I Must Trust!

Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Yet if we were to be totally honest this verse is easier said than done. Why? If we are directed to trust in the Lord, the one who is always consistent, the one who wakes us up every morning, the one who provides our basic needs, then why does it seem so hard to trust in God? I believe that there are many people today who are struggling with the idea of trusting God. I believe there are reasons for this. Before continuing, let me make sure that you understand that I'm not writing this as an expert in trusting God. This is a struggle that I have as I look at some things I'm dealing with. I'm writing this as encouragement for me and all those who I know (and don't know) who have issues with trusting God.

According to Strong's Concise Concordance, one of the Greek words for trust is "peitho" which means "to have confidence." Therefore when we trust God it is about us having confidence in Him. Yet I would make the case that there are many reasons why we have a hard time trusting God including:

1. We see God through human eyes. One of the realities of humanity is that we are inconsistent. We are all guilty of failing one another whether it be through a lie, failed commitments or broken promises. Therefore, because of so much human failure we see God through what we have experienced in our lives. A lot of people say "I am who I am because of my past" and a part of this is how we see people and therefore our perspective of people may influence how we see God.

2. We can't see God. Isn't it easier to trust something you can see? We have this cliche' "I'll believe it when I see it." Many of us live our lives like this in that we won't believe something until we see evidence. Trusting God by faith requires believing in Him even

though we cannot see Him. Hebrews 11 indicates the power of faith and believing without

seeing.

3. We lack personal confidence. Many of us have a hard time trusting God to work situations out for us because we lack the personal confidence that God can do great things in us. It's almost as if we see God through our personal beings. We know that we want a particular job yet we don't have the confidence to trust that God will provide the job for us and maybe the root of that is our own confidence issues. We also may lack confidence that if we really trust God and He opens the door, we'll fail in whatever He has blessed us to do. This issue of self-confidence goes back to #1. Why? Because many of us for years have been told what we can't do. We've been told my humans that we'll never amount to anything and that God can't use us. It's as if the devil plays with our minds to believe that nothing great can happen through us. That's not the right mindset to have when it comes to trusting God.

So what can we do to build our confidence (trust) in God?

1. Remember the sovereignty of God. When Jeremiah struggled with the call of God because of fear, God reminded him that He would be with Jeremiah as he was obedient to His call. Sometimes in the midst of everything going on in our lives we forget that God is

present no matter what is going on. You may at times not understand everything that is going on in your life but God is still there and knows all. So as you go through this journey

of life, trust God because He sees and knows everything that is going on. Therefore, even in

the midst of your pain God still has His hands on you.

2. Remember God's love. John 3:16a says "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son." God loves you tremendously. Even though this world will many times

make you feel like you are only loved based on clothing, gender, age and personal style, God

loves you just for who you are. It is God's love that gives us the strength to go on when we

feel like giving up. It's God's love that affirms us when people reject us. As you go through

your various situations, trust God in that He loves you and wants to see the best for you. It

doesn't matter what people expect. God's love cancels the expectations of people, especially when those expectations don't line up with what God wants to do in your life (Jeremiah 29:11).

3. Remember to keep it real with God. In this society we like to do "fake it till you make it" yet God does not want that. God wants for us to be totally honest and transparent

about how we feel. Now some would say "well He already knows how I feel" and that's true.

However, God wants us to come to Him boldly. Part of our deliverance comes in refusing

to deny what's going on. Trust God in the fact of telling God EXACTLY how you're feeling.

If you're hurting, tell God. If you're feeling depressed, tell God. If you're struggling with an

insecurity, tell God. Right now, I want you to take a couple of minutes to fully express to

God how you're feeling about some of the things in life that are stressing you. I guarantee you'll feel 10 times better.

4. Remember to press forth in Jesus name. As you trust God through remembering

His sovereignty, His love and desire for your transparency, keep pressing forth. Don't let your situations or circumstances frustrate you. You've decided to have confidence in God

and in the process you've decided to suspend stuff that does not encourage trust in God.

Therefore you must keep going knowing that God is working the situation out. Remember

that you may not understand everything that is going on but trust God that He knows what

is best. It may look one way according to human eyes, but God sees it a different way and

His view is what matters at the end of the day.

Let us pray: God I thank you for every person that will read this blog entry. I pray that you would intervene in whatever they are going through. God I pray that each person who reads this blog will trust you no matter what they are going through. We trust you God for the answer to our prayers. We trust you God for the results that we need. And God, we want you to have your way in whatever situations we face. It is in your hands God and we praise you in advance for working the problem/situation out for us, in Jesus name, amen!

State of the US economy......

SN: This is the first time I've wrote in this blog in a while. I'm a "tumblr" boy now. Anyway, here we go.

As you know President Obama presented a proposal to deal with the issue of unemployment and overall economic health. Let me begin with this: 2/3 of the economy is consumer spending. Therefore is consumer spending is down, than 66% of the economy is potentially in trouble. So here's a question: is the health of the economy based on overconsumption? Someone made an argument that maybe jobs is not the solution to the economy. To me, though I go back to the stat that 2/3 of the economy is supported through consumer spending.

I am one that believes that the economic mess we are in is finally teaching us to stop spending money that we do not have and be content with what we have. Many believe (and I believe I buy the theory too) that the root of the economic problem is debt and over-using credit. I wonder if the economic crash will cause us to seriously evaluate the economic foundation of our country. We are a country that is capitalist. Is it time to evaluate whether capitalism can survive the next 10-20 years?

In this country everyone is trying to make a decent living. The problem is that in order to get a nice house, nice car and nice stuff one must over-consume just to have some of those things. A big house and nice car represent a psychological edge. Let me make sure I'm clear: I'm not against having a big house and nice car. However I'm anti-consumerism because I believe that many people get in unnecessary credit and debt issues because they want to impress others. What's wrong with living in a paid home that provides basic shelter? What's wrong with driving a car that gets you from point A to point B? This country is all about trying to impress others.

Overall I support democratic principles in regards to the economy, which is one of the main reasons why I support Obama. However I still believe that it may be time for us to look overall at the economic structure of our country. Why should the health of our economy be based mostly on consumer spending? To me, people should be able to have a decent job, pay for their basic needs (shelter, food, clothing, etc) and not have to be in humongous debt. In a time where people are losing their jobs they (via unemployment) should be able to provide needs for their home.

I'm not an expert in economic policy so I cannot provide specific solutions to this economic mess but one thing I can offer is the suggestion that we evaluate the usefulness of credit and consumption. Why? Because it seems like the health of the economy is based on spending as much as possible. Obama is right that through small businesses a lot of the economy is brought back to health. Competition is seen as the best way, yet at the same time people will go through hazards just to be competitive. Every business owner wants your money and (depending on what business it is) consumption will be something you have to fight against.

In conclusion, I'd like to see a society where everyone has a fair chance to have the basics of life (food, shelter, clothing, etc), but in this highly competitive, dog eat dog world, that is very unlikely. If politics is not solving the problem, what will? Our country is so big about the money and individualism that we will do whatever possible to make money even if it involves stepping on others to get it.

As a believer in Jesus, I plead for us to get back to the principle of contentment and wealth as truly understood by scripture. I plead for us not to be so concerned about keeping up with the Joneses but just making sure we have the basic necessities of life. Is it going to take a total collapse of the economy for us to understand what we need to do? I hope not, but the way the mindset of this country operates......i just don't know.

Social Networking....Pros and Cons

For the last few weeks I've been pondering some of the pros and cons of social networking as a whole. As many know, social networking has became the norm in this society. It seems like everything is centered around social networks like facebook, twitter, etc. I must admit though that I've became a little fatigued with this concept of social networking because 1) I spend too much time on it and 2) too many things have became petty thanks to social networking.

So today I decided to seek some friends on social networks regarding what they saw as some pros and cons to social networking. Some of what they said as pros included networking, connecting with people (especially those who we may have never connected with if it wasn't for social networking), rekindling of old friendships, ways to interact with persons of influence, the spread of the gospel, and convenience. Some of the cons shared included privacy (the lack thereof), the fact that once it's in cyber space it's there forever, identity theft, and potential problems with relationships.

But at the end of the day, one of the best points made to me (and I'm paraphrasing) is that "social networking is what you make it." Therefore, if we use it for positive purposes then it can be a positive force. That thought really stuck with me!

So what do I see as the pros and cons of social networking? For pros, I think social networking is a good way to connect with people. It allows people who are maybe not as social in society to be social via a computer. I think social networking is a good way to pass along information. Some of the major news stories from deaths to political stories are sometimes first brought out on social networks. Also I agree with all the points made by my friends as far as the pros.

For cons, I think that social networking has made us kind of anti-social as a society. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong, but I do not think that we value face to face interaction like we did back in the day. It's almost like we really don't have to have face to face conversations to interact well with people. There are many people I've met via social networking that I've never met in my life but connect with them well because we may share personal interest like belief in God. Also, I hate the fact that many people put out their business on these sites. People need to write down their very private thoughts in a journal. If they don't want people in their business, they should not put it out there because once it's out there, it's out there.

Overall, social networking is a phenomenon that most likely is not going anywhere, can be a positive tool for this generation, but at the same time must be used with caution! I've learned as I'm maturing more that everything in our head does not need to be put out there for the world to see. As it has been said, some things are better left unsaid!

Thank you!!!

For the last month or so my parents have been under the care of RNs, CNAs, LPNs, Medical Assistants, etc. Over time amount of time I have also grown to appreciate the work that they do. Personally, I've never been disrespectful to them but I've learned that what they do is very difficult. I am of the opinion that any job serving people, especially those who are broken, homeless, sick, etc., is difficult. Most days I see what the staff people are doing and many have to feed the residents/patients, give medicine, hear demands, give baths, etc. What they do is not easy yet they preserve.

So on behalf of all of us who have been under medical care or have family who's been under medical care....THANK YOU! Thank you for what you do! It is not easy to take care of people who are sick and in need. I guarantee that you all have to deal with some who are ungrateful and have nasty attitudes, yet you continue to serve. I know that many of you all do it because it is your career but there has to be some heart for you to do what you do! Continue to serve, even when you don't feel like it and it gets hard.

Again, I want to say THANK YOU!!!!

Why I HATE the "first impressions" concept....

There is a concept that is a very big aspect of life for many of us. The concept is called "first impressions." The basic idea is that your first impression that you give to someone or that you see of someone can be a determining factor of who they are as a whole or who they will be moving forward. While I understand first impressions, I want to talk about why I hate first impressions.

I'm a true believer that just because someone acts one way the first time you meet them does not mean they will be that way moving forward (positive & negatively speaking). There are people who will give you the impression from the beginning that they are a very nice person to get along with and then as time rolls on you discover that they are very mean spirited. Is that a fair first impression? Or maybe it's someone who in your first impression of them came off as mean, closed, arrogant but after spending time with them you discovered that they were nice, very open, and willing to talk. Is that a fair first impression?

I'm concerned that many of us miss opportunities for good relationships with others because of the idea of first impressions. I believe in the power of change. I also believe in the concept of phony. There are many phony people in the world who will put on a front to you and not show you the real "you." I think a case could be made that our world supports the idea of being phony via "fake it till you make it." I am also concerned that instead of looking for the growth of the individual we stay focused on the first impression. This is worst on social networking sites in which some may have never met each other face to face. It's easy to put on a front on social networking sites.

At the end of the day, my wish is that we would not judge people based solely on first impressions. I am not eliminating the idea that someone people based on "first impressions" will remain that way. Not eliminating that idea at all. I'm saying that we should give each other a chance to really show who we are. On a personal note, this is a very big fear I have. I honestly know some of the critical aspects of myself that some say but I'm afraid that they get that impression based on not talking to me often, never meeting me face to face, OR never spending time to talk to me. This is a very big concern for me.

Before judging on first impressions, let's try to get to know people for who they essentially are.

STOP IT!!!!

I hope that you are having a great day. Warning: this blog entry may be controversial. Please forgive me. I need to express this.

I've been on facebook and twitter for a good period of time and one thing I've seen way too much of is generalizations about particular groups. I would even say that I've seen this interacting in society. I want to propose that we STOP generalizing men and women based on personal experiences!

I am absolutely sick and tired of seeing so many tweets and statuses that put men and women in negative generalizations. In no way am I trying to target any particular person or lower the negative experience that might have taken place, but here's my problem: just because one person of a particular gender hurts or mistreats you DOES NOT mean that everyone within that gender group will do the same or has the same mindset.

This hurts those of us who are not in relationships and desire to eventually get in one. Why? Because I'm scared that I'm going to be viewed based on this overall perception that some give us black men (which could be true to a degree). Are there some men who cheat on women, lie to them and treat them as less than a queen? Absolutely! Does this mean that all men will do the same? NO!!! Why are we so quick to put each other in categories based on our personal experience?

I propose that we begin to look at each other individually! Stop putting people in categories based on your own personal experiences. Are some perceptions true? Maybe. Does everyone fit the perception? NO!!! I understand the academics arguments that say that we as humans have to categorize things. But still, that's a disservice to those who have never been in relationships and those who do not fit the perception.

I'm convinced that a lot of these generalizations are brought out of bitterness. Again I am NOT minimizing the potential hurt that is there and if I can be a source of healing and encouragement let me know. HOWEVER, let's stop being a disservice to each other by generalizing one another based on personal experiences.

Everyone is unique and created in the eyes of God! Let's value that!

The Older I Get.....the Less I Care!

So this morning I put up the following status on FB:

"is beginning to feel at peace about some things in life. When you realize that no one has a heaven or hell to put you in and the biggest thing you can suffer from some people is ridicule it makes you not care as much when people try to put you down because of your dreams and visions. I am who God says I am!"

This week so far as well as last week have been weeks of peace for me. I am realizing that as I get older I am not as concerned about the negativity of some people and their negative opinions toward me and the visions God has given me. Now I'm beginning to feel like a lot of people that as they get older they care less what people think of them. I will not say that I am fully delivered from people, but I will say that I am not as concerned.

Why? Because first of all I believe that life is too short to not achieve what God has placed in you to achieve because of someone's negativity. The reality of life is that we only have one chance to leave a legacy, accept Christ as Savior and achieve. It is so sad that there are many people who die who get to the end of their lives having so many regrets of having so much potential that they never tapped into. Recently I went to the funeral of a person who died and left this world having a regret of not achieving something that was very possible. It is sad when people leave this world with potential that will never be fully discovered. There are so many people who let negative opinions stop them from achieving. I refuse to fall in that category.

The second reason is because (kind of related to first) I realize that everyday I am moving closer and closer to the grave or the return of Jesus. This is why it is so sad when a person has spent so many years in jail for something that they did not do. That is years that they cannot get back. Every year that we allow someone's negative opinions (I'm not talking about constructive advice, I'm talking about destructive advice) to hinder us from achieving and moving forward is a year that we cannot get back. Let me take it a step further. Every day, minute, second, week, and month is one we cannot get back.

At the end of the day, God is the one that will determine our eternal destinations. The biggest thing you can suffer from people (especially in this society) is ridicule. Suffering for the sake of the calling happens. It's ok. God will reward us for stepping out on faith to do what He has called us to do.

So I encourage you to stick with what God tells you, even if it's not popular and even if folk try to doubt your ability. Life is short, but the reward is eternal. Don't leave this world with potential inside of you that will never be tapped into because of someone's negative opinion. Allow your calling and purpose to be way more important than the negative opinion of someone who will NOT determine your eternal destination!