One Step Ahead

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

***

There was this girl in front of me walking down 6th street, and I thought, 'What if I was in her place; just one step ahead.' I did not try to catch up to her, but instead I waited for the walking signal to turn green to cross. 

Do you ever feel left out or left behind?

I do.

Being in a new city is especially hard because you have to work from the inside out to make friends; and of course, depending what city you are in, people will either welcome you with open arms or despise even the thought of "penciling you in." I found it to be remarkably hard in this day and age to not feel left out. Community is at the core of what type of people Jesus is looking for his bride to become.     

When left to our own devices, a miracle is required to get us out. Whether it be sexual sin or addiction, our job is to GO OUT and LOVE. Not everyone is lovable. Not everyone is addicted or in sin, but if we are community is there to bring us back to the WORD.

Everyone seems like they're moving forward with their life, yet sometimes does it ever feel like you are running in circles. The job you just got keeps you busy, but what about the dreams you had when you first got saved or rededicated your life to Jesus?

I see it all. God says. And He still pours out his knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to those who seek Him. It's time to be that person who is "One Step Ahead."

On that note I'll end with this:

One step:

That's all it took

For me to see the beauty

that was forsook

Chains broken is what 

my heart opened to when

Teardrops of mercy 

Brought me into a 

W   I    D   E open space

of grace & yet the collateral 

damage of the past has yet to haunt me

because when I speak in these lines

It all makes sense...

why you bought me, why you took me in &

made me yours. 

Dispense, O heavens, and

Mark my grave. Because everywhere His hand

has touched me has streamlined into a beauty mark, 

Now, nothing is lost, and everything is found.

No lie in hell can pretend and no devil can shame

The way He looks at me 

When I am

1 

 s

  t 

   e

    p

     Ahead.

Addiction

Thinking about the next line. The next sip. The next drag. The next ball.

Addiction can take over your life. There is no 12-step program that can conquer these demons of addiction.

I've battled with addiction before, and I still am. My interpersonal communication teacher once asked, "What is the one human emotion more powerful even than fear, hate, or love?" All of us in class were bewildered when he said, "desire."

Desire is addiction. The word "desire" in the Greek is epithumia, which also means passionate longing or lust.

My limp is that I desire other guys, and I struggle with it everyday. I am also battling an addiction to nicotine.

It's real and it's consuming. My friend just lost her brother to addiction, and he was only 25! He had so much more life to live and give.

There is a real enemy out there, and he wants to destroy what God has helped build in you.

The confident assurance, the hope of salvation...

This one is a short blog, but if you are struggling or know someone who is struggling with addiction, don't hesitate to call for help.

Walk in Her Shoes

"Leave me the f*** alone," she said.
"It's impossible for me to do that, ma'am," he said.

She started running as fast as she could to the next light post.

'I don't even have the right shoes on to be running like this,' Candance thought.

See, Candance was a prostitute. Her situation didn't define who she really was on the inside. Her mother always told her to say she was a "princesa de Jesus" or "hija de Jesus." Candance never thought for one second life was not fair to her. She knew she made mistakes to get this far, but the only reason Candance did not fully believe in the Love of God is because she had fear: fear that someone would make her have an abortion, fear of going hungry another night if she did not work another solidarity night, or fear of her daughter being taken away from her.

Her shoes were not any ordinary shoes; Candance walked on the streets with no shoes, as everything had gotten stolen from her. All this time Candance wanted her daughter, Emily, to have a better life; a life full of passion, and not guilt and shame.

Listen to this song about a mother trying to feed her son and you will see how it feels to be in Candance's shoes:

So, now we know:

a. Candance has low self-esteem.

b. Candance has a big heart.

c. Candance does care about her daughter.

d. Candance wouldn't trade a day in her shoes with someone else.

e. All of the above

See, kids, life is not easy. It will throw you sideways, upside-down, and spit you right out. 

Candance was just happy to see her 6 year-old daughter taken care of. There were so many things Candance went through to get her daughter to school on time. 

Yes, she sucked ****. So, what?

Candance's shoes:

Dirty.

Used.

Happy.

Surprised.

Empathetic.

                                                       

 
Life is a dance. You work up a lot of sweat bearing burdens that aren't even yours.
Then, you fall over and take your last breath.

Who will be there for Candance when her dance in life is over? Who will catch her when she falls down?

There was a woman I met when I was on the BART. She looked exactly like a woman in a painting I saw.

In the painting, there was a ballet dancer with her breasts exposed and passed out and there was another lady that was holding her and catching her fall.

I found my lady at the BART station. She caught my fall and defended me on the bus, and so the story goes, I was on the bus and train all night and I had never laughed so loud in my entire life.

Candance also had sleepless nights, like me.


Then, I found out Candance was really me.

the final masquerade is when all shoes are off, and we are raw and truthful

The Pursuit of HappYness: 2018

Chris Gardener (Will Smith) reading to his son, Christopher Jr.

If everything you ever dreamed of was right in your reach, would you still work hard to reach those goals? 

Only time can tell where you are going. There are major indicators to tell a man where the direction of his life his going. Whether or not we came here for a reason, we must be willing to adjust our outlook to keep in step with the Spirit of God. Many people think the major indicators of poverty is a mindset or attitude. It's not the people of the future that will change history, it’s the people now. There is nothing in this life that is out of reach when you follow Jesus. He extends his immeasurable amount of grace to the people that follow diligently after him. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) 


#youremyconstant @brianjohnsonm
https://twitter.com/brianjohnsonm/status/947323346265317376
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There would be no point to. Dreams are supposed to be impossible. Dreams of God are supposed to change the world and change people's views of eternity. 

Will Smith’s life was let's just say, below par, when he was trying to sell state-of-the-art medical equipment. He knew his potential, and was unafraid to go for his dream of taking care of his child, and even having a little extra in the bank, but having a little extra in the bank does not necessarily mean you have found what you are looking for in this life. #jesusisalwaysenough 

If you are looking to be "squeaky clean," whether it be a squeaky clean image or have you, you must  know your identity in Christ.



Some people get rich or die trying. If we had access to all the financial resources in this world... wouldn't everything be perfect? We would have the dream house, the dream car, the dream business, even maybe the dream marriage, but if we realize that even in these things, we cannot attain what our soul is lacking.

Mark 8:36 says, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"

My uncle has told me to: "Forget Jesus." This is because of the hard calling Jesus has placed on His followers. Jesus says things like, "Let the dead bury the dead."

Everyone wants to be part of something bigger, something greater. We all have choices to make, and this life is #nonintendogame. Many of us continue to battle what decisions to make on a day-to-day basis. No decision is going to take you away from God's love, but you need to take notice of the door that is opened in the below picture. It's the colored one. We know that God will point us in the right direction in order that we choose the best option. He's not scared of us making the wrong decisions. He plans 10,000 steps ahead of us, and if we just realize that "He is Able," we will see his goodness overflow to us all.

Dreams do come true if you follow Me...but not just any dream of yours, but dreams that your life and spirit would be filled with great joy and peace as you believe in Him. 

Say you had all the money you needed to attain those dreams, but you lacked the motivation and courage to get there. In all aspects of life, we must be willing to change our direction in order to attain the dreams God has placed in our hearts.

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." 

***

If you have ever seen the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith becomes a huge success because he never gives up #jesusnevergivesup. He is determined to get himself and his son out of  poverty. A scene that is particularly daunting is when Will Smith is literally running late for an interview with the big boss of the company he is trying to work for. So, now we are going to go to the next scene. 

In the next scene, Will Smith changes direction he becomes what he paid himself or invested himself to be. He always was what he made himself to be, but at the end of the movie, #allthatendswell, his son will #exceedhisexpectations.

Let’s make 2018, a door of hope for a generation called to freedom from sin, sickness, disease, and poverty.