough or words enough to adequately describe their reality versus what people have been fed. (tm)
Pressing
Every now and then we all need some pressing
some stressing
some pain a little rain
a little trouble to remind us it is only by His might and name
that we even remain
and I would be ashamed to say my life never has it's peaks and valleys
that I never questioned if God ever really had me
everybody needs some balance and some times you need to lose your balance
so you can realize you don't draw breath on your own supply
sickness comes and goes those we love dearly die
and we clearly are distressed as to why why me and why now
we ask all the questions we can we even wish to know how
how will deliverance come we seek an answer but God seemingly provides none
in the toughest times of your test God removes the hand that once blessed
just
to see if you would seek His heart when you can't see his hands
just to remind you that life is not always about you and your demands
God has a master plan
and sometimes He has to scratch your grandiose plans
because honestly sometimes they are just in His way and not His will
yet and still
you are pressed pushed primed and made able to take the twists and turns of life
stronger with every tear you cry
stronger with every prayer prayed no longer are you in haste but now you are willing to wait
because you know God can and will make His way
in His own eternal time not your own human estimations
trials come to grow your patience thru tribulation
so do not despair when God chooses to begin pressing
He's just trying to extract what makes you precious (tm)
some stressing
some pain a little rain
a little trouble to remind us it is only by His might and name
that we even remain
and I would be ashamed to say my life never has it's peaks and valleys
that I never questioned if God ever really had me
everybody needs some balance and some times you need to lose your balance
so you can realize you don't draw breath on your own supply
sickness comes and goes those we love dearly die
and we clearly are distressed as to why why me and why now
we ask all the questions we can we even wish to know how
how will deliverance come we seek an answer but God seemingly provides none
in the toughest times of your test God removes the hand that once blessed
just
to see if you would seek His heart when you can't see his hands
just to remind you that life is not always about you and your demands
God has a master plan
and sometimes He has to scratch your grandiose plans
because honestly sometimes they are just in His way and not His will
yet and still
you are pressed pushed primed and made able to take the twists and turns of life
stronger with every tear you cry
stronger with every prayer prayed no longer are you in haste but now you are willing to wait
because you know God can and will make His way
in His own eternal time not your own human estimations
trials come to grow your patience thru tribulation
so do not despair when God chooses to begin pressing
He's just trying to extract what makes you precious (tm)
Boys vs. Men
A man is not defined by the things he buys the jeans grossly oversized
and everything overemphasized but a man is defined by his life
how he mirrors Christ
how he treats his mama and respects all women alike
it's like what a man showcases makes him better or more manly but he's missed the standard
excuse me for being candid but a man does not bend to everything the culture has demanded
he actually lives with standards and does not compromise
despite living among millions of lies
the block does not produce men it kills before boys can become them
you can't judge a man's worth by his net worth some of the best men never make any fortune lists
and I'm sick of us overvaluing this
but a man is defined when he doesn't have dollar signs and it's about time
women understand that a real man doesn't flex to impress
he just is what he is and does what he does
because he loves
it's not about how to look or how to seem
but how to conduct yourself as a King
integrity honor and respect and no less
is expected when you walk what you talk you edify God and that is the entirety of man's job
to simply reflect God in a dark environment and get this
when you do what you were designed to do
the world takes note of you it is not the overglorified fools
who fade away that have lasting influence
but those who know God's will and seek to do it
everyone wants a different definition of masculinity and man laws have ruined the reality of man discarding God's plan
and pushing culture on us all and under that weight any man would fall
unless he knows culture's lies and brings truth to usher in the demise of every lie
A man is not defined by what hangs between his thighs
no matter how hard these people try and get you to swallow that lie
true manhood lies in the heart and his inward convictions
I pray that you listen
and understand that what makes a man
is never the outward expression of what you can visually see
but being a man has everything to do with why you do what you do
it is less and less about what you do
what you have or what you own and more about why you don't front fake or put on these phony faces to impress people see a real man takes a stance against evil
and doesn't crush your feelings for the sake of "keeping it real"
and yes a real man does feel
he laughs he cries and he loves
and he doesn't hold the future accountable for what already was
a real man walks like a Lion and talks like a King
because he realizes that somewhere out there is a Queen
a man is not defined by everything and anything
but he defines what is around him and judges if it's really worth anything at all
a real man knows pride comes before a fall
and won't sit up on that horse so tall
and present himself flawless at another's expense a real man has knowledge of grace
that he is eager to dispense real men don't care much for being rich
as much as they do dying and leaving a legacy behind upon death
real men don't overemphasize being blessed but they see God's will and accept
even if it means a denial of what they think they need
and yes there are plenty more men better than me
as a matter of fact I am the least but among the sinners I was definitely chief
real men don't seek to impose but they wish to expose
even themselves at the cost of public opinion they will give you the truth because lies always fade themselves away real men do not philosophize every day all day
but they see injustice and they take action
because they have realized action is what the oppressed are lacking
but perhaps most of all real men don't seek self-satisfaction
real men seek out women based on so much more than a physical attraction
it's about how the woman holds herself apart
it's something that you can see only with the eyes of the heart
and real men know that an expression of attraction is only the start
real men know that love is something you show and there are no strings attached to anything you do she isn't really required to do anything back for you
but you do it because you care
and regardless of how she repays you when she needs you will still be standing there
the difference between men and boys goes a lot deeper than just a mental I hope you get the picture
boys are too tied up in religious escapades to allow their humanity to escape
and perhaps shape someone's eternal fate
see men value the relationship aspects over some image they have to protect
this is a picture of a real man's values and intentions plus reality minus fiction
but a real man defies a set definition
that boys strive to achieve and with that I take my leave
and everything overemphasized but a man is defined by his life
how he mirrors Christ
how he treats his mama and respects all women alike
it's like what a man showcases makes him better or more manly but he's missed the standard
excuse me for being candid but a man does not bend to everything the culture has demanded
he actually lives with standards and does not compromise
despite living among millions of lies
the block does not produce men it kills before boys can become them
you can't judge a man's worth by his net worth some of the best men never make any fortune lists
and I'm sick of us overvaluing this
but a man is defined when he doesn't have dollar signs and it's about time
women understand that a real man doesn't flex to impress
he just is what he is and does what he does
because he loves
it's not about how to look or how to seem
but how to conduct yourself as a King
integrity honor and respect and no less
is expected when you walk what you talk you edify God and that is the entirety of man's job
to simply reflect God in a dark environment and get this
when you do what you were designed to do
the world takes note of you it is not the overglorified fools
who fade away that have lasting influence
but those who know God's will and seek to do it
everyone wants a different definition of masculinity and man laws have ruined the reality of man discarding God's plan
and pushing culture on us all and under that weight any man would fall
unless he knows culture's lies and brings truth to usher in the demise of every lie
A man is not defined by what hangs between his thighs
no matter how hard these people try and get you to swallow that lie
true manhood lies in the heart and his inward convictions
I pray that you listen
and understand that what makes a man
is never the outward expression of what you can visually see
but being a man has everything to do with why you do what you do
it is less and less about what you do
what you have or what you own and more about why you don't front fake or put on these phony faces to impress people see a real man takes a stance against evil
and doesn't crush your feelings for the sake of "keeping it real"
and yes a real man does feel
he laughs he cries and he loves
and he doesn't hold the future accountable for what already was
a real man walks like a Lion and talks like a King
because he realizes that somewhere out there is a Queen
a man is not defined by everything and anything
but he defines what is around him and judges if it's really worth anything at all
a real man knows pride comes before a fall
and won't sit up on that horse so tall
and present himself flawless at another's expense a real man has knowledge of grace
that he is eager to dispense real men don't care much for being rich
as much as they do dying and leaving a legacy behind upon death
real men don't overemphasize being blessed but they see God's will and accept
even if it means a denial of what they think they need
and yes there are plenty more men better than me
as a matter of fact I am the least but among the sinners I was definitely chief
real men don't seek to impose but they wish to expose
even themselves at the cost of public opinion they will give you the truth because lies always fade themselves away real men do not philosophize every day all day
but they see injustice and they take action
because they have realized action is what the oppressed are lacking
but perhaps most of all real men don't seek self-satisfaction
real men seek out women based on so much more than a physical attraction
it's about how the woman holds herself apart
it's something that you can see only with the eyes of the heart
and real men know that an expression of attraction is only the start
real men know that love is something you show and there are no strings attached to anything you do she isn't really required to do anything back for you
but you do it because you care
and regardless of how she repays you when she needs you will still be standing there
the difference between men and boys goes a lot deeper than just a mental I hope you get the picture
boys are too tied up in religious escapades to allow their humanity to escape
and perhaps shape someone's eternal fate
see men value the relationship aspects over some image they have to protect
this is a picture of a real man's values and intentions plus reality minus fiction
but a real man defies a set definition
that boys strive to achieve and with that I take my leave
3rd Person
There are 3 people in every relationship. You, the other person, and Jesus. If the two of you aren't pushing each other closer to Jesus, then I really feel like you have lost sight of the principle that all is done to glorify God. Even in our relationships be it with a significant other your parents or even your Pastor. I'm like this with it if you value Christ above all else your line of thinking goes how can I give God the glory that He deserves. Honestly if we are afraid of human failure we will definitely fail but if we place all of our confidence in Christ there will be no failure to be had. Problem is we've started trusting our own plans rather than the Master's hand. Another thing I've noticed is our disfigurement of love. We have become so used to the overglamourized societal notion that it has become that we ignore its reality. Love is not physical but spiritual in its nature. For if it was physical God would not Love because God is spirit and cannot deal in physical things. Which is why He requires us to worship in Spirit and truth. But back to misdefined love again. People have been conditioned to accept physicality as an acceptable communication of love when in reality it may be nothing more than dressed up lust. Love is always a consistent action backed up by consistent choices to express it in the most pure fashion possible. Love requires us esteeming the other person as Christ esteemed us. Not that we should ignore glaring inconsistencies with God's heart and Word but we should tell them where the Spirit leads us to correct them, present it in a biblical context and if they will not hear you, pray for them. Not that God would convict them but that God would grow them in their walk. The thing that has happened to us is we have forgotten that love is of God and to properly love we must be in God. However we are not to hold these things above God. That part gets hard sometimes but if you love God enough honestly you can place your will on the backburner and follow God's. As for me I desire a family you know the whole wife 2.5 kids(or more you never know) nice house nice neighborhood thing that is what I want out of life pretty much point blank period that is my greatest desire. I care much less for the things of life than I do the things of life that actually matter. However even if what I desire does not come to fruition, God is no less worthy of praise honor and glory. Once we put everything in it's proper perspective that is, subject to Christ and His desire and will for our lives it is then that things start to "fall together" for us. Just some random thoughts I had....hope you enjoyed going thru my head for a little bit. (tm)
Conversation Between Myself and Anthony Lewis
Daniel:
I was thinking about how to start this conversation off but that's out the window......I think I'm just going to jump right in. It seems to me that manhood nowadays has been restricted to a few things that have nothing to do with maturity level.....sexual prowess, material possessions, and the image that you portray to the outside world.....the tougher the better usually...it irks me that what really makes a man gets placed on the backburner.....such as the heart, the concern for others and the ability to build....not to mention if you mention anything that has to do with Jesus you automatically get blacklisted as a "holy roller" by most.....
Anthony:
I agree. The value system in America has gone down the drain. However, it is due in large part to one thing: Television. Once meant for entertainment and news, it has now become the de facto parent for our children, as well as babysitter. The outlines for being a 'man' now can all be traced to the TV/movie industry. Sexual prowess - how many times have we seen the 'cool' character get all of the women? And isn't he lauded for being able to philander and no one care? Material possessions - this is a big hit in the Black community. Rappers started showing off...women began to give them attention...the gaudiness grew, and so did the attention. Then, somewhere along the way, a notion that having material would bring droves of women was disseminated. ...I'm sure 'bling bling' had something to do with that. And on a subconscious level, the fact that most major male stars have nice bodies is telling men that their appearance is paramount. Couple that with how shallow women can be, thanks to TV and music, and you create a fixation on having a 'manly' body.
Daniel:
Yep. Bro it's almost like that carrot they dangle in front of a racehorse to keep it chasing and running in the cultivated belief that they can one day run it down but no matter how fast they run, the carrot is always just out of reach. It is much the same with manhood as defined by society's means. they give you a false definition of manhood and tell you to chase these things the whole time knowing that it is in fact an unattainable goal. But you see the real problem there is the parents have stopped teaching the children how to be and have instead allowed the media influence to teach them how they should seem. Too busy chasing down their own rabbits that they will never attain to teach the child that to attain their own dreams they must conquer it one step at a time instead of this breakneck pace that leads them straight to the glue factory.
Anthony:
Indeed. The largest problem, in my opinion, is the death of innocence, and lack of vulnerability. Innocence is the insulation that keeps a young mind warm in this cold world. It fosters dreams, imagination, it is what gives a child that sparkle in their eye. But now, children are exposed to real life at such a young age...they are jaded before they can ever know what the word means. That is why you see so many Black children acting 'grown;' they're literally acting like what they're exposed to. And since they start out ghetto like that, that's the way they'll grow, and that's how they'll stay. The lack of vulnerability is what is hurting love. No one wants to take a chance and let someone in anymore...it's all about self-preservation. People don't realize that to love is to preserve self, as you become one with another, you forge a bond that will last beyond the limits of time, a legacy that cannot be tarnished. Love is an inoculation...it can protect you from the ills of the world, for it is immensely deep. But that has been lost...it is now about instant gratification (which has been subconsciously inculcated by the Lotto and fast food), and pleasure of self (which has been inculcated by media and video games). With these two things lacking, the man cannot be himself, and the woman doesn't want to be herself.
Daniel:
Exactly bro. that's where you get that whole overindependent woman/shallow man concept at....a man by nature is a well rounded being but you take him away from who he is by nature and replace what should nurture with that which beats him down and what you get is a man who is half of what he ought to be. And we all know that half a man is no man at all....but to feign like he is a man, he takes what is around tells him masculinity is and attempts to blow it up and make those blown up pieces appear to be a whole man. Whereas the overindependent woman is a product of Willie Lynchism that hasn't been filtered out of our culture yet....it's even been supported, commercialized and encouraged by the mothers the whole while it's killing our family. Because if a woman can be just like a man, is there a need for the man anymore? All she needs him for then is procreation and that makes a mockery out of the man further which then pushes him to become even more of the carbon copy of false manhood because he sees that this is what draws the woman. Sexual prowess. and it destroys us from the inside out.
Anthony:
Yessir. A man leaves when he is not needed. (sees Black men leaving Black women to go to other races) In some cases, he will even go FIND a place to be needed. (sees White men 'saving' underprivileged Black women) Women can do many of the things that men do, but that's a credit to how amazing they are, not a suggestion that they should. But with the emasculation of the man, they feel as though the must fill those shoes. And men don't even see what's going on...they just keep feeding into this. Men support the double standard, the "I have a lot of sex, I'm cool; she does it, she's a ho." Men swear by this...so they go have a lot of sex. Sex is a connecting interaction...every time you do it, you give a piece of yourself. Men are losing themselves in the pleasure of the flesh. Women hate the standard, and attempt to beat it; they are then either chastised by society, or end up losing themselves in the quest to beat men, a quest they take up out of a perceived necessity, though it isn't. There's nothing wrong with ambition, but when unchecked, it can be a problem...all that glitters isn't gold, but glitter can be blinding, and gold be desired. So as women strive to do their best, men are mired in doing less.
Daniel:
yeah men lie to themselves a lot about that specific double standard.....the big problem is that the man doesn't have an actual standard for conduct because he's lost touch with self and lost touch with God in the bigger picture so he does seek to find himself in fleshly measures but by the time he figures out the more women he falls into physically the deeper he falls into spiritual depravity and so the circle closes over on itself much like a Black hole the farther you go the deeper you sink and the harder it is to find light....Women on the other hand are expected to uphold some strict moral code which obviously doesn't extend to the man...thus you have a world full of ladies and few gentleman because being a gentleman usually isn't positively encouraged by the male population. But then that creates a world of insanity because somebody has to be sleeping with these men who seek to find their masculinity in a woman's birth canal. There is no real standard anymore, just what is more or less acceptable....back in the day there were expected standards set by parents and if the male didn't meet these standards, he was instantly dismissed. But with the whole I gotta get mines generation came the neglect of raising children in the interest of providing a living.
Anthony:
I agree. And sadly, it's a simple formula. Men feel best with their mothers as they grow up...and so they go back from whence they came, the vagina, to feel good. Women feel best with attention, so they stick to whatever means, whoring, golddigging, etc., to feel good. Men love that intimate care of a mother...and there's nothing that makes a woman intimate like sex (in their minds), so that's how they get that feeling back. It's ephemeral and fleeting though, so it ends up become a constant need. For women, they love the attention they receive...but rather than take it in stride, some begin to feed off of it...and begin to do anything to parlay that attention into gain, be it money, material, whatever. And that's how they get caught up. They all forget that with God as your vehicle and the Universe as your guide, the trip will always lead you in the right direction. Love is Him...so to love Him is to be with Him. And the Universe flows like a river...so you are constantly being swept at the proper paces for proper situations. Neither would ever place more than one can bear. Alas, our people have forsaken love, and walked out of the river. We try to beat our own path, with no direction but what we've been shown through the media. We are lost sheep...and the TV/movie/music industries continue to herd us.
Daniel:
That I defintely agree with....we have forgotten how to be lovers. Real lovers. Not this synonym with sexual partners but actual real lovers. Lovers of others before we love self, to me was one of the more hard to grasp teachings of Jesus. Especially in light of the fact that ever since the fall mankind has been inclined to self-gratify.....it got so bad at one point to where God sorrowed at the iniquity committed one against another....and Jesus has pointed out that if will be as in the days of Noah.....that phrase in the days does mean that mankind will be just as evil one to another as they were in the days that God sorrowed at iniquity upon the Earth....which is definitely saying something about our level of depravity. Anything as long as it makes me feel good has become humankind's unofficial motto....it can most easily be seen in the Catholic abuse scandal where these men molest children for no other apparent reason....apparently the judgement against them from God's mouth does not register with them as enough to refrain from participating in such acts of debauchery and depravity. Yet no one wants to escape from these lying spirits which have conditioned us to accept whatever looks like it benefits us when in reality it will all too happily kill us off and the spirits smile while it happens.
Anthony:
Religion has become a bastion...whenever one wants an exculpatory pass from sin, they go to church and 'find' God. God is not some lost toy or plaything that you can just pick up when you want. The lack of true faith and love in reference to Him, is at the crux of our issues. If a man is a man of God, and lives as such, he will live to be what he is meant and was born to be. If a woman is a woman of God, the same will hold true. There needs to be more rigidity with that...but everything is relative. Those that fail subsequently shine a light on those of us that succeed.
(leaves for work)
I was thinking about how to start this conversation off but that's out the window......I think I'm just going to jump right in. It seems to me that manhood nowadays has been restricted to a few things that have nothing to do with maturity level.....sexual prowess, material possessions, and the image that you portray to the outside world.....the tougher the better usually...it irks me that what really makes a man gets placed on the backburner.....such as the heart, the concern for others and the ability to build....not to mention if you mention anything that has to do with Jesus you automatically get blacklisted as a "holy roller" by most.....
Anthony:
I agree. The value system in America has gone down the drain. However, it is due in large part to one thing: Television. Once meant for entertainment and news, it has now become the de facto parent for our children, as well as babysitter. The outlines for being a 'man' now can all be traced to the TV/movie industry. Sexual prowess - how many times have we seen the 'cool' character get all of the women? And isn't he lauded for being able to philander and no one care? Material possessions - this is a big hit in the Black community. Rappers started showing off...women began to give them attention...the gaudiness grew, and so did the attention. Then, somewhere along the way, a notion that having material would bring droves of women was disseminated. ...I'm sure 'bling bling' had something to do with that. And on a subconscious level, the fact that most major male stars have nice bodies is telling men that their appearance is paramount. Couple that with how shallow women can be, thanks to TV and music, and you create a fixation on having a 'manly' body.
Daniel:
Yep. Bro it's almost like that carrot they dangle in front of a racehorse to keep it chasing and running in the cultivated belief that they can one day run it down but no matter how fast they run, the carrot is always just out of reach. It is much the same with manhood as defined by society's means. they give you a false definition of manhood and tell you to chase these things the whole time knowing that it is in fact an unattainable goal. But you see the real problem there is the parents have stopped teaching the children how to be and have instead allowed the media influence to teach them how they should seem. Too busy chasing down their own rabbits that they will never attain to teach the child that to attain their own dreams they must conquer it one step at a time instead of this breakneck pace that leads them straight to the glue factory.
Anthony:
Indeed. The largest problem, in my opinion, is the death of innocence, and lack of vulnerability. Innocence is the insulation that keeps a young mind warm in this cold world. It fosters dreams, imagination, it is what gives a child that sparkle in their eye. But now, children are exposed to real life at such a young age...they are jaded before they can ever know what the word means. That is why you see so many Black children acting 'grown;' they're literally acting like what they're exposed to. And since they start out ghetto like that, that's the way they'll grow, and that's how they'll stay. The lack of vulnerability is what is hurting love. No one wants to take a chance and let someone in anymore...it's all about self-preservation. People don't realize that to love is to preserve self, as you become one with another, you forge a bond that will last beyond the limits of time, a legacy that cannot be tarnished. Love is an inoculation...it can protect you from the ills of the world, for it is immensely deep. But that has been lost...it is now about instant gratification (which has been subconsciously inculcated by the Lotto and fast food), and pleasure of self (which has been inculcated by media and video games). With these two things lacking, the man cannot be himself, and the woman doesn't want to be herself.
Daniel:
Exactly bro. that's where you get that whole overindependent woman/shallow man concept at....a man by nature is a well rounded being but you take him away from who he is by nature and replace what should nurture with that which beats him down and what you get is a man who is half of what he ought to be. And we all know that half a man is no man at all....but to feign like he is a man, he takes what is around tells him masculinity is and attempts to blow it up and make those blown up pieces appear to be a whole man. Whereas the overindependent woman is a product of Willie Lynchism that hasn't been filtered out of our culture yet....it's even been supported, commercialized and encouraged by the mothers the whole while it's killing our family. Because if a woman can be just like a man, is there a need for the man anymore? All she needs him for then is procreation and that makes a mockery out of the man further which then pushes him to become even more of the carbon copy of false manhood because he sees that this is what draws the woman. Sexual prowess. and it destroys us from the inside out.
Anthony:
Yessir. A man leaves when he is not needed. (sees Black men leaving Black women to go to other races) In some cases, he will even go FIND a place to be needed. (sees White men 'saving' underprivileged Black women) Women can do many of the things that men do, but that's a credit to how amazing they are, not a suggestion that they should. But with the emasculation of the man, they feel as though the must fill those shoes. And men don't even see what's going on...they just keep feeding into this. Men support the double standard, the "I have a lot of sex, I'm cool; she does it, she's a ho." Men swear by this...so they go have a lot of sex. Sex is a connecting interaction...every time you do it, you give a piece of yourself. Men are losing themselves in the pleasure of the flesh. Women hate the standard, and attempt to beat it; they are then either chastised by society, or end up losing themselves in the quest to beat men, a quest they take up out of a perceived necessity, though it isn't. There's nothing wrong with ambition, but when unchecked, it can be a problem...all that glitters isn't gold, but glitter can be blinding, and gold be desired. So as women strive to do their best, men are mired in doing less.
Daniel:
yeah men lie to themselves a lot about that specific double standard.....the big problem is that the man doesn't have an actual standard for conduct because he's lost touch with self and lost touch with God in the bigger picture so he does seek to find himself in fleshly measures but by the time he figures out the more women he falls into physically the deeper he falls into spiritual depravity and so the circle closes over on itself much like a Black hole the farther you go the deeper you sink and the harder it is to find light....Women on the other hand are expected to uphold some strict moral code which obviously doesn't extend to the man...thus you have a world full of ladies and few gentleman because being a gentleman usually isn't positively encouraged by the male population. But then that creates a world of insanity because somebody has to be sleeping with these men who seek to find their masculinity in a woman's birth canal. There is no real standard anymore, just what is more or less acceptable....back in the day there were expected standards set by parents and if the male didn't meet these standards, he was instantly dismissed. But with the whole I gotta get mines generation came the neglect of raising children in the interest of providing a living.
Anthony:
I agree. And sadly, it's a simple formula. Men feel best with their mothers as they grow up...and so they go back from whence they came, the vagina, to feel good. Women feel best with attention, so they stick to whatever means, whoring, golddigging, etc., to feel good. Men love that intimate care of a mother...and there's nothing that makes a woman intimate like sex (in their minds), so that's how they get that feeling back. It's ephemeral and fleeting though, so it ends up become a constant need. For women, they love the attention they receive...but rather than take it in stride, some begin to feed off of it...and begin to do anything to parlay that attention into gain, be it money, material, whatever. And that's how they get caught up. They all forget that with God as your vehicle and the Universe as your guide, the trip will always lead you in the right direction. Love is Him...so to love Him is to be with Him. And the Universe flows like a river...so you are constantly being swept at the proper paces for proper situations. Neither would ever place more than one can bear. Alas, our people have forsaken love, and walked out of the river. We try to beat our own path, with no direction but what we've been shown through the media. We are lost sheep...and the TV/movie/music industries continue to herd us.
Daniel:
That I defintely agree with....we have forgotten how to be lovers. Real lovers. Not this synonym with sexual partners but actual real lovers. Lovers of others before we love self, to me was one of the more hard to grasp teachings of Jesus. Especially in light of the fact that ever since the fall mankind has been inclined to self-gratify.....it got so bad at one point to where God sorrowed at the iniquity committed one against another....and Jesus has pointed out that if will be as in the days of Noah.....that phrase in the days does mean that mankind will be just as evil one to another as they were in the days that God sorrowed at iniquity upon the Earth....which is definitely saying something about our level of depravity. Anything as long as it makes me feel good has become humankind's unofficial motto....it can most easily be seen in the Catholic abuse scandal where these men molest children for no other apparent reason....apparently the judgement against them from God's mouth does not register with them as enough to refrain from participating in such acts of debauchery and depravity. Yet no one wants to escape from these lying spirits which have conditioned us to accept whatever looks like it benefits us when in reality it will all too happily kill us off and the spirits smile while it happens.
Anthony:
Religion has become a bastion...whenever one wants an exculpatory pass from sin, they go to church and 'find' God. God is not some lost toy or plaything that you can just pick up when you want. The lack of true faith and love in reference to Him, is at the crux of our issues. If a man is a man of God, and lives as such, he will live to be what he is meant and was born to be. If a woman is a woman of God, the same will hold true. There needs to be more rigidity with that...but everything is relative. Those that fail subsequently shine a light on those of us that succeed.
(leaves for work)
Servitude
Romans 12:9-21 pretty much lays out the Christian life in a nutshell. It is to lived in servitude, we are serve each other, outdo each other in giving one another honor, love without hypocrisy, to not lack diligence, with a fervent spirit serve the Lord, these things all show a person the way to servitude. They paint a picture of how we are to conduct ourselves in the body. They paint a picture of Love at its finest, in its brightest colors , a masterful depiction of proper Christian love. If we would focus on doing these things, if we would only focus on esteeming each other as Christ esteemed us as worthy of our love, despite our differences, once we show love we only see each other commonality and the dividing lines are taken down. I love the verse where it talks about showing family affection because on this Earth there is nothing that honestly shows off unconditional love quite like a united family. No matter what happens, your family will encourage and support you because they love you. No one twists their arms and forces them to love, they do it out of their hearts. It is to be much the same way with us Christians in the body, we should be eager to show how much love we have and how deeply our love runs one for another. For love does not lift you, but it lifts the other person; you never really know what someone is going thru and by you showing them love, you might be keeping them from danger, keeping them from taking their own lives, or keeping them out of depression. By our willingness to engage in servitude we not only show off Christ, but we just might change somebody's life. Servitude is more than actions, it is a way of life it is what you do and it also is who you are. It reflects in every area of your life, every place that you go and you can't just turn it off when you want to because God has truly changed the way you look at others and how you look at yourself. But remember that Love leads us to servitude, you must love to serve and serve because you love.
It's Not About You
"If I never attain what I desire I will have attained my heart's desire.....meaning if I never sell one book, never get married, never buy a house, never get a degree, never make over 30,000 a year, or anything else I might desire, God is my desire that fulfills all others, even in their absence. God-centered contentment that forsakes all human desires for heavenly desires."-Daniel Johnson
The bottom line in this life is this: doing what pleases God. How does one please God? Quite simply by believing that He is who He says He is, that He will do what He said He will do and that His will is superior to yours. The first part of that is faith, the second part of that is submission so by faith and by submission to His Divine will we will please God. There really isn't another way. When we have faith in God we are effectively saying that hey, I realize I can't do this on my own, that my power is limited and Yours is limitless. By submission we are saying that my knowledge is incomplete, but yours Sovereign Lord is full and lacking nothing. Apart from these two elements, there is no faith to be had that is worth much of anything to God as a matter of fact I'm not too sure there is life outside of these two elements. Once you have surrendered your will to God's will you begin to open yourself up to the wisdom of God and not your own human understanding of the way things work. Once you have realized that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do you begin to realize that nothing relies on you or what you desire but everything relies on God, God's desires, God's grace, God's mercy and God's timing.
The bottom line in this life is this: doing what pleases God. How does one please God? Quite simply by believing that He is who He says He is, that He will do what He said He will do and that His will is superior to yours. The first part of that is faith, the second part of that is submission so by faith and by submission to His Divine will we will please God. There really isn't another way. When we have faith in God we are effectively saying that hey, I realize I can't do this on my own, that my power is limited and Yours is limitless. By submission we are saying that my knowledge is incomplete, but yours Sovereign Lord is full and lacking nothing. Apart from these two elements, there is no faith to be had that is worth much of anything to God as a matter of fact I'm not too sure there is life outside of these two elements. Once you have surrendered your will to God's will you begin to open yourself up to the wisdom of God and not your own human understanding of the way things work. Once you have realized that God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do you begin to realize that nothing relies on you or what you desire but everything relies on God, God's desires, God's grace, God's mercy and God's timing.
(tm)
Freestyle How far is too far? DANIEL JOHNSON, EWOFP POP member
Freestyle How Far is Too Far?
ShareThey say I bring up Christ too much
I say naw I don't bring Him up enough
see I used to be a sinner I used to be all evil all the time
until Christ's power came down renewed my mind
changed what I loved changed what I chased
more importantly He changed the things I hate
Gave your boy a new taste palate plus an expansive palace
but He crushed me so I would know how to handle it
few can stand the breaking so that when you get blessed by God's hand you don't forget to look for His face
when all that you can see escapes you can still see God's ways
you can still serve a God who crushes man
even when it seems man does everything "right" and God prospers a man who does it all "wrong"
your faith remains strong though your hour of darkness seems long
and your valley is filled to the brim with dry bones
there comes a word of the Lord that sews flesh and ligaments together again
a Midnight friend
One who deals with us despite our innate sins
even when
Mama and Daddy say that boy is too far gone you can try and reach Him Lord he won't respond
remember that when man throws in the towels God can reach down and grab it before it becomes official
are you listening?
so when a man commits heinous acts of an evil nature and you would say he's just too far gone he can't be saved he's too far from grace
God says wait
before you don your robes of righteousness and judge them by a standard you don't uphold
let me be so bold
as to show you that you once were just as wicked just as full of sin as the most murderous of them
so if one sin makes man evil what of you who were guilty of it too?
how dare you slam my son who I made and I shaped but you desire grace just as well as he does?
come now do not be so quick to brandish the clubs and spades but possessing no hearts
do not let me start
on how you used to do things just as bad for all Sin is rebellion in My eyes
for all sins I died
and you don't know just what it may take to get his attentions on His sin sickness
so before you get to acting like judge and jury won't you consider me?
consider me who hung upon a twisted tree
just to buy redemption for sin that was simply placed on me
I say naw I don't bring Him up enough
see I used to be a sinner I used to be all evil all the time
until Christ's power came down renewed my mind
changed what I loved changed what I chased
more importantly He changed the things I hate
Gave your boy a new taste palate plus an expansive palace
but He crushed me so I would know how to handle it
few can stand the breaking so that when you get blessed by God's hand you don't forget to look for His face
when all that you can see escapes you can still see God's ways
you can still serve a God who crushes man
even when it seems man does everything "right" and God prospers a man who does it all "wrong"
your faith remains strong though your hour of darkness seems long
and your valley is filled to the brim with dry bones
there comes a word of the Lord that sews flesh and ligaments together again
a Midnight friend
One who deals with us despite our innate sins
even when
Mama and Daddy say that boy is too far gone you can try and reach Him Lord he won't respond
remember that when man throws in the towels God can reach down and grab it before it becomes official
are you listening?
so when a man commits heinous acts of an evil nature and you would say he's just too far gone he can't be saved he's too far from grace
God says wait
before you don your robes of righteousness and judge them by a standard you don't uphold
let me be so bold
as to show you that you once were just as wicked just as full of sin as the most murderous of them
so if one sin makes man evil what of you who were guilty of it too?
how dare you slam my son who I made and I shaped but you desire grace just as well as he does?
come now do not be so quick to brandish the clubs and spades but possessing no hearts
do not let me start
on how you used to do things just as bad for all Sin is rebellion in My eyes
for all sins I died
and you don't know just what it may take to get his attentions on His sin sickness
so before you get to acting like judge and jury won't you consider me?
consider me who hung upon a twisted tree
just to buy redemption for sin that was simply placed on me
(tm) Daniel Johnson
War Machine, DANIEL JOHNSON, EWOFP POP member
War Machine
ShareI am a war machine
my sole existence is to seek and destroy
I have no cover
only my weapons of offensive destruction
they produce panic whenever they are brandished
rocket launchers on my shoulders
missiles in my wrists
warheads in my biceps
50 calibers in my knees
point the demons at me
see if they don't flee
you can even point out the fallen Lucifer in my direction
even he will scramble for futile protection
I am an instrument of warfare
He who sent me needs not concern himself with my body being flown back
my adversaries are the only ones wondering if there's enough bodies to withstand the onslaught
bullets that would riddle my flesh face deflection
I'm covered by armor that was blood red that I had painted black and white
so the Demons would not flee when they first saw me
but due to the fact that the armor strengthens me to superhuman degrees
they only figure out too late that it is too late
that the same blood that defeated them courses thru my veins
so I stand on the battlefield alone
the adversary gone
War Machine stands alone
my sole existence is to seek and destroy
I have no cover
only my weapons of offensive destruction
they produce panic whenever they are brandished
rocket launchers on my shoulders
missiles in my wrists
warheads in my biceps
50 calibers in my knees
point the demons at me
see if they don't flee
you can even point out the fallen Lucifer in my direction
even he will scramble for futile protection
I am an instrument of warfare
He who sent me needs not concern himself with my body being flown back
my adversaries are the only ones wondering if there's enough bodies to withstand the onslaught
bullets that would riddle my flesh face deflection
I'm covered by armor that was blood red that I had painted black and white
so the Demons would not flee when they first saw me
but due to the fact that the armor strengthens me to superhuman degrees
they only figure out too late that it is too late
that the same blood that defeated them courses thru my veins
so I stand on the battlefield alone
the adversary gone
War Machine stands alone
(tm) Daniel Johnson
Lucifer, EWOFP POP MEMBER, Daniel Johnson
Lucifer
ShareLucifer Son of the morning
will have us all in mourning
if we choose to listen and act on his "advice"
which is twisted truth which is only a dressed up lie
sure he comes in light and looks attractive
but that's just to hide his blackness
he only has one mission and one mission alone
to steal away would be God-clones
and he hates your very soul only because he wishes God's throne
and to reach it he would gladly stand atop your soul and bone
anything to rob God of the glory He deserves I gotta admit though he's got some nerve
to dare to be in the presence of God and say in his heart I'm more beautiful more worth glory and honor
to dare stand before the universe's honor
and say I am grander I am greater than my Creator
Yet this same spirit inhabits Earth's inhabitants
when we deny Christ's power and majesty confining Him to only a mere man
such lies ought to be banned
statements and attitudes that belittle Christ's stature
ought to result in you becoming bruised and battered
but instead your soul pays the ultimate price: disconnection from Christ
because you allow Lucifer inside
you become as guilty as the man who let Christ be crucified
Judas could have resisted
but him and Lucifer had become rather intimate
to the point to where Christ the Lord spoke to Lucifer who had possessed Judas
and told him that whatever he was doing to just go ahead and do
because Jesus knew it would result in the death of him who
desired to take the throne it would in effect banish Lucifer to Hell and torment him eternally
you see Hell was never intended for humanity
but Lucifer desires eternal company
even of those he hates even from his inception even those he knows are shaped in God's image
and this is why he hates you like he does he sees God's reflection in our souls
and this causes him to treat us cold
tell us lies and compel us to leave God aside like his side is going to win
but that's just him
Lucifer son of the morning
will lead you to eternal mourning
will have us all in mourning
if we choose to listen and act on his "advice"
which is twisted truth which is only a dressed up lie
sure he comes in light and looks attractive
but that's just to hide his blackness
he only has one mission and one mission alone
to steal away would be God-clones
and he hates your very soul only because he wishes God's throne
and to reach it he would gladly stand atop your soul and bone
anything to rob God of the glory He deserves I gotta admit though he's got some nerve
to dare to be in the presence of God and say in his heart I'm more beautiful more worth glory and honor
to dare stand before the universe's honor
and say I am grander I am greater than my Creator
Yet this same spirit inhabits Earth's inhabitants
when we deny Christ's power and majesty confining Him to only a mere man
such lies ought to be banned
statements and attitudes that belittle Christ's stature
ought to result in you becoming bruised and battered
but instead your soul pays the ultimate price: disconnection from Christ
because you allow Lucifer inside
you become as guilty as the man who let Christ be crucified
Judas could have resisted
but him and Lucifer had become rather intimate
to the point to where Christ the Lord spoke to Lucifer who had possessed Judas
and told him that whatever he was doing to just go ahead and do
because Jesus knew it would result in the death of him who
desired to take the throne it would in effect banish Lucifer to Hell and torment him eternally
you see Hell was never intended for humanity
but Lucifer desires eternal company
even of those he hates even from his inception even those he knows are shaped in God's image
and this is why he hates you like he does he sees God's reflection in our souls
and this causes him to treat us cold
tell us lies and compel us to leave God aside like his side is going to win
but that's just him
Lucifer son of the morning
will lead you to eternal mourning
(tm) Daniel Johnson
Inner Enemy (tm) EWOFP POP MEMEBER, Daniel Johnson
Inner Enemy
SharePride cries aloud that I am sufficient I don't desire nor do I need God to survive
Large lies
Lust says it's not that bad go ahead take a look
but let's look at the Good Book
Jesus says whoever looks lusts
fighting that flesh until I'm only dust in myself I never trust
Human nature says we all fall so at some point expect to slip down
wait a minute who is human nature trying to clown?
I looked at the life of Jesus and the life of Paul
I have yet to see a slip or a fall
because they both were preoccupied with the cross
Jesus's was physical, Paul's spiritual so what would be gained by justification of sin was made lost
because the fact of the matter is when it comes to sinful desires we are the boss
we decide to love that one thing just a little bit above God in effect making it an idol
and these thoughts usually come when our walk is idle
and we go back and forth with this ensnaring our very survival
eventually needing a revival
because our inner man has died at the hands of our inner man
there is an image of Christ we all must seek to conform to
but when it is forsaken by the image of you
then is when the sin you once were considered a slave to bears fangs
and attempts to bring the pain
but it forgets that it has to die when confronted with the Blood of Christ
only problem is we don't wish it to die
we blame Satan as the enemy when we are our own greatest enemy
The Inner Enemy
Large lies
Lust says it's not that bad go ahead take a look
but let's look at the Good Book
Jesus says whoever looks lusts
fighting that flesh until I'm only dust in myself I never trust
Human nature says we all fall so at some point expect to slip down
wait a minute who is human nature trying to clown?
I looked at the life of Jesus and the life of Paul
I have yet to see a slip or a fall
because they both were preoccupied with the cross
Jesus's was physical, Paul's spiritual so what would be gained by justification of sin was made lost
because the fact of the matter is when it comes to sinful desires we are the boss
we decide to love that one thing just a little bit above God in effect making it an idol
and these thoughts usually come when our walk is idle
and we go back and forth with this ensnaring our very survival
eventually needing a revival
because our inner man has died at the hands of our inner man
there is an image of Christ we all must seek to conform to
but when it is forsaken by the image of you
then is when the sin you once were considered a slave to bears fangs
and attempts to bring the pain
but it forgets that it has to die when confronted with the Blood of Christ
only problem is we don't wish it to die
we blame Satan as the enemy when we are our own greatest enemy
The Inner Enemy
(tm) Daniel Johnson
Vanity
Vanity
Shareprofession minus practice creates blackness
dark voids that humanity cannot traverse living out a curse
every action thought and expression rehearsed
speaking every word the ear ever heard
but the lips and the heart are millions of miles apart
and it leads people down that dark and twisted road that doesn't glow
leads people into a place where they think they have hope
but in the end all they hold onto is the loose end of a cut rope
doped
on their own self-righteousness they choke
puffed up in pride but if you took a look inside
you would find little or no light
the worship dry
contrived only a lie
that amounts to no more than soot on God's shoe
He has nothing to do with you
you who do not seek His face but you seek something to take His place
because the honor He is due somehow escapes you
and you seek something or someone else to give it to
self righteous professions without the practice of those who know true election
leads you to the apparitions of blessings
with none of the conviction and I pray that you listen
because you soul cries out of its sickness
but because you and it have been severed from God's heart
everything that should draw you closer pushes you apart
the worship service seems cold because you are cold
cold to the coals that God burns on hearts that are altars that burn away the old flesh
but you look blessed
when the reality is you are trash unholy and unfit yet you seem to think different
just because you share a Word you don't believe you seem to believe that God is fooled
beware of this one thing you can only fool you
so practice the profession before you are held out of heaven
dark voids that humanity cannot traverse living out a curse
every action thought and expression rehearsed
speaking every word the ear ever heard
but the lips and the heart are millions of miles apart
and it leads people down that dark and twisted road that doesn't glow
leads people into a place where they think they have hope
but in the end all they hold onto is the loose end of a cut rope
doped
on their own self-righteousness they choke
puffed up in pride but if you took a look inside
you would find little or no light
the worship dry
contrived only a lie
that amounts to no more than soot on God's shoe
He has nothing to do with you
you who do not seek His face but you seek something to take His place
because the honor He is due somehow escapes you
and you seek something or someone else to give it to
self righteous professions without the practice of those who know true election
leads you to the apparitions of blessings
with none of the conviction and I pray that you listen
because you soul cries out of its sickness
but because you and it have been severed from God's heart
everything that should draw you closer pushes you apart
the worship service seems cold because you are cold
cold to the coals that God burns on hearts that are altars that burn away the old flesh
but you look blessed
when the reality is you are trash unholy and unfit yet you seem to think different
just because you share a Word you don't believe you seem to believe that God is fooled
beware of this one thing you can only fool you
so practice the profession before you are held out of heaven
(tm) Daniel Johnson
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