99 and a Half Won't Do!

A few years ago Hezekiah Walker had a song that said 99 and a half won’t do. The chorus went like this

 “ Lord I’m running…. trying to make 100, because 99 and a half won’t do”. 

Today, post will get right to the point. 99.5% obedience to what God is telling you to do, equals 100% disobedience to God.  In I Samuel 15 we come across an example.  I am going to paraphrase. The Prophet Samuel comes to Saul to let him know that God has made him king, and to heed (to give careful attention to)to the voice of the Lord.  Through Samuel God is telling Saul His plan to punish the Amalek, and then God gives Saul specific instructions. “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all they have, and do not spare them. But kill man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (I Samuel 15:3 emphasis added).  What does all mean? The answer is all. These are pretty clear instruction, there is no grey area. God is very specific to the assignment.  Now Saul and his army roll up on the Amalekites and lay the smack down on them. Then we get to verse 8, “he also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive” (I Samuel 15:8 emphasis added). That's not what the plan was, but ok let’s keep reading verse 9 say “but the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatling, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, they utterly destroyed” (I Samuel 15:9 emphasis added).  That was not what Gods  plan was, it is the total opposite.

Paraphrasing in the Maurice version, God tells Samuel that our boy didn’t do what I told him to do.  Go check him.  So, Samuel finds Saul hanging out on the block admiring a monument of himself proud of his disobedience. Soon as Saul sees Samuel, he goes over to him and say “Blessed are you of the Lord, I have performed the commandment of the Lord” (I Samuel 15:13). Samuel response is in verse 14 was “REALLY! Then why do I hear all these animals and stuff”? (paraphrased in the Maurice version).  Then Saul response in verse 15  was “They keep all the good stuff and destroyed everything that was worthless” (paraphrasing in the Maurice version). It became Saul’s will verse God’s plan. He was blatant in his disobedience.  He knew that wasn’t what God had told him to do and he did it anyway.  Some of us are willfully being disobedient and expecting God to still show up on our behalf without realizing that there are consequences that come along with being disobedient.  For those of us that have children we expect them to do 100% of what is asked of them, when we ask.  If they don’t there is a price to pay. Why should we expect God to be any different. We figure we have an escape goat through repentance, but it does change the fact that God is still requiring us to do what was asked. 

As you read on you see that Saul tries to justify his disobedience by saying I did 99 and a half of what You asked and I was going to even give You a sacrifice off of it (I Samuel 15: 20 Maurice version). Let’s look at what God’s response was through Samuel and what Saul’s disobedience cost him. “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold to obey is better than sacrifice” (I Samuel 15: 22-23 emphasis added). He also adds in verse 23 that blatant disobedience is like practicing witchcraft and worshiping idols (I know you're thinking that couldn't be me).  God is very clear on the consequences “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king” (I Samuel 15: 23b).  What are you costing yourself and your family for being disobedience? Being disobedient removes you from the will of God. It  says in verse 35 "and the Lord regretted that He made Saul king over Israel". Does God regret He placed you where He wanted you, because your disobedience is causing more bad then good? I don't want God ever regretting that He chose me. He says in Isaiah 1: 19-20 "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken".

99.5% Obedience to what God tells you to do, Equals a 100% Disobedience to God !!!!

House of Mirrors.

A house of mirrors or hall of mirrors is a traditional attraction at fairs, carnivals and amusement parks. The basic concept behind a house of mirrors is to be a maze-like puzzle. In addition to the maze, participants are also given mirrors as obstacles, and glass panes to parts of the maze they cannot yet get to. Sometimes the mirrors may be distorted because of different curves, convex, or concave in the glass to give the participants unusual and confusing reflections of themselves, some humorous and others frightening.

In reality, battles sometimes take place within a hall of mirrors. This is a great way to symbolically show the trickery potential of the enemy. He (satin) uses this tactic as one of his best tricks, its misdirection. It takes the attention off of who God says we are and puts on who he suggest we are.

Let us take a look at Gods affirmation of Jesus…. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17 NKJ emphasis added). This is right after John the Baptist had baptized Jesus and God affirmed Him immediately, He was then led to the wilderness by the Spirit (that’s a whole other topic that I will discuss in the future) for 40 days  with food or water. The identity of Jesus was the first thing that satin tried to question… Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread”. (Matthew 4:3 NKJ emphasis added)… and in verse 6 he says “If You are the Son of God”.  He is trying to bring up some doubt about who Jesus was. He had nothing to bring up in Jesus face. I suggest you read Matthew 3-4 in context to get the bigger picture.

Unfortunately, for us when he brings up doubt about who God says we are he has an arsenal of things. You are a liar, theft, idolater, whore (male & female) ect.  He uses the mirrors of distortion and the maze to keep us from recognizing our full potential and authority that we have. He keeps us focused on our insecurities. Yeah, maybe we did all these things, but that is not who we are!! Through the blood Jesus we can become new creatures. We fearfully and wonderfully in the image and likeness of the Father.

To sum it up, if we focus on the mirror that reflects Gods nature and His character; He will navigate us out of the house of mirrors into His divine will for our lives.

Scandal Returns

Bored one day I was scrolling through web looking for nothing in-particular. I came across Scandal. So, I wanted to know what all the fuss was over the show. I did what any normal person with about 8 hours of nothing to do.. would do. Which is watch the full season all 7 episodes without moving. It had me locked in, you could have put an APB out on a brotha, cause I was gone. Okay, let me tell the truth. No, I did watch every episode and no I didn't even watch 1 episode. So, I can't tell you anything about what's happening. What I do know for the Scandalnites it returns tonight @ 10pm/9pm central on ABC <-----y'all like that plug. Men word to the wise don't try to cuddle tonight, let them get it in. Ladies remember this weekend will the be the playoff games, don't try to cuddle Saturday or Sunday.

Making a Shift

First, I would like to thank all of you who have supported this blog. God is shifting me, so I will take a break for the rest of the this month. I will return in January, dropping it likes it's hot.

Funny Friday

This is funny, women what would you have done in this situation?

I Gotta Guy

We all got a “guy” that does something. I need a mechanic…”I gotta guy”. I need a hair stylist… “I gotta guy (non gender specific)”. I need a handyman, guess what….”I gotta guy”.  Maybe you are the “guy”.  There was a time that I had a network of people that could do whatever you needed; ranging from legal help to painting your house.   My mentor told me that there are 5 people I needed in friend circle: A doctor, lawyer, police, mechanic and a home improvement person. These were all people that I connected with and the majority of them became my friends; I was always referring someone to someone else.  You can never under estimate the power of who you know or who knows you. I was very intentional about meeting someone in each of these industries.  I recently meet with “my guy” and he introduced me to "his guy” and we made a connection and it turned out to be a good one.   

Take Time to Smell the Roses

A couple of years ago Allstate had these commercials that stated life happens fast. This one particular commercial showed a husband and wife with a baby in the back in a car seat. They looked back and the baby was still strapped in the seat, but he was about 18. As you can see, time is not waiting for anyone. It's like 2012 just started and in 3 weeks we will be in 2013.  I know that life is moving hundred miles a minute, especially in this season. Take the time to look at clouds, watch birds, smell the roses. Even if it's only for a minute.

Are You Ready to Give an Answer?

First, my thoughts and prayers go out to anyone who has last a love to violence.  Over the weekend a professional football player killed his girlfriend, and then drove to the stadium where he then killed himself in front of the Coach and GM. Leaving a 3 month old daughter behind. I also just read a story where a 25 year old son stabs his father girlfriend 42 times, then drives to his father’s job and shot him in the head with a bow and arrow and then kills himself.  I wouldn't try to figure out the state of mind of someone who does not have a history of violence, but ends up committing a crime like these. A few years ago I spoke with someone who was at their wits end and was about to kill themselves. Now, my thought on this is; if this person was really going to do it, why would they call me and tell me and not just do? Well here is what I came up with.  After, we began to talk I realize that this person wanted someone to talk them out of doing it. They really didn't want to do it, but they thought it was the only way to escape their situation.  At that point they didn’t have a value on their life, so I had to find something that they did value.  Something that made them want to keep living.  Please understand that I am not saying this to toot my own whistle, but to say I was open and available when God needed me to be.

We get so caught up in our own lives that we miss opportunities. If someone called the majority of us right now and said they didn’t what to live, we wouldn’t have a response for them.  We wouldn’t know what to do.  You don’t have the time to get them to your Pastor or to the “church”; they need you to be ready and able to jump into their lives NOW!!!! The Word says” be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you” I Peter 3:15. That is not only referring to questions that they have about the bible, but life. These are some sad situations and my prayers go out to these families. Are you ready to give an answer if you are approached? 

Funny Friday....Kids Say the Darnest Things

Out of the mouth of babes....Everyone have an awesome day and a great weekend.

5,16, 22, 23, 29 6

No need to explain what this numbers are. Everyone looked at their ticket and realized that WE didn't win. I was talking to my friend and he said that his co-workers were talking about splitting the winnings. They were discussing how much each person in the group would receive after taxes. Each person would have gotten about 25 million. He said that his co-worker said "is that all, I don't want that"! He asked her how many millions do you have now? It's basic math, any amount of millions> then 0.

Unconditional Love vs Un-forgiveness

Unconditional love in the Greek language it is Agape. Meaning no matter what you do, what you say or how you treat me I still love you. This is the kind of love that God has for us.  I can’t even begin to wrap my head round that.  In I John 4: 8b says ”God is love”, which means God is forgiveness. Think about all the things we do that should separate us from His love on a daily bases. Yet in still, His love never changes. When somebody wrongs us, we are quick to lean towards un-forgiveness; when we should lean towards love.  God is quick to lean towards love and never towards un-forgiveness towards us.  So, if you really want to get over un-forgiveness; you have to increase your unconditional love.

Unconditional love and un-forgiveness cannot co-exist.

The Power of Forgivness

It was the summer of 1995, and I was stationed in San Diego. It was a Friday around noon, and I was talking to my dad. We laughed and joked about me sending him a hat from my ship. I was telling how much fun I was having in San Diego.  He was asking me when was I coming back home. The last thing we said to each other was “I love you”.  I went about my day, it was Friday and that meant club time. While I was preparing to party like a rock star, my Dad was doing what he do; protecting our neighborhood. Here is a little history about where I grow up. My neighborhood was the roughest neighborhood in Indianapolis. There were gangs, shootings, muggings on the daily bases.  My Dad was a vigilantly, he fought off the gangs, he gave money to the kids, he feed all the homeless. He was considered a hero in my neighborhood.

To fast forward, while I was in the club my Dad was having an altercation with small time drug dealer. Who ended up shooting him 5 times with a 12 gauge shot gun.  While he fled, my Dad laid there dying. When I returned to the ship early that morning, I was called to see the Captain. I thought I was in trouble (I was very rebellious). When I walked in, he said I have some bad news” your Father has been killed”. My instant reaction was denial; just a few hours ago we were on the phone joking around.  When I spoke to my mother, she said it was true.  I was on the first plan leaving San Diego, going back to Indiana (in my Michael Jackson voice).

The whole time on the plane, I was plotting my revenge. I am going to fast forward to when I got home.   The guy hadn't been caught, and I had access to him. Since my Dad was very well known, it was very easy to find to dude that did it.  The thing about the hood, they will not talk to cops.  Obtaining a gun was very easy. My goal wasn't to kill the dude; I was going to shot him in his knee caps and in the palms of his hands.  I was ready to go handle my business, when my cousin shows up and ask me why I had a gun.  I told him my plan and he snatched me up. He said why are you going to throw your life away? He said you have too much to live for.  

After I thought about it, he was right.  So, I end up not going through with my plan.  I was still angry and upset. When I was interviewed by the media, I said “he has to answer to a higher power and I let it go”. At that time I didn't have a relationship with Christ….so, I didn’t have an understanding of forgiveness. I didn't get saved until 5 years later. My thought pattern was, I can’t change it…why worry about it.

I had every opportunity not forgive the guy the killed my Dad.  I could have held a grudge with him and God.”  ¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”. –Mathew 6:14-15. The blood of Jesus covers your sin; it does not cover the sin that someone commits against you. The only way to be forgiving is forgive.  Yeah, they hurt you…yeah they betrayed you….yeah they stole from you….yeah they lied on you. If you are a Christian, then you have to forgive them and it does not matter how much they hurt you. You are obligated to forgive. We are going into a year and there is no time like the present to forgive.

Reflection Time

We are in drawing  close to the end of the, and this is about the time I reflect on the year. This year has went by fast, and there has been a lot of transition. I have had ups and downs, trials and tribulations. I have lost family members, and friends. Through it all I am still standing, and I can say that God has been faithful. Life happens fast and you have to take time to smell the roses. Before you go into next year, take a look back at How faithful God has been over this past year.

A Little Humor

A first grade teacher had twenty-five students in her Clarkston, MI class. She presented each child in her class the first half of a well known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading, keep in mind that these are just 6-year-olds, because the last one is classic... although sad to see it said!

1. Don't change horses........................... until they stop.
2. Strike while the.................................. bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before................... Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of..... termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but....... how?
6. Don't bite the hand that..................... looks dirty.
7. No news is.......................................... impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a......................... Mister.
9. You can't teach an old dog new.......... math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll........ stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust.................................... me.
12. The pen is mightier than the............. pigs.
13. An idle mind is.................................. the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's............ pollution.
15. Happy the bride who.........................gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is............................... not much.
17. Two's company, three's..................... the Musketeers
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what....... you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs
        with you, cry and............................. you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as................ Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not....... spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed............... get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only
        what you......................................... see in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind lead the blind........... get out of the way.
And the WINNER is... the last one...
25. Better late than................................ pregnant.

Have a great weekend. 

Let It Go!!!

Two Buddhist monks return to their monastery after the rains. They reach a swollen river and in front of them is an extremely beautiful lady in a delicate silk kimono, distressed because she is unable to cross the river by herself. So, the older monk scoops her up, carries her safely to the other side and the two monks continue on their way in silence. Five hours later, as the two monks reach their destination, the younger monk, literally fuming, bursts out, "How could you do it? You touched a woman; you know we're not allowed to do that!” The older monk replies, "I put her down 5 hours ago, but you are still carrying her with you."

What are you still holding on to, that you need to let go of. Who haven't you forgave yet?  Get free, there is no time like the present to let go and move forward.

Changing Your Default Setting Pt.V

The last few days we have been getting ourselves prepared to take on our goals for next year. We started with being Specific- what you are really attempting to do. Then we looked at putting a Measure mechanism in place- this is the glue to keep you moving forward. Next, we added Action- things only get done when you put feet to them. After action, we looked at being Realistic- if this is off then everything else will be off.

Finally, we will discuss Time-bound. If I told you that I was going to give you a million dollars “someday soon”, you will be asking when “someday soon” is. When you have no end date to accomplish your goal, it is just out there for the universe. Remember we are talking about what you want to accomplish over the course of a year. If we are referring to the 20 lbs, you have 12 months to accomplish the goal. So, your time-line could be measured in quarters. At the end of each quarter you check to see if you are on track for the year (that will be 5 lbs a quarter). When you break it down like this, it makes the goal a lot easier to obtain.

This acronym can be used for short or long term planning. It is just a guide to assist you with moving forward. You may have created your on acronym, if so I would love for you to share it.

When planning remember to be Smart, Measurable, Action, Realistic, Time-bound.

Changing Your Default Settings Pt. IV

We are moving right along with being with putting a system in place to assist you with accomplishing your goals next year.  We discussed being Specific- what you are really trying to accomplish. Next, we discussed being able to Measure your progress- this is the glue that keeps the momentum going. Then we discussed Action – the things that you are trying to accomplish will not get done by themselves.  You have to put feet to it and “Walk it out ….Walk it out ..walk it out “ in my UNK voice.

That leads us to what we will be discussing today, being Realistic. This is very important, if you set an unrealistic goal then your measuring mechanism will be off; which will lead to your actions being off; which means the momentum will stop. My friend and I placed a bet to see who could gain 10 lbs in 30 days, very unrealistic for both of us.  The mental shift that we both had to make in order to accomplish was difficult.  I had to eat 5 meals a day, workout 5 days a week; I had to consume about 3500 calories a day. I was determined to win the bet.  I came out the blocks, moving….eating breakfast…then a protein shake (1000calories) …then lunch ….another shake…then dinner.  I keep that up for about a week and a half.  Then I crashed and burned. The goal was unrealistic, and the pace that I had to run to accomplish was out of reach. Had I thought about, I would had said 3-6 months. Then it would have been more obtainable.  I did eventually gain the 10 lbs, but it took me a couple of years.

It does not matter how bad you want to accomplish the goal, if it’s unrealistic it will back fire and you will get nothing done.  You know yourself; don’t set yourself up for failure…. be REALISTIC!!!!

Changing Your Default Settings PtIII

We are still in the process of eliminating “new year’s resolutions", by making S.M.A.R.T.  goals. Doing a recap, the S is specific...be as detailed as possible as to what you are trying to accomplish. Referring to the loss of 20 lbs, the first thing that you need to do is get on the scale. The M is measurable...how are you going to track your progress? This is where you have to change your default setting. If, I take a big step or a small step, the combination of the 2 gets me closer to the goal. Remember this is the glue that keeps the momentum going.

Which leads us to the A… and no I am not talking about Atlanta. Where is the wealthiest place on earth? It’s not the US, Europe or Africa. It is the grave. Why I do say that? Look at all the unwritten songs, unwritten books, inventions, cures to diseases, unfilled dreams that never made into the earth for one reason. They never took ACTION, which is the A in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym. We can plan all day, and know what we want to do. Doing it another is another thing. How many of you went out last year and purchased a membership and by middle of the summer you were just donating money to the gym?  Or purchased it and never went. Going back to the loss of 20 lbs, you have the specifics….you have the measuring mechanism in place….but you have to action.  The 20 lbs will not just fall off by osmosis. Without action everything else will be null and void.  A plan without action is just some notes on a piece of paper.  STOP PROCRASTINATING!!!! Do not become a statistic to it.

Getting a gym membership is good, but remember it only works if you get up and go.

Changing Your Default Setting Pt.II

Doing a recap from yesterday's post we started with S in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym.  Which is being Specific, you have to define what it is that you are really trying to accomplish. Remember if you are trying to lose 20 lbs, you have to first start with getting on the scale. Default Settings 101: Here an analogy, you have a cell phone that you are attempting to sell, there is a setting on your phone that sets it back to the way it was when you purchased. So, when I am referring to default settings I am talking about the un-renewed mindset.

Today, I am going to discuss the M in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym.

M- is Measurable. Using the 20 lbs again, how will you know if you are on track or not? This is where most of the momentum dies.  We do not know how to measure or we measure incorrectly. What do I mean? See, the goal is 20 lbs over the course of a year. So, if 1 week you only lose a half of pound, you can't look at that as it's not working. You have to look at it as; I am a half of a pound closer to achieving the goal. That's why changing your default settings is important. This is the glue, when you have the proper measuring mechanism in place it allows you to see your progress.  When you can see your progress, you will stay motivated to keep moving forward. Tomorrow we look at the A  in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym.

Changing Your Default Settings

A several years ago I moved from Indianapolis to Fayetteville, NC, where I met a gentleman named Allister Edwards. He was a retired Command Master Chief (I know for the non military this means nothing), but he was pretty high ranking. The group soldiers he was responsible for, was a Sigma Six Team (if this sounds familiar, its similar group of guys that took out Bin Laden). He specialized in psychological warfare. Now, I know you are asking yourself "what does this have to with the price of tea in China"? Glad you asked! When I was being trained in how to write a plan, the tactics he used were the same he used to break the mindset of his soldiers. He had to get to the core of what was holding me back. Coming from a guy who never planned, it was a task. I used to be a "just wingin" it kinda of guy. I never planned my day, so I had no clue as to where I was going. The very first plan that I wrote was not a day, week, month or year plan. It was a 20 year plan. That's right a 20 year plan, now do you know how hard that was for someone who never planned at all. Like I said, Al specialize in psychological warfare. We sat in my living room for 6 hours straight, and I felt like I was being interrogated. When the smoke settled and the dust cleared, I had some direction. I had a 20 year plan.

I said all that to say, once I changed my default settings, I was able to move forward. So, you have your resolutions list and you can't figure out why it's the same every year. January you come out of the blocks and it's looking good. You are going to the gym every day, you're eating right, you cleaned out your car, you stopped cussing and everything is on auto-pilot. Then by March you're not as consistent, things start to slack off. By June, some stuff has already been moved forward to next year's list. By October, it's a wrap. Then you start the cycle all over again. I know that you are tired of that. 

How do we change your default settings, so that you are able to progress?  First thing, kill the resolutions list. Change it to "Things I Would Like to Accomplish This Year", or something like that. As I said yesterday, we will be using the S.M.A.R.T. acronym. 

S- is be Specific. You have to break down what you are really trying to accomplish. Let's say you want to lose 20lbs, and the first thing you think you need to do is get a gym membership. Now, having a membership to a gym is a start, but is not the first thing you should do. The first thing I recommend you do, is get on the scale. You may be closer to where you want to be then you think. How can you get to where you are going, if you don't know where you are? Remember you are not trying to lose the weight in 30 days. You have to change your default setting to, this will happen over the course of the year. Most resolutions fail, because we have this instant gratification mindset or a microwave mindset. It has to happen now. That not the case. So, being Specific will really help you lay out a plan of action. Tomorrow we will be discussing the M.