Trust

Trust is not a privilege not a right, it may seem like an easy thing to earn but in reality it can take years to earn trust for a lot of people. It took my brother and I years to trust each other, and we lived in the same house. This does not mean we did not care for each other it just meant we had to earn each others trust in order for us to become close.

In order for anyone to earn trust you have to be loyal, kind, stable, patient, compassionate and full of love. These are the things that make you trustworthy, without all of them you will not be able to earn trust. Trust is the reason soldiers survive in war, if each soldier did not trust one another they would not be able to fight along each other's side.

Trust is a tool for survival and a tool for life, it is what unites mankind and what separates us from those who would bring us down. However don't be too hard on those who are earning your trust because the way you treat them may come back to hurt you. Remember you have to be compassionate as well as kind to everyone. Just because you want them to earn your trust doesn't mean you don't have to do the same. Trust is equal responsibility between everyone involved.

During the entire process of developing Trust remember another important thing, compassion; There will come a time when your close one will mess up they will betray your trust in some form or fashion. You need to have compassion towards them. That means listen to them and have forgiveness towards them before you decide to cut them out of your life. Otherwise you will always have regret and hate surrounding you and it will harden your heart towards everyone you meet.

A strong Friendship/Relationship is built on Trust and trust makes us stronger.

Remove Titles

Something I have noticed for a little while now is the amount of labels and titles we assign to people. Nerd, Geek, Jock, Cool, Loser, Sinner the most prominent one though is sinner. Since when was it okay to call people Sinners? I understand everyone makes mistakes and needs to apologize for it, but I don't remember God telling us to go out into all the world and call people sinners... This is what God Said

Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Our Job is very simple, preach the gospel to all the world, he didn't say call people sinners or be religious in front of everyone. God said to Preach the Gospel, which means to spread the good news.
As for being called a sinner, here is the simple truth...

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This simply means God gave his son to die for all our sins, not just sins of the past but all of them. To receive eternal life we simply have to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

So much trouble among so many people all because of a stupid title's. If we remove the titles all we have are people with a soul. When you think about it, that would make life so much simpler.

Uplift the Young

Children have a greater purpose than anyone could possibly imagine, and sometimes they are belittled because of it. Children are more connected to God than any adult, because they are still new they have not lost their ability to believe in what they do not see.

Sometimes it can be hard for adults to keep their heart pure enough to believe in the supernatural. For kids it is easy because they have a pure and innocent enough heart to believe in what seems impossible. This is why God reaches out to kids more than adults because they will listen to him more.

I am not saying adults have a bad heart I just mean not many adults have the child-like heart. It is the Child-like heart, which keeps them closer to their spirit man and gives them easy access to the power they have within.

Now sadly because of what kids see and what they can do, many adults look down on kids and mistreat them or make them feel ashamed of what they can do. All because adults lack the faith to believe in the unknown, they end up bringing ruin to the lives of children. I am not saying to let kids do whatever they want, I mean you still need to make sure they are not venturing into danger. I mean you should treat kids with respect and listen to what they have to say.

Adults are meant to help uplift the ones younger than them, so that they can succeed and have a great future. Each generation is meant to learn from the ones who came before. If we all want to have a great future then we must listen and respect the children that come to us for guidance.

We have nothing to be jealous about, if a child has a gift that we don’t that is only because they were meant to use that gift and not us. You need to also know that these children can also be put in our lives to help us unlock the potential we have within ourselves. So be sure to really pay attention and respect these kids because you are not only hurting them, you are also hurting yourself. Nothing can prevent God’s will from being done, if a child was meant for greatness and you are in their way. You are really only in God’s way and well that would not be good for you.

Connections

Connections are more than just people we meet or plugs in the back of a TV. Our connection to God is what keeps us alive; everything is connected to God, without Him there is no life. I am not saying if you disobey God or try to cut him out of your life, he will be gone forever, God is never gone.

I am simply saying that there are times when our connection to Him can be clogged like a pipe. If we do not keep our connection to God open then we risk being unable to hear from God.
When you make any kind of connection you can't just connect then leave it alone until you feel like using it, You have to keep that connection going. You need to make your connection to God more important than anything, I am not saying to ignore your loved ones. I simply mean God is number one in your life and you need to talk to him as much as possible.

Also remember to keep that connection to God clean, if you pollute your mind and body and spirit with useless junk like TV and music and comics all the time then it can make it pretty hard to hear from God clearly. All you need to do is remember to do all things in moderation, don't over-do the entertainment/work Twilight and Arrow do not give you life, only God can do that, so be sure to keep your connection to him in tact.

The Power Of Love

Where there is love, you will always find power. Love is more than just a word people use; it is also a force of will that we all have inside of us, when we share this love with others it can empower them as well as yourself. Love is more than just romance, it is a powerful tool and from time to time it is even a weapon. 
Love is too often confused as romance and sex, although these are things people do when they are in love these are not the definition of it.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

When we use love the way God intended it we can accomplish great things, Love protects those closest to you, it helps you trust those you thought could never be trusted. It is never evil. It is the only thing on earth that is good. The reason why is because God is Love and he is good and always will be good.

1 John 4:8
8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

God loves us more than most people know, even when it seems he is not there he is still watching over you he is always there when we call upon him with the right heart. God loves us more than anything and would do anything for us.

John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

True Love

Love…Most people think that it is romantic some think it is passion, although when you are in love with someone you might experience both of those things. That is not the only thing love is meant for.

Love is something we should share with everyone; I am not saying we should kiss or date or have sex with everyone. I am saying that the love we have in our hearts is supposed to be shared with the people around us, the love we have is not our own; it is a gift that God has placed within us. The Love we have is made entirely out of the love God has for us.

Too many times many of us have passed up opportunities to share the love of God with someone in need, just because you think your too busy for them, or because you think you are better than them.

I am not saying you have to be rich or famous to show love to the world, or to help people. I am saying that all you have to do is be kind, be compassionate and be merciful. It may not seem like a lot but believe me, when it comes to the Love of God a little bit goes a long way.

One of my favorite examples of this love is the story of the Good Samaritan, I have read it so many times and to this day I still remember and read it.

Luke 10:25-37

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This story has always been my favorite, not because of the story, but because of the lesson behind it. No matter how hurt someone is, it only takes a little bit of love to leave a big impact.

Fighter

There are people in our lives that have done some type of wrong to us; they could have harmed us physically, or they could have done some form of slander; Either way we have been hurt by someone and for a lot of people it seems easier to just blame them and hate them forever.

The truth is that will not do us any good, the thing is when you have hate towards someone it does not hurt them. In fact it doesn’t even faze them, hate only hurts the one who has it and the people around them. I know it may seem I am telling you not to hate someone, but the truth is I am simply letting you know that there is a better way to handle how you feel.

There was a young woman that I loved very much, we had been talking for a while and well we believed that we were in a relationship, after some time she ended up betraying me.
I tried to bottle up my feelings and just forget about her, but it only hurt me even more. So after a lot of prayer I learned there was a better solution, instead of hating, or feeling sad; I decided to learn from this bad relationship.

This experience gave me more understanding on how some people can act, and that they do not need to be forgotten. Instead it is better to have compassion towards them.

Even the Bible says something about this;

Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
However we should be cautious about these people we cannot be naïve about who we choose to allow in our lives. There are people who will try to hurt you, so it is your job to be cautious about who you trust.

You need to be a fighter in order for you to fight through the people who try to hurt you.
You need to be a survivor in order for you to live with joy and love even after you have been hurt.

The struggles you face will only make you stronger, so don’t worry just be strong. And know that God is with you!

Raising A Standard

Recently God has been dealing with me about being anxious about his promises; I wanted God to hurry up, because I wanted to be close to the woman I love, but God

Stopped me in my tracks and said to me; “No son, she needs a certain kind of man, because you’ve asked for a certain kind of woman.”

I stood corrected. My attitude was selfish, and you know this whole week I’ve behaved in a way that was uncharacteristically of what “a man of God” should act like, all because of my selfish wants.

Many times we want God’s promises, but are not willing to humble ourselves and submit to his guidance. We want to do things our own way.

Women, you need to not accept anything less than a true Godly man. A Godly man does not mean he has to be perfect, but willing to allow God to change the things that need to be changed, so they can be worthy of your love & affection.  Don’t sell yourself short, be patient and don’t allow guys talk down to you, or to make you what they want you to be.

Don’t let a guy get away with only changing for the evening, just long enough to get what he needs from you. NO! You make them work for it! You are worthy of commitment! You are worthy of a faithful guy! You are worthy of his time!

I don’t consider myself perfect in the way humans view perfection, but I do allow

Myself to be perfected by God: I want to be the man my future wife deserves, and only God can teach me where to change.

So to guys I leave you with this video to consider:

Jesus is the way!

When we ask Jesus into our hearts it is more than just joining a club, it is a life and spiritual choice that you take where you give all of yourself to God and his will for your life. All Jesus asks of us is to serve him and his will for your life and to give up selfish desires. The thing is most of us tend to get discouraged or walk away from God when things get hard, or when people judge us, or when we can’t have our own way.

It could be anything; like not having enough money to cover the bills, or people picking on you for believing in Jesus. There are many things that can discourage you in life, but God can bring you out of all your troubles.

Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Now I am not saying you need to give up your passions, if you have a career that is that you have a passion for then you were meant to do it. If you feel called to sing then sing, but make sure that you are doing it to honor God and not serve your own desires. No, I’m not saying your music has to be all ‘Gospel’, but make sure your music has a positive purpose and that you use your platform to serve others, not for your own desires only.

1 Corinthians 6:20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

When you are saved you are meant to serve God, it is a very simple task just listen to him and do what he says. I am not saying it will always be easy, but it will be fulfilling and worth it in the end. God has a plan and a purpose for everyone on Earth, his plans will not harm us because the burden he places on our life’s are very light.

God does not harm us. He does not mess up the life he gives, He gives it purpose; He gives it peace and hope. He gives us eternal life in Heaven and al he asks in return is that we love him and serve him and share the Love of God with the world.

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Loss and Gain

Loss is something we all have experienced at some point in our lives. If you haven’t it’s okay, it may be that your season of dealing with stuff like that hasn't come yet. I am not saying loss is a great thing, but it can have a good affect on your life.

When we reach a certain point in our lives that requires us to become more mature or wiser, we experience loss. Whether it is the loss of a loved one, or a relationship/friendship; when I was 15 I lost my grandfather to cancer, at first I went through a stage of depression but when I was brought out of it something inside of me changed. In losing him, I realized how important it was not to waste time, I became more focused and determined to fulfill my call than ever. Plus, I knew with all my soul that God was with me!

Recently I set aside a week to spend time with the Lord, and during that time He was teaching me about loss and its purpose. He told me it is more than just learning how to let go of someone that has passed away. It also applies to everything in life. When it comes time for a child to finally leave his home and be on his own, he must deal with the loss of his childhood.

Some people are glad to leave their home, but that is because they already experienced the loss of their childhood at a young age;

Another form of loss is the loss of a friendship; I am not talking about a friendship falling apart or anything like that. I am talking about the time in everyone’s life where you and your friend grow up and grow apart due to the changes in your life and personality.

The good news is we don’t lose something without God bringing someone or something into our lives to fill the gap, or to bring growth. It could be a new friend, a new father, or mother figure, or a new home! Basically God turns every loss into a gain.

One example of not being able to deal with Loss is the story of Abram. When God told Abram to leave his fathers house and

go to the land where God would show him, Abram took his nephew

with him. This was a bad idea. If you read the story, Abram’s decision turned sour! Lot became greedy, selfish, and later got himself into "A Lot" of trouble, in which God had to use Abraham to rescue Lot.

Genesis 13:1-18

Not letting go when your supposed to can cause a lot of problems down the line. You have to know when to let go-

A better example of letting go, was when Jesus prayed for his disciples just before he was to be betrayed. He knew his time

was up, and although he made one attempt to stay, by asking his

Father if there was any other way, yet not his will be done. Jesus

Knew it would be better if he went home to heaven, because he

Would then be able to accomplish more for the world.

Loss is not always a bad thing if you have courage to embrace it.