I like this image of this car, and because of this image I think about the fact that it is important when I think about moving forward how important that it is. I have never been a car person, but one thing that I love about cars is that cars are always going fast, they can have good torque, and they can have great acceleration but the main thing that you see with cars is that they go forward. Anytime that you see a card, you never see a car just stalling on purpose there are times that a car can stall on a fluke or a whim but what does happen is that when a car is going forward, and going strong it is because that car is still going forward.

There is something to be said about this, and I do believe that it is important to continue to keep going forward even when times are tough and trying. I can attest to having tough times and good times, but one thing that I can say that the Lord is still good, the Lord is still powerful, and the Lord is still mighty but even though I know that the Lord is there that doesn’t mean that I don’t have tough times. I do have frustrations, I do have my days of feeling low, and you know it is always one thing that can be stable, but then another side of the equation it feels like there is no peace, there is no quiet, and there is no calmness at times. I have and I do believe that others feel that way also, and the reason that it can feel like that because there are times that it can feel like you and I are like a car that can and does at times stall.

It seems like there are times that it just feels like I am stalling, and it can feel like we all have that tough time and that tough occurrence to where we feel like we have stalled. We can feel like we have stalled, and the reason we can feel like that is because have you ever felt like you have stalled because of lack of drive, feeling down, feeling wounded, feeling unappreciated, feeling not desired, or just feeling not always happy. There are times that it feels like you are alone, and there are times that you feel like you are on this island by yourself and it seems like there is nobody to save you because life can make you feel lonely, and feel like you are traveling through the abyss of trials and tribulations that make you feel as though there is no end in sight.

I want peace, I want joy, I want hope, I want love, and I want restoration but I want to know why is it that it feels like I am alone that nobody is here with me, that nobody cares for me, and that nobody really wants to be bothered with me. It can feel like that, it can feel lonely, it can feel depleting, it can be troubling, and it can be upsetting but it makes a person have to keep on going forward. When you go forward there are moments and seasons of life, that going forward doesn’t mean that it won’t be without its trouble, without its trials, and without its ups and downs but that is when you have to keep going forward even when the troubles are there, but even though the troubles is there the Lord is still there.

I still trust in the Lord, and I hope that you trust in the Lord but even with trusting in the Lord pain is present, times are hard, and years can be drowsy. Life can be drowsy, and sometimes you know when you are drowsy you don’t feel like doing anything, you don’t feel like moving, and you don’t feel excited at all. Life can be drowsy like that, and life can be troubling because when life hurts it does hurt. Hurts hit us, hurts make us down, and hurts make us depressed because you would expect to be loved, you would expect to be restored, or you would expect to be treated well but at the same time it is when you face trials, and when you just feel down and it makes you feel hopeless at times.

There are days that we can feel hopeless, and it is not that we want to feel that way but it is like we have to live with the punches of criticism, the punches of betrayal, the punches of no friends, the punches of anxiety, or the punches of just feel ling low. You ever felt low, and when you feel low it makes you feel like will there be times or even days that I will get through these bruises, or live with the struggles of life? Life is a struggle, life is a continual see-saw, and that see-saw will be good some days, but then there will be other days when we are tired and we are just frustrated, and it is then that when you keep on living and when you keep on focusing on the Lord, it is when you begin to see the difference between living and not living.

As we live this life, and as we continue to live in this life we have to keep on living and pushing through, because as we trust in the Lord and as we follow the Lord there are the days that tears will flow, there are the days that you don’t even feel like there is an upside, because all you can do is keep your head down and stay down, and there are times that you just feel like if it ain’t one thing it is another thing, and that is when you live and look as though will I ever understand what it means to drive with just clear skies? The life we live, is a life that has many things that come at us, we have to certainly have stability and have the right foundation, but even with that foundation and even with that right way of walking that doesn’t mean that we don’t at times have to deal with the clouds of life.

We have these clouds and these storms of life that seem to always bother us. Clouds that make us not being able to sleep, clouds that make us wake up miserable, clouds that make us distressed, and clouds that make us not have joy but at times have to deal with just heartbreak and not just heartbreak but just various emotions. We have those emotions that can just be like there is no peace at all, and life is an emotional journey and the journey that we all are on is one that will test us, that will try us, that will make us stay alive, or die in the turmoil but as I and you live with the Lord that is when we know that the Lord is going to keep us, and the Lord is going to let us stay alive, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t troubles at times but when the Lord is with us and for us that is when we know that we will be able to live, and not lose hope!

Hope is real, hope is powerful, and hope is strong but when we have hope in the Lord that is when we are able to arise even in the midst in the tough times. We can rise through anything when we trust in the Lord, but even though when we trust in the Lord we know that we feel like it can’t better sometimes but as long as we follow the Lord, believe in the Lord no matter how rough and tough it is there is some good news to know that the Lord will never leave us even though it gets tough, even though it gets tight, and even though it gets toxic some days there is still good news that we know that God is here. God is with us, God is with you, God is with us all and as long as we know that the Lord is there it might get worse before it gets better but it doesn’t mean that it won’t get better.

The Lord will let us know that it will get better, but make sure that you keep driving and pushing through! Even if you have to leave some passengers, even if you have to forget some stuff, and even if we have to let some stuff stop worrying us or getting to us it is good to know that as long as we have the Lord we can keep going. As long as we have the Lord we can and will make it, and as long as the Lord is alive there will be nothing that we should allow to stop us. We might have our problems and our ups and downs, but there is one thing that we know that in everything and in all things God will allow us to arise through and over anything that has brought us down, or that has made us feel low the Lord will let us live, and we have to keep pushing through!!!!

Push through and even if you have to go alone…….. KEEP PUSHING THROUGH!!!!!!

Psalm 119:28 ESV – My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!

There are always going to be times that in our lives, we will find ourselves dealing with some form of trials, testing, or even temptation that occurs within our lives because that is what life is. As we look at life now, there is something else that we have to always watch and be careful about because we never want to fall in a trap of wanting to have a spirit of comparison or even competition that results in us losing our joy, losing our peace, or even losing or fire and desire.

It is something to see in life, and it is something to deal with because as you look at the ministry that you have and the ministry God has given you the Lord has given you a specific charge. We all have a specific charge and call, but as we look at our lives and the things that God has blessed us with, we also have to realize that we can’t be like everybody else. That is something that can be a struggle, that is something that can be difficult, and that is something that can be bothersome….. when you look at things, and you are wondering why can’t I have it like somebody else?

Has that ever happened to you? Has that statement, feeling, and just those expressions visited you in your life? I believe that we all that love the Lord, and that walk with the Lord have been there, and it is not because of trying to compete or trying to outdo, but as you follow the Lord and love the Lord sometimes it is hard to wait on the Lord. Isn’t hard sometimes to wait on the Lord, because we can wait on the Lord, and we can follow the Lord but even in doing that you wonder sometimes am I all alone, does anybody care, and does anybody think about me?

The key to any life is that you do have to be secure in your faith and walk with the Lord! You have to realize and understand that you can’t be something that you don’t fit, maybe that’s why we all have to stay in our lanes because God gives us our own lanes. Your lane and my lane is not the same, but whatever lane the Lord has given us we have to stay focused on where we are, but don’t allow where you are to kill your spunk, kill your energy, kill your vibe, or kill your spirit!

Make the best of where you are, and don’t look at it as a demerit but look at it as a blessing because the Lord doesn’t have to allow you a spot in the water! I have gotten to that place in my life is that the Lord doesn’t have to allow me to have a spot in the water, and it is not just me but that is a reality for us all that where the Lord has you in the water is where He wants you. I don’t know why the Lord puts somebody in a bigger boat, or a bigger part of the water than somebody else, but that is what God chooses to do, and whatever the Lord chooses to do we all have to accept what He does.

The Lord is the one that is blessing us, and are you satisfied with the blessings that the Lord has given you? You might not have the biggest preaching calendar or Church assignment but guess what you are still special and significant in the eyes of the Lord! You might not have the biggest house, the biggest bank account, the nicest car, the nicest jewelry, or you might not have what for others look at as something great and grand. Even though you don’t that doesn’t mean that you are not special, we have to change how we think and we have to change how we respond to things, because it is not about what the world thinks but what God thinks!

The world and people won’t ever validate everybody, but the world and other people will at times will show the love and fire to the ones that they choose to do. That is something that is going to happen, but don’t stop working hard, don’t stop serving, don’t stop living a fruitful life, don’t stop living a grateful life, and don’t stop having a spirit of gratefulness. We all have to remember that, and we all have to understand that, people won’t always show us love but don’t stop sailing, don’t stop living, and don’t stop having a motivation to continue to be you!

You have to be you…… Don’t be somebody that you aren’t, but you make sure that you continue to remain you! You have never seen a red crayon color blue, you’ve never seen a black ink pen write out in orange, you’ve never seen a chocolate chip cookie that was specifically made to be chocolate chip be something other than chocolate chip. We all have our own specific charge and flavor, but that is what is real because we have to live in our own space and do the best with that space that we are in!

You have to keep going even when you are feeling alone, but don’t allow the world to make you feel alone because the Lord is always with you! That is what we have to remember that the Lord is with us, and because the Lord is with me and because I have the Lord in my life I am living in victory, walking with confidence, and I am upbeat. That is what I am because I know that the Lord has me, and that is why you won’t ever have to worry about drowning and that is why you won’t have to worry about sinking, because when your focus is on the Lord and where the Lord is taking you then you know that nothing will stop you because you know where God is, and you know that the Lord will never leave you!

God won’t leave you and God won’t abandon you, even when the world is cold the Lord will always keep me warm by His spirit, by His guidance, and by the call that He has on my life. The Lord will do that, and I know that the Lord will do it, and I know there is no need for me to be in a mindset of loss, or a mindset of allowing what culture doesn’t boost the Lord will always boost! That is our real spiritual truth and growth as we continue to live for the Lord: “I rather be boosted by God and it be real, than being boosted by people and it goes away” We need to always have the right guidance by the Lord, and when we have that right guidance we will continue to live, go forward, and go higher all because the Lord is the one that has kept us sailing and not people themselves!

Joshua 3:7 ESV
The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

You see in this picture a cup with some coffee, but then look at the smart tv and you see Netflix that is currently on this tv! It is something, because as we look at what we watch on our Smart Tv’s we watch all kinds of streaming sites.. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Espn+, Max, Tubi, Paramount+, BET+, and other different streaming things that we watch, because in watching these different streaming outlets we like what we watch, we enjoy what we offer, but then we also sometimes what is offered on one stream is not offered on the other stream.

Have you noticed that, and have you recognized that sometimes how things will change and how things will not always remain the same because some stuff does change, and because those things change then we understand the need to go to the place where what we want is being offered, and because of that we start to stream where we want, because of where we are streaming gives us what we need.

That is the same thing as we follow the Lord, and as we live for the Lord that is exactly what the Lord does, because there are times in our lives as well that when we begin to see some stuff in our lives change that is because the Lord is changing the channel. The Lord will always change somethings that we used to love, that we used to enjoy, that we used to crave, and that we feel like we can’t live without but because we had this crave and this feeling that we had to have it this way then we see that the Lord indeed makes us lose some stuff because what once was offered is no longer worth having.

That is how the Lord does it in our lives, because the Lord always makes these changes in our lives because have you ever noticed that in your life that there are going to be times in your life that when you are growing with the Lord your eyesight changes! The reason your eyesight changes, is because you start to look at things that don’t have the same luster, they don’t have the same juice, and they don’t have the same influence anymore because some stuff does not mean the same to you anymore when you begin to change.

God has to change the channels in our lives, because when we keep the channel the same then there is something in us and there is something about us that if we don’t allow the Lord to change then we won’t move forward, we won’t progress, and we won’t become what the Lord wants us to be, all because you want to stay on this same channel. You have to ask yourself, do you want to grow and you have to ask yourself do you have the confidence and do you have the fortitude to want to move forward!

That’s what is missing in our lives sometimes……. We sometimes play it too safe, or sometimes we still want to stay with our ways of doing things but are the things that we want to do working????? Are some things in your life working to you, but the Lord is telling you that it is over because you have been sitting down too long, you have been missing out for too long, you have been going in and out and back and forth too long, and the Lord is telling you that you will never reach your goals or experience your prayer requests that you have begged for if you don’t change the channel.

Aren’t you tired of being mediocre, aren’t you tired of just being average, and aren’t you tired of just being passive in your life? What do you value in your life…… do you value the grace of God, do you value the open doors for the Lord, and do you value the miracles of the Lord? What is important to you…… Some days we could do much more than what we are, but when we think we can’t go forward or refuse to go forward we miss out on better!

There is something that happens when we allow the Lord to have the remote, but there are times that we want to keep the remote because it is like a person that only likes a certain kind of show, or likes sports the way it used to be but don’t want to adapt to what is new that is because you are stuck on one channel. Are you stuck on one channel in your marriage, in your educational pursuits, in your ministry, in your finances, in your prayer life, in your worship life, or just in your personal life are you stuck on one channel?

We hurt ourselves, we hurt our hearts, we hurt our spirits, we hurt our Church, we hurt our ministries, and we even hurt our families when we stay on one channel and don’t want to adapt to a new channel. That’s something that I see even in politics, that I see plenty of politicians who refuse to get out of their own way to do what is better for the country in terms of affordable housing, giving everyone fair business loans, building better homes for all communities, building better schools, and everybody being able to afford healthcare and basic needs for their families but politicians are stuck on one channel.

The Lord is speaking us to tell us to stop staying on one channel! Our Churches can be better and grow to better and newer heights if we stop staying stuck on one channel of tradition and change to progression, our families can be better if we stop staying stuck on one channel of not wanting to be flexible, but we just want it the way we want it and don’t see the need to make things better. That’s not how we should be, there is always something we can improve in for us all.

Reading will help a child with English & Comprehension, Exercise will help a person who is struggling to sleep, struggling with mental health, struggling with diabetes, struggling with kidneys, struggling with your blood pressure but exercise will help with that. Going to see an eye-doctor, will help you with your ability to see because when you take care of your eyes you are giving care to your pupils, your cornea, and you desire not to have blurry vision but desire to have clear vision.

That’s what we have to do as the body of Christ as well….. When we follow the word of the Lord, there will always be improvement in your life because you have taken that personal desire, and that personal responsibility that you want to see changes, and you want to improve and you want to be better! It can happen in your life, but you have to let the Lord change the channel in your life, and because the Lord is in charge and in control there is nothing the Lord can’t and won’t do when we give the Lord that control, and let Him direct our every paths!

Your life will be better and improve when you allow the Lord to have that full control, but it is on you and you have to make sure that you don’t fight the improvements God wants to make because they are things you have never done before! Just because you have never done it before, doesn’t mean you can’t do it but you have to step out of the box and you have to let the Lord do it….. and when that happens watch how much you will grow and how much you improve personally because you allowed the Lord to change your channel in your life!

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

Pastor G. Chris Brown

Do we see it, because it is a silent action and it doesn’t speak a lot but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a loud voice. There are these liquid streams, that can flow down from the viewpoint of one’s body that will make such an impact because we see that there are those who have these traits of frustrations, these traits of difficulties, these traits of issues, and these traits of hurts. It is one thing to look at a person when they are dry, but then it is another instance when you have to look at a person when they are wet.

Tears can do that, and tears are like that because how is that a person can have so much inside of them that makes them see the world, that makes them want to conquer the world, and that makes them want to always expand but at the same time there is something else that shows up because we begin to see, and we begin to realize that any person can have a great outlook, a great vantage point, a great viewpoint, and a great feeling and yet still be sad or be down.

Looking at life in general, it is something that becomes more and more hard to see on a daily basis because we see that crime is at an all time high, because how many shootings do we hear about that continue to plague our communities. Every day another child is being buried, a wife is being buried, a husband is being buried, somebody innocent that has not gotten a chance to have a full life because of guns, because of the way people don’t know how to be diplomatic in handling disputes but would rather take a life, we see that it is causing more and more funerals but do we see it.

Do we see it, when we look at the way this world is because we are looking at wars that are still happening, we see that sickness is spreading everywhere, we see that our government officials are still at odds with one another, because now we see what is happening with our country’s debt, but then more than that we see what is happening with our President, than a former President who we know despicable and inhumane, and then we see that we have officials that are not trying to pass laws that will benefit everybody, but only trying to make one side benefit and the other side continue to feel the sting of racism.

Are we really watching what continues to circulate around us, have we been so passive by what we are seeing because we are seeing an exodus of people who don’t come to Church because it is not that they don’t love the Lord, but the fact that there is traditionalism that continues to sometimes take the lead instead of God taking the lead, it is as if there is more concern about programs than salvation, and for many they are tired of seeing people talk about loving the Lord but then right after they get done talking about it, they go back to being devilish and they say I would rather stay away, and some say I won’t come back.

Look at our schools that you have more kids now who don’t have respect for teachers or elders, because of lack of teaching and discipline in the home there is now this belief that kids can just do what they want. Kids are fighting teachers, teachers are fighting kids, kids are pepper-spraying teachers, kids are assaulting teachers, kids are committing heinous crimes and it is like they don’t have a thrill for righteous but they have a thrill for sin, they have a thrill for immorality, and they have a thrill for doing the ugly instead of the Godly.

We see all of this going on in our lives, and we see everything that is going on around us but do we see it and do we really recognize it but are we still just looking at what we want to look it, but we are ignoring the fuller scope of what is going on. We need the Lord, and we have to have the Lord with us and because when we have the Lord there is something that we can realize, and we can really adapt to the fact that the Lord is with us, and that the Lord is going to be with us, and that the Lord is going to lead and guide us, but do we see it and do we really recognize it, and when we see it that is something we have to understand and obey, that we have to always be ready to see what we need to see.

Even in Mental Health Awareness, as we look at this life that we live….. There are many of us that are suffering sometimes we admit it, and sometimes we don’t admit it because there are times that we have too much pride, we have ego, and sometimes we are afraid to admit that we need help. It is nothing wrong to admit that we need help, and there is nothing wrong with speaking that truth that you know sometimes I do struggle, sometimes I am dependent on alcohol, sex, drugs, social media, or other things to help me but I am not always willing to admit where I am.

A person will never be healthy…. when they can’t admit that they are sick!!! You have to be okay with admitting that I am not okay, but do you see it within your own scope and within your own landscape to where you understand, and you really get to that place in your life that you know that sometimes I am not feeling well, sometimes I don’t feel like getting out of my bed, sometimes I don’t feel like saying anything, and sometimes I am just weak. I am weak because I know and understand…… That there are times that I am just having a bad day and I am just having a moment.

Do we see it though, because as a Christian I should not be so focused on things that really don’t matter when I realize and I see just how down I have been, how upset I have been, and how emotional I have been but then I see what is happening around me. If you want the Church to be better than be a better Church member, if you want the schools to be better get involved and volunteer, if we want our communities to get better than we need to clean up the streets, feed the homeless, clothes the naked, but we need to be active with our voices and our service!

It is time out for just talking and not putting any action it, because how can we get better if all we do is remain passive and not try to help deescalate situations that continue to roar and rise among us. We all have to be better, and we all have to do better because anytime a person can see harm, but doesn’t want to try to heal then something is wrong with that person’s salvation! You can’t believe in the Lord, and then you are comfortable with things being crazy and you aren’t trying to make the situation better, because don’t ever think things don’t affect you!

We are all affected by what we live in, not just what affects us directly but also what affects us indirectly as well!! We should all be concerned, and we should all want to make a difference in our lives. I believe that God is giving us the signs, and giving us the things that we need to make that difference, but also believe that the Lord will make it better for us all! I believe that, but I believe that we have to turn to the Lord and when we do that God will completely turn things around for us, and make us stronger and make us better!

Psalm 91:5-7 ESV – You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, [6] nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. [7] A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

There is something that is true about paint, and there is something that we see with paint that in order for something to be new, and in order for something to be enriched then that is when you decide that you want to paint over this, or you want to paint over that because you have made a decision that some stuff won’t remain the same anymore. The reason it won’t say the same, is because you have made a choice that you do want things to get better, that you want things to improve, and that you want things to increase because of wanting to be different.

I believe that is what the Lord is telling us, that as we grow and as we push forward that is something that we do need to understand, and need to look at it because the Lord is always moving, and the Lord is always working and that is something that we need to look at, and understand that it is important to realize and recognize the importance of the change. We all have to change, and we all have to realize the need to change because the Lord always has something new, something different, something unique, and something that we have never seen before, that is when the Lord is making things change for us, because when we do that we will see all of the blessings of God!

God calls us to change even when we look at the Church, we are always a blessed people but as we trust God and as we follow the Lord we see that the Lord will make things change, because the Lord always works in every generation, and the Lord always makes upgrades in us because for us to go forward the Lord will make us make upgrades. We have to upgrade in our worship, in our prayers, in our encouragement, in our service, in our love, in our teaching, and in our preaching because all of us should strive to be better!

That should be our desire, and when we have a desire to change it will make us not remain the same and there are times the Lord pushes us to change because the Lord sees where we are, but the Lord also sees and knows where we can go, what we can be, and how we can be because when we are following the Lord, and when we are serving the Lord it is on us to make those strives, and it is on us to make sure that we are always following the path the Lord has us on.

God always sends us on a different path. Have you looked at life now, compared to what life was like 20 – 30 years ago. We see that life has changed drastically in our lives, because we have seen upgrades in technology, we have seen upgrades in computers, we have seen upgrades in phones, we have seen upgrades in how we deliver food, we have seen upgrade in sound systems, we have seen upgrades in fashion, we have seen upgrades in the way we have done things because everything doesn’t remain the same, and things will always evolve and continue to change.

There is nothing that remains the same, and you know even in our personal lives we have to see that there are things that we have to change and we see that there are things that can’t stay the same because sometimes things that we want to have the same can’t because we have to grow. We can have periods where we struggle, because our desires and our ego’s can sometimes hinder us from growing, and it can really set us back when we still try to have it our way!

When you grow with the Lord, you have to grow out of some stuff because you can’t expect the Lord to bless you when you are still remaining the same. You can’t act the same way you did today, that you did 20 years ago because if you are still the same way now you were then then you have not lived, and you have wasted time! Muhammad Ali said: “If you look at the world at 50 as you did at 20, you have wasted 30 years of your life.” That is the truth, and that is the thing that we all have to look at our lives and ask that question: (Am I Wasting My Life Because Of My Refusal To Change?)

The Lord wants to paint a new picture, but are you going to allow Him to paint the picture or are you going to try to paint with your own paint instead of the paint the Lord has for you! You have to let the Lord paint the picture for you, because God has never not painted a masterpiece and God knows how to bring things together because He knows how to make a picture shine. God has painted fruit, God has painted mountains, God has painted pictures of love, pictures that resemble prayer, pictures that resemble favor, pictures that resemble Jesus, because we all should resemble Jesus.

Jesus is that good that He is the best painting that we know! Jesus is so good that it should carry with us everywhere because Jesus should bring us together. Whether it is in our politics, our schools, our homes, our neighborhoods, our medical field, we should have Jesus with us all of the time! That is what we need, we need to have Jesus in our lives because the life that we live has ups and downs but we need the picture of Jesus that will always stand. Jesus will make us all improve if we want to, and when we follow the Lord things will and should improve for us!

It is on us to let the Lord make the improvements, and when we allow the Lord to make those changes than it will allow us to go farther than where we are right now, but we have to trust the Lord, and we have to depend on the Lord! When we do those things, that is when the Lord will bless us, and that is when the Lord will take care of us, and we will be the better because of the improvements that we have made, and that we have allowed the Lord to work in our lives! God is able, and because the Lord is able we should let the Lord work, and because the Lord is working things out for us, and because He is we are where we are and going where we are by the grace of God!

Philippians 3:13-14 ESV – Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever had to trust in the Lord when the route changes? It seems like that when we trust in the Lord, and when we believe in the Lord that there are times that trusting in the Lord does indeed bring about changes. Change is inevitable, and there are times that as we change and as we grow with the Lord we begin to see that the Lord indeed does push us further, the Lord makes us leave the usual, and the Lord makes us leave the comfortable because the Lord has another place and another way that He is taking care of!

It is as if that sometimes, the things that we pray for are the things that can also scare us and intimidate us because when we pray and when we ask the Lord for these things but then when we see that the Lord is the one that is now answering our prayer, and now that we see that the Lord is the one that is granting us what we asked for it can make one afraid. Sometimes that is real, and sometimes that is true because just because you trust the Lord, and you want to see what the Lord is doing on a new level and a new scale, that doesn’t mean that it is easy leaving what the route you have been used to and accustomed to.

We all have those kinds of routes, and we all have those positions and those callings in our lives to where when the Lord is moving, when the Lord is ready, and not just that but when you are ready for something different there are things that you understand, and there are things that make you realize that in order to get better, in order to improve, in order to be better, and in order for me to be whole and to be fruitful that is when the Lord will begin to work, and not just work but that is when the Lord will really begin to work on us because He is taking us personally to a different level of faith and belief!

You will never experience the growth of God when you remain set, when you remain stuck, and when you refuse to grow! We all have to grow, and God watches over us, and God sees what we are facing, God sees where we are going, and there are times that God shakes things up and the reason the Lord is shaking some things up is because the Lord sees that if we stay where we are we won’t make it. It is true, that you can love where you are, and be comfortable where you are but the problem is that you love it so much that it is killing you more than it is giving you life.

Yes, you like it and enjoy it but at the same time it can be killing you, it can be wounding you, and it can be hurting you because when you are just on autopilot than you lose your fire, you lose your enthusiasm, you lose your drive, you lose your fire, and you lose your spunk! Are you operating on auto-pilot? Are you just staying stuck right now, and have you been staying stuck because you have loved where you are, and you have been comfortable where you are, but that has been the problem you have been comfortable but you have missed your progress!

Sometimes we all our comforts to make us miss our progress, and as you walk with the Lord you begin to see that there are things that I have to let go of, and there are things that I have to go away from because I see that it is not always helping me, it is not always getting me to where I need to be, and sometimes the Lord needs to change my route, because my route isn’t fruitful! Sometimes we have to look at life, and there are times that we need to ask the question am I bearing fruit, am I birthing fruit, and am I enjoying fruit, but am I still just stuck trying to get the same juice and taste from dry fruits?

We do sometimes have dry fruits, and we are trying to make things still live when they are dry and when they are not going anywhere, and those things we have to realize and those things we need to understand that we can’t allow these things to stay with us. It does happen for us all, and the Lord does push us to a newer height, a newer start, and a newer degree and that doesn’t mean it will be easy, doesn’t mean you won’t have some days you struggle, and it doesn’t mean you won’t have some seasons that you feel like going back but whatever you do, don’t ever go back to what was bringing and pulling you down!

You have to get to that place, and that is a better feeling and a great feeling to have that you realize and that you understand that as you are walking with the Lord, and as you continue to go higher in the Lord that is when you begin to see that I can’t go back to where I was, and I can’t go back to where I used to be because I see now that the best thing for me is to move on! The best thing you can do is move when the Lord says so, because you never know what you will miss out on, and what you need to leave alone until you press on and when you do that is when you go higher, that is when you soar, and that is when you get better because of what you have chosen to move on from and press on from!

God is speaking to us, and God is telling us all that yes you like the route you have been on and the boat you have been on, but the Lord is speaking and telling us that there is a new boat, there is a new route, and because there is a new route and a new boat that is here, that is ready for you, and that is going to get you further and higher it is for you! The Lord has that for you, and the Lord is doing that for you, and because the Lord is doing that for you there is nothing to fear because God always travels with you, and because the Lord always travels with you than you are never alone and the Lord has never forgotten about you because the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you, but the Lord will most certainly trust and keep you every day!

God is with you, and God has your back and because the Lord has your back and because the Lord is there than you can always make it. You will make it, and you are going to make it and the Lord has never forgotten about you, and the Lord won’t forget about you, and you have to make sure that you always believe with the Lord, because the Lord will never take you somewhere that you won’t pressure that His hands isn’t on! You will prosper when you trust God, and don’t forget where you were and what made you take it with you, but also understand that the Lord has you in a new atmosphere because the blessings He has for you, are going to make you soar even higher knowing that trusting in the Lord will always work out for my good!

Psalm 25:4-5 ESV – Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. [5] Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.

Pastor G. Chris Brown

There is something that I think that we all should not be surprised by, and there is something that I think that we do have to look at sometimes is that this race that you live, this race that we run, and this race that we all are in is one that has days of great gain, days of great optimism, and days of great joy because who doesn’t want to have great days, who doesn’t want to enjoy great days, and who doesn’t want to enjoy those days of joy, and those days of peace?

We all want those days, but then when we look at life and when we look at somethings that go on and that transpire in our lives we see something that is different, and we see and feel something that is different because we like to have these good days, but then you see that some stuff has not and does not happen like that, because as we walk this life it really can be lonely, it can be uncomfortable, and it can be not always smooth because sometimes we see that we don’t fit everything.

You know as you live, and as you go forward there will be times that you look at your life and you look at your circumstances, and you look at things in your life that you see and you begin to see there are things that I don’t fit and there are times that I don’t fit everything. You can always tell what you fit and what you don’t fit based on the color, based on the spirit, based on the atmosphere, based on the way things are done, and based on the way things are handled there are always going to be things that you will see and realize that maybe I just don’t fit everything.

Can you be okay with that? Are you okay with that, because there are times that we wear ourselves down, we wear ourselves out, and we really bring ourselves down trying to make people make us fit them, or trying to push ourselves upon people because that will not always be the case. As you walk with the Lord, and as you follow the Lord, and as you are living for the Lord understand that you will not fit everything, and understand that you will have to walk alone sometimes, you will walk by yourself, and you will have to walk when nobody picks you for the team.

It gets hard sometimes, it gets frustrating sometimes, and it gets disappointing sometimes when you want to be appreciated, when you want to be chosen, or when you want to be in the group but have you noticed that sometimes every group has their favorites and picks. I look at this picture, and I think about how the Lord does things in our lives, and there are times that when you are on the path the Lord has for you that is also when you have to understand what you fit and what you don’t fit, but sometimes God shows and reveals to you, that there are always moments in your life that you begin to see that the Lord gives us all different spirits and all spirits don’t fit together.

Have you ever been there, or are you there right now, because you feel as though you are the island by yourself, you feel like you are swimming by yourself and there is no lifeguard or nobody wants to swim with you, but you are in your own world, you are in your own space, and sometimes it is as if you don’t want to be there but sometimes you don’t have any choice. I believe that there is a reason why the Lord sometimes separates us, because when the Lord has you on a different path than you learn that on a different path, it also means that you have to walk with your own shoes and you can’t wear everybody else’s shoes to get to where the Lord wants you to be.

Sometimes you have to look at it like that, does my shoes fit this path, fit this journey, and just fit where I think I should be or where others want me to be. Sometimes that is the resounding reflection, is do I want to be where the Lord wants me to be or do I want to be where everybody else wants me to be, because you have to decide what path you want to be on. The path you choose you have to be confident and comfortable with that decision, but understand that whatever path you are on you have to remember there will always be some bees waiting and that will sting you.

Sometimes you get stung with harsh words, sometimes you get stung with criticism, sometimes you get stung with comparisons, sometimes you get stung with mean people, sometimes you get stung with disappointment, and sometimes you do get stung by the different bees. Bees can be cruel, bees can be disappointing, bees can be troubling, bees can be messy, bees can swarm at you, and bees can be tough at times because one would think that when you get stung that would be the end, but there will be times in your life as a follower of Jesus that some people are like bees because they like to swarm and when they find something they love to sting and sting.

Have you ever been stung? It does hurt and it can make you cry, and it can put you in an emotional state because you don’t expect it but it does happen and you know that when things happen you can either break or build. You have to choose and decide how you will handle that, but it is a blessing to understand and realize that when you are secure in yourself, and when you enjoy the person that the Lord has made you to be than it doesn’t matter what others think, it doesn’t matter what others say, and it doesn’t what others think you have to realize who you are and what you answer to. There are always going to be times, that you have to realize and know that you don’t fit every circle, but even if you don’t fit every circle there are times you have to make your own circle, and when you make your own circle it might start out with just you but keep building, and when you keep building you will see the Lord bless you higher and better.

That is what we need to do, and that is what we should do is that you have to understand and understand sometimes you won’t be picked, but don’t get dismayed and don’t get discouraged because you have to stay the course, and when you stay the course that lets you know that with the Lord you are good, and you will be fine. That is why you can, and you will stand strong and stay well is because the Lord will show you that it will be alright, it will be fine, and that you will be able to overcome those problems, and you will overcome those tough times, those hurt feelings, those emotional and crushing days, and those days when your mind is flustered with thoughts of anguish, thoughts of storms, and thoughts of darkness it will all pass away because God always will make a way!

Be strong and be you, and watch how the Lord will take care of you!

Pastor G. Chris Brown

Psalm 139:14 ESV
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

There are all kinds of luxurious cars that we see all of the time, and we see these cars that are fashionable, we see these cars that drive fast, we see these cars that have torque, we see these cars that all kinds of gadgets and that is something that I love is any kind of electronic gadget, and when I look at cars all across the country especially these well known cars they are strong, they are beautiful, and they are known for how fast that they go. The thing is though, that I have seen with cars even those that come from the same company, there are some cars that have the same features, and there are those that have different features because every car is not built the same.

That is how it is sometimes, in our lives with the Lord because there are things that are meant for us and there are some things that are not meant for us because as we live for the Lord, that is when you begin to see and notice, that you have to understand and realize that you don’t fit everything and you don’t fit everywhere. I know that is not always something we like to hear, but it is something that is real and true because as we live for the Lord, and as we walk with the Lord we do see that we don’t fit everything, and that we do at times have to stay in our lanes, but not only do we stay in our lanes, we also know that when we are staying in our lane we realize that we have our own specific and unique parking space.

Have you ever tried to fit where you didn’t belong, have you ever tried to do things that you know weren’t you, and as you live have you just been around and sometimes you just felt alone, or even felt depressed but then you realize and see that even though you wanted to you couldn’t because you realized that it was just some things that I see don’t fit me. Maybe that is why we sometimes find ourselves feeling down, or feeling low, or just sometimes feeling like we are stressed or depressed because we feel like we don’t belong or that we are forgotten.

It isn’t always a bad thing, and the reason it isn’t always a bad thing because you see the worth that you have in the Lord, and when the Lord shows you the worth that you have, when the Lord shows you the worth that lives with you, and when the Lord shows you the worth that builds you up then it gives you peace, it gives you assurance, and it gives you confidence just to know that it is nothing wrong with being who you are! It is nothing wrong with taking the high road, it is nothing wrong with understanding that you do see that as you go in this life, and as you walk in this life you have to be ready to go alone.

You see that when you you are living, it is sad but it is something that does happen that are you ready and are you prepared to deal with life when life hits you hard. Life can hit you hard, and life can make you feel sometimes like you are a loser, like you are not worthy, like you are unworthy, like you are not measuring up, and then you began to see that is there something wrong with me, is there something that I am doing wrong, or is there something that I am doing that is unsatisfactory. We have those days, we have those feelings, and sometimes we have those days and errors because it looks like we are enjoying the ride, and other times it feels like we are not enjoying it.

Life has those days, life has those periods, and life has those seasons when it just feels like you are by yourself, and that you are not going the route and pace you want. Yet, you have to realize you are not meant to be like everybody else, you are not meant to go the same speed like everybody else, you are not meant to be doing the same things like other people, and you are not meant to really just remain the same. You are not meant to be that way, and you are not meant to always remain in the same box, but you have to go to where the Lord is taking you, and the Lord is always going to take you further, and the Lord is always going to do more for you when you walk the right path, you continue to stand up.

You have to stand on your own two feet, you have to make sure that you are staying in it because as you go forward you have this empathy that makes you say that I am good with me, I am cool with me, I am satisfied with me, and I am comfortable with me. I can be that way because of what God tells me, but that is also when you have that relationship with the Lord and because you have that relationship with the Lord, then you shouldn’t allow yourself to be pulled down by anything that does not fit you. Some lanes don’t fit you, and because some lanes don’t fit you and that’s why you see that you have to enjoy the ride that you have with the gasoline that you have!

The Lord gives us our own gasoline, and that is why you have to keep driving and when you keep driving, you know that when you keep on driving, and when you keep on going something in you gives you that reminder that I am doing alright, I will be alright, and I am not going to quit even when sometimes I get tired, I get bothered, and I get worn out but I will still keep going. You have to keep going, but when you are going understand and realize that you might hit some rain, you might hit some patches, you might deal with some dark clouds, and you might deal with some doubts and worries but don’t let it stop you, and don’t allow yourself to stop because you see some things that you aren’t used to make you turn back!

You have to keep going, and when you keep going you don’t have regrets or break down because of it, but when you keep yourself going, and when you are going then it makes you place yourself in the right kind of atmosphere that you stay with it, and you stay with the race. Sometimes you have to understand and be like that, I can’t be afraid of going further, going deeper, and going higher and I can’t be timid or shy but I have to keep on going and when I keep on going then I have that belief, and I have that strong spirit and with that strong spirit and belief that I have in myself then it will push me to understand that I can do great things because God is with me!

Keep driving and keep going, and you won’t have to turn back but you can keep on pushing, and you keep on going and when you do that you will be well, be stronger, and be better even mentally because you have decided that I will not stop, and I won’t give up but I will keep going and keep the faith and watch how the Lord will take care of me!

Proverbs 13:15-16 ESV – Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin. [16] Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly.

Music is something that we enjoy, something that brings us a thrill, and something that makes us glad to have it within us. We listen to so much music, because music is something that will encourage us, that will light us up, and that will make us have enjoyment because we love the different genres of music. I think that music is something that we need every day, and I believe that you should be versatile in what you listen to because music connects us on so many levels. We have songs that connect with us on an emotional level, a kids level, a love level, a patriotic level, and other levels because music brings a message and music certainly will make us want to keep the song going.

I believe that is the same way preaching is, because I believe preaching to be a musical soundtrack that one plays every week to where it will either engage listeners or it will tune them out. We live in a culture and a society that now we see, that preaching is so important, but it is up to the one that is in front of the mic, in front of the people, and the one that is speaking for the Lord to understand and to realize just how important the moment is. Preaching is making music, preaching is making a song that will make those want to play it over and over again, preaching is making a connection and building relationships, preaching is staying with the topic while making the topic real, relevant, and making it something that will constantly be a draw.

One must ask themselves as they stand in the pulpit, and as they began to really start to speak one must ask themselves just how much value and how important is the pulpit moment and the preaching moment to them. You have to remember that as you are in front of the people of God, there is no time to play and no time to mess around but it is a time to get serious, and it is a time to make sure that everything that y6u say, everything that comes out of your mouth, and everything that is given is something that the people that hear it will be something that they will digest, that they will treasure, and that will make them want more.

Something I think that every preacher should examine is….. “Does my preaching make people want to come back for more?” Is the preaching that the Lord is allowing me to do, is it something that is making people come back for more or is just that as the preacher I am doing the basic things, giving a basic word, giving them just enough, and not giving them more to make them think, to push them to think, and really to make us all want to grow. I believe that has to be the key, and I believe that is something that as we look at preaching in this society and in this Church climate, is what we present from the pulpit challenging, changing, growing, convicting, and transforming the people.

I love preaching, and I love everything about preaching from the study, the preparation, the reading and studying of the word of God, the art of preaching, the science of preaching, the imagery of preaching, the way one can take verses of God’s book, make a picture, write a story, or even have a swimming pool that you can never drown because you never can get to the bottom. I believe that is true about preaching, because I see preaching as something that is great, that is priceless, and that is something that should never be taken for granted. Preaching should be effective, preaching should be real, and I believe that preaching should be authentic!

Preaching should be authentic and preaching should be Godly!! That is the most important thing….. Preaching should always be about Jesus and not about the preacher. If the preacher is more concerned about them than Jesus, than the preaching won’t be effective because it will get tainted because when we strip preaching of what is the main key ingredient with which is Jesus than the preacher is bad trouble. Preaching is something that has to be authentic, and when we are preaching we have to be authentic, because one thing that is true with anybody is that you have to be yourself but don’t lose your fire!

Preaching is that important and preaching has to be real! You have to be real, because how can you preach what you aren’t willing to face and what you are willing to deal with! Preaching is real, and when you are real with God, and when you are real with yourself than you can have real preaching. Preaching has to be real, preaching has to be a push for you to get better, preaching has to be a wall decor that will always hang, and preaching has to be something that you desire to get better because you should want to get better, you should want to improve, and it is a danger to the pulpit and people when the preacher feels they have arrived, when they haven’t gotten to the landing spot yet.

No preacher every arrives, because preaching is a constant and daily practice that one must always desire to get better, and one should always desire to be in a place that they don’t flow on autopilot. It is like lifting weights, when you have a desire to get bigger and get stronger in lifting weights you put the time in, you put the work in, and there are times that you lift when you are hurting, you lift when you are tired, and you lift when you have a made up mind. The mindset of one is what makes them keep going, because when you have that mindset to get bigger and stronger, than you will continue to lift weights, and you will continue to grow stronger and get stronger, because of the mindset and the determination that one has to improve.

Preaching should be like that, and every day you as a preacher should be in the Bible gym, working out those muscles of interpretation, exegesis, hermeneutics, homiletics, doctrine, and understanding the historical context of the scriptures. You have to keep working out, and you have to keep working and growing because a preacher should never look at the Bible today as they did a year ago. God should always push us to look at the Bible deeper, and open our eyes to make some changes and to grow in a new light and a new level within our preaching. Preaching is real, preaching is impactful, and preaching has the power to change but the preacher must be willing to change in order to change those they are preaching to!

We should never make the mistake of misusing our gifts for the wrong intentions and goals. As much as we hear things and comments, nothing should make us more motivated than for the lost to come to Christ and hear the Lord tell us: “Well Done Good & Faithful Servant.” If the Lord called you into His office right now, what would He have to say about your preaching, and would He be pleased by your preaching? That’s something that any preacher should think about, what does God have to say not what people have to say, but what does God have to say about your preaching and would God give you a passing grade for your preaching? Let us continue to strive every day to get better, to grow, and to do the best we can to always have a strong preaching ministry that will please God, that will grow us, and that will make us all desire and want more of God!

Psalm 40:9-10 ESV – I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. [10] I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.

Here we see this boxing ring, and you know there have been some great boxers that have fought over the years such as: Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr, Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, Manny Pacquio, Joe Louis, and other great boxers that we have seen in our lives. These boxers have been at their heights and they have been at their lowest, they have won plenty of boughts and they have lost some fights but even though there have been some losses there have been more wins, and that was even though they took some hits, and even though they took some blows they were still able to overcome that foe because they kept punching, and they found a way to win that bought.

I think about that as we go through our lives, and as we face different things in our lives because it seems like we are in a boxing match all of the time. Life has its ups and downs, and life has given some hard punches because you can see it from how you are treated, from people leaving you, people walking out on you, people that used to be your friend and now they act like you haven’t done anything for you. Then you have to deal with rumors, dealing with lying tongues, dealing with hardships in your family, dealing with tough times at your job, and dealing with tough times even in your health or just your emotions because it feels like you are always getting hit with a blow.

Life is like that isn’t it, and doesn’t it feel like sometimes you just want to give in and give up sometimes you just want to stop, and sometimes you would just rather give in and cave than trying to go through another round of these blows, and another round through these hits. Yet, I believe that is where we found our strength because it was Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rocky Balboa the 6th installment of the movie that said this – “The world is not all sunshine and rainbows, It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

I believe that Rocky was right on the money, because in this Christian life you will take some blows and you will take some hits and you will take some bruises, but when you have the right faith in God even though you take some blows and even though you take some hits, and even though it seems like sometimes life will throw some low blows at you, but there is something in you that should say that I am not going to quit because I am going to get back up and I won’t allow anything to stop me, and I won’t let anything keep me down, but I have determined that I am going to keep on going and I am going to fight back the right way, by following the word of the Lord and staying with the word of the Lord because your obedience to God, is a stronger blow than one you can muster up with your fist.

Yet, we should not give up on ourselves, we should not give up on our children, we should not give up on our families, and we should not give up on our Churches. We are in a fight whether we acknowledge it or not, because we have people walking around us that don’t have any hope, we have people walking around us that have basically said I’m done, and we have people that don’t see the value of life because they feel that nobody loves them, nobody cares for them, and nobody is concerned about their well-being. That’s not true, that is not real, and that is not a reality, because God loves you and God cares, but we all should also should be there for each other, and we should be that light for each other because everybody needs the light and should feel the light from Jesus.

We see what is happening around us all of the time, we see the problems within our schools and that’s why we can’t give up on our kids. Kids now have access to anything, whether it is a gun, whether it is drugs, you have kids who use more curse words than English words, and of course we have kids that love to fight instead of loving to be friends, loving to read, loving to go to the park, and loving to do other things. Yet, we can’t give up on them because if we give up on them then Satan and life will swirl them up, but that is when we have to be the encouragement, and we have to pour into our kids. We have to tell our kids they are special, we have to tell our kids they are achievers, we have to tell our kids they can do anything positive that they put their mind to, we have to tell our kids that they are loved, and we have to tell our kids that it is okay to be yourself.

Even as adults we are standing in this ring, and it seems like we are taking blows as well because we take blows it seems like one minute everything is going good but then all of a sudden there is something that occurs that just knocks you down, that knocks you out, and just makes you feel like what am I doing wrong, and what did I do. There are occasions where it is like that, because you just get hit with a problem with your credit card, you get hit with a problem with your converter belt on your car, you get hit with a problem at your job that they want to cut your hours, or make you work more overtime and it conflicts with your schedule to be their for your children’s games, you get hit with a problem with your washing machine or dishwasher, or you just get hit with problems with your marriage and just with your own self. It can feel like you just want to be done, you just want to be over it, and you just want it to go away and not come back anymore because you are tired.

However it is the moments of being tired and agony, that is when you see how strong you are and how much you really are leaning, trusting, and depending on the Lord. You have to depend on the Lord, because depending on the Lord will keep you from letting the enemy make you stay down, doesn’t mean that you won’t get knocked down but will you get back up because the Lord has told us that He is there, the Lord has told us that He will never leave nor forsake us, and the Lord has reminded and told us that He is our rock, our light, and our salvation, and because of that no matter what I face, no matter what I go through, and no matter what I encounter I believe the Lord, and I believe that the Lord is real and because I believe in the Lord I believe that I will overcome this burden and even brutal season because the Lord is on my side and the Lord is with me.

That is where we go and turn, we turn to the Lord and because we turn to the Lord we ought to be encouraged, and we should know that with the Lord and because of the Lord we are able to still stand strong. The question is (Are You Going To Get Up?) It is time for you to get up, and yes you have faced some battles and faced some wounds but don’t stay down get back up, and when you get back up you are able to overcome and able to say that yes I faced it, yes I went through it, and yes I had to deal with it, but even with that, and through all of that the Lord has kept me, the Lord has helped me, and the Lord is helping me and because the Lord is doing that, and since the Lord is doing that it makes you encouraged, and it makes you know that with the Lord all things are possible, and with the Lord I am able to make it and will.

You will make it, and will have the victory because you have the Lord in your corner, and the Lord will never leave you or forsake you! The Lord is with you, and the Lord is there and because the Lord is there and because the Lord is with you, than you overcome by the power of Jesus Christ!

John 16:33 ESV
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Genesis 18:14 ESV
Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Pastor G. Chris Brown

I wonder sometimes, when I look at clouds and when I really just view what clouds are and to me it does seem like life! Life most certainly gets cloudy, I mean you think about it from dealing with different things and situations life gets cloudy! For me, there has never been a smooth sailing and a smooth just breeze but I believe I’m like many others that can be open and honest about life that it does get cloudy! Life has so many different types of clouds, and the more you go with the Lord and the more you live with the Lord the more that you feel the clouds, you feel the circling of the clouds, and you can honestly just feel this type of trial and just honestly it doesn’t always seem fair or feel real!

What would life be like without clouds, I mean we do need the clouds they do come in handy when sometimes it can be hot outside and you need the clouds to block the sun because it gets hot, it can be beneficial to have clouds so that we can have the rain come to us to help water grass, water flowers, and cool off temperatures! There are some benefits to having clouds, and there are benefits to most certainly having these things come into our lives! Yet, I sometimes wonder and I think have you ever seen your life in the clouds, and have you ever felt like your life was in the clouds!

I know I can say that, and you know it’s crazy that sometimes it can seem like your life is in the clouds and what’s even more crazy is that you don’t know what clouds will show up on a given day, you don’t know what clouds will come on a given day, and you don’t know what clouds you will have to deal with on a given day! That’s one of the things about life, and that’s one of things about dealing with various people and various things in life that sometimes you just don’t know what will happen, you just don’t know what will transpire, you just don’t know what will take place, and you just don’t know how you will feel sometimes because life is like the clouds!

Life can be like dark clouds or bright clouds, but even still I reckon and I believe it that life can get hard sometimes, life can get tough sometimes, and life can get turbulent sometimes because of these clouds, and it seems like you can write on a cloud what you are going through at that moment. It seems like you can write your problems, your enemies, your thoughts, your situations, your issues, and other things that are going on at that moment those things seem like they are always in the atmosphere. It seems like our atmospheres are always trying us, it seems like our atmospheres are always testing us, and it seems like our atmospheres are sometimes getting the best of us because it just feels like there is always this type of darkness that always hovers around us!

It’s not like we ask for it, it’s not like we sign up for it, and it’s not like we really want it but it just seems like these clouds keep showing up! They show up because when you are being you, when you are being nice, when you are being kind, and really when you are just minding your own business that’s when you will notice that clouds show up! Clouds show up in arguments, clouds show up in phone calls, clouds show up in text messages, clouds show up in storms, and clouds show up in other things whether it is a message on Facebook, whether it’s somebody reporting something that doesn’t need to be reported, and it can be just you getting blindsided by different things! It just seems like the clouds show up, the clouds come, the clouds are always coming, and the clouds sometimes seem like it just isn’t getting easier!

Why does it have to feel like this? Why does it have to go like this, I mean if I knew the clouds would be like this I would have asked God for an easier path, or really would have just said God I don’t know if I want to do this! I mean that’s what happens when the clouds come, and that’s how it is when the clouds come because they definitely will make you start to raise some questions and eyebrows? Do I really want this, do I really want to continue and go on because these clouds are heavy, these clouds are brutal, and these clouds are just trying me time after time and it just feels like they are always going to be there, they are always going to bother me, and they are always going to be a hindrance and I just want to know why do I need to keep on staying when the clouds are circulating.

I was watching one of my favorite ESPN 30 for 30’s, and it was the Lakers/Celtics Best of Enemies, and it was something that Bob McAdoo made mention of when talking about the Celtics after they had lost the first game of the 1985 NBA Finals it was this tone of defeat, this tone of no confidence, and this tone of just wondering could they beat the Celtics! Of course I am a Celtics fan, and then you see that the Lakers did win that series and that’s when that cloud went away, that cloud wasn’t there anymore, and that cloud was completely gone all because there was that confidence that finally they were able to beat the Celtics but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t a cloud that they had to live with!

I believe that even in the clouds the Lord still shows up, and you know sometimes it’s in the clouds that the Lord gives us this strength and this belief to really see and understand that just because you have clouds doesn’t mean you have to fall victim to the clouds! Maybe the clouds are a good test for you, because have you ever noticed that there are always those that love a test that they can easily pass???? That’s not how it always works, there are some tests that you have to go through that aren’t easy but that hurt, that try you, and that can really mess with you! It’s in those moments that trusting in the Lord shows up, because when you trust in the Lord that is when God will make you get through the darkness and allow you to see the sunshine!

The sun will shine, and the sun will never stop shining it doesn’t matter how trying and how hard it gets do you have enough strength to keep going? You have to keep on going, and you can’t stop holding on to your faith and your belief….. I mean nothing comes easy, nothing comes smooth, and nothing comes the way we want but it is still in the clouds that you have to always trust in the Lord because clouds don’t stop God! Clouds don’t stop the Lord, and you know anytime clouds come in our lives that’s when we have to decide what are we going to do and what are we going to engage in? Maybe it does get hard, maybe it does get strenuous, and maybe it does get trying but that’s also when you have to know and believe that with God you can make it, and with God nothing shall separate you from the love of Jesus Christ!

I believe the clouds are going to roll away, and I believe that the clouds won’t stay around but I do know that in every situation God has our back! God always has our back, and God always takes care of us, and sometimes even within the clouds and within the feelings of despair or even the feelings of feeling sad, not feeling good enough, and really just fed up it’s in those moments that you can always trust and depend on the Lord! God has your back, and God will always come through and remove the clouds… keel the faith, and keep knowing that with the Lord all things are possible! You can make it, and you will make it through the clouds when you know that the Lord will let you make it and when the Lord is your leader, He will always lead you through and will never leave you alone!

Matthew 9:20-22 ESV
[20] And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, [21] for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” [22] Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

This is an image that we see many times, and the reason we see it many times is because there are plenty of these that circle around everywhere. We see them at homes, we see them at schools, we see them at plants, we see them at car dealerships, and we see them in other areas as well! We always notice these things, and I have certainly noticed many fences throughout my life from big ones, to small ones but I’ve noticed many fences that have always been around for numerous times. I like to look at fences, I like to see fences, and I like to sometimes think to myself about fences what makes them what they are!

There is also this notion about fences that is true, is that fences are used to be a good guard and even defense mechanism as well! We certainly have those times that we keep our guard up, and I know that personally and I believe that to be something that is real and true! I have certainly known things about fences, and I most certainly have had my views about fences because they are alive, and it has even felt for me like those things to where I have always had my own fences! I have had my share of fences, and you know it is nothing wrong sometimes at those moments to have fences and of course you don’t want to block anybody, but there is also those moments that you begin to look at it and think to yourself that maybe I do sometimes have to keep myself guarded and up!

There are those times and moments, that I believe that fences do come in handy not just in the physical life but even the emotional and spiritual life. Of course, anybody can say well you don’t want to block yourself or that you shouldn’t block yourself, but then you also begin to see, realize, and sometimes even come to that conclusion I do like to have my fences up because it keeps me from being hurt, it keeps me from being heartbroken, and it keeps me from being disappointed! That is a reality and a real feeling, that fences do definitely play a pivotal and important role in somebody’s life because it is then where you see that sometimes you don’t bring everybody to you, you don’t allow everybody to get close to you, and you also see that there are times that you can be high but something can happen that can knock you down and make you really have that feeling of not wanting to be open again!

Have you ever been there???? Have you ever felt that way, and have you ever in a sense felt like it is safer for you to have a fence up to avoid being hurt? I mean emotions are real, hurts are real, and it can feel like there are those moments that it is better for me to have this up instead of being so open! You can be open, but you also have to be careful about how open you allow yourself to be because if you aren’t careful sometimes it can drain you, sometimes it can plunge you, and it sometimes it can really make you even grow and understand that you begin to see or feel that as I walk with the Lord, and as I serve the Lord I also know and understand that I do at times get to that place and get to that point that sometimes my heart, my soul, my mind, and even my spirit does get guarded!

Somebody may say that they don’t intend to, but you don’t know what a person has faced or what a person has felt and there are those times that fences are built! It isn’t just that, but there are times that life does make us build fences and there are times that even those who we love, those who we are close with, and those who we even spend time with can sometimes make us build those fences! They live, they are real, and they do make us guarded and I often wonder sometimes why do we become guarded and why do we sometimes even have these feelings of being guarded? I know that for some it is easy for them to say accept this or that, but until you have walked in that persons shows or even feel what they have felt, some won’t understand why they indeed do have these fences that live and pop up!

These fences show up, and you know that you can’t always make a person drop a fence that you helped create! Sometimes when a person pulls away from you, or just backs down from you that can be a fence and there are those episodes that we will begin to have these fences based on how we feel, how we have been treated, how we have been talked to, and just how we have really just dealt with some stuff! You are always changed, when there have been those periods and those moments that you have felt undercut, that you have felt slighted, and that you have felt really just down and rejected it will make you put yourself fences! It will make you in a sense maybe even lose trust, and sometimes feelings can change all because of how you have felt and what has gone on!

I see it like that sometimes, and I often wonder sometimes what would life be like without these fences? Would we be as careful, would we be as persistent, would we be as strong, would we be as focused, and would we trust the Lord as much? I think it is something about these fences, and I believe that sometimes fences can be good because you don’t love as easily in the sense that you are careful with your feelings, you are careful with your words, you are careful with your heart, and you are careful with your words only because fences do make you understand and grow to see that those feelings do show up. Have you ever dealt with a fence, or do you have a fence that is built up it’s not that you feel that you are trying to be standoff-ish, but then life sometimes shows it and even proves your theory and your feelings all because of those experiences!

It is that reality, and it is that situation that in a sense it reminds me of a banana. I love to eat bananas especially with peanut butter, but the thing about the banana is that you will have a covering on that banana and you have to peel it off in order to enjoy it! I thought about that because it seems like the same things in our lives, that there will come those moments to where it feels like you have to pull off the layers the thing is that you have to make sure you have the right hands on you in order to peel it off! Sometimes when the wrong hands get on us, it makes us still keep the layers on us, but when we have the right hands on us that’s when the things that once got in the way it even disturbed or disrupted us but that is also when we see that some stuff doesn’t get to have access!

I believe that is also true, that you will begin to see that you can’t give everyone access to and you shouldn’t give everyone access to you! But there is also this fence that is up, but that’s also why you don’t let things or people control you because you understand that you don’t live by the standards of people! What would it look like or even be like, when there were people that we had that type of freedom and not just freedom but that type of feelings! It is still something that we have to focus, and it is also still something that we look at that you can’t always drop your guard even when you are loving, kind, and respectful which we all should be. It does have those other instances, where you will really see and understand that it is okay to go in a different direction!!

It is okay as long as it is the direction the Lord wants you to go, and it is okay to go in a different direction and to really just be where the Lord desires and wants you to be! It is nothing wrong with going in that different direction, it is nothing wrong with being in a different direction, and it is nothing wrong with not remaining in this direction when you have to sometimes be on your own! As you live, and as you move forward with the Lord you begin to see the need for fences, and you begin to see the importance and the reality of why it is important to have these blockades if you will but why get involved or put yourself through those things that are never fun, never satisfied, and never calm!?!? That’s when the fences kick in, especially when you start to enjoy your own environment and not allowing other things to interrupt that environment.

We all have that opportunity to set up our own environment, and I believe that as we continue to grow with the Lord we will most certainly have those times where you realize and see that it is the best thing for you! Don’t be ashamed to create your own space, and don’t allow anything or anyone to infiltrate that space especially when you don’t feel comfortable, when you don’t feel it, and when you don’t feel that peace that is when you have to have that belief and be okay with being in your own space and growing the way the Lord wants you to even if it means being in your own space! Keep living and doing what the Lord has said, and living the way that is making you feel comfortable and don’t get pulled away from you but keep being you, and be happy with being you even when others don’t like it or agree with it! Be happy and be you!

Ecclesiastes 3:12 ESV
[12] I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;