Why You Should Never Try to Fit In

I'm different.  I came to accept that fact a long time ago.  How did I come to the conclusion that I'm just different, and not weird?  Because I took who I am to GOD and HE explained to me that I am the way HE created me.  In other words, HE gave me understanding, and with understanding, all of my questions were answered and my fears put away.

But how did I come to the point where I questioned my own ways?  It's simple: Because of a mindset that's commonly found in this world today, and this mindset is: If you stand out, something must be wrong with you. That's why GOD warned us to be not conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  If we allow this world to tell us what's normal and what's abnormal, we'll estrange ourselves from GOD trying to fit in.

What's Under That Hood?

Last night (around 11pm), I found myself hungry and struggling to figure out what I wanted to eat.  I hadn't cooked, and I didn't have many restaurants to choose from, so I grabbed my puppy and headed out the door.
When I got in the car, I happened to glance over at my gas gauge, and to my disappointment, the lever was on E (empty).  Truthfully, I rarely look at my gas's gauge; I usually fill up as soon as I notice my vehicle's gauge is under half a tank.  This doesn't always work because again, I rarely look at my fuel level, but GOD has kept me.  Of course, I was somewhat disappointed because I only wanted to grab a bite to eat and go home; nevertheless, after seeing that my vehicle needed gas, I knew I would have to stop by the gas station, fill up my car, and then go and grab a bite to eat.

Mastering the Art of Forgiveness: Part II

In Part I of Mastering the Art of Forgiveness, we touched on the subject of forgiveness and how it affects our lives.  In Part II, we're discussing how to forgive others and finally be set free...for real.

Mastering the Art of Forgiveness

The average person spends more time in their thoughts than they do in their realities, and for this reason, the enemy is always warring against our minds.  His goal is to get us to self-destruct; wherein, he doesn't have to attack our minds anymore.  Instead, if our thinking is wrong, we'll begin to destroy ourselves from the inside out.

You Cannot Change Him....So Stop

As of lately, I've been watching a series called The Secret Life of the American Teenager.  In this series, a fifteen year old girl (Amy) gets pregnant by a troubled young boy named Ricky.  Ricky had been in foster care most of his life, having had a mother who was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and a father who'd molested him when he was younger.  Because of his hardships, Ricky was a promiscuous teenager and a smooth talker.  He'd charmed Amy in band camp, and had taken her virginity, and this resulted in an unplanned pregnancy.   The show starts off with Amy discovering that she's pregnant, and then, the show flashes back to when Amy and Ricky met, and how he'd charmed her.  The show then goes forward to show the evolution of Ricky and Amy's relationship.  Somehow, I think the writers initially wanted to discourage teen pregnancy, but got lost in the ratings somewhere and started actually encouraging it.

How Much Did Your Man Cost You?

Every woman has a reality, and for some women, the reality is: They've paid hefty prices just to feel loved.  The men they have living in their homes are nothing more than actors who pretend to love them in exchange for sex, money, a place to stay, free transportation, and the list goes on.  Amazingly enough, a woman knows when she isn't loved, whether she admits this truth to herself or not.  Oftentimes, the issue is: She prefers to live in the reality that she's created for herself.  She's created a comfortable nest in the lies that she's told herself.  As for her lover, his lies are nothing more than her justifications for keeping him around.  She wants to be loved, and she's willing to pay for it.  Instead of admitting or accepting that the man she chose does not love her, she will look for the evidence of his love in his actions.

A Woman Worth Admiring

I remember being a young woman, full of life, hope and plans.  I'd seen many women that I admired, and the traits that brought on this admiration were:

• Confidence
• Independence
• A Drive to Succeed

Marrying For Sex

A lot of Christian women get married just to have legal sex with their love interests, and while I could argue that this is a bad thing, it isn't exactly illegal (a sin) to GOD.
1 Corinthians 7:9: But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.

What did the Apostle Paul mean by saying that it is better to marry than to burn?  To burn means to burn with lust: an almost unquenchable desire to have sex.
But why would the good Apostle send believers towards the altar of marriage without first redirecting them to the altar for deliverance?  After all, not being able to abstain from sex is a strongman that should be broken before any believer even considers marriage.

What's Beautiful to You?

What exactly do you define as beautiful? Do you consider yourself to be beautiful? Listen to today's powerful audio message by clicking the link below.

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10 Tips For the Waiting Woman

1. Try your thoughts. Never allow a thought to become a fantasy, otherwise, you won't rebuke it if it's from the enemy. Instead, when a "pleasurable" thought dances around in your mind, draw the Sword (WORD) and try it. How do you try it? Simply pay attention to the details, and if there be any part of that imagination that goes against the WORD of GOD in any way, that thought is not from GOD. If it's not from GOD, cast it down. In other words, hit it with the Sword (speak the WORD aloud against it).

The Celibate Fornicator

When I recorded the message The Reason For the Wait, I had no idea what GOD would use me to say.  As with most of the messages I record, I had a few pointers I wanted to share, but I knew that GOD would give me what to say as I spoke, and that HE did.
When those words "celibate fornicator" escaped my lips, I wanted to pause and dissect what I'd just spoken.  It was powerful and revelatory, and even though I wanted to elaborate further on what a celibate fornicator was, I had to continue with the original message.  Needless to say, a lot of women were impacted by that term and wanted me to delve deeper into it.

Stop Pursuing a Husband

Wait...wait...wait! Single women around the world are reminding one another to wait on GOD for their husbands, and this is a good message. Nevertheless, there's something wrong with the whole "wait" message; something that's rarely talked about, and that is: Many women are encouraged to wait, but they aren't told to live. Because of this, many single damsels spend each and everyday of their lives passively pursuing their husbands. Sure, many echo Proverbs 18:22 (Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD), and they are careful that they don't physically pursue husbands; nonetheless, they still pursue their husbands (or the idea of marriage) mentally, religiously or cyberly.

Separation Anxiety (In Relationships)

It was love at first sight.  One of the shelter volunteers came walking into the building carrying three beautiful puppies.  Two of them were fully black, and the other pup was brown with a blackish snout.  "What kind of dogs are they?" I asked.  I knew that the community I lived in prohibited the housing of pit bulls and pit mixes, and I didn't want to risk getting a puppy and having to bring it back to the shelter.  The volunteer smiled.  Somehow, she knew I'd be taking home one of the puppies.  "They're lab mixes," she said.  I looked at the brown puppy, and he was beautiful.  They were all beautiful, but his blackish snout made him stand out from his siblings. I was elated, but still somewhat bothered.  I was happy because I knew I was looking at the puppy who'd be with me for years to come.  I was bothered because I hadn't planned on getting a puppy; I'd planned to get a dog that was around two years old: a dog that was already house-broken.  Nevertheless, his cute little face had already won me over.