Let him hear your cry

““Be quiet!” the crowd yelled at them. But they only shouted louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.”

Matthew 20:31-32, 34 NLT

In the 29th verse it says that a large crowd followed behind him as he was walking. Then it says that the two blind men heard it and started to call for him. The crowd was behind Jesus. The crowd was in the back following. Jesus was leading the pack, yet the scripture says that he heard them and not saw them. It doesn’t make clear if the people standing around were blocking them. It doesn’t say that they were hidden. It just says that they were on the side of the road and Jesus was leading the way. So why didn’t he see them first? Why didn’t he go over to them before they said it? Why did they have to call him?

HERE IT IS…

You may be in a place or a situation and your thinking to yourself “I know God see me!” You may be in a place where your thinking he is going to get you out of it. Truth is Jesus could see them but but they couldn’t see him. They were blind not Jesus. We can be so blind in our ways and in our thoughts and in our thinking that we don’t say anything because we know people see us. God see’s you, but it’s your voice that gets his attention. It’s your hearts cry that calls him. It’s the disparity that he comes to you. Some say seeing is believing and I would like to think that believing is seeing. Open your mouth and call on his name so that you can see his glory.

Happy and sad

“I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”

Psalms 9:1-2 KJV

I was watching the animated movie inside out and I love the part where the characters joy and sadness are trying to get back to head quarters to make Riley happy again. All joy could think about was making Riley happy again after they moved and she had to make new friends and start all over. While trying to make it back sadness kept touching what they called core memories and it made Riley sad each time. Joy was so focused on making Riley happy that she didn’t realize that sadness was the reason why Riley was so happy. What she finally realized is that when Riley had her happiest moments, they came after she endured the saddest time. What made Riley realize her happiness was her sadness.

HERE IT IS…

During this time of the holiday season we have to realize that the times that we feel the saddest because of the things we have lost, people we miss, and thoughts of things that have passed we cannot always put on a act of joy when we are hurting inside. It’s okay to be sad and deal with the sadness.

Be strong enough to know that you are sad and hurting and it’s okay to cry.

Weeping may endure for a night but JOY comes in the morning.

Sadness helps us to remember the things that have happened but also shows us just what God can do.

Let them see you

If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind. 
James 3:13‭-‬16 NLT

How do people know your faith? How are people able to distinguish between you being a Christian, and not being a Christian? I tell you the truth it’s not about what you wear, and who you are, and what you have, but it’s all about how you live. It’s about what you do through your life that sets you apart from the world. Your words can be kind and can be true and your heart have an evil way about it. How can we say we love God and we hat our own brother.

HERE IT IS…

It’s about your ability to understand just who God is and has been to you that makes you different. Your life speaks volumes about you and your love for Christ. What you do and how you treat others says a lot about you. When you finally make the choice to do things differently in your life is what shows everyone that you have consciously made a decision in your life to make Christ the head of your life. Changing the way you talk, your walk, your thoughts. Trust in God who created you and makes you who you are. Let them see who you are now and not who you used to be.

Just because he is God

“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:15-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Have you ever thought about how much water is in the ocean? Have you ever thought about how many trees are left or have been cut down? Have you ever wondered how many animals are left? As a kid I never had to worry about where my meals would come from. I never had to worry about lights or water bills. I had my parents who worried about that. Today my kids don’t have to worry about it either. We make sure to the best of our ability as parents they don’t worry about that.

HERE IT IS…

Just like those things we took for granted as kids, we take somethings from God for granted. We look at somethings like it’s supposed to be there. We look at some things as if it’s Gods responsibility to put it there. Truth is he doesn’t have too. Didn’t have too. He does those things because he loves us. I believe in this seasons God is looking for us to be grateful for what we have, because we can start to think that is how it is supposed to be, and it’s not. It’s his love for us. We should give him all our praise.

God did it

Hear this message from the Lord , all you who tremble at his words: “Your own people hate you and throw you out for being loyal to my name. ‘Let the Lord be honored!’ they scoff. ‘Be joyful in him!’ But they will be put to shame. 
Isaiah 66:5 NLT
Today what are you joyful for? Today right now in this moment what has got you happy and excited? The scripture tells us to be happy in Him. There has been a lot of good things that has happen and has taken place in our life. What are you happy about? What joy do you have that has happen to you? Now how did you get it? Who gave it to you? Who brought it to you? Who gave you life, and movement, and breath in your body?

HERE IT IS…

We put so much emphasis on things and people and places we have been and sometimes we forget the little things that God gave to us, are the the things that keep us going. People talk about us, hate on us, despise us, and even give you those remember when times. But who woke you up? Who started you on your way today? Who gave you the means and right mind to do what you do? Give God all the praise because of who he is to you, not for what he has done for you.

You got this

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1:10-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬
When I was a senior in high school and coming to the end of my high school career. I had a lot of opportunities in front of me. I had so many different things, so many different schools I could have went to. Different sports I could have played in college. I really wanted to make my parents proud. I wanted to see them proud of the man I wanted to become. I wanted them to be proud of who they raised and be able to stick they’re chest out in who I was. I wanted to please them in everything I did. But looking back on the events that transpired in that short time I realize that all the things I wanted to do was please people and not God.
HERE IT IS…
What have you done in your life that seem to give you problems and issues that you took the time to do and go to school for that actually was to make someone else proud and not God? Who are you trying to please through your life instead of God. Paul writes that the message that he preaches is not based on human reasoning. It comes from God. So we have to understand that the message God wants you to have through your life is not for other people to understand. Truth be told people will question why you made the choice that you did. Why you left all the opportunity that you had in front of you because it’s not for them to understand. God is the author and the finisher of your life. Follow him and please him.

Pressure

“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Pressure, pushing down on me,
pressing down on you, no man ask for.
Under pressure that burns a building down,
splits a family in two, puts people on streets. – Queen
This is a song I am often listening to by this rock band because it talks solely about pressures of the world. It talks about how life may beat you down. Can feel like it’s so much weight on you. This pressure that can cause you to do things and say things that are not of your character. Pressure that can bring unsolicited attention and thoughts to your mind.

HERE IT IS…

The thing about pressure is that some how some way it has to be released. It has to be let go and pushed out. Pressure can cause so much damage if it’s not properly handled. So what do I do when pressure comes? What do I do when pressure weighs me down? What do I do when I have so much built up on the inside and don’t know what to do? In this scripture it tells us that one of the things we have to do is be patient. We have to be patient in our times of pressure. Because a lot of times we are in such of a rush to get rid of it we start to do things we shouldn’t. We start to create more issues than we need. Pressure can hurt but sometimes you have to wait and be patient until the right time.

Run with God

“Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:24-25‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Which direction are you running? In a sanctioned race, there is only one way to run. You do not see people running the race lined up in different places. You also don’t see them taking the route they think is best. You cannot cut across the field. You cannot run the opposite direction because your calculations say it would be faster. They taught us in school the fast way between two pints is a straight line. Not a circle. Not a zig zag. Not diagonally. A straight line is the quickest way and truth is sometimes we forget that.

HERE IT IS…

Are you running towards Christ or away from him. A lot of times we will start running this race and take detours. We may crash. We may sit in the side of the road and watch the others run by. Then sometimes we think we are slick and try to take a detour and try to run parallel with Gods word even though we are going the opposite direction. This is your time and chance to get back on track with God. How far have you gotten running the opposite direction? How much better had life been just trying to be close to him and not aligned with him. Your race has a prize that has nothing to do with this world and will never fade away.

Still the new me

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬
The movie self/less, it’s a movie about a billionaire scientist who gets cancer. Instead of treating himself to cure cancer, he figures out a way to take his consciousness and put it in a healthy new body. Sounds a bit crazy to think one minute your body is plagued with a disease that will eventually kill you. Then the next you wake up looking at your body while in a different body. As crazy as this sounds this is something that I wouldn’t put past 2020. This year has made us all wish we were somewhere else. Some people wish they were Simone else. Truth is you are who you are designed to be.

HERE IT IS…

Each day we have to do what this scientist and others had to do to keep the consciousness of the body there in from coming back. They took pills. Where we pray and ask God to guide us. We have to keep our flesh under control because of whose we are. Sometimes we want to step out of character. Be someone else so we can mess a few people up and tell a few people about themselves, then come right back. We can’t. Christ spirit lives in us and we have to allow his spirit to move freely. We have to allow his love to take over. Allow his peace to take over. His joy to take over. Allow his power to take over. He dwells in all of us, let his light show through.

Pretending is not purposeful.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Growing up I used to pretend I was a lot of things. I would be the greatest football player, basketball, baseball, Mighty Mouse, Popeyes. I had an imagination about different things because they were so strong or popular. In middle school I was trying to develop who I was and tried to be something I wasn’t. I had to many people around me that wouldn’t allow me. High school I started to come into my own but still made a image of who I wanted to be and not who I knew I was supposed to be. When i started to go into adulthood I had to pick and I struggled with it. It was hard to decide which person I wanted to be.

HERE IT IS…

“God cannot bless who you are pretending to be.” -Michael Todd. Yeah read that again. That helped me even today. I don’t pretend to be anyone anymore. I don’t try to make others think anything about me. I want to be who God called me to be. I don’t struggle like I used to, I still struggle. I don’t pretend anymore, but I still imagine. I am not a child anymore, but I remember the land of make believe. Even through my struggle, through my imagination running wild, and other people making me believe. I know now that God has created me a to be exactly who he has created me to be. If their are people who can not handle who your supposed to be and not pretend to be then they were pretending to be your friend. Once you stop pretending, so will everything else.