You are NOT the Father!!

One of the most funny/interesting/drama filled talk shows on TV is, Maury. The show used to have variety: From out of control teens to family members that need to make a confession. But now, this show pays the bills through their “bread and butter” episodes; Maury revealing the results of Paternity tests. As he opens the results, he either reads, “You are the father” or “You are not the father.” Then the crowd goes crazy as either party screams, “I told you so.”

But I think that most people struggle in life because they often try to take upon a role and responsibility that was not theirs to begin with.  We often try to do things and provide things that only God can and should do. But we must come to a realization that “We are not the Father.”  God wants to be God in our life. We spend too much time worrying when we should be trusting. I heard a man once say that worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives us something to do, but it gets us nowhere. Here are some areas that we must come to grips with and understand that God is in control and not us:

“You are not the Father” when it comes to:

1. Finances- The bible states plainly that God is our provider. He asks us to trust him and believe that he will do what he said he would do. This means that we should not worry or fret, just trust. We often worry, stress, and panic about how God is going to come through. But its not for us to know how, its for us to know, WHO. And the answer is God.

2.  The Future- We often ask ourselves, what does that future hold for me? and What are the steps I have to take to get there? Well if God, is the centerpiece and cornerstone of our lives, then we dont have anything to worry about. The bible says that the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. We simply have to walk obediently through the doors that God will open for us. Trial and error is good for a lot of things, but its not that great concerning our futures. Clear and concise direction from God will guide us to our destiny. Here are some ways God will reveal his will for our lives:

1. His word          2. His voice     3. Inner peace    4.godly counsel         5. circumstances    6. personal desire     7. common sense

3. Family- One thing that we must understand, is that God is faithful to his promises. So often we believe that God can save to world, yet we doubt at times that he could save our families. Even in times that things get worse, God is still in control. We try so many times to be the savior and the hero, but we are not the father. If God can save us, then God can save them.

This blog was not real deep or anything but I tried to relate a simple principle. “you are not the father.” If we could understand that God is in control of every area of our lives we would see that his peace will overtake us, helping relieve the stress that comes with worrying. So what has been stressing you out? Well guess what? The spiritual paternity tests just came in, and revealed that God is the Father and he WILL take care of his children.

-Word on the Street-

Things I say when I talk to myself….

Now as you read this you might be thinking, “This guy talks to his self?” Don’t we all? I recently heard a message from Jentezen Franklin entitled, “Things I say when I preach to myself,” and that is what inspired this blog. I was thinking about the times that I see people talk to themselves the most, at the free throw line. I can see people going through their rituals and routines, telling themselves that they can do it. Well this is what I want to liken this after. So as you read this, this is just me talking to me:

Dear Joe,

Hey, you look like a model in those pics up there jk  :) Seriously, there have been a few things that I have been wanting to tell you. First of all, Im proud of you for the progress you have made in your life. You have grown so much in the past 9 years. From a young optimistic high school graduate to a man of God that has affected the lives of many. In a world where so many people are out for themselves, you have stayed true to what you believe in, and I respect that. You have to know that you are not always going to get a pat on the back, sometimes you have to encourage yourself.  Sometimes life goes by so fast that you forget to appreciate the growth that HAS taken place. Enjoy the small victories from time to time. Just remember who you are in Christ and you’ll be fine.

I know that you’re a real competitive person, but sometimes you allow your competitive nature to get the best of you. You gotta understand that you can’t win at everything. Im not sure if that stems from a competitive nature, or from pride. You tell me. It can actually be a gift and a curse, because I know you want to be the best in everything and that’s great, but when you are not the best you sometimes come down hard on yourself. (Remember what the dad from Friday said, ” you win some, you lose some, but you live…” ) The cool thing is you challenge people to be great, when they don’t even see the greatness in themselves.  Don’t stop giving your all, just dont let a loss or possibility of a loss drive you insane.

The last thing I’ll say for today is, you have to learn to show love. It may not be easy for you, but its so necessary. I know that when you were young you were shown love by receiving things, and thats cool. But not everybody shows love or responds to love the same way. Its okay to embrace, its okay to tell people kind words, its ok. You have to realize that love is the hub and center of greatness. You may love on the inside, but just start practicing showing it on the outside. You dont know the impact you may make in someones life, and even your own life. Its time for you to start conquering your complexes.

In closing, dont ever, ever, ever give up. No matter how hard things get, no matter what mistakes you may make, just keep pressing on and dont give up. The best is yet to come. Remember that, the best is yet to come.

Signed,

Joe B.

Welcome to the GREAT LIFE…

There was a song that came out a few years ago by Kanye West and T-pain called, “The Good Life.” That song was a huge hit. The reason that song was a huge hit was because everyone wants to live a good life. Nobody wants to be in debt, pain, or struggle. But when Kanye was talking about the good life, what was he really talking about? I believe what he was talking about is what most people in our generation struggle with, the desire to obtain things. Im not at all saying that its wrong to desire material things. In fact, I think its okay to want “things,” but its very imperative to understand an important principle first. The bible says that we should seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and ALL other “things” shall be added unto us. That means we can want those things, but our first and main priority in life should be our relationship with God. Many people have it backward. They have the money, the cars, the clothes, the nice relationship, nice house, 401k and more, but they lack whats most important, Gods perfect purpose for their lives. If thats you, then youre living the GOOD LIFE>

I dont think God created us to live the good life, but rather the Great life. When God created the heavens and earth, he said, “its good.” When he created the animals of the earth he said, “its good” But when He created us, he didnt say its good, he said its very good. A synonym for very good, is GREAT. God wants us to live the great life. The bible says that Jesus came that we may have life and life more abundantly. The “life” is the good life, but the life more abundantly is the GREAT LIFE.

The great life, is a life of abundance, a life of purpose, and a life of fulfillment. Here are some contrasts of a person living the good life versus a person living the great life…

1.  A person living the great life is aiming to please God while the person living the good life looks to please themselves.

2. A person living the great life is kingdom minded, while the person living the good life is earthly minded

3. A person living the great life is fulfilled, while the person living the good life always wants more

So I know that I want to live the great life. Not the good life, but the GOD life. I want, what he wants for my life.

-Word on the Street-

“You can do it, put your FAITH into it”

(fāth)Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust

There is a story in the bible in  Luke 22:31 where Jesus tells Peter,”Simon, Simon, satan desires to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that you FAITH may not fail you.”  He was trying to show Peter that in life, there would be problems and storms. He was trying to teach him that things are not always going to go as planned. But even more than that, Jesus was warning Peter that satan wanted to see him at his worst. What a statement! Imagine starting your day, Jesus comes up to you and says, hey watch out cause youre about to have a bunch of junk come your way. WOW!

But Jesus told Peter something to encourage him. He gave him the bad news, and now it was time for the good news. He told him that I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail you. Now notice that he didnt say that I have prayed for you that YOU may not fail. He knew that Peter had failed and would fail many more times. If I could identify with anyone in the bible, it would be Peter. We dont always do the right things or say the right things, yet God never gives up on us. Thats great to know. But why was it important that Jesus say that to Peter? Because our faith is of upmost umportance.

If we lose faith, then we have lost most of the battle. In the days and times that we live in, it is so easy to lose faith. With natural disasters, financial decline, sicknesses, and just normal life, how does one not lose faith. I say KEEP BELIEVING!

When times are their darkest, Gods people shine their brightest. We must continue to have faith. DSB (dont stop believing)Even with things seem like they are getting worse before they get better, keep believing. There are 4 types of faith that the bible mentions. What type of faith do you find yourself having today?

1. No faith MARK 4:40

2. Weak faith ROMANS 14:1

3. Little faith LUKE 12:28

4. Great faith LUKE 7:9

God doesnt expect us to be perfect, but to accept his perfect love. We must know that the bible says that perfect (Gods) love drives out all fear. We can know that with faith, there is nothing we cannot do.  The bible says that if we have the faith the size of a mustard see, we can say to the mountain be removed and it will be casted into the sea. What mountain in your life do you need removed? If its a new job, a new house, better health, more finances, or for whatever, dont stop believing.

Nothing is impossible for him who believes. just like Adidas says”Impossible is nothing” “YOU CAN DO IT, PUT YOUR FAITH INTO IT”

-WORD ON THE STREET-

Performance Enhancers

I was watching sportscenter today and I saw an interview with former MLB player Mark McGuire, finally admitting to using performance enhancing drugs. He was saying that he didnt use them for performance enhancement but so that the drugs can help his beatdown body to heal fast. I am not going to say whether I believe him or not, but this story triggered something inside of me.

There is a reason that many athletes are coming out saying that they used steroids. I believe they used those drugs to enhance their performances. Everyone desires to be the best in everything that we do. We want to succeed and we want to prosper in all that we do. In business, family, ministry, finances, and more. There are some things that will prevent us from having success and there are certain things that will enhance our “performances.”

1. Set Goals- It is always important to set tangible goals. I once heard a man say that ” A dream is a goal with a deadline.” If we set goals that will challenge us to grow but at the same time are tangible, we will see ourselves performing better in things that we do. It will also benefit us if we share our goals with someone that can keep us accountable to them. Not with everyone, but with a trustworthy few.

2. Surround yourself with successful people- A man once said,” show me who youre hanging around, and Ill tell you where you will be in 5 years.” That statement is so true. You are who you surround yourself with. Many times people want to be the “big fish” in a small pond. There is a time and a season for that. But for true growth and development, we often should surround ourselves with people who are at where we want to be. That is a humbling time. But the person that knows the least, grows the most. We will benefit more by being around wiser and more experienced people that us.

3. Stop and evaluate- For us to really be successful its always important to stop and evaluate at times. We cant expect to go at 100mph 100% of the time. I picture 2 men competing with each other to see who could chop down their trees the fastest with their ax. One man keeps going at it non stop. He eventually gets tired and his ax head eventually gets dull. The 2nd person stops periodically and rest, sharpens his ax, and asks himself what can he do better. Although he lost time with the stops he made. He doesnt have to work as hard and he also has more energy to use. So we should always take time to evaluate.

There are of course more things that will enhance our performance in life, our finances and more, but those were just a few…

-Word on the Street-

How much have you grown?

I can remember when I was younger, my goal in life was to be taller than my dad. I used to think that my dad was the tallest person in the world. And like most children, I desired to be just like dad. I can remember going to my grandparents house in the summer with all of my cousins. My grandfather used to line us up against the wall and with a pencil, he would draw a line right about our heads onto the wall. We would stand back and see where the line was now compared to where the line was the last time we were measured. And always to my surprise, I was taller! I didnt think I was growing,  I couldn’t tell at least. But a lot of times we dont understand how much we have grown until we get around people that havent seen us in a while. We are with ourselves all the time. And also, we are often our worst critics.  So we dont often notice that we have grown.(or at least I am)

I had a major growth spurt my junior year of High School and I was loving life. I was expected to be tall, especially since I was one of the only blacks in a predominately hispanic school. lol But there were 3 things that happened to me during that growth spurt.

1. Hunger- I found myself always wanting to eat and always hungry. Thats necessary for growth. Not only physcial but also spiritual. The more we are for growth, the more God will fill us. The bible says that, blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.

2. Tired- I noticed that when I was growing a lot, I was always tired. I found myself sleeping more than normal. Now these are not good signs for parents to see. (always eating and tired) (sounds like symptoms for something else) But spiritually if we are to grow like God wants us to we must become tired of where we are at and desire for change and growth.

3. Stretching- This was something my coaches would always preach. “If you want to grow, you must constantly be stretching” And that’s what I would do. In the morning, afternoon, and in the evening,  I would stretch. This would help your body to be prepared for growth. The same principle applies in the spirit. If we want to grow, we must be willing to be stretched.

I’m ready for another growth spurt.

-WORD ON THE STREET-

The World? yeah right (Thats my testimony) Nicole G.

This is another edition of “That’s My Testimony.” Usually we highlight the life of a young person that was hooked on drugs or different types of vices. However, this is an episode highlighting a young person that did not experience, “the world” (drinking, smoking, partying, pre-marital sex, etc) What an amazing testimony. Check it out.

UNstuck

There are times in our lives that we feel “stuck.” We often feel stuck in our relationships, jobs, finances, and in our personal lives. Because of the busyness in our lives, we tend to even get stuck in ruts and routines. We get stuck in bad habits and much more. It doesnt feel good to be stuck. It feels like being a fly caught up in a web. An so often we try to dust off the web. we say things like,”if i just erase their number” or ” if I just get a new job” Those things are good, but they are only dusting off the web. Cause many people end up right back in that same rut again . In order to be UNstuck, we cant just dust off the web, but we must kill the spider. See, the spider is the root to the web. There are roots in are lives that cause us to be a certain way. Maybe the lack of a dad, or growing up in a certain environment caused us to be a certain way. I believe there are 3 reason why people stay stuck:

1. They have been stuck for so long, so they just accept the fact that “it is what it is” ” My dad was like this, and so was his dad, so Ill be like this too” is what so many people say. That doesnt have to be the case. We have to get sick and tired of being sick and tired, and say enough is enough. I dont have to struggle, Im not a mistake, I am a child of God, A kingskid! We must know that there is no hole to deep, no mistake to big, and no struggle to hard, that God cannot turn it around! Just believe again!

2. They have accepted settling for 2nd best: Sometimes whats best for our lives takes the most work to get. So often people expect maximum results with minimal effort. So people figure they can have an OK life and not work as hard. Kinda like the LA Clippers. Donald Sterling (The owner) has accepted the fact that they WILL NOT WIN. So instead of forking out lots of money on players, he stays where he’s at. But that is not a good place to be. No matter where we are and what we are going through, there is always something better for us to strive for.

3. They dont know how to get UNstuck: Many people stay stuck cause they dont know how to get UNstuck. I believe there are a few simple steps we can take.

A. Change our routines-”if you always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always be what you’ve always been.” What is it that we are doing that we can do differently? Whats something that we are not doing, that we should be doing? Lets evaluate!

B. Change our relationships- we can be good people with good intentions, if we are eagles and we’re rolling with chickens, we need to fly off and roll with another crew. DUST OFF THE HATERS!

C. Change how we reach-out- sometimes a simple call and cry for help will be all we need. We will be surprised with how many people have gone through what were going through. But we cant get help if we dont ask for it.

And if we do these things, we will change our Results!

“Word on the Street”

NO Plan B ( Run-it-Back)

This is my newest rendition of Run-it-Back. The is my message from Youth Convention 2009. This message is entitled, NO PLAN B. This is a snippet of the message, laced over a dope beat.. check it out….

CROSSover Episode 2 (building a dynamic youth service)

This is my video blog series, episode 2 entitled crossover. I pray that this will help you to build or grow in your area of ministry.