Lessons Learned the Hard Way

"I learned my lesson” a phrase most of the earth’s population has had a few chances to say, but do they really mean it?

Everyone has made some sort of mistake that they would never want to repeat.
An example; quite a few people have cheated on some kind of test, a crucial thing most cheaters never want to happen is get caught.

When most cheaters get caught they often say, “I learned my lesson, I promise I will never do it again.” But do they really mean it, most of the time what they r thinking after they get caught is, “I’m sorry I got caught.”

It can be hard learning your lesson the hard way, but the reason why we must is so we can carry this lesson with us at all times. It is to prevent us from ever doing it again, or to help someone from making the same mistakes as you.

One thing you should know is God doesn’t make bad things happen to us to learn a lesson, we simply bring it upon ourselves and God moves out of the way so we can learn our lessons.

When you really learn your lesson then you will never make the same mistakes, but if you shrug it off and forget the lesson you learned then you never really learned your lesson.

I am sure most of you have noticed the name of my blog is Lessons learned the hard way, well the reason why it is, because the best lessons I ever learned were learned the hard way.

Revelation 3:3 So remember what you received and heard. Obey, and change the way you think and act. If you're not alert, I'll come like a thief. You don't know when I will come.

Isaiah 42:23 Which of you will listen to this, or pay close attention in time to come?

Don’t keep yourself from learning your lessons just because you don’t like them, because in the end they will make you a better person.

The Arrogance of Man

This blog is about arrogance, there are many ways to be arrogant but God specifically wanted me to share certain forms of arrogance with you.

First form of arrogance is failing to acknowledge a persons work.

Now even though God tells everyone not to seek recognition from man, but God still says to give credit where credit is due; plus everyone still has a natural curiosity of what is being said about them.

I have been personally experiencing this all this month, I almost worried that I wasn’t making a difference. But I failed to listen to what God and even what my own family was telling me. God told me so many times that I am doing a good job.

My parents told me that I was doing well. But I still wandered why my ‘friends’ would not even talk to me. Then people that I never even met, people from around the world (China, Africa, Brazil, CA, UK, Ireland, & still some stateside; OH, OK, & AL) told me how much they loved my work!

Even in the Bible, Jesus asked his disciples, "who do they say I am?” not because he wanted credit, though he was worthy of it, but because he wanted to know their thoughts of him, because he cared about them, and because he was naturally curious.

So now I know it wasn’t that I was doing wrong, it was that people were so arrogant and consumed by their own pride to give credit to anyone else.

My Mother posted on my face book this story about Jesus:

Even Jesus when he healed the 10 lepers, only one had the humility & gratitude to come back & tell him Thank You! Jesus said, where are the others? & Because the 1 came back, Jesus, not only healed him,

but he made him whole! Isn't it common courtesy to come back and thank someone when they have helped you? Don't you at least tell someone thank you when they've allowed you to use their restroom to throw a dump in it? You have more courtesy to them, & more gratitude IT SEEMS… Sometimes it's just common courtesy people-

My Mom told me this and I want everyone who has experienced this to avoid the people who treat you like a water fountain, only coming to you when they are thirsty & walk away.

The other form of Arrogance I want to talk to you about is, failing to help someone who is down just because you see yourself better then them.

For this I want to tell the story of the Good Samaritan:

“A Jewish man was traveling on a trip from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.

31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant [b] walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,[c] telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

I am not saying that all pastors (but also the people that claim to know God) are like this but; when we see someone in need of help and decide to pass them by, that is both prideful and arrogant, and neither of these things will reserve you a place in Heaven.

The one who is Compassionate and acknowledges and helps the person in need will have eternal life.

The same applies to those who fail to acknowledge that they appreciate the work you do, or the help you’ve given.

The least a person can do is say, “Good Job” or “I like the work you have done”, or “Thank You!” “I appreciate all you!” (With a sincere heart)

It is so simple.

The Credit for this blog and all others I have written go to God.

Let His Light Shine!

This is something that God wanted me to share with you, For almost two weeks this month the genesis website visits came to a complete halt. I didn’t know why, but within the week my mom started telling me that we stopped mentioning things of God.

She explained to me, that we had been listening to what other media producers and artists were telling us, that we could not mix media and arts with things of God.

And by we I mainly mean me. I let myself get caught up with the hype of Hollywood and of Media, I got the words of others so far inside my head to the point where I let it hide the light of God.

When we allow the words of others to keep us from sharing the word of God, then we are hiding him (his light). Now when I ignored what everyone said and started doing what God told me to do, things picked up.

Matthew 5: 14-16"You are light for the world. A city cannot be hidden when it is located on a hill. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand. Then its light shines on everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine in front of people. Then they will see the good that you do and praise your Father in heaven.”

So basically I allowed others to control the kind of media I put out and, I stopped lifting up the name of God. Do you see the kind of trouble I caused.

You can avoid everything I did of this if you allow his light to shine through you.

Just let it shine…

If Today Was Your Last Day

Cast Your Cares

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matt. 11:28-30

For those of you who know me, know that I like to help people. You should know that it isn’t easy: Helping people is hard, but can be done if it is God’s will; however, the hardest part is casting other people’s problems to the Lord.

I have made the mistake countless times of taking on someone’s problem and instead of asking God to give me the answer, or asking him to fix it, I try to fix it myself-that’s not good.

God will send people your way to help, and it’s a joy, but other times, people come your way, because they know what you do & try to get you to help them.

When this happens, you always feel a weight/ burden; some times it can make you feel overwhelmed, or pressured; sometime it can cause you to experience physical, or emotional pain.

We are not meant to take on the burdens of other people, when we do it has its toll on us.

There is a difference between helping people and enabling them to take advantage of you, or of others.

Now it is possible to grow tired, or weary when your doing what your “suppose” to be doing, but it’s usually when we’re trying to do things in our own strength.

God tells us all to cast our cares and burdens to him, so always remember not to keep your burdens and not to take on other people’s burdens, that God didn’t tell you to help.

If you give all your heavy burdens to God he will give you rest, he will make it so you no longer worry or feel stressed, it will become a joy to you again.

And if you take his yoke (harness) and let him teach you, you will find his yolk and all burdens light! (Easy)

So cast your cares on HIM, and HE will give you rest!

Here is a good example of the approach you should take when helping people:

Don't Judge

The LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 SAMUEL 16:7

When I was first starting the Media Ministry, creating videos and taking pictures were things I tried to avoid, because I thought that all artist, or people on camera had to look a certain way.

I would tell my mother that I didn’t want to be on the camera until I was skinny and muscular.

My Mother told me that we didn’t have time to wait till I was in shape that the time for the videos and pictures was now.

When I got a little older and started telling more and more people about what I did as the director of Genesis, they would tell me they thought I should be a Football Player because of my size.

They even doubted that I was an artist, because of my size: They didn’t bother to pay attention to the talent I displayed, only what I looked like.

God later told me that he created me the way I am, to stand out among everyone, to change the way people think about how a person is “suppose” to look, instead of focusing on the person & their talent, or character!

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged? For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Matthew 7:1

When it comes to judging, there are many aspects to cover, but it all boils down to pride. Whether you’re the one judging others for how they look, talk, or do. Whether you think your better then others due to financial status, or popularity:

“So if any one of you thinks you're important when you're really not, you're only fooling yourself. Each of you must examine your own actions... Then you can be proud of your own accomplishments without comparing yourself to others. Assume your own responsibility.” Galatians 6: 3-5

Maybe you’re the one that compares yourself to others, maybe arrogantly, or maybe that’s why you feel down about yourself (because you think your less than those around you). To you I say, you are beautiful, you are more than a conqueror, because that’s how God made you! Don’t give up! Stay Strong! If God is for you, who can stand against you?! You will reap your reward, if you do not give up!

Show Me Who Your Friends Are And I'll Show You Who You Are

I have heard so many excuses this month from people who make mistakes and don’t want to take responsibility for their actions. Some people like to surround themselves with friends that are negative influences and when something bad happens they blame their friends and excuse themselves.

However if you have negative friends in your life, it is your decision to go along with everything they do. In other words, no one “makes you” do anything.

When a friend asks you to do something that you know is bad, and yet you do it anyway, you have no right to blame your friends because they didn’t make the decision for you. You don’t have to lie for them, and you don’t have to join them in what they are doing.

We all make our own decisions on the type of person we want to be, and no matter whom you hang out with, they cannot affect your judgment, personality or your decisions. This is all your doing!

So when a person acts out of character or slightly different from what you are use to, it has nothing to do with whom he or she hangs out with. What you are seeing is who they are choosing to be.

2 Corinthians 6:16 And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

3 John 1:11 Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

So if you have a friend that is acting out, and you think it has to do with the people they hang out with, you better think again. (And what does that make you for hanging out with them?)

Now if you are someone who hangs out with negative influences then let me share a poem with you that I have found on the subject.

Friends will come

And friends will go.

Many you will never know.

Some are real!

Some are not!

Be aware of those that plot!

Good ones, few!

Phonies, many!

Lifetime friends! Rare, if any!

Use your head!

Ask your heart!

Choose your friends and choose them smart.

Some will cheat you!

Some will hurt you!

Some turn quick and then desert you.

Some will try

to bring you down.

Turn your smile to a frown.

There’ll be good ones!

They’ll be rare.

They’re the ones who love and care.

Treat them good.

Tell no lies!

Be yourself. Wear no disguise!

Know that they

can trust in you.

Be a friend and be it true.

Lose the ones

That you can’t trust.

Those that fill you with disgust.

A friend is one

who betters you.

Pray for one, you might get two.

For he who has

a trusted friend.

One they, truly, can depend.

Must, in return,

a friend, true, be.

That they can trust, dependably.

I shared my thoughts!

I gave my views.

Be careful in the friends you choose.

Don't Be Ashamed!

I am not ashamed to let you know

I want this light in me to show.

I am not ashamed to speak the name of Jesus Christ.

What are we sneaking around for?

Who are we trying to please?

Shrugging off sin,

apologizing like we are spreading some kind of disease.

I am saying, "No way. No way."

I am not ashamed to let you know

I want this light in me to show.

I am not ashamed to speak the name of Jesus Christ.

This one says it is a lost cause

save your testimonies for churchtime.

The other ones state

you would better wait till you do a little market research.

I am saying, "No way. No way."

I am not ashamed to let you know

I want this light in me to show.

I am not ashamed to speak the name of Jesus Christ.

until you do a little market research.

I'm saying, "No way. No way."

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Luke 9:26

Rise and Be Healed

Today I want to talk to everyone who has had some kind of emotional or physical issues.

A lot of people, who have these sorts of problems and actually try to seek help, often go directly to a doctor for that help.

Let me just tell you that most doctors will give you their intellectual opinion on how to help you.

Most of the time they will just give you medicine and believe it will help you. But that does not solve the issue, it only creates another, and you still have the same issues you had before.

Now there is one way for you to get the help you need, someone who can restore your faith, your body and your spirit. Someone who will make sure you are not alone, all he needs is for you to acknowledge him in all your ways, seek him with all your strength, and he will renew you.

God can be the friend you need, he can bless you with the strength and wisdom to go through life the correct way. He will make sure you feel loved, even when it seems no one else loves you.

God is here for you, all you have to do is believe and trust in him. Lift him up and he will lift you up. With God you will live strong and mighty, you will be indestructible!

In the following Verse is a story of a woman with physical issues, who with faith became healed.

Mark 5: 25-29

A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak.

For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

Lay Down My Pride

I want to tell everyone about something that has been on my heart and have experienced first hand,

something that everyone should be careful not to experience.

When you are called to do something you are basically chosen to do a specific task, now if you are called to

do many different things, then you have to discern the timing and the season of each purpose. Just be careful

not to do what someone else is meant to do.

When you attempt to do what someone else is designed to do, you are doing something in your own

strength and energy, which is a sin and will frustrate you as well, because you are doing something that God never intended for you to do & are disobeying in your own purpose.

When you do something you are not called to do you will fail in a number of ways, first in health, then in life, then in purpose, lastly in spirit. You will find that you will get discouraged, frustrated, or even resentful. This also could effect those around you.

When you try and do things in your own will, you will find it very hard and frustrating and will often give up on your own purpose because of how much of your own energy you have wasted doing what you were not suppose to do.

In the next two stories I am going to tell you, they will explain everything I have just told you.

1 Samuel 15:1-35

1SAMUEL TOLD Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and heed the words of the Lord.

2Thus says the Lord of hosts, I have considered and will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when [Israel] came out of Egypt.

3Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

4So Saul assembled the men and numbered them at Telaim--200,000 men on foot and 10,000 men of Judah.

5And Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.

6Saul warned the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.

8And he took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, though he utterly destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword.

9Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but all that was undesirable or worthless they destroyed utterly.

10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,

11I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands. And Samuel was grieved and angry [with Saul], and he cried to the Lord all night.

12When Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, he was told, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up for himself a monument or trophy [of his victory] and passed on and went down to Gilgal.

13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord. I have performed what the Lord ordered.

14And Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

15Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we have utterly destroyed.

16Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight. Saul said to him, Say on.

17Samuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel?

18And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; and fight against them until they are consumed.

19Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil in the Lord's sight?

20Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21But the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the chief of the things to be utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.

22Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.

24And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

25Now, I pray you, pardon my sin and go back with me, that I may worship the Lord.

26And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.

27And as Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of Samuel's mantle, and it tore.

28And Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.

29And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent.

30Saul said, I have sinned; yet honor me now, I pray you, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.

31So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

32Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

33Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.

34Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

35And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, though Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel.

Now in this next story it will explain how if you do things in the Lords will, you will find the work effortless and fulfilling.

John 21:1-6

1AFTER THIS, Jesus let Himself be seen and revealed [Himself] again to the disciples, at the Sea of Tiberias. And He did it in this way:

2There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, called the Twin, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, also the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples.

3Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing! They said to him, And we are coming with you! So they went out and got into the boat, and throughout that night they caught nothing.

4Morning was already breaking when Jesus came to the beach and stood there. However, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

5So Jesus said to them, [a]Boys (children), you do not have any meat (fish), do you? [Have you caught anything to eat along with your bread?] They answered Him, No!

6And He said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find [some]. So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in for such a big catch (mass, quantity) of fish [was in it].

A lot of times when people try and do things in their own will it is because of their pride, they allow their pride (or others to pressure them) to tell them that it is their strength and work that gets them what they want.

But in truth when we lay down our pride and use our strength to love and praise God, He replenishes our strength and energy more than enough to get through the day and to fulfill our purpose’s in life.