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Real LYFE: September 2006

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Real Talk to the FATHER

Good morning Lord,

There is so much that I would like to say, but first thank you for yet another beautiful day in life, with health and wholeness and mind, body and spirit. Thank you for your word which is life, and empowering me and us with your spirit. Thank you Father for restoration!

This week, today and heretofore, I will continue to submit my mind to God, that my thoughts be inter-dependent of His, that this mind will be in me which is also in Christ Jesus, that all vein imaginations be cast down, that I be of one mind and one spirit, that my thinking be orchestrated, dictated, and governed by His word, causing me to pursue what He established, that I will Will the will of the Father, that my thinking will be on things that a re true, things that are honest, things that are just, things that are pure, things that are lovely, things that are of good report; things that be of virtue, and of any praise. I declare war on the war in my mind, for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds. Lord restore my mind to the original blueprint of it that you created, that I will manifest who I truly am, and was created to be, that Christ Jesus may glorify Himself through me, for it is He that worketh in me both to will and to do His good pleasure.

DIVORCE me from any and all spirits that have joined themselves to me by the flesh, and those that I have married myself to by the flesh so that I may be of one thought, one mind, one spirit, not a double thinker, with many minds, contrary to the word, mind and voice of God. God I renounce every and all spirits that are not of you that works in me from the root. Uproot all of those unfamiliar spirits that have layered themselves over and have muffled and stifled your spirit and your voice within me. I GIVE THEM UP AND GIVE YOU, HOLY SPIRIT, PERMISSION TO DIVIDE ASUNDER, making me one person, centered by the word of God.

I am not afraid anymore. I have decided to stand up within you, having on the whole armor of God, crowned by the helmet of salvation, covered by the breastplate of righteousness, girded about my waste girded with Truth, my feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace so that wherever I go, I am able to speak the word both in season and out of season, because the sword of the Spirit is in my hand. God I choose to now be an offended for your Kingdom. I seek to find where you are. My focus, is on YOU.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Gone But Never Forgotten

Daddy,

I want to take this time to thank you for all of the love that you showed me while I was growing up in your home. How I wish I could have you hear with me, if but for just one day. Your words of encouragement that still, to this day, ring in my ears mean so much to me. At times I thought you were crazy for how stern you were with my sister and me but now, although you've been gone now for over seven years, I can see your heart and what you were doing.

I wish I could see the man that I have become since you've been gone. The years have been filled with much pain but with the pain, I've grown into a much stronger and wiser man through your death. Your voice, your touch, your strength, your affirmation and validation are sorely missed but NEVER forgotten.

Love always your one and only son.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Encounter -Part III (Special Edition)

And for everyone who has been staying tuned in to the different descriptions that I've been using, everything all boils down to one thing, MY PERCEPTION! The way I see something determines my response, my attitude, outlook, and my aptitude. Most times in life we tend to hear things spoken over our lives but rarely do we ever take the WORD in dare to allow the word to grow so that it can be BIRTHED in our lives. Why is this? Why do we continue to go through the same drama, year after year, month after month, week after week, and day after day? Don't we expect more?

This is a question that we have to ask ourselves because this is where God meets us, at our level of expectation. If we don't expect to be transformed, we never will be transformed. If we don't expect a breakthrough to take place in certain areas of our lives, then they never will take place. What I'm saying isn't deep and doesn't take a rocket scientist to interpret but what we do is we continue to doubt that we can do better. Once we doubt, it's over and done. Once we open the door to let doubt and second guessing come into play we are now defeated before we begin because we have framed our world but what we have spoken. When we speak damnation we are sowing bad seeds and then have the nerve to wonder why we are in the same place year after year.

You still don't understand? Okay, let's go back to the movie that I discussed yesterday, The Matrix. In the movie, Neo second guessed himself for the entire movie and had to continue to go to everyone else for their opinions. Throughout the entire movie he was "on the run" he couldn't rest because SOMETHING was after him. The SOMETHING that was after him knew more about him than he did. DID YOU GET THAT? THE THING THAT HE WAS FEARING THAT HAD HIM ON THE RUN KNEW MORE ABOUT HIM THAN HE DID. (HMMMM???) Think about that for a moment. How many times in life have we run from the very thing that could take us to the dimension that we have desired to get to? How many times have we been afraid of the very thing that was pre-ordained to take us to the "next level?"

Well, Neo continued to run and be afraid until something awakened on the inside that was, I believe, sick and tired of being sick and tired. In other words, enough was enough. Neo, as I explained yesterday, didn't put forth any effort once he woke up and walked in who he was.

My question for you to ponder is, how long will you fear the very thing that is afraid of you? How long will you continue to go in circles because you are worried about the outcome of the situation? In some ways, it can't get any worse than it already is, right? So why not just face that THING that you've been afraid of so that you can move on and BE who God ordained you to be?

This is yet, another way to look at what THE ENCOUNTER was all about. The bottom line is you can only run from yourself so long before you hit that brick wall within that forces you to look at yourself naked and exposed, just you, yourself, and God. Once this takes place, you will see, just like Neo did that the answer to the equation of the MATRIX lied within his mind. In other words, for many of you the only thing standing in the way of You walking in your destiny is YOU. Remove yourself from the equation like Neo and let things be, it's much easier that way.

Now that's real talk!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

The Encounter (Part II)

Okay, here's another one for you! For those of you who have emailed me and told me that you feel as if I left you hanging because I stopped blogging the other day. Well, let me see if this is a better way to explain what happened within me!

If you haven't seen the first Matrix movie, I would STRONGLY suggest or urge you to get it from Blockbuster so that you can see it for yourself. But in the movie, Neo, the main character, was on a search to discover the answer and little did he know that the answered lied within himself. Neo was told by someone that he had the answer but he didn't believe it! He went throughout the entire movie going from one person to another asking people who had the answer and when he finally got knocked down from the enemy, he stood up within himself and woke up! He finally realized that He had the answer!

What was chasing Neo throughout the entire movie now became the chased! IN other words, the hunter became the hunted because Neo had been running the entire movie until he realized that he had the answer. When Neo woke up to who he was he in turn, began chasing the problem that had him on the run! He turned and told the problem to "bring it on" and he went on to conquer what had been conquering him with a sweat-less victory!

That's what happened to me at this ENCOUNTER in the mountains of North Carolina. Okay? Is this a better way of explaining so you all can understand the metamorphosis that I just came through?

Let me know...I can keep talking because you all know, I can't be shut up! I give it to you, RAW and unfiltered!

Now that's real talk!

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

THE ENCOUNTER

In life there are defining moments that become suspended in time. Time appears to stop as transformation takes place and then, all of a sudden, you go back to a state of normalcy, if you can ever remember what "normal" was. Well, let me get right to it, I witnessed a miracle this weekend, no, maybe it would be better if I called it a revolution but then, I could say that it was a cataclysmic "take over!" I know you are probably saying to yourself, "what is he talking about?" What I'm talking about is THE ENCOUNTER!

When I first heard about this event, the only reason I agreed to attend was because one of my mentees had been insisting that I travel with him for the past two years. The reason why he was so insistent was because his father had attended this "retreat" and from that one retreat, his father's life has never been the same! So, to avoid having to keep being asked, I agreed this summer to attend but truly didn't know what to expect.

To hear my mentee talk about his father and how much his father had changed truly did cause me to question just what actually takes place at this event so as the time approached, I became very interested in seeing just what takes place at this thing called THE ENCOUNTER. Honestly, I didn't think that I would be able to find the time to attend this because of the distance and the travel. I don't like driving distances longer than four hours, so in a way I didn't think that I'd ever be able to attend. But, as fate would have it, my schedule made time by canceling other engagements because there was something deep inside that needed to experience this event for myself!

THE ENCOUNTER was nothing like I thought it would be. I'm used to attending conferences so I went with the mindset of being "preached" too, but that didn't happen. When I say ENCOUNTER, that's exactly what it was, an ENCOUNTER with God! Most people search their entire life looking for a face-to-face with God, the Father, and I experienced it this past weekend. I won't graphically depict what actually took place but what I will say is MY LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!

Stay tuned for more Real Talk about THE ENCOUNTER!

Monday, September 18, 2006

To The Mountain Top

Please excuse the tardiness of this blog! I spent the day traveling back from Greensboro, North Carolina. I attended a function this week that was life changing. I'll say more about it probably tomorrow, but I didn't want the day to end with me not keeping with my regularly scheduled time of sharing with you, the reader!

In life, there are times when you must do things that are normally against the grain in order to get a different result. And that's where I was before this weekend. I think I was going through the motions of life, but yet considered myself still "on post." Meaning, I was still taking care of business in the areas where I have responsibility but I was ignoring myself in the process.

I'll also explain more about this in tomorrow's blog, but for now I'm going to get some MUCH NEEDED rest, more on the "Mountain Top" tomorrow!

Thursday, September 14, 2006

The Road Ahead

Everything you do MUST be done in the spirit of excellence. The world is watching and history is being made with every stroke of your pen and every stride you take when you walk. The question that should be pondered or contemplated as you go throughout the remainder of this week is, "What TYPE of history are you making?"

This is an interesting question because it causes us to take a serious, in-depth look into our actions. The saying goes, "every action has an equal and opposite reaction." Well, that being the case, understand that everything you do affects not only your life but the lives of countless others, many whom you may never meet. Remember this as you make decisions for YOURSELF, and realize that you must broaden your horizons and see the bigger picture of life. Decisions have to be made everyday and throughout life many people pay the price for the actions we take. Think about that the next time you are faced with the daunting task of deciding someone's fate. This is just something that I would like for you to think about.

The question that is forced upon you is, "Is it really this serious?" Do our actions really have an indirect affect on others? Think about and again, let me stress the importance of operating at a spirit of excellence in everything we say and do. This is crucial in order to lay hold of the destiny that lies ahead. Our children deserve much better than what we were given, am I right? Well, and if I am correct, as I know I am, then it's important that we take an assessment of our lives up until now and prepare ourselves for the road ahead!

The road ahead is filled with the unknown, however, will be overtaken by those who prepare today for their tomorrow. By doing this, you not only save yourself, but you give the next generation something to "shoot" for.

Now that's real talk!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Keep Your Mind Right

When you make the first step, sometimes that's all you need to do to get the "ball" rollin' as far as destiny is concerned! Understand one thing, obstacles are ordained to come AT you to cause you to make your declaration strong! Tribulations are set to manifest to drive you to a deeper knowledge of who you are! Don't be alarmed, if you made the first step, don't grow weary and give up, let it "be what it be." Go through the motions and learn all you can during this time of your life, if you remain steadfast and immovable, you will see the handiwork of God!

Your attitude is important during this stage because your attitude will, in fact, determine your altitude in how you are able to ascend to new heights within your mind. Your mind is key and that's why it's important to stay focused on the bigger picture. Keep your focus and eyesight on the prize, at hand! This is your life, this is your destiny, don't allow just any and everybody to attach themselves to you. This could very well lead to your downfall because the wrong person will suck the LYFE out of you. Please don't allow this to take place.

Watch your crowd, watch your conversation, and seek WISE counsel when it comes to the serious decisions that you have to make in the coming days! Your decisions will make or break you which is why you have to remain focused even in the midst of everything you're facing. TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE so you will have to learn how to be multi-tasked to accomplish everything you need to at this stage of your life. Throughout this entire feat, I encourage you to keep your mind right and watch God manifest and take you to heights yet to be reached. Keep your mind right!

Now that's real talk!

Monday, September 11, 2006

9-1-1

We are still on high alert, even after five years but there is a question that I've been asking myself so I'll ask you, the reader, as well. Just how safe are we today after all the money that has been spent on national security and the millions that have been sent overseas to fund the war, how secure are we as a nation?

It kind of puts things into perspective to see that on the home front, just a year ago, there were states that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina and we, as a government, couldn't even handle that crisis so what makes us think that after five years, we'd have everything together?

I've learned one thing throughout these past ordeals and that is to NOT PUT MY CONFIDENCE IN MAN! On the road to destiny, we cannot allow others to get us off focus. Many people still haven't gotten their lives back in "sync" since 911 and Hurricane Katrina didn't do anything but further heighten the frustration with ourselves.

Stay focused on YOU being the best YOU that YOU can be regardless of the situations that take place in your life. Five years later you should be stronger than ever! Ready to handle whatever may come, determined to persevere no matter what, and dedicated to not only make it to your destination, but bring someone else along for the ride. That's where the generational transfer takes place!

Now on this 911, that's real talk!

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Just Another Day

Life brings many ups and downs and throughout this journey we have to remember that God said that we are more than conquerors! The Apostle, Paul left it on record in the new testament time and time again. He would always write to encourage the Gentiles that no matter how sour the situation looked, no matter how troubling it appeared, no matter what the outcome looked like, Paul chose to see the good instead of the bad!

Take your cue from Paul today and remember to look at your situation from a different perspective. Death and Life are in the power of the tongue so remember that we frame our world by the words we speak. Many of us have cursed ourselves and everything that we touch because we are so negative and the negativity breeds contempt, so on and so forth. This leads to many of the hurdles and obstacles that have manifested in front of you. It's amazing because sometimes we blame the devil on our situation when it's really us, oftentimes its the man in the mirror who has caused the road to get rocky, not the devil, not your enemy, not your family and not even your spouse or children. YOU!

Let that sink in today and remember, before you open your mouth, decide within yourself that you are going to speak words of life and be uplifting to others. Make a decision to change the atmosphere when you walk in a room. A thought to ask yourself for your personal provocation, "Does the conversation change when you walk in a room? If so, is it for the good or the bad?" This is a question to cause you to think because we have to be mindful of our authority as children of God. God made us the head and not the tail, He said we were to operate ABOVE and not beneath. He said that before we were formed in the womb, HE knew us, ordained us and sanctified us so my question to you is, "why are you tripping?"

It's just another day, go through it and learn from it, glean from it, mature and become who God ordained you to be. If not today, when?

Now this is real talk...

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Make That Change

This is a new day and it's time not to just talk about it, but to act like it. In the words of the youth of America, "don't talk about it-be about it!" Some of you may be asking, "what does this entail?" In moving in a new dimension, you have to first understand that sometimes in a new terrain or hemisphere, what was accepted previously may not be appropriate any longer. This could be a number of things. For instance, some of you may need to look at your eating habits, others of you may need to look at your choice of friends. It could be any number of things that need to be looked at as you prepare to move forward so get too it so that you don't delay your promise from manifesting itself!

Me, personally, I had to take a look at my health and realize that my eating habits had to change. I don't know about you but I eat healthy and work out for a little while and then I tend to get a little too comfortable because of my results and I allow myself to get sluggish and before I know it, I'm back to where I was in the beginning. And, here I am again! I'm right back where I started because I got tired and weary late last year. So now it's important that I remember how I was able to be drawn back into a poor diet so that I'm prepared for this new dimension that God has ordained.

I realized not too long ago that I was the one who was standing in the way of my breakthrough. So, today it's time for me to delete myself from the equation in the area of my physical body. So many people need to do the same thing. We don't realize how we are eating ourselves to death until it's too late! Go get a check-up and stop walking down the path of destruction. As good as it looks, everything that looks good isn't necessarily good for you! Realize it, accept it and make the necessary life style changes that need to be made in order for you to be complete and whole!

Otherwise you may not have an opportunity to enjoy that thing that you have been waiting on God to manifest in your life. Today's a good day to make that change.

Now this is real talk!

Monday, September 04, 2006

Thank You

At at time when so much is going on around the world, take a moment and just thank the Almighty for your health, your strength and your sound mind! Sometimes we take for granted the little things of life but remembering what took place in New Orleans just one year ago causes us to realize and understand that whatever the case is in our individual lives, things could be so much worse. This is a simple realization but a realization that very few of us can grasp because so many of us didn't have to live through the ordeal. Our only "take" on the situation has been from pictures and the media, but to have lived the experience of having lost everything including some family and friends is not only earth shattering but provokes an assessment whereby one has to reevaluate priorities!

I thank God for where I am today and for family and friends! I stand because there are many who laid a foundation for which I am able to launch from, however, I don't forget the shoulders upon which I stand. The lives who gave their own blood and sacrifice so that I could have the opportunities afforded to me at this stage in my life. I'm here because of the stability that my parents gave me in their pursuit to ensure that my sister and I attained higher education and have used our collegiate experiences to gravitate towards the things that drive the passion the burns within us.

I didn't make it here on my own and I say THANK YOU to everyone who has played a part in my life, but not just my life but for those who have given towards the struggle for opportunity. Those who weren't satisfied with the way things were but looked forward to a brighter day for those who were coming behind. THANK YOU!

In spite of everything that has taken place in our lives and in the history of this country, we couldn't be where we were if were not for the many faces that will go into the history books as the unknown soldiers who fought for a better tomorrow! Again, I say thank you!

Now that's real lyfe talk!
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