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.