Bad Company Corrupts Good Character: You are who you hang around

As a little girl I always wanted to be liked. I always wanted to be with my friends. I followed the crowd and adapted well. My original personality is meek, mild mannered, quiet, kind hearted and compassionate. This person didn't always show up. She was hidden at times. My character was compromised a lot growing up even to my adult years. Most people that connected themselves to me were strong willed controlling people and I followed very well. I was always a follower growing up. My mother was a drug addict and my siblings were in foster care. I felt alone. My grandmother raised me with very good morals but I always wanted to belong somewhere. I always was who people wanted me to be instead of who I really was. Finally I found myself about 30 yrs old with no idea of who I really was and why was I even here. I had spent a life of trying to please everyone but myself. I felt void, empty and lost until one day my friend invited me to church after I poured out my feelings to her. This is when God pulled me away from everything and began to illuminate my true self. He showed me that he created me to be a leader and not a follower. He showed me that he created me to be strong and not weak. He showed me that he didn't create me to live in lack and uncertainty. 
From years of being connected to the wrong people my character was shattered, not just to the world but to myself. I had no idea who I truly was. When God pulled me from the world's influence and put me in the midst of his people, my character was on the road to reconstruction. I stopped drinking. I was never a big drinker because I can't tolerate much but I did drink at times. I also dabbed in weed some and I stopped that. I couldn't really tolerate that either. I was a what you call a light weight😂. I stopped going to clubs and parties. I was in church at least 4 days a week. I was at prayer on Mondays, Bible Study on Wednesday, Choir rehearsal on Thursday, Kids rehearsal Saturday and church on Sunday and I loved it. The company I kept was totally different. They wasn't perfect but we were all trying to live a life pleasing to God. We were having clean fun now with no consequences. I begin to learn how God wanted me to live as oppose to how I actually was living. 

Sowing and Reaping

Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I'd spent a lifetime of reaping from bad decisions I made. I was in debt because of poor money management. I can't tell you how many times my phone was cut off. I always owed more on my rent. I was basically robbing Peter to pay Paul. God dealt with my husband and I in this area. We paid off our credit cards. We paid off every bill we owed. We stopped spending mindlessly. All our bills were now current. This wasn't easy. I went about a year of not getting my hair professionally done. I had to do my own hair which I really don't like to do:) There was no manicures and pedicures. We didn't eat out often. We bought groceries and cooked our meals. We also had to work on being to our jobs on time, no calling off unless for emergencies. We became responsible adults.

Forsaking Relationships

Proverbs 9:6
Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

The funny thing is when God begins to bring you into the light your relationships begin to fade. Usually people feel that you're different, you think you're better than them or you're acting funny or weird. This causes people to pull away from you because you are no longer living like them. They can usually see your change before you see it. Notice the scripture above says Forsake the foolish and live, You can't really start living until you let go of foolish things because they keep you in bondage. It's like chains are on you and you can't break free when you are in the counsel of the ungodly. God had to pull me from among them to show me my purpose, to give me a life and that more abundantly. I don't know where I would be today if I'd not excepted that invitation to church. Now I surround myself with people who are going or have gone where I'm going. I don't compromise my character nor do I put myself in situations that would cause for it. My life is peaceful. I'm not skirting the mountain year after year with the same problems like I once was. 

This Doesn't Mean you Can't Have Friends

The Bible says Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." emphasis on Bad Company, God wants us to have righteous people in our circle. God wants people around that will edify you and not pull you down with them. If you are going through a tough time check your surroundings. If you continue to have lack and stay stagnant check your surroundings. It's not wise to get counsel from people that haven't been where you're trying to go. Why would I ask a nurse how to become a teacher? Why would I ask a drug addict how to kick the habit? Why would I ask an irresponsible person how to be responsible? I shouldn't because they will only pull me down because they are still living in error. Therefore I would have to change my group of people I surround myself with. Proverbs 13:20

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Wise people help to enhance your character, The foolish helps to corrupt your character.

You are blessed when you allow God to pull you from among people that are not good for you. The best way to do this is to build your relationship with God by reading your word and talking to him. Instead of drinking when you are stressed call him, instead of calling that person who means you no good, call God. Tell him your feelings, he won't make fun of you. He doesn't think you're stupid for dealing with that guy who really doesn't love you. God knows the hurt and pain you have and wants to relieve it. He wants you to be successful, peaceful, joyful, and filled with love from him. Forsake the bad relationships in your life today and begin to see what life God intended for you. Be blessed. If you have any questions please leave them in the comment section. I would love to talk with you.

Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice: Don't give up your blessings for temporary pleasures

Every morning I give my students a "Writing of the Day" assignment for Bell work. I'm a 5th grade teacher for those who don't know. The writing assignment is always something to edify them as an individual. This is the time I take to teach Character Building. About 2 weeks ago I wrote about "Obedience is better than Sacrifice". When I first read this in scripture I was confused on what it really meant. I was confused because in the old testement they gave sacrifices for forgiveness of their sin. So why would God say this? I thought. Then I had a 💡moment :) God showed me that we sacrifice so many blessings because of our disobedience to him. There are numerous times in scripture when God gave instructions on what to do and after he explained the blessing of following the commandment. Usually the person receiving the instruction would start off right but then begin to think on their own and stir themselves to destruction. 
This is exactly what happened in 1Samuel 15th chapter. God gave Saul instructions and he decided to put his twist to what God had commanded him. 

1 Samuel 15:20-21 New King James Version (NKJV)

20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” We can see in this scripture that Saul thought that he had obeyed God's command. He felt it didn't hurt to let the people bring some sheep and oxen back. They was bringing it back to give to God. That's not bad right? Wrong! Neither did it hurt to allow the King of Amalek to live so why murder him? The answer is because GOD SAID SO! God gave Saul 2 instructions: 1.Go and destroy the sinners the Amalekites and all that they have, don't spare any humans or any animals period.  2. Fight against them until they are consumed.

The underlined portion Saul didn't obey. Saul listened to the people and allowed them to do what God instructed them not to do. This caused God to reject him because he rejected God's instructions. Saul lost his Kingship because God regretted choosing him for this position. In addition, God allowed an evil spirit to torment him which ultimately made way for David to replace him as king.  

We Often Make the Same Choices

We endure so many hardships because our decision not to obey God which is ultimately rejecting him. We have sickness that comes from the way we eat. God shows us in the Bible the best way to eat but we sacrifice our health for pleasure. When the reaping time comes from how we treated our body we want to call on God for healing. We believe him for healing but we don't trust him when he gives us the instruction to bypass illness. I'll be the first to raise my hand in this scenario. Women are treated badly by men because they sacrifice Godly happiness and peace for sexual pleasures. Raising my hand again. I went through so much pain in relationships because I didn't want to wait for God. I chose men that God didn't. When I finally did get with the man God chose we both had to be broken down and rebuilt. We both had chosen things and went through situations that caused us not to be the man and woman God called us to be. We had to be sent back to the manufacture, get refurbished and sent back out. This blog would go on and on if I shared with you all the times I rejected God's way for my way, society way, family way, etc. 

 Now this is my prayer. I learned from my bad decisions. There was no one to blame but me. I put myself in the situations not God. I surrendered my will unto his and saw what his purpose was for me. I realized that he was my creator. He created me for a reason and he had a good life laid out for me before I decided to go my way. I'm so thankful for his grace and mercy. I'm also over the moon estatic that Jesus died for my sins because I never want to be completely cut off from the father. When we rebel against God, he sees it as witchcraft. When we are stiffnecked (stubborn) he sees it as iniquity (living in our sin) and idolatry (putting something in place of him). He throws his hands up and says " You know best so I give you over to your depravity". He allows us to live the way we choose. I'm grateful I realized I was his workmanship and not my own. I'm grateful that I realized he knows what's best for my life. I'm grateful that I realized he had plans for me to have success and a future in him. Now I'm not just living but I'm purposefully living. 

If this is you please stop now and turn to God. If you find yourself failing in many areas of your life, STOP NOW! If you find yourself going through the same situations over and over again, STOP NOW! If you find yourself feeling worthless with no purpose for living, STOP NOW! If you find yourself feeling sadness more that happiness, STOP NOW! If you feel whatever you do there is no peace or joy in your life, STOP NOW! We bypass so many DO NOT ENTER signs and try it anyway. Please don't bypass this one. Turn back to God and allow him to lead your life. The Bible says seek the Kingdom of Heaven and everything else will be added to you. He will give you the desires of your heart (that line up with him of course😊). I know this through experience. I've seen so many changes in my husband and I after surrendering to God. Our relationship was a daily struggle filled with mental abuse and unhappiness. Now we look forward to seeing eachother everyday. He is my bestie❤ We enjoy each others company, he keeps a smile on my face. This is not because of me or him but because we surrendered and allowed God to fix what we couldn't. I went from working at Coney Island restaurant to having a Masters in Education and being a certified teacher. I look forward to whatever else God has planned for me. This is not because I'm smart or strong but because I stopped trying to make a purpose for living and allowed God to show me my original purpose that I was created for. God is waiting on you to come to him. He loves you so much. Matter of fact it is his pleasure to lead you into life of righteousness which brings happiness. If you have any questions please leave them in the comments. I would love to converse with you and share my testimony😊

Meditation: Time Alone with God

 God speaks a lot on Meditation in his word. the Bible speaks of meditation over 20 times. This says to me that meditation is important to God and should be important to me. You ever heard of the saying If you don't use, it you lose it? This is why we often see in the Bible God's people worshiping idols and living sinful lives to the point that God turned away from them.  They didn't meditate on God so they lost that closeness to him they once had. This wasn't because he left them. God is always there waiting for us to commune with him, but many times he's left waiting on the corner with his date never showing up. We stand him up countless times and he's still saying I'm ready when you are. This is how much he loves his creation (you/me). He tells us to constantly meditate to keep his commands written on our heart so that we won't be slaves to sin. He knows that the enemy/satan is waiting to devour, kill and destroy us at first chance. Without meditating we will be easily overtaken by the tricks of the enemy even though he does the same thing over and over. We fall for it over and over because we are not rooted and planted in his word through meditation and other warfare tools. Today we will only speak on meditation.

When you constantly talk about something it's practically always on your mind. It becomes a part of you. This is what God is trying to convey to us. Allow him to be apart of you, not just someone you know of. Imagine your spouse or significant other never speaking to you when they came home. Maybe the two of you never spend quality time together. You don't know what each other likes, favorite foods, movies, colors, goals and aspirations are. Both of you are just in a relationship without love and affection. If we never meditate on God's word we are just there without truly knowing God's character. Meditation means that you're prioritizing God in your plans. You're making him first because you want to know more about him and feel his presence. This brings happiness to God's heart. He will begin to share his mysteries with you. He will begin to blow your mind the more time you spend with him.

  Reading vs. Meditation                                                            
Reading the Bible and Meditating on the Word are two different things. Reading the Bible is very essential for our daily walk with God. I'm in no way saying that reading God's word is a minute act. I'm saying that reading accompanied with meditation is an abundance of God's word and characteristics. Reading the Bible is kind of like just seeing the surface. I sometimes read a whole book of the Bible because I love reading God's word, but I don't digest the whole book. I get bits and parts, I experience his word but not the fullness of it. Meditating on God's word is penetrating and digesting it. You are prioritizing God into your schedule to be with him alone in a quiet place. You're opening yourself up to hear from God. This can be one verse you're meditating on. I have a link to a video I think will help you understand more at the end of this blog. Reading the Bible is like eating a plate of food but not really savoring it. Meditation is like eating a bite of food that you savor. You taste every seasoning that was put in it, you feel the tenderness of the meat against your teeth, you chew it slowly to make this moment last. Finally you extract every nutrient out of that one bite. You become one with the food.

Meditation Keeps You
Just reading the word is AWESOME! Nevertheless, it isn't always enough to hold you when troubles, predicaments, bills, temptation, failures, illness, etc. come your way. Because they will certainly come your way and when they do a lot of us fold because we're not planted due to poor nutrients/no meditation. Through meditation we see the fullness of God. We see HIM👆for the Almighty God he is. We realize through him we can do all things. We see that the joy from him is our strength. We begin to believe that all things are possible because of our love for him. Through meditation our love, faith and obedience is strengthened. We become spiritually strong able to endure what comes our way because we know that he is with us in every step. We begin to rejoice in trials because we realize that trials produce perseverance and perseverance produces character and character produces hope. In addition our hope doesn't disappoint us because we know that God poured out his love for us with giving his only begotten son, that if we believe in him we will have everlasting life👆💖💖.  In this highlighted section I just gave you a glimpse of what meditating on God's word does. Everything in yellow can be found in scripture in the Bible. I'm simply regurgitating what is in me through reading, studying, meditating and prayer. Notice I didn't just say meditation. Believers must use all our tools in the arsenal that God has given us.  

In Conclusion, 
Begin to read scriptures on meditation and see why it's so important to God and detrimental for our spiritual growth. The reason for doing this is to know your WHY. You never want to begin anything without knowing why are you doing it. You have to dig down and see what do you want from God. You may want to know if he's real, ask him to lead you and guide you to the true him and not what everyone else is saying but what he's saying. You may want to have a closeness to him and he always feel so far away. Then during your meditation time tell him you want to feel his Holy Spirit. You want to know that he's there. What I'm saying is that whatever you want from God, ASK. He is your primary source. Videos, Blogs, Vlogs, Church etc. are secondary sources. The advice I'm giving you I have experienced myself. I've been weak & malnutrition in the word and I've been strong and victorious in the Word. We determine our position in the kingdom.


 https://youtu.be/DK-ywJ0v5Z0 What this video if you need help with beginning meditation It's not Yoga just in case you was wondering😃 

My Best Life: Living the way God intended

Often we are taught to follow the New Testament and that the Law doesn't matter anymore. This is the furthest thing from the truth. The following of the law is still a important because it was important to God our Father for his people. Today its still important to God for his people. Remember God is the creator of all things. He knows what's best for us in all areas simply because we are his workmanship. He simply gave us a way to live that would cause us the less issues in life according to the way he manufactured us. There are 613 commandments in the Bible. We will not be able to follow them all but we should be pressing daily to do so.

Following the Law doesn't save us because that falls under "Works". Following the Law doesn't equal Salvation, let's be clear on that. Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ saves us because our faith is credited to us as righteousness. Nevertheless, as believers begin to build a relationship with the father their love for him and his son (Jesus) should grow. This love causes us to seek him more and follow his commandments from a desire to live a life that's pleasing to him (fruit). We begin to produce fruit as we continue to change and grow in our walk. On the other hand, if we knowingly live in iniquity(lawlessness, sin) and we reside there, our faith is DEAD. When we live in lawlessness we produce works for the devil our adversary, not God. What James is saying is our character should scream our faith without ever opening our mouth. He's saying that our faith should begin to produce fruit/works. Our works start with following his commandments. To accept Jesus is to accept his ways, commandments and precepts. We will never be 100% perfect in our walk because we live in a filthy world with demonic influences on every side and sometimes we get a little dusty (we sin). This is why God sent his son to die for us, so that whosoever would take that chance to believe on him wouldn't perish in their sin but would have everlasting life with God.

 How we live is important because it shows how we truly feel about God and his gift (Jesus). God's sacrifice brought us out of slavery to sin. Before Jesus we were slaves to sin because of the choice of Adam, sin entered the world. The Mosaic law was hard to follow because the people hearts was far from God. They followed the Law for show not love. Their hearts was in this world and its customs. They were like a child that wants what they couldn't have. See God knew what most of us don't consider. The more we intermingle with lawless (sinful) people, the more we forget Gods ways, the more we will confirm to this world and see nothing wrong with it. The Bible tells us what's right and wrong in Gods eyes. The less we pick it up, we begin to do what's right and wrong in our eyes. There's a huge difference. The sayings "You are what you hang around" & " Birds of a feather flock together" are absolutely true.

Joshua 1:8 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[a] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Meditating on the word keep our minds on him. When we follow 👆we live our Best Life because God is always going to do whats best for us. I said all that to say this. If you love God and believe he sent his son to die for your sins, begin to read his word which consists of the Old & New Testament. We must know the beginning to understand the ending. Ask God to teach you 👆ways. Trust me I know from experience he will never leave you ignorant. The Holy Spirit will lead, teach, and guide you to do the Fathers will. God the father and Jesus the son wants us to love them with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This means following his commandments. We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. Be Blessed living your Best Life.

Gods Purpose is Your Purpose: The reason why you're here

 This is the question asked by many. We have just walked out of 2018 and into 2019. A year filled with limitless possibilities. With God nothing is impossible. Still many have entered 2019 with depression, low self esteem, self-doubt and wondering "What's the Point?". I was the same way most of my life. My mother was a drug addict, my grandmother had to raise me the best she could. I didn't have many of the things I wanted growing up. I often wondered "What's the Point?" "Why was I born?" What change could I possibly make in this world?" I wasn't able to answer these questions until I totally surrendered to God. God will sometimes allow havoc in your life to push you to him. He called me to him at a time where I was out of options. I had no choice but to go to him. I felt empty and void of purpose and happiness.

When I totally surrendered to God he began to activate my purpose. I felt I had nothing to offer, he said I did. I felt I was ugly, fat, and stupid, he said I was beautiful, his workmanship and intelligent. Whatever negative I had for myself, God countered with a positive until I began to believe it. I told God I would not allow fear to stop me. Have I been scared? YES! Have I questioned his choices for me? YES! but I still continued to press on. In the Bible God tells us once we offer ourselves to him we will know what his will is for our life. Romans 12:1-3  Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I have found this to be true. I went day after day not really knowing what to do. I tried to do different things to be successful or responsible. None of those things stuck because they weren't Gods will.

God led me to go to school for teaching. I was terrified. I didn't believe I could do it. I thought maybe he was playing (just kidding). Seriously though, I was scared but I believed and trusted him. Now I have a Master's in Education and I'm a certified teacher and I LOVE I! I could get up everyday and go even if it wasn't a paying job. The funny thing is that I wanted to be a teacher as a small child. I allowed the worries of life and self doubt (which comes from the enemy) to steal my dream. God brought it back at just the right time. It doesn't matter how old you are. I graduated from college at 43. God just showed me what he had already put inside me before birth. All the odds was stacked against me. I was born addicted to drugs. My mother went to jail. My grandmother had to raise me. I had no father to learn from. I became pregnant at 16. I dropped out of high school at 17. I began college at 31. I had low self-esteem, self doubt and fear. Those were my thorns. What are yours? I said all that to say that if God led me, he will lead you if you allow him. Don't allow another year to go by being ineffective in this world. God wants to use you for greatness. He is waited for you to put your hand in his. This is a new year. What will you make of it? If you don't know your purpose, quit spinning your wheels and allow God to show you. If you do know your purpose, GET BUSY! We only have so much time here. We don't know when we will take our last breath. I look forward to your greatness.