Born-Again Alien

Alien

I was inspired to write this because currently I am growing through my twenties. It really feels like the “twisty twenties” for me. This is the time in life when you are finding yourself and attempting to grow comfortable in who you are, even if it means you are different from those around you. The plans that you made for yourself may have changed, your priorities most definitely can differ from your original, and depending on your faith, your perspective on life may shift.

When I was six years old my dream was to be in the WNBA. If you know me now, you know that I’m only 5”6’ and that dream is as distant as the years passed. As I got older I realized my love for music and even more so, my love for ministry. My plans and my priorities changed throughout my growth. There is no one specific pinpointed reason, everyone is different and so are their experiences. My main point is that life occurs in stages and at each stage you may be at a different level in your life. During the stage of my life when I was in middle school my level of maturity was not the same as my high school stage. I even choose my friends differently now, than I did back then. Having little things in common such as your favorite play-doh or favorite color will no longer deem you as my “best friend”. 

I’ve noticed that throughout each stage of my life I mature, my faith grows, and my priorities not only differ from the past but also from those around me. It’s uncomfortable because it brings change. The friends that I had, still enjoyed doing things that I grew out of. Now that doesn’t mean I’m better than them or I no longer love or respect them. It means that change has occurred. With the different experiences in all of our lives we will all grow at different paces and possibly in different directions. In reality most people say it has to do with age because with age comes wisdom. That is true. However, I also think a major key in all of it, is realizing when you are and are not equally-yoked.

As a born-again Christian, you make the decision to yoke yourself to our Heavenly Father. In the midst of yoking yourself to Him, you separate yourself from others who have not. God created this world and in giving Adam & Eve (and the rest of us) the power of free will, they made the choice in letting darkness enter. When darkness entered the earth, this became a world revolved around satan and his desires. He is the god/ruler of this world and this world is temporary. It is up to us on who we will choose to serve because you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). When we choose to accept Christ and are born-again, our spirits are renewed, placing us in the position of being IN the world rather than being OF it. In a sense, it’s almost like we are the aliens of this world. At times it feels like we don’t belong because we are the light in the midst of darkness. During this twisty twenty stage I’m in, I find myself feeling different from those around me.

The things everyone wanted to do in college didn’t entertain me. I’m often told “you’re still young, have fun”. Most of the time I feel like I’m always thinking about my actions TOO carefully. I think because I know the world is temporary, that makes me consider the choices that will affect my life after this place. I consider my words that I speak because I realize their power. I know that any remaining time I have here, is for a purpose bigger than my own. I live by faith daily.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to explain this walk of life to others who have not yet made their decision to follow Christ. It’s because they are still OF this world. It is because we are not yet yoked equally. Our job is to be a vessel & share the importance of His relationship. However, we cannot force it upon others. Therefore, when you find yourself being frustratingly different, I want you to know that—IT IS OKAY!

In fact, if you never felt different, if the ways of this world have never bothered you, that is when you should be concerned.  1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Remember that as children of God, our main priority is to be pleaser of God and not those around us. (Acts 5:29) From one BOSS to another, I want to encourage you to stay encouraged. It will all be worth it when we reach the gates of heaven! :-)

Halloween: The Deeper Meaning

HALLOWEEN: The Deeper Meaning

Halloween is a known “holiday” in numerous places. Depending on who you ask, it is known as different titles. I was being gracious by calling it a holiday because some consider holidays to be “holy days” where a celebration is to occur. Many people just go along with the flow of following others when it comes to celebrations, instead of doing their due diligence of knowing/understanding the reason. I know that when it comes to America, if we see a holiday on the calendar we just go for it especially if it means a day off of work to indulge in anything.

As children of God, you and I are placed in this world to be a light in a world of darkness (Matthew 5:14-16). Now I’m not writing this to tell you what you should or shouldn’t believe or should or should not participate in. This is strictly being written to fill you in on the history of this day in hopes to increase your knowledge on the subject. What you do after that is up to you and the only One who will hold you accountable is the One who gave you life.

Halloween comes off confusing. Why do people dress up? Where does the candy idea come from? Why is everything themed to be haunted, dark, or scary? What’s up with the term ‘Trick or Treat’? There are so many questions that it’s almost easier to ignore them and just tag along. I mean who doesn’t love candy? So what’s the harm in throwing a sheet over your head and going door to door? Some Christians are rumored to be totally against it while others don’t seem to mind. What’s the deal…is there a deeper meaning?

For those in our secular society, Halloween is nothing more than a harmless festival in where kids are allowed to dress up in costume and collect candy from strangers. However, it’s origins lie deeply rooted in the occult. An occult is the study or practice in believing in the existence of secret, mysterious or supernatural agencies. October 31^st has long been known as “The Festival of the Dead” to those such as the Celtic tribes and their priests (the Druids) who would celebrate this day as a marker for the change from life to death. Today, in this day and age, it is more so celebrated by those who adhere to witchcraft. This is a known night to acknowledge rituals. Witches celebrate Halloween as the “Feast of Samhain”, the first feast of the witchcraft year. Being as though this is the festival of the dead, Halloween is when witches and others attempt to communicate with the dead through various forms of divination. Now before I get into explaining what the Word says about divination, I just want to finish getting through the darkness first.

Hopefully we understand more about the origins of this “celebration” which so far stated are – death, demonic rituals, and divination. Now let’s get into the modern day traditions and how they tie in.

Occultists were taught, and also teach, that spirits and ghosts leave the grave during this night and seek out the warmth in their previous homes. At the time, (during the middle ages), villagers fearful of the possibility of being visited by these ghosts of past occupants would dress up in costumes to scare the spirits away. They would also leave food and treats at their door to appease the spirits so that they wouldn’t destroy their homes and crops. Other tactics in trying to scare away the spirits would be carving scary faces into pumpkins hoping they would move on to other households. In some cases villagers would light a candle and place it within the pumpkin to use as a lantern (hence the name Jack-O-Lantern). In some witchcraft covens, it was believed to close each ritual with the eating of an apple or engaging in fertility rites. This is where the modern day practice of bobbing for apples comes from. 

Now although I keep saying “modern day”, please understand that its roots have never changed. The world has just adjusted some of these practices out of convenience, lack of understanding, and desensitization. They’ve done the same when it comes to Christmas, but the root remains the same. That is the day we celebrate our Savior’s birth. Are the Christmas trees and cookies necessary? No, but that’s what it has turned into being about in this secular world. Halloween has always been rooted in darkness; secular societies have just come up with different/easier ways to acknowledge that.

Secular societies, also known as the people of this world, are sustaining the enemy’s plan in smoothing over the representation of occult in Halloween. It dulls their ability to determine what is dark and evil from light and pure.

As promised, I will now tie in why children of God are to stay away from divination. Divination is the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means. What does the Bible say about it?

“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.” – Deuteronomy 18: 9-12 NKJV

Participating in Halloween gives sanction to a holiday that promotes witches, divination, haunted houses, and other occultist practices. Like I said, this is a holiday that brings a lot of confusion and we know that our God is not a God of confusion but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Satan and his demons have created a maze of “alternate religions” to keep as many people deceived and confused as possible.

Now you ask yourself – what’s the big deal if I just want to dress up and go house to house for free candy? What’s the harm in participating if I’m not “celebrating”?

When we blur the lines and we do not give the firm direction on where we stand of Whom we stand with, we are giving the devil free access to mislead us. Then through practice, desensitize us from what’s light and dark. The same goes for our children. We can avoid the real issue saying “its okay its just for fun” allowing our children to think it’s okay to emulate, replicate, and participate in the celebration of this evil rooted day. This not only allows them to underestimate the devil but also be open to demonic influence. We need our children to know its okay to stand apart from the world on these issues and to recognize what is evil and what is the light of the Gospel.

My parents didn’t allow me or my siblings to go to school on Halloween knowing what the school would participate in. However, we never felt less than or left out. We knew why we were not there because it was explained to us, and our teachers. My parents would still buy us candy (without the Halloween themes) simply because we were a candy snacking family. We played board games and spent time together as a family, which made us always look forward to the day for completely different reasons. I appreciate them for that and for explaining to us the reason. I know that in the future my children will appreciate me for it just the same.

Isn’t it ironic that schools are removing any religious significance from holidays such as Christmas and Easter but will celebrate Halloween despite its occultist origins?

             The Bible says, “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), which is why it is so important for us to know what the Word says. It is relevant to our present lives, not just our eternal.

You don’t have to Christian in order to NOT participate in what the enemy has planned. However, again this is not being written in telling you what you should do or should not do. This is just furthering your knowledge on the matter. To all of my siblings in Christ, I will leave you with this:

“Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” - Ephesians 5:10-11

What Are You Seeking?

What Are You Seeking?

Every once in a while I think it’s important for people to stop and go soul searching for a bit. I sometimes find myself in the midst of life appearing great around me. Getting a new job, paying bills easily, planning vacations, getting the newly released pair of sneakers/Jordans, and feeling pretty great. But then I’ll sit and ask myself…what now? I have everything I could think of wanting, yet something doesn’t feel right on the inside.

A close friend of mine went through a period of time where they felt like they were just in the midst of hardship, feeling stuck in life. They were going through a bad break up after a long relationship, finding it almost impossible to get a job and just not feeling great about themselves. It was hard for me even watching them go through this time of discomfort and unhappiness. I felt helpless in the sense that I could literally do nothing but pray for them, but let me tell you something PRAYER is POWERFUL. Don’t ever get that mistaken! Finally after a little over a year or so, a breakthrough happened. They not only got a job, they got the career of their dreams. They started meeting more people and moved to a nicer place. I remember sitting in my car with tears in my eyes praising God for how He turned things around for that person. Looking from the outside in, their life seemed as close to perfect on this earth as it could get. Then I had gone to their new location to visit them, and we had this conversation where I remember them telling me, “I have everything I’ve ever wanted, but there’s something missing. What happens now? I’m still not happy.” They couldn’t put their finger on the issue. Does this sound like you could relate, or know of someone else who could?

It hit me that because this world is full of material and temporary things, that is what we tend to seek.

The word seek is a very strong word. It means, “to crave, to pursue, to make sacrifices to get or to go after something with all of your heart”. Now yes, we have God willing to give us the desires of our hearts if we choose to seek Him but we tend to take things into our own hands. Quite frankly, I think there’s a part of us that’s afraid that if we give God control over our lives, then we just won’t get what we want. But the God we serve loves us and simply wants us to trust Him. His Word says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). That’s a much better way to live than chasing after things.

Everyone wants the big mansion with more money than they could think of spending, possibly even want fame. But what happens when you achieve that and lose it all? What are you left with? Not at all saying that is what WILL happen, just clarifying that it is possible.

Don’t get me wrong, nice things are a blessing. God wants us to live abundantly and enjoy life as much as we possibly can while on this earth. However, there’s a big difference in desiring these things and seeking them. That is something that is key to understand and would be wise to focus on. If you realize that you’re chasing things rather than God, I want you to visualize your last days on this earth. The day where your physical body no longer matters, that mansion of a house, and that bank account is gone. You’ve worked your whole life making sure those things made you comfortable, that everything was set and that the expectations of those around you were met. To then realize all you’re now left with is your spirit. How hard did you work on making sure that was set? You might be someone who tries a new diet every month just to make sure your physical body is up to a certain standard you’re looking for. You may spend hours in the gym. How many hours have you spent taking care of your spirit man? It’s almost like spending the time focused on a brand new car. It’s beautiful and looks so mint condition on the outside that you wash and wax it on a routine schedule, but the whole time the engine is getting old and rusted. You may look fly in it, but it’s not going to take you far.

It’s not pleasant to think about but it might help us change the way we spend today and everyday after.

If you have a strong inner life—that is, you know who you are in Christ and you know that you’re right with God—then what goes on around you doesn’t have to matter. In fact, that’s when we know we’re maturing as sons and daughters of God. When we aren’t wrapped around what we want, what we think and how we feel. Instead we think of what God has done in our lives and how we can help grow His kingdom while we’re still here on this earth.

When we chase after God and make Him the first priority [seek Him] then we’ll really get to know Him. We will understand that these material things can come and go but He’ll never leave our side. He will give you everything you need that’s right for you at the right time.

“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”

–Matthew 6:33 AMP

There is nothing more valuable in this life than knowing God and receiving His relationship. No one can take that away from you and that can never be lost. I want to encourage you to really chase after God the same, if not more, than you chase after these material things. Let Him be first in your life and live each day pursuing what really matters. It’s such a better way to live!

This Is War

This Is War!

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”- Ephesians 6:12

I’ve been reevaluating my friends and the people I surround myself with. You see when you’re younger, you gravitate towards people and you automatically label them “friend” because you bond over a few things. Maybe you had the same crayon set, or you both found math class to be difficult. Maybe you grew up in the same sad neighborhood as one another and BAM you just clicked. Well I don’t want to choose my friends like that anymore. After all, friendships are supposed to be forever right? Well if I have to be careful on who I choose for a spouse, why shouldn’t I be just as careful with the people I talk to/surround myself with almost just as often?

As believers it’s harder to yolk yourself with someone who doesn’t understand the importance of not only your spirit, but spirituality in general. We have a war going on. As God’s children, it is our responsibility to put our armor on (Ephesians 6:10-18) and prepare for battle. No, not prepare when we feel like it; it isn’t like a test that you know is coming and you wait until the last minute to crunch for. This war doesn’t have a specific date on when it starts. It is already here!

In the past few days, actually in the past year, we have been made aware of innocent people losing their lives due to the judgment of others and we blame that on gun control and the government and the color of people’s skin. Now, I said in the past year we’ve been made AWARE, but I think most of us know this isn’t brand new behavior. This was happening before I was born, before you were born, before your parents were born & so on. We just happen to have more technology, footage, and immediate access to broadcast these events to others. This is what people would label a physical war because we physically see what’s happening around us. It’s heartbreaking, to some shocking, and because we physically see this, it enrages us.

What I submit to you, is that behind the physical is an even bigger war. One that your eyes can’t see but one that involves every single human beings life: Black, White, Asian, Indian, Hispanic, ALL! So as I look around me and see so many people in disbelief and solemn heaviness, it breaks my heart even more knowing that they are fighting against something bigger than they even recognize. If you don’t recognize what you’re actually up against, how do you know the correct weapons to use?

Now when I say I’m starting to reevaluate my friends and those I surround myself with, it’s important for all of us to think about. Who you place in your life, who you surround yourself with, who you yolk yourself to can either build you up, or distract you enough to hold you down. 

I’m going to explain to you why with this odd analogy, but stick with me:

Let’s imagine you are going to fight in World War II, or actually let’s say the Civil War (seems appropriate) and you know what you’re about to face. Therefore, you do everything you can to prepare. Everyday you add new protective gear to your collection, you go and exercise to get your stamina ready, you have your eyes on the prize in protecting not only yourself but your loved ones. The day comes when you have to face the opposing side and you step up to the line. When you look to your side you see your very best friend standing beside you playing on their Nintendo game boy. Now I know the technology timeline doesn’t match up but still…just stick with me. Your best friend has on no armor; it doesn’t even appear that they understand the intensity of the reality in front of them. It almost annoys you. You’re making sure that everyday you’re preparing yourself to take on whatever the opposing side might throw at you and your friend is looking like the worst that can happen is if they lose level 3. You almost wish you could pick them up and carry them through it, but you can’t. It doesn’t work like that. The armor you placed on is specifically to protect you, not you and a loved one. Now, do not get me wrong I’m not telling you to leave them behind and just watch them die thinking “too bad for them”. No! In fact, I’m encouraging you to do the opposite. Pull them! Shake them! Let them know that this is serious! Tell them to look up for they are in a war bigger than they can see!

This analogy represents the war we’ve been facing. Not just today, or last the decade, but since the beginning of the world as we know it. This is what satan has designed. Oh and the world is his, he’s got that. The chaos, the confusion, the death, the defeat, everything he represents; this physical world, satan is the god of. However, this world and everything in it, is temporary. All physical things are temporary, even our fleshly bodies. The bodies of those who have lost their lives just recently, may they rest in peace, they have deceased. Their spirits however, our spirits, go way beyond the physical, go way beyond this world that we live in. Please remember that we are all created by God and made in His image. We are spirit beings, we have a soul and we live in a physical body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23) God could speak another fifteen planets into existence if He just felt like it, but He purposely only made one you & that’s what He cares the most about; the physical can go.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t work on making the world a better place. As believers, we are the salt of the earth and have a responsibility to do so. (Matthew 5:13) However we can’t be the ones distracted on our game boys when we know the attacks are real, and they are not just physical.

The enemy comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (John 10:10)

You might be thinking, “Okay but if satan is not physically here, yet he also wants to attack me spiritually, how do you want me to fight him?” Well the first step comes with making a choice on what side you’d like to be on: Winning vs. Losing, Light vs. Dark, Clarity vs. Confusion, God vs. satan.

Now IF you’ve already made the choice of making Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life (please refer to’ An Invitation From God’ on the B.O.S.S. Ministries app) then the war is pretty much over, you win! But that does not mean satan will stop throwing you battles. That doesn’t mean satan will give up and stop wanting to see you hurting. God never told us we’d have days without pain or sun without rain while here on this earth, but He has promised to give us the strength to get through.

As believers, we have to be the ones who are preparing for the battle satan throws this world every day. We have to be the ones who step up to the line at war and remind him of his place which is beneath us. We have to take the responsibility of feeding our spirits everyday, putting on our armor to protect ourselves and letting the others know THIS IS SERIOUS! When you open your eyes in the morning, once you place your foot on the ground, the enemy is already thinking of ways to attack you, E-V-E-R-Y day. You can ignore him, or you can fight back. Fighting back doesn’t mean finding the nearest gun and placing a bullet through the heart of another. That is flesh and blood that we are not wrestling against. (Ephesians 6:12-13)

Fighting back does not mean seeking the revenge of those who have hurt you or have taken from you. Fighting back is to be on your guard, to stand firm in faith, being courageous and being strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Fighting back is discovering who and Whose you are as you put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. Reminding satan that because of God’s covenant with you, you’ll always have the victory. As believers, even in death we are victorious because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)

This is our time to be a BOSS! To step up to the line, put all distractions aside, no matter how overwhelming they seem and stay focused on eternity rather than the temporary. To stop looking to the world for justice from the unjust. To inform our loved ones that these hash tags won’t save them. This is the time to PRAY! We must encourage one another not to take another person’s life away!

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” says the Lord.” – Romans 12:19

So as I reevaluate the closest people I surround myself with, I ask myself: Do they help encourage my spiritual growth? Are they encouraging me to prepare for the battles? Or are they too distracted with the game boys of life [the physical]? God has given us the weapons to fight this war. We are more than conquerors. We Win!! (Romans 8:37-39)

The Perfect Match

The Perfect Match

“So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel [as his wife], but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.”

-Genesis 29:20 NIV

You might be wondering if God has made your perfect match. It seems like the months and years get longer of being ‘single’ and feeling alone. I know so many people of all ages from their 20s to 60s praying God can just drop down their perfect match. They go on date after date, may even sleep with person after person, and have dealt with heartbreak after heartbreak. What I like to call that is looking for love in all the WRONG places.

We all desire love but sometimes we get caught up in settling for lust. We love finding a partner who is physically fit, has a good education, decent morals, and possibly even a Christian. That sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Now what happens if you find all of that and it still doesn’t work out? This must mean you’re meant to stay alone and unhappy. This must mean that everything satan is whispering in your ear about your imperfections are true. Trusting God is a lot less work than trying to change yourself in order to compensate based off of comparisons to others.

It could also just mean this—God is love. (1 John: 4:8) He IS love. The scripture doesn’t state that God is like love, or can remind you of love, it says that He IS love. That means to find love, real love, it comes through Him. Therefore, wouldn’t it make sense to go Him to fulfill the desires of your heart?

In Philippians 4:6 it tells us, “Be anxious about nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. Tell God what you need. Make your petition known. He wants you to come to Him about everything in every area of your life so He can help you. Don’t let the enemy talk you into thinking there’s something wrong with you or that you do not deserve your perfect half. He wants you to feel defeated and abandoned, but God has better plans for you; plans to prosper.

These plans might not be in the timing you expect but He’s never promised that. God’s timing is perfect. Never too early, and never too late. The Word tells us there’s a specific time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Maybe you’re where you need to be and God is still busy working on building your partner up for you. Don’t be discouraged if what you’re looking for doesn’t come in your timing. Instead, go to God, explain to Him the desires of your heart, and be encouraged that He’s got it all under control.

Fill' er Up!

Fill’er Up!

“As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks,

So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God.”

-Psalm 42:1 AMP

Imagine you were wandering in a desert and desperately needed a glass of water. Why do you think the psalmist chose this picture to illustrate his longing for God?

Your physical body is a real thing. You bang into something, your flesh bruises. Place your hand out in front of you. You see it, correct? That is your physical body. Along with the physical, you have a spirit. That is what differentiates what’s right and what’s wrong. When you die, your physical bones and flesh stay on this earth and separates from your spirit, which either goes to heaven or hell.

Now let’s get back to the Psalm. If you’ve ever been extremely dehydrated then you would know after awhile you grow weak, tired, discouraged, and you just want to collapse somewhere because of exhaustion. You may even suffer from a migraine or other symptoms that make your body not feel right. You need to drink! You need to fill your body up with water so you can continue to function and operate comfortably. When you drink after being dehydrated it almost feels like a wilting flower coming back to life. You get your strength back. The headache disappears and you feel like you can go about your day with the proper energy to take on what’s ahead. You feel rejuvenated.

Well here's the thing—your spirit is exactly the same way. It needs to be filled! Ask yourself:

·      Am I growing more easily discouraged these days?

·      Am I growing more easily irritated these days?

When you don’t fill your spirit up with the Word, with the reminder of God’s promises, it’s easier to feel discouraged. It’s easier to get tired and run down to the point of just wanting to give up. Your spirit is dehydrated & you need to cater to it the same way you do to your physical body.

It just so happens that we notice the result of things that happen to our physical body quicker than our spirit. However both are real, extremely important, and can easily be affected. When players go out to play football, they wear protective gear in order to protect themselves. It’s harder to go about your day when you’re sore and beat up, possibly injured. It’s not impossible, but why choose the struggle when you can go about feeling rejuvenated?

Our spirit has protective gear as well; it’s the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). It’s not impossible to get through life without protecting it. However, why choose the struggle of feeling defeated, not good enough, worthless, confused, lost, and the list goes on? If you feed your spirit and protect it daily, you will notice a significant difference as you remember to walk in Christ. You will take on every task with victory!

Your Life Holds Value

Your Life Holds Value

"Suicide what kinda talk is that? I've been talking to God for so long and when I look at my life, I guess He talkin back."- Kanye West

I've been the person harming myself in hopes to no longer be here. I've been the person who felt as though I wasn't good enough. I've been the people pleaser who felt I let everyone else down. I was at a loss for my purpose. I thought it was some kind of punishment that God created me just for me to sit here and be unhappy. I could go on and on but my point is- just know, I've hit rock bottom. I'm not telling you my life was rough or that I had it hard and here’s a list of my complaints. I'm telling you within myself I found nothing.

Depression comes in different forms in different people and it's a serious fight against our spiritual being. The enemy wants you to give up. He wants to steal your joy, he wants to kill your faith, and he wants to ultimately destroy you and the possibility of your relationship with God. Now that doesn’t mean if you’re battling against symptoms of depression you’re any less spiritual than the next person. The Word says that our fight is not against those on this earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness (Ephesians 6:12). This does not mean your faith is weak. This simply means you’re under attack and its up to you to make a choice and fight back!

I define depression, as what the world tells us is wrong with us when they gave it to us in the first place. Let me explain, depression normally comes from the affliction of this world. It may be our finances that are our main focus of depression & not having enough money to get the things wanted to live in this world. It may be that we lost someone dear to our hearts and even though we will see them again, they’re no longer in this world with us. It may be not being happy with ourselves in comparison of what we see in others of the world. In actuality the world is not always a fun place to be in the middle of. It was created to be, but because of Adam’s disobedience, we were born sinners into the world. Praise God that once we accept Jesus into our hearts we are no longer children of the world, but instead children of God. He never said the journey would be easy. However, He did promise He would never leave us to get through it alone. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

That’s not always easy to remember with the distractions of the world around us. Being born-again doesn’t mean you’re attack proof. It does not mean that satan will not attempt to feed you with thoughts that can condemn you. It does not mean that satan has given up on trying to defeat you. Most importantly, it does not mean that it is not okay to not be okay.

There was something off with me. I felt out of place in the midst of people who I knew loved me such as my family and friends. There’s even times I had to remind myself how much God loved me but even though I know He did, it still felt like I was down here fighting my own battles alone. That feeling can be overwhelming. It can make you feel so many things that you can almost subconsciously make the decision to go numb.  For me I grew so numb it became concerning and that’s when harming myself came into play just so I could feel something. There were even times where I felt everything at once, and due to overwhelming thoughts, wanted to punish myself with physical pain. Everyone will not relate to this. Some may even read my honesty and think I’m a nut case. However, I’m not sharing this in the hopes of gaining approval from others. I’m sharing this because someone, even if only one person, may relate to this. If you’re reading this and it’s reaching you, I promise you, your life holds value!

God has not left us. It is not a joy for Him to see His children hurting. He is holding on tighter than ever before but we cannot give up and let go. Mankind likes to diagnose depression, and then prescribe medications and ways for you to think. However, I submit that you can get through this without any of that. Just as everyday you may have to take that prescription, I want you to make the decision everyday to set that time aside for God. It may take a little longer than swallowing a glass of water, but it will leave you with more long-term fulfillment. (Proverbs 12:25)

             When your spirit is being attacked you need more than a physical medication. You need to spiritually attack back. Even in the midst of the tears, if your eyes are too flooded to read the Word turn on some worship music. Even if your thoughts are telling you to give up, that you’re not good enough, that it won’t get any better. Stand Firm! Defeat those thoughts by speaking out loud to remind satan of his place and to claim your victory!

Through all that you have gotten through, you are still here! You are more than a conqueror! You are not forgotten! You can do all things through Christ! He will provide for your needs! You are victorious! You have purpose! You are valued! You are chosen! You are royalty! You are a Child of the Most High! You are loved!

That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles. So we think about what we cannot see, not what we see. What we see lasts only a short time, and what we cannot see will last forever.

-2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ERV

For those who can relate to this article but do not have a relationship with God, please know He doesn’t want you to be alone. Jesus came & died just to have a relationship with you. It’s up to you to receive Him. Refer to ‘Invitation From God’ on the “BOSS Ministries” app.

Let The Church Say 'Amen' - Part 2

Let The Church Say 'Amen': Part 2

I have friends that come and tell me they go to church, or at least they try to. They find it hard because every time they go they don’t feel a connection. They don’t have this eye-opening Sunday experience and this is the exact reason that I am writing this. I remember having to explain to someone what church was like before their first time going and it broke my heart simply because, Gods relationship is never as difficult.

There are tons of churches in the world, just like there are tons of buildings. When you go for a job interview and you have NO idea about the employer, it’s definitely harder to do well when they’re talking to you about the job at hand. You can fake it for awhile and smile but realistically you know nothing that’s going on and you just hope all goes well so you can get out of there. It’s like walking into a blind spot but you know you’re supposed to be there because… it’s a job.

That’s very similar when it comes to going to church and not having a relationship with Christ. You sit and listen to people go on and on about a man you really don’t know much about. But you know you’re supposed to be there because, after all…it’s church. This is why God doesn’t seek your Sunday attendance. He wants a relationship with you. He wants you to know Him so that situations in your life will make more sense. No one said life would simply be easier. However, just like that job interview, when you went in and knew nothing it may have been overwhelming. God doesn’t want you to be overwhelmed with the life He has given you. He wants to guide you through but He can’t do that unless you seek Him first. You can go to church 20 times a week but you won’t feel a connection because you’re not connected. And quite frankly, you don’t get connected through the action of going to church. The decision you make when you allow God into your heart connects you.

When you enter into a friendship with somebody you don’t just greet him or her for the first time and let them follow you around until you need them. Now correct me if I’m wrong, maybe you do but that’s odd, and quite frankly not very appreciative. They aren’t there just to be used at your beckon call. You call them friend because of a divine connection. God calls us His friend [John 15:15], which means He doesn’t just want to be a fly on the wall of our lives. He doesn’t want you to only recognize Him on Sundays and confuse Him for a genie when we need Him. He wants to be involved!

He wants you to talk to Him about your problems so He can walk you through them. He wants you to tell Him your needs because He wants to meet them [Philippians 4:19]. He wants you on your happiest day to be reminded that He loves you. He wants this with you everyday, not just the day the world makes you believe He cares.

The purpose of church was designed for the fellowship. A way of friendly associating, especially with people who share the same interest. What I want everyone to understand is that this fellowship with others should be a time of encouragement and strength as you gather together with people who love God. Let me be clear, that God’s love for you is beyond a church experience. His love is unconditional and more powerful than one can comprehend. Therefore, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a week of church or if you never attended at all. God is not mad at you, He does not look down on you for it, and most important His arms are always welcoming of you. Always.

Let The Church Say 'Amen' - Part 1

Let the Church Say ‘Amen’: Part 1

This is my experience of ‘Church’:

An hour and a half service that includes announcements that you probably heard last week. Somehow a lot changes in a day, but not much happens in a week apparently…at least at church. Praise and worship that’s scheduled for 15 minutes turns out to be a half hour because sister Brown can’t hear herself in the monitors enough and the drummer didn’t arrive on time.  Don’t worry if you missed any of the announcements from earlier. The pastor is about to get up and cover a few again because it seems that we all missed the first memo about how much it’s going to take to fix up the back parking lot for the church picnic coming up. He need not mention needing money for the new robes for the choir. And with all the new members coming in we should most definitely give towards the need of expanding the church. Yes, you may see empty seats around you every week, but that’s just temporary. Now hold on before you tuck that wallet away, it’s almost time for the offering right after they accept donations for next week’s speaker. Back to the new members, let’s all just take a break and greet everyone around us as if we weren’t just talking to them in the main lobby. We may even smile and shake a hand with a stranger who we’ll never see again. Isn’t that exciting? After all that is said and done, we understand that you might have missed that entire half hour of worship due to trying to talk yourself into coming in the first place. So, lets do it again!

Now don’t you dare think the pastor would come up and have the nerve to teach before his wife had the chance to greet the congregation, knowing full well she’d rather not. This gives you all a chance to critique her new outfit, talk about the latest gossip you have on her, and give her a smile feedback of fakeness. Finally we can enjoy the pastor come and give us an encouraging story about his week prior, building our faith just enough to walk out feeling motivated. God is good! But it’s not over. And then? He finally starts the sermon for the day. Oh no, of course he wouldn’t leave you with just that 25-minute testimony. After all, we know you spent your precious time in a work-filled week to wake up early and spend your whole day hearing about his. Never would he let you go without the full on details. It appeared to be a message, however you might have not been able to hear it as well as you’d like due to your stomach growling at you in regret. Now before you go and bump into the hurdles of people who like to stay longer for extra God points, we have just a few more announcements! These are basically to make sure you come prepared next week to give.  Whoops! To all of our newcomers, the ones we fake met when we were greeting the people we already knew? Yes you! Don’t forget to spend another 20 of your minutes filling out this paperwork we have for you so we can give you more announcements on paper! All we need from you is your first name, last name, address, date of birth, social security #, the church you last attended, why you stopped & how you heard about us? Once you’re done with that SAT we’ll give you a nice packet in hopes that you come again next week and bring a friend with you to make the time go by faster. Just make sure to inform your friend:

Depending on which Sunday it is, brace yourself- it could be Baby Dedication Sunday, communion Sunday, the 3^rd of the month (which means nothing but its still titled “3^rd Sunday of the month”).

Make sure you have on Sundays best because who are YOU to be too good to dress up for the Lord? You said you speak to Him everyday? And He knows what you look like? Doesn’t matter- put your heels on. God knows what you look like but Pastor Paul is going to think you weren’t raised right. Put the nice socks on your baby too, with the frill!

Now go on and get yourself something to eat because during that time today will probably be when you will be the most appreciative of God Himself! And hey good news for you for coming today-- 2 more heaven points have been added to your chart! Yayy!

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And this is why I hate religion, and have lost all hope for organized church.

Now please don’t get me wrong, NOT ALL CHURCHES are like this. I’m not trying to be a spokesperson for “church” or even bash its existence, because it’s needed. However, I’m over the idea of what the world thinks it’s supposed to be. The world, which let me be clear satan is the god of, has people thinking God is seeking your religion. Everything that I just mentioned above has nothing to do with your relationship with God and that is what He craves the most! He wants to know you but more importantly He wants you to know Him.

These magazines, these newsstands we keep up with about our favorite celebrity help us understand who they are on the surface. We know Will Smith has a wife, a few kids, been in an abundance of movies, etc. However we may not know about his personal goals or which ones meant the most to him when he reached them. No matter what research we do, unless we personally know Will Smith and spend time with him, all we can do is appreciate the idea of him on the surface.

God doesn’t want that surface appreciation. He doesn’t simply want you to just know what others think about Him and how He’s been involved in their life. He wants to be involved in yours! God doesn’t tally how many times you made it to church in a week, or month, or if you made it for the special holidays. He doesn’t judge you based on your attendance at mass. It’s so much deeper than that.

Despite what many think, Gods favorite day is not Sunday. His favorite days are the days you choose to seek Him, spend time with Him, and grow in your relationship with Him.

The ‘Church’ is often looked at as a representative of Christ, that of which the people in it should be. However, the worst part is that many churches have lost the focus for the heart of the people. All while that is the main focus God has. They instead look at the business of it all & the numbers that come with it. They lose sight of the judgment and condemnation that stems from the ‘church attitude’, and what breaks my heart the most, is that this is how God is being represented to the world.

It doesn’t matter whether you show out for God every Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. It matters whether you show up and open the door He’s been knocking on [Revelation 3:20].

Knock-Knock!

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock."

-Revelation 3:20

I always try to keep it real and as personal as I can with all of my BOSS’s despite the judgment that may come along with it. I wasn’t always a fan of God. #YeahIsaidIt. At one point in my life, I actually thought I was an atheist. Then I realized it wasn’t that I was an atheist because I believe God existed. However, I just didn’t want to choose Him. This stage was around 9^th grade for me.

What most people don’t know is that I went to 9^th grade twice. I went through a school transfer and at the time I could care less about my grade so if I remember correctly, I failed about two classes. With the transferring of schools, the school I was going to wasn’t having it and I had to repeat the entire grade over again. Not my proudest moment because I’m hard on myself and I was always an A+/B student growing up. However, I was so frustrated with God that I could have cared less where my life was taking me because it’s not like He was anywhere to be found (or so I believed at the time).

One of my main challenges at the time was that I had an ego and didn’t know about it. God? So people wanted me to believe that this man they never saw had so much power that He created ME and knows MY beginning and end before I do? All these continuous bad things that occur in my life…if God was real then why would any of these negative things happen? Most of all, what was His point in creating me, just to have me live on this earth unhappy? Even on the days that I did feel happy I thought it was because of an accomplishment based on myself, not because He had anything to do with it. I started getting bullied about my weight, about my hair because no one wanted to believe it was real. I had girls threaten me, wanting to fight me without even knowing my name. Where was God then?

My parents spent a lot of my childhood at church. From when I was a baby they were ministering across the country and helping to change people’s lives. However, I didn’t see people’s lives changing for the better at the time, just mine not mattering to others. I grew resentful. I didn’t just only grow resentful towards my parents; I especially grew resentful towards God. My parents were so hung up on Him that I felt forgotten about. So why would I choose Him? Shoot, I was thinking…what has He done for me lately?

I started carrying a switchblade. I even thought about joining the Bloods simply because I wanted to belong. Now for those of you who know me personally, I can only imagine your faces right now. But yes, this is how deep it was. I lost myself in trying to create who I thought I wanted to be. I’m not even really sure what made me give in. It could have honestly been prayers from other people (because I know my mother was interceding every day). I even remember having an argument with my mother in our kitchen and I said, “Why do you always talk about God? This is why I don’t talk to you because not everything has to be about Him”. I could tell it genuinely hurt her feelings because she probably never realized she related most things to Him. However, that’s all she knew. I didn’t understand that then but I most definitely do now. But anyway, back to my breakthrough…

Like I said, I don’t exactly know what it was but there’s one day I remember like yesterday. I got caught sneaking out to go to a basketball game after my parents told me not to but they went to church that night. I took it upon myself, even though I just beat having a fever, to walk outside at night, by myself, to go to the game anyway. When they got home and they found out (my sister snitched) they let me have it! I was fed up because who were they to tell me what to do when they weren’t there for me when I needed them. Now don’t get me wrong my parents would tell me they loved me everyday and if they could they would lay the world at my feet. I knew that but I didn’t see that so I made myself believe otherwise. You know how people in their hearts know God is real but don’t want to believe that so they make themselves believe otherwise? Yeah, it was exactly like that.

I didn’t really know much about God and religion and how to pray. But I listened to other people well enough that I pretty much had the gist. Most people ended there prayers “In Jesus’ name” and I vaguely remembered my mom saying something in reference to a scripture that “if we ask in His name, we will receive” [John 14:13]. So I came to God on what I thought was my last straw and said “look Sir apparently you created me and want what’s best for me or at least that’s what I’m told so with all due respect, if you could just prove that somehow that would be great because I can’t see you and I sure don’t feel you…in Jesus’ name I guess, Amen.” I didn’t have the confidence to know He heard me but I asked in His name so all I could do was what I knew. I truly didn’t even know the full context of the verse yet but I figured let’s give God a shot since I felt I had nothing to lose anyway.

There were chains on my heart I didn’t understand or even realize at first. They were chains of bitterness, lack of forgiveness, anger, and I could go on but my point is these chains were keeping me from opening up to anyone better yet a man I didn’t see. You may have seen in another post of mine that I said my mother tried to convince me to start writing [to God]. Again, my ego got in the way because I didn’t like just talking out loud, I felt stupid. I didn’t even take up writing at first because it didn’t make sense on how God would “hear” what I’m “writing” and it made me feel stupid again. Until…I started realizing it wasn’t going null and void.

It’s not like I saw the clouds break and a huge light was shining up me. People expect all types of physical changes like that because that’s how “religion” is made out to look. However, the changes I noticed were small. I started to enjoy my time writing to God because at least even if I wasn’t sure if he saw/heard any of it, at least I was getting it out of my system. Slowly it changed that when my mom spoke about God, I didn’t get as angry as much. I started seeing my parents as humans doing the best they could and began to appreciate them for it. I realized these chains started breaking slowly but surely, and I wasn’t mad at it.

I was already happy with the changes God was making in my life from my simple prayers, that I started yearning for His comfort. I didn’t have to physically see Him there to know that he was paying attention because He was showing me. I decided to make Him the Lord & Savior of my life and He continued to prove to me that it was the best decision of my life. I started becoming myself with Him through being able to write comfortably and it gave me the confidence to start speaking to Him out loud without feeling dumb. My relationship with Him became the most valuable because as I spoke, He proved that He was listening through His actions in my life. I never had to give Him an ultimatum or threaten Him to grant my wishes because He wanted to the whole time. I just had to ask Him to come into my life and make His presence known because He was present the whole time, I just never made the choice to acknowledge Him.

So I say all this to say- 

Don’t hate Him because He’ not there, accept Him because He is!