Pay It Forward

About a month ago my sister and her husband mailed me a envelope.  Inside the envelope was a note and a check for a hundred dollars. The note basically said just thinking of you and your family. Do what you want with the money.

I shared the good news with with my wife. She was surprised  like I was.

What are you going to with the money my wife ask?

At that moment I believe God told me to give the money to someone or an organization in need. So I told my wife what God told me and we agreed to pay it forward.

A month past and the money was still in my account.  But God reminded me right on time what I needed to do with the funds. So I called a pastor in the downtown community and  I asked if I could stop on my lunch break to talk to him.He replied yes.

I have known this pastor for a few years and I truly love the programs he offers to youths in the low income area of the community. I walked up to the Church and was buzzed in. I walk to the top floor and found the pastor with a group of boys practicing on their fundamental skills for basketball.

As the boys were practicing I told the pastor what was giving to me and what I felt like God was telling me to do with the money. Excited about the news the pastor shared with me a call he received earlier from one of the mothers of the boys he coach.

She mentioned how she was short on rent and was going to be homeless if she did not find a hundred-fifty dollars. The pastor mentioned to me that the money I gave him would bless the family in need.

Wow!

It is amazing how God use people to bless others.

I told the Pastor if the family asked who gave the money to reply that God told a family to give.

I did not want the family to thank me for that blessing because God deserves the glory not me. He knew right on time that this family would need some help.

I was just happy that I could pay it forward.

One Prayer Away

One Prayer Away

Have you ever been through a difficult situation where you wanted to throw in the towel and give up?  Maybe you experience difficulty finding or keeping a job. How about the people you expect to be there for you during difficult times are never around when you need them. 

Understand this, no matter what your situation looks like, you are one prayer away from a blessing.

About a month ago I was on the verge of not knowing if I would have job. The organization that I was working for was going on a hiring freeze. When asked what my plans were I would respond, God will provide.

What I did not tell people is that I was scared, stress, and praying did not seem to fix my situation.

You see I wanted God to make everything better right away. But He had other plans. He wanted me to believe that He was able, regardless how the situation looked like.

Less than 7 days before the end of my contract a brother in Christ told me something that change the way I looked at my situation. He mentioned that sometimes you have to let go of a situation knowing that God will be there to catch you.

That night I begin to praise God for who He was. I told Him I trusted him. I started to tell Him how good He was.

Just to think I almost gave up on myself, but little did I know I was one prayer away from my blessing.

The next day I was offered a new contact with my organization.

Prayer Changes Things

Life challenges can cause you to lose faith, and/or at times, the desire to ask God for help. This happens even if you have been doing everything in your power to live the life God has called you to live.

You have been seeking employment opportunities, but you’re still unemployed.

You have been praying for a family member or a friend, but they’re still in bondage.

You have been praying for your health, but the doctor tells you there’s no cure.

Why is that during hard times we doubt that He is able, but during good times it is easy to believe?

“You of little faith, why do you doubt” –Matthew 14:31

Despite the challenges or the obstacles you face, remember, “You may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”-Psalm 30:5

I want to encourage someone to believe again. Pray through the good and the bad. Never give up on God, because He won’t give up on you.

Prayer Changes Things.

For Your Glory

If you are looking for an uplifting and/or motivational Christian song, you should listen to Tasha Cobbs, “For Your Glory”.

In this song, Ms. Cobbs is pleading to the Lord. For your glory, I will do anything.

Have you ever pleaded with the Lord for something? Did you want to be used  for his glory, or was it for your own personal desire?

As a believer, I have found myself desperately waiting to hear from the Lord. Pleading, over and over, just to understand and/or get conformation about certain things in my life.

This later would lead to fear, frustration, and at times, me questioning myself.

Has the Lord forgotten about me? Is He no longer hearing my heart cry?

Ms. Cobbs tells us in her song, to get to the Lord's glory, she is willing to go through some difficult situations. Like crossing the hottest desert and/or traveling near or far. She understand that when she reaches His glory, she will find peace, joy, and love.

Are you willing to go through some difficulties to get to the His glory?

Today, someone needs to know that the Lord hears your cry. And as bad as you want to be in the His present, He wants to be in yours as well. And what's amazing about the Lord, He is willing to cross the hottest deserts and travel near and far, just to see you.

What an amazing God!

Open the eyes of my heart Lord

“Open the eyes of my heart Lord.”- This morning I remember an old Christian song that I use to sing at church called “Open the eyes of my heart Lord.”

As I reflected back on my life, I realize even though I grew up in church, Jesus did not have my heart.

It was clear as I got older and I begin to go through my trials.  I would confess that Jesus was Lord, but Jesus did not have my heart.

In Matthew 15:5 we see that people will honor Jesus with their lips, but their hearts are far away from Him.

It is amazing how many Christian's know Jesus, but their hearts are far away from Him.

Here I am someone who knew Jesus, but I still was a hustler, a manipulator, a drunk, and a man who lusted over women. I was also very good at hitting “licks”. This is a slang word that I will not reveal.

I can admit during my trails, I was in a dark place. I felt so alone and I was to prideful to tell anyone that I needed help.

My life would take a complete 360 late August 2010.

I remember one of my fraternity brothers asking me to attend church service with him one Sunday morning. The pastor that day must have known I was coming because it felt like the church sermon was specifically about me.

As we got to the alter call, I remember the pastor saying a few words that would change my life forever. She said something like, are you tired of feeling alone? Are you tired of struggling? Will you give God your heart today?

Like a baby ready to come out of the womb, I felt my heart break open that day. As I begin to cry out, God was calling me that day and I was willing and ready for him to take full control over my life.

Today I want someone to know, what God did for me, He wants to do for you.

But you have to be willing to let God open your heart and take control.

A Sinner Prayer

Dear Lord,

It is me again.

Someone was not able to see today, so I want to thank you for allowing me to see another day.

Lord, I realize that I am not perfect.

Even though I am a sinner, you still love me. You love me so much that you sent your only son to die on the cross for me.

Lord, there is times when I want to give up, but you give me strength.

There is time when I lose faith, but you give me hope.

There is time when I feel alone, but you comfort me.

I desire to be the person you created.

Please deliver me from all my fears, and keep me safe from the enemy.

I pray this in the name of The Father, The Son, and the Holy Sprite.

God, what are You Saying?

Not clearly hearing the voice of God, I believe, is one of most frustrating feelings for Christians.

Does it feel like God is avoiding you? Is he answering to your prayer?

Today, I read an article that said “if you are so interested in what God thinks, then why didn’t you do the last thing He told you? Obedience is the response that keeps the dialog going”.

Do you remember the last thing God told you to do? Did you obey? Or, did you keep going on with your life?

The Bible says in Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened

If you want to keep the conversations going between you and God, I would suggest doing an inventory on your life. Has anything reached an expiration in your life that should be thrown out? Could it be lust? Greed? Envy? Drunkenness?

It is time to make some changes in your life, if you expect the dialog between God and yourself to grow.

Are you willing and ready to hear what God is saying to you?

Eyes Focused On Jesus

                                                                     Eyes Focused On Jesus

It is easy to have faith when everything in your life is going well. But when a storm hits, it may put you in a position where you are sinking and crying out, Lord save me!

I can hear Jesus saying “O you of little faith, why do you doubt?”

As Christians, we all have times in our lives when we encounter various storms such as, finance, divorce, poverty, death, anxiety, etc.. And we begin to sink in fear and doubt.

As the storm take us under, once again I hear Jesus saying “O you of little faith, why do you doubt?”

How many times has Jesus come through for you? Why do you doubt now?

James 1:2 tells us to “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trails, know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

Your storm is producing something great in you. What do not kill you will only make you stronger.

I bet If Peter would have kept his eyes on Jesus, instead of the storm; he would have not begun to sink

What are your eyes focusing on?

The storm in your life, or Jesus

Look closely...What do you see?

 

 

Why do we let others pick a category to identity who we are?

I am more than what their eyes can see. I am more than a check box that puts me in a limited category, as an African American male, age 26, height 5”10.

Ok, I lied about the height.

Who am I? I identify myself as a Christian first.

Then, I am also a husband, a father, a brother, an educated individual, a motivator, a coach, a mentor, a continuous learner and much more.

I am more than a color. I am more than what people are limited to see.  

Mother Story Inspires Son

                                                          

Last night I asked my mother about our family history. She told me that it all started in Haiti. As a child, my mother grew up in a single-family household. She never knew her father. Her mother, my grandmother, was raised by her older brother. Her parents died when my grandmother was a few years old.

During the war in Haiti, my grandmother decided to travel to the US to look for a better life for her family. She left my mother and my mother’s sister in the hands of friends for about a year. My grandmother later sent someone to bring my mother and her sister to the US. My mother mentioned that her journey to the US on a boat with hundreds of people, she did not eat. She also mentioned that she believed the cause of her sister death was due to the food that was giving to her.

My mother is a strong woman. I can’t imagine what it was like for her as a child to be in a boat, hungry and with no family.  I can imagine every day her mind was telling her to give up, but her determination and will to make it was stronger.

There are days when I want to give up. There are also days when I feel very alone.  

 

Last night, my mom's story helped me realize that our family members are not quitters. It doesn’t matter what struggles I go through, my determination and will is too powerful to give up even if my mind thinks otherwise.

I love my mother!!!!!

If God did it for me He can do it for you.

There are a lot of stories about victims who became victorious. I grew up in poverty and was raised by a single mother. There were time when my brothers and I had no electricity or food in our home. At a young age, we were in the house alone for weeks raising ourselves. At an early age I learned how to hustle. I lied, manipulated, stole; whatever it took to get what I needed. 

One of the challenges I remember was during my senior year in high school. On my way home from taking senior pictures I was in a car crash with my best friend. On a two way street a car tried to pass another car and hit us head on. My best friend tried to avoid the car, but the car crashed into us anyways. Bracing myself, I hit the dashboard. Thinking the car would explode, I jumped out of the car and fell to the ground. A few seconds later I heard a loud cry, Anderson! My best friend thought I went out the window. By the grace of God we both survived the crash.

Another challenge I remember was during my senior year in college. I was dealing with a lot of things. I had family issues at home and my girlfriend at the time was pregnant. With all of the challenges, I was invited to church by a fraternity brother. That day the pastor said all of the right things. I was tired of struggling, doing things on my own, not knowing my purpose and being frustrated about life. 

That day I threw in the towels, and told God YES! If God did it for me, He can do it for you.

Never Give Up

Have you ever sat and thought about life’s challenges you have come through in your Christian walk?  Well this morning was one of those days for me. As I was driving to the gym I started to think of my life struggles. And I began to count the blessings God has granted me. We know that everyone goes through some type of adversity. But not everyone makes it out to share the story of their victory!

Here is what helped me to overcome my struggles. I hope that it will encourage you.

1.       Prayer- Psalm 34:4 says “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears”. I am not saying only pray when you go through struggles. I am just saying that when you call upon the Lord He will be there.

2.       People- To go quickly, go alone. To go far, go together- African Proverb

3.       Personal Attitude- Never, never, never give up