Single Living Chronicles: The Strong Silent Type

I used to be hopelessly drawn to, and attracted to what old Hollywood used to call the Strong Silent type. Not the prettiest (they’re nice to look at but that’s about it for me) but good looking enough, and with a certain broodiness about him that made me desire to be the one the crack his code. But what life taught me is that the Strong Silent type ain’t nothin but a brotha who’s EMOTIONALLLY UNAVAILABLE.  He can’t meet any of your needs as a woman in a romantic relationship outside of occasional mercy sex or bits and pieces of physical affection.  Always laid back waiting for you to do all the work, all the talking, all the reaching and all the loving. Breaking off crumbs every now and then when he feels you getting tired of the bs.  Where they learn that at? Reading the pimp chronicles?

Don’t fall for that foolishness ladies. Yes, some people are quiet by nature but at the same time, even a quiet man will talk to and show affection to the woman he truly cares for before he'll take a chance on losing her. Stop laying your body down as some kind of deposit for a sentence, a few words. Everybody talks to somebody and if he talks to nobody, he might be a good candidate for a future episode of Criminal Minds.

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Rising Up!

The world is starting to ask the questions: What are we supposed to do?”
They're beginning to cry out, "We've done all we knew to do and we're still being hunted and murdered in the open. What's the solution? We’ve warned our sons and daughters and we’ve gone over it many times. We’ve taught them the ropes, how to survive, how to behave when pulled over, how to be non-threatening, but still they are seen as a threat and murdered in cold blood, even on camera with no fear of consequences. What’s the answer?"
The church is rising.
I'm thankful. And grateful.

The timid will rise. The bashful will rise. The soft spoken will rise. Our voices will rise. Our prayers will rise. Our songs will rise. We will come out and up and together with the answer that supersedes the killings and injustices. The answer that doesn’t offer a fairytale of everybody coming together and getting along, where there’s no hurt or harm or casualties. The solution we’ll come with won’t be focused on the evil, but on the power of God to bring the peace that is greater than the evil around us. The peace that really does pass understanding. The peace that is puzzling even to those who walk in it. The peace that is most evident when times are most troubling. 

I feel it. Rising in me, the more I focus on the Word and not the violence and shootings and rage. I recognize them, I don’t deny their existence, but I don’t give them my undivided attention. I’m turning my eyes toward God. And I can feel the rising. I can feel myself linking up in the Spirit realm with others whose hearts and souls are crying out. I feel my gift changing. I feel a brewing in my soul, I feel tears just below the surface, not of heartache or frustration, but of my spirit responding to the change.

LORD continue by your Spirit to lead us, to tug at our heartstrings, to call us, up, out, forward into the place that You’ve destined for each of us to be, where we will fulfil our individual roles in these times and in Your Kingdom. Remind us of our calling. Reveal to us the power of our voices, not just as Americans, or African Americans, but more than ever as Believers. Help us by Your Spirit to feel SAFE in You, to go forth, to walk in wisdom, to speak with boldness, to tell people about you even though many blame You, accuse You, or dismiss the thought of You in the midst of this turmoil.

IF MY PEOPLE

LORD, please help us. We Your people need you. Not just this nation. Not just our government. Your people who are called by Your Name. We need You. We need your help. I believe God, that many of us simply don't know HOW to really pray about this type of thing. The anger is easy. The frustration is easy. Those feelings are some that we feel often, so we are used to that. But this type of anger is new to a lot of us because we didn't grow up in the same time that our parents and grandparents did. We simply don't know how to pray. But we need you.

Holy Spirit please begin to deal with us. Speak to us in our quiet moments, in the midst of the hurt and confusion. Touch our hearts in the tender spots so that we will give you our attention and allow you to begin to speak to us about exactly what it is that we even as individuals can be and should be doing during these times. 

Remind us of what the scriptures say about these last days. Remind us of what the Word says about who we are. Help us to understand better where to draw the line between, "these are the last days and the bible said this would happen" and "we need to do something".
I pray for those of us who you have anointed in the area of social activism. For the men and women who make no hesitation going to the front line to speak on behalf of an entire race of people here in this country. I pray for their safety. I pray for their strength. I pray for clarity of thought. I pray you cover them and protect them.

I pray for the rest of us that you keep us from criticizing those on the front line. That you keep us from biting at each other. That you would open our eyes to see the trickery of the enemy in all of this. 

I pray that you begin to stir up every gift. Pull to the forefront those who have drifted into the background. Heal those who have shut up and shut down due to hurt that they don't know how to release. Help us to release every hurt and put our voices back out into the atmosphere so that a difference can be made in the heavenly places as well as in earth.
I pray for our leaders in the church everywhere, our pastors that they will hear you about what to even say to the congregations before them. Give them wisdom in how to lead your people through these times.

For all of us God, help us to return to your Word, our First Love, Your Presence, ask you what must we do, what can we do. Give us to be obedient to whatever you speak to us. And empower us to carry out your perfect will in the earth through us. Help us Lord. Help me Lord. ‪#‎IFMYPEOPLE

You Are Free to Leave

You never know where your next blessing is. I believe we have more options in life than we think we do. It’s like we don’t give God credit for having infinite ways to bless us. We place our limits on Him and we tend not to expect much or even muster up the courage to ask for much, but that thinking doesn’t line up with scripture.

I needed a door to be opened for me and God answered my prayers and opened the door. It was a blessing to me, swinging open for me just in the nick of time. I remember feeling wanted and appreciated and so thankful for the Lord showing me something different from the kind of negativity I unfortunately had grown accustomed to and to even came to expect. Shortly after walking through that door though, I realized I didn’t want to remain for a long period of time. As thankful as I was I could think of a few really good reasons why I needed to move on. Just as my reasoning began to take on the form of complaints the Lord spoke very plainly to me and said, “When I opened this door for you I didn’t open it so you could walk in and stay forever. You are free to leave.” I’ve been taking Him up on those words since that day, preparing myself for my next move.

I’m reminded of so many people over the years who prayed for a job, got hired, and then stayed on the job for years even suffering tremendously, refusing to even look elsewhere because they keep telling themselves, “But God gave me this job”.  Even if they have a longing inside for more, better, increase, even if they qualify for it, they would remain and justify doing so because God opened that door for them. As if He can’t open another one. As if He can’t hear and answer another prayer. As if they aren’t capable of continuing to grow and move forward.

God is not limited in the ways that He is able to bless and provide for us. He’s not a one hit wonder or a one trick pony.  The entire universe is at His disposal. With Him the possibilities are endless. We sing songs like, If He did it before, He can do it again, but think we should sometimes stop and do and honest heart check to see if we really believe it. Some of us live our entire lives without opening ourselves up to the possibility of something more or even different.

Do you feel stuck? Are you telling yourself that you have to stay put because God blessed you with what you have, or to be where you are? Are you assuming that just because He opened that door for you that He doesn’t have another one that can be opened if you ask? Are you waiting for someone to die before you think you can move on? Snap out of it! And many of us sadly are simply afraid for one reason or another to take a step outside the casket of our comfort zone. So we complain, and blame God for our unhappiness and accuse Him of not being resourceful enough to take us where the desire He’s placed inside of us wants us to go. Lift up your head, open your eyes, leave your options open, and allow Him to show you just how much He wants to do for you. It will exceed anything you are able to ask or imagine. And remember, unless He has given you specific instructions to stay, you are free to leave.

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Emotional Bullying

 

Bullying Definition

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

 

The Lord dropped something into my spirit a few years ago and I’m reminded of it today.  “Don’t let the enemy bully you in your emotions.”

One thing I’ve learned in my 52 years is that many people who are bullies as children do not grow out of that behavior into adulthood, and people who tend to be easy targets for bullies don’t always grow out of that tendency into adulthood. You can find bullies and victims of bullying even in the workplace as adults.

When discussing bullies one thing that is usually said still rings true, “They do you that way because they know they can. As long as they can get away with it by you not standing up to them, they will continue to bully you. As long as they can get a rise, a reaction out of you they will continue to entertain themselves with your reactions.” Something else I’ve learned about bullies is that when you stand up to them, stand up for yourself, even if you “lose” the fight, you’ll still earn their respect and they will often find someone who will remain the victim.

When you think about it, where do you think the behavior originates from?  God, or the devil? So when we recognize the author of that behavior we can better see how the enemy will do the same thing to us emotionally. 

He knows that he can say certain things, cause certain things to happen, use people to say or do certain things to get a rise or reaction out of us.  When we show him that at the least sign of something we don’t like we resort to complaining and self-pity, [Proverbs 24:10] he learns how to perfectly time his attacks and with every attack he adds in a special little something extra: Some negative suggestion that he whispers to you so you can start repeating it in your frustration. As you agree with him in your heart and with your words you become a perfect target for his bullying. Not resulting in black eyes or other physical bruises, but in your emotions, dragging you down every time you think you might be about to see some type of daylight.  Learn to FIGHT. SPEAK UP. STAND UP. GUARD YOUR HEART BY KEEPING A HANDLE ON YOUR EMOTIONS. There’s nothing new under the sun. Everybody is dealing with mess they’d rather not deal with. Put on your big girl panties or big boy boxers and put your spiritual dukes up and fight. Use that power of life and death that’s in your tongue and come out of the role of being a victim to the devil’s bullying.

I saw a quote that said, “I got hated on for being myself, so I started hating myself”. When you think about it, doesn’t that describe the enemy of your soul?  He hates you simply because of who you are! A child of the Most High God, a Royal Priesthood, an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ. You’re on your way to the place he got kicked out of when he showed his tail. You’ve been promoted into the spot that was left vacant when he lost his position in heaven. Of course he hates your guts and his mission is to convince you to hate yourself just as much by trying to convince you through life’s trials and the lies he tells you about yourself. He wants to badger you to the point that you feel like this is just the way it is, or that you somehow deserve or are the cause of the abuse, so you just join his club. Don’t let him do that to you! He’s doing it because you allow it. He’s doing it simply because he can. It may sound like I too, am accusing you for what he’s doing to you. I understand that feeling. I used to feel that way at first, but it’s really not the case. I’m simply shedding a light on the trick he’s been playing on you and getting the same results over and over. [Hosea 4:6] [2 Corinthians 2:11] If he can keep your spiritual eyes black, blue and swollen shut from his verbal beatings they will never be opened to see him for what he is. If he can keep your attention focused on what he is saying instead of that God has said about you, you will never have your faith increased by hearing the actual truth about who you are.

 

So check yourself before he makes you wreck yourself.  Check your emotions. What are you feeling? What are you hearing when you feel certain things in your emotions?  The things that you are hearing, are they in line with how God says He feels about you in His Word in scriptures like [Jeremiah 29:11] or are they more in line with what the Word says about what the enemy wants to do [John 10:10]? Are you experiencing anxiety or peace? Do you feel abandoned, or loved?  It’s really simple. As we begin to retrain ourselves to think and speak according the Word we will find ourselves spending less time entertaining what the enemy is doing and being entertainment for the enemy, and more time walking in complete victory. 

 

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DELAYED ACCORDING TO WHO?

In recent years it has become more and more common to hear someone say. "DELAY DOES NOT MEAN DENIAL." As I was thinking about my surgery situation, this phrase came to mind and I got to thinking.  When we say “delay” who are we referring to that is or will be affected by this so-called delay?  It’s certainly not God!  We call something a delay when the timing of it coming to pass doesn’t match our expectations. We say it’s delayed when we thought or hoped it would happen by a certain time, but for whatever reason it doesn’t.  For us, things are delayed due to circumstances beyond our control. 

But no circumstance is out of God’s control. God is not affected or impacted by time. He is not governed by it. He created it for us. It helps us to measure life and seasons.

We say something is delayed because we assumed something, but it didn’t pan out the way we assumed. The Lord will tell us that He is going to do something and we begin to immediately calculate a deadline. We begin looking at present circumstances and assume that because of this or that, the promise will or has to come to pass by this time/date.  One major piece of information we neglect to consider though, is that God didn’t tell you when it was going to happen, only that it’s going to happen, so how can we declare something to be delayed when we were never given a due date? Rarely are dates involved in His promises because I believe, a lot of the condition of the fulfillment is our obedience to what He has instructed us to do in order to be positioned to see the manifestation of those things. So then delayed doesn't mean denial, it means somebody disobeyed.

DELAYS ARE USUALLY UNEXPECTED.

I had no thought whatsoever that I would be waiting 3 or more months to simply have a surgery that is so common that most of us probably are in close proximity to at least two women who’ve had one. Just like my surgery seems to be getting delayed more and more, a total of about  5 months, we all experience delays in our lives. Flight delays, the start of a concert or wedding, traffic delays due to accidents or inclement weather, etc. We can experience a lot of frustration from these delays, even to the point of rescheduling other things that are affected by the first delay. We are caught off guard by delays and sometimes have to stop and regroup to keep from allowing the frustration of the inconveniences to get the best of us. But God is never caught off guard. He’s never shocked or surprised. He’s never left scratching His head and wondering what His next move will now be. From before the foundations of the earth were laid, He knew the exact moment that each of His promises to you would be fulfilled. He just didn’t fill you in on the date and time details.

Another major factor to consider when thinking about why something in our lives may be delayed is that we have to remember, even though you may be involved, even play a key role, THIS ISN'T ALL ABOUT YOU. These so called delays are making room for so many other things to take place. There really is a bigger picture being painted by our all knowing God. I’m reminded of the birth of my youngest daughter and how I had to wait 14 years to get pregnant with her because the Lord knew that my oldest daughter wouldn’t be born for another 13 years. To me I was delayed over 13 years in getting pregnant, but to God, it was all a part of His master plan and it was all done in PERFECT TIMING.

This “delay does not mean denial” is something I actually have come to dislike because I’ve come to understand that DELAYS DON’T EVEN APPLY TO GOD.

Instead I'm learning to stop and ask God to "Reveal to me what's really happening here. Help me to see anything that I may be missing."  I said to Him even about my surgery, "If you have a specific reason for allowing this, I surrender to your reasons, but if not, I don't want to wait any longer." That's pretty much all any of us can say, "Lord this is what I desire, but if You have other plans, I surrender to Your plans. You know what I don't know."  

Keep in mind that He always has your best interest at heart.  His thoughts toward you are of peace and not of evil. Even though the way His plans play out can sometimes be painful to you and seem to throw a wrench in your plans,  (Isaiah 55:8) they are not motivated by a desire of God to hurt you, but to give you an "expected end". There is a place He expects you to end up in and that's what all of this is about. The expected end result that He desires for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) Another translations says, "a future and a hope". My personal translation says, "something to look forward to".

So how do we handle these delays? Well I've already given you a direction that your prayer to Him can go that will help keep your mind right and attitude right. Another thing we can do, and that I plan to do during my current "delay" is to take advantage of the additional time I may end up having prior to the actual surgery. Any additional time I may be gifted through this delay can be spent working on my weight and anything else that will cause me to feel better going into the surgery and cause my recovery to possibly be better. I suggest you do the same. Make the most of your so called delay, and then prepare yourself for the moment when the Lord shows you that everything was actually timed impeccably in your favor. 

Give Thanks

God sees all and knows all. He sees when you’re in a situation that is not set up to be fair to you or that is not in your overall, long run best interest. He sees every underhanded thing that happens to you and he hears the conversations that bring those underhanded things about. He knows all of the policies that are in place that work against you, that rob you of energy, money, time.

He also sees when in the midst of dealing with those things, you remain thankful to Him. He sees your faithfulness and He’s waiting for the cry of your heart to come up to Him. 

In sending your answer it may even seem like something worse has happened, but as the smoke clears you will see that he orchestrated whatever it was just to free you up to receive the thing that your grateful heart has positioned you to receive. 

Your flesh may scream so loudly that there is nothing to be thankful for in your situation, but that’s not true. (IN everything, give thanks. I Thessalonians 5:18) Notice that the scripture does not say FOR everything, but IN everything, which simply means that no matter what you are having to walk through, there is something to give thanks to God for. When you are thankful for what He has already done, and are bold enough to ask Him for what you desire, you place yourself in the center of obedience to His word (Philippians 4:6) and He HAS to honor His Word because He CANNOT lie. He will come through for you.

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Same Message, Different Wording

If there is a door that you feel you could or even should be able to walk through but for some reason you can’t, then maybe you should consider that the reason God is determined to keep that one closed is that it’s not YOURS. Having the ability to do something does not automatically mean that it’s your actual calling. It’s probably just a gift or set of abilities that is in your life to support your true calling.  Stop crying about the door God refuses to open for you and turn your attention toward whatever door He is waiting to have swing open for you. Having mastered something doesn’t necessarily mean you are to never do anything else.  Mastering something may be the sign you need to let you know it’s time to move on to something else. We say, “When God closes one door He opens another”, but at the same time we spend so much time wrestling with the door knobs of those closed doors. Turn around, open your eyes, and ask God to order your steps to the doors He will refuse to close in front of you instead of weeping at the one He refuses to open for you!

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Even in Prayer, Be Careful

I recently dreamed that a young man was about to minister to me at the altar but he stopped and got in my ear and said, “Be careful about who you ask to pray for you about things. When you ask them to pray for you, they find out what’s on your heart and when they know what’s on your heart, they can use it against you. They can use it to their own advantage.”

I believe the lesson in that is very powerful. Our need to be spiritually keen is a desperate one.  We have dreams, desires, things that we want to do for God, and things that we know that He has called us to.  Prayer may seem to be a thing that the enemy couldn’t possibly use against us. I mean, after all, it’s communication with God!  But in a situation where you’re sharing something personal with someone and asking them to agree with you in prayer, it can be the very tool that is used to stab you in the back.  Never forget that your enemy, the devil hates you and he will attack or hurt you by any means necessary, even if it means using someone you trust in the church, someone you trust and look up to, or your lack of understanding of scripture. The bible teaches us to pray for wisdom (James 1:5). It also teaches us that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. (John 14:26) And it teaches us to believe not every spirit, but to try the spirit. (I John 4:1).

Basically we cannot live this Christian life successfully and victoriously without the help, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, or without knowledge of the Word of God.

There is also a story in the book of Acts where we learn why it is important to be able to discern the spirit of a person. The Apostle Paul became grieved and turned and cast a demon out of a woman who was following him and the other apostles, singing their praises and telling everyone, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.”  Was she not telling the truth? Were they not servants of the most High?  Were they not showing the way of salvation?  Yes! But the problem was the spirit behind it, the spirit inside the woman. What seemed on the outside to be free advertisement for the men of God, or something that would work in the favor of the Apostles, was actually something that was the opposite, a woman with a demonic spirit appearing to be a part of that which is righteous. She was known for making money for her masters for fortune telling but here she now seemed to be someone working with the men of God. Although doing this might increase her following and bring even more money to her masters, it would have had a more negative outcome for the men of God.

This story goes to prove that not everyone is on your side or in your corner, just because they are saying good things about you. They aren’t really supporting you just because they follow you everywhere or on social media outlets. Their always being there does not mean that you can actually count on them when you have a need. Holding your hand and seeming to agree with you in prayer doesn’t automatically mean that they love you or that their prayers will get past the ceiling. It could be that they are addicted to you even though they hate you. It could be that they are just gathering information to fuel their next attack against you and the whole time you might be sensing that something is terribly off, without realizing that it’s because of someone you trust to “touch and agree” with you in prayer.

As we move forward from this day I pray that the Holy Ghost will continue to help us by periodically bringing this to our remembrance. I pray that our hearts will be sensitive and tender to His leading and obedient to His direction. That our eyes will be opened to see past the immediate and natural and directly into the real spirit that is motivating all of those we are in contact with, even in prayer.

The ONE Who Prays For You

Don’t underestimate the power in your own mouth, even in times of crisis when you don’t know WHAT to pray. Remember that death and life are in the power of your tongue. You may not have a “dear heavenly Father, I come to You”, kind of prayer, but open your mouth and SPEAK LIFE. Speak what you DESIRE and what God PROMISED, not what you see. Talk to God about who you know He is.  Sometimes you’re asking people to pray for you, with you, etc, and guess what?  THEY don’t know what to pray either!  They have to seek the help of the Spirit to even know HOW to pray for you!  

But the bible has you covered:

Romans 8:26 (KJV) (Also read the MSG translation)

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

By all means call on the prayer warriors, your pastor, etc. The bible does say that the "effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much". But more than anything, call on the Holy Spirit. He’s the HELP that we ALL need. He’s the teacher. He will remind you of what you already know about God and this will help you know how to approach God in prayer, even in a crisis situation. And He’s the one, when no words come to mind, even about your own life, your own marriage, your own child, who knows exactly what needs to be said to the Father. He will help you pray, teach you to pray, pray through you, and when you can’t open your mouth, pray FOR you. You are truly covered in prayer by the Holy Spirit.

The beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit making intercession for us is that He does it without our asking for it. The bible doesn’t say that if we ask Him to do it He will do it. It simply says that He makes intercession. It’s a given. It’s a part of His job description, and it’s what we should thank Him for on a daily basis, because that's when He does it, not just in crisis. Whether you feel like you’re batting a thousand or like you've been run over by a Mac truck; whether you feel like you can take on the world or like you feel like the weight of the world is on you, He makes intercession. He stays before the Father on your behalf, because that’s just what He does. There are days, like today for instance, that I am extremely thankful for the fact that I have someone standing before the throne of God on my behalf. 

LOST TIME

It's is true that God will make up for lost time, but remember: Making up for lost time doesn't mean that you magically just show up in your place of destiny. It doesn't mean that God just wipes out all that is required of you and passes you through. 

Just like in school, when you have to make up for lost time, it means there will be some CRAMMING. In order to make up for time lost, you may have to do double work for a while. There will be more reading, more studying, less free time, more obstacles to overcome and things to learn in a shorter amount of time. You still have to pass certain required tests, and prepare for those tests, only now you have a lot less time to do it. Can it be done? YES! God will give you Grace. But you still have to be committed to the process.

~I WILL TRUST~ ~I BE ABLE~

WORRY OR WORSHIP

When it seems that worry is waiting for me to wake up in the morning, and attempts to ride my back throughout the day, I've learned to use my weapon of worship.
Worry says, "Do you know what could happen?"
Worship says, "BUT I KNOW WHO GOD IS! And I know where my help comes from!"
~I WILL TRUST~

OUTSIDE THE BOX? I BEG TO DIFFER!

One of the most quoted and popular statements that I have come to disagree with, "Think outside the box".  Yes, I said it!

People say that the box represents limitations.  I say the walls of the box are simply to set the boundaries that God wants me to not cross.  People believe that being inside a box means you're not growing, you're not creative, you're not living up to your fullest potential.  You're normal.  You're average.  You'll blend in with the crowd and never really stand out and make an impact or a real difference. All I have to say to that is, speak for yourself.  I am not average, I am creative, I have grown and am growing still, and any blame for me not living up to my fullest potential at any given time is not because of the box I'm in.  Nothing about me blends in with a crowd. I carry a heavy influence, and I do make impact, and a difference in people's lives.

God designed my box specifically for me.  My box is for my protection.  Its walls are the boundaries that have been set by God for me to keep me on the right path, moving in the right direction.  They keep me on track to fulfilling my purpose. My box is my road map to finding and fulfilling purpose. My box tells me where to spend my energy so that my life won't be wasted running wild and accomplishing nothing.  The walls of my box tell me what I was not called to do.  They tell me where I should not go, where I don't belong. The walls of my box show me the extent of my abilities, talents and gifts. My concern is not what's going on outside of my box, but the absolute freedom I have within my custom made by God box.  If I maximize the freedom in my box, I won't come to the end of my life with regret for all of the things that I meant to do, but didn't. Inside my box, nothing is wasted. Inside my box I am able to use all of my gifts, all of my talents.  They all come together to support my ulitimate God assigned purpose.

My box tells me that I am a writer, but not a novelist.  My box tells me which path God wants to use to get my word, and voice out to the nations. My box allowed me to write and publish books of poetry, but it doesn't allow me to simply write my own bio by which to be introduced. My box allows me to teach, expound, even preach, but mostly, outside the confines of the church walls. My box allows me to sing and write songs but not play any instruments. My box allows me to teach, and explain, but not in the school system as a teacher.  My box tells me that I am not a politician.  I am not a painter or an architect. Are you beginning to catch my drift?

Our entire lives are lived inside of a box.  You can't even properly ship or mail something without using some kind of box or container.  When was the last time you saw someone buy toys for their grandchildren in another city and just take them to the post office and send them?  You'll never see it!  And what if this Christmas, everyone who wanted to send something by whatever mail carrier, decided to send it "outside of a box"?  It would be total chaos and mayhem!  Nothing would make it to where it's supposed to be.  Things would be lost and broken, utterly destroyed even. Boxing items keep things in order. It gives you a place to write the destination.  It keeps the carrier out of disarray. If a mail carrier traveled any distance without any of the items and letters packaged, (boxed) whenever they got to where they were going the back of their vehicle would look more like someone dumped trash in it, than looking like it was filled with valuable gifts.

My box also has a very special ability to EXPAND.  I can grow as much as I want within that box.  I don't have to worry about running out of room because within the will, plan and purpose of God for my life I find that He is limitless.  He has all the space I need to use in order to do what He has called me to do. Do we not quote the scripture that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof?  So if I need more room, He simply expands my box to fit my growth, but I never loose sight of the path I'm on.  I don't have to worry about being "all over the place".  Starting everything, but finishing nothing.  Really living a life of confusion for not understanding the great value of living inside my box.

As God was opening this up to me I was sharing it with some ladies.  One of them did what most of us love to do.  She resorted to a scripture.  And I'm sure it's the same one that many of you have been quoting inside your head while reading this.  "I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me".  "You can't limit yourself", she says.  But I told her that knowing your place in God does anything but limit you. I can do all things does not mean, I'm supposed to do everything.  The truest freedom any of us will ever know will be living within the boundaries God has placed for us.  First of all His Word sets boundaries, but that same word contains that scripture.  So are we limited or not?  I say NO.  Not by God anyway.  We have boundaries but we are not limited. If we are ever limited it is because we place those limitations on ourselves or allow others to.

I believe that the intent for Christians using this quote is maybe to encourage people to use their creativity. To not allow themselves to be bound up by people's opinions, or to do something they've always wanted to do, but haven't.  But we have to be careful about adapting every little phrase that comes into the world.  We are in the world but we are not of it.  The world is in the shape it's in right now because too many people don't live by rules, regulations, boundaries, or within the correct box.  People are doing whatever, simply because it's how they feel at the time.  They are running from one relationship to the next, bed to bed, breaking heart after heart, or being heartbroken, making babies and abandoning them or aborting them, walking away from families, hopping from church to church, etc, simply because they could really use a good BOX! 

Christians are often criticized for not getting out and "living life" or "experiencing" life because we choose not to be all over the place in our way of life.  I will admit that many of us aren't really living full lives.  Many of us don't experience a lot of happiness, joy, or excitement. But it's not because of the boundaries our heavenly Father has placed in our lives for our protection and guidance.  It is most likely because of the limitations we live under, the chains we place around our own feet, hands and neck because of fear, doubt,unbelief, and insecurity.  Those are the things we need to break out of, think outside of.

I submit to you today that the box is not what's killing your dreams and visions.  The box God designed for you is not what's keeping you from enjoying your life.  Every amount of joy and happiness that you want to experience, God wants it for you more than you do for yourself...more than you'll every imagine!

I challenge you today to change your attitude about the box God has given you to live in.  See how BIG you can get Him to expand it to by living up to all of your God-given potential!  

If you really want to think outside of something...if you really want to BREAK OUT of something, STEP OUTSIDE of something...try stepping outside of that COMFORT ZONE you've spent your entire life in.  It's your comfort zone that has been choking, smothering, committing mass murder of your dreams, visions and goals one by one.  Your comfort zone is the graveyard where all of your dreams have died and been buried.  It's the mentality of your comfort zone that has tricked you into believing that the box God created for you is a death trap.  The comfort zone is the real death trap.  Don't think outside the box, STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

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WRITTEN IN 2008

The truth is .... in and of ourselves none of us are good enough.  It's through the blood of Christ that we are made or counted worthy. He gives us the credit and benefits of the work He did.  We couldn't and can't so He did, and then rewards us as if we did.   All we have to do is accept it.   Believe that in His eyes we are good enough because His blood is all over us.  When He looks at you He sees the greatness He put inside of you, not the messes and mistakes you've made.   He sees your future in Him and His plan for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says..

FOR I KNOW THE THOUGHTS THAT I THINK TOWARD YOU , SAYS THE LORD. THOUGHTS OF PEACE AND NOT OF EVIL, TO GIVE YOU AND FUTURE AND A HOPE. OR (EXPECTED END. kjv)

You ever just look at that scripture? He actually thinks about you.  He ponders about things, good things that He wants to give to you and the life He wants you to live.   Full of peace, good, and hope.   He has a bright future in mind for you.   And He had it in mind when He created you.   He actually thinks about you. 

When you love someone you tend to think about them all the time.   And your thoughts of that person are always loving and good and they always involve that person being in your future. So looking at what that scripture says, God is so in love with you that He thinks about you all the time and He loves you so much that He went ahead of you and planned your future with Himself, and it's all good! Wow. He's head over heels in love with you!

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