Battlefield of the Mind -Sunday School Week 3

Matthew 12:33- Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit. 

Our Sunday school class really enjoyed this particular discussion.  This scripture allowed us to see the importance of our actions, attitude, and thoughts as it pertains to our life and how we are perceived.  A tree is known by its fruit, what kind of fruit are you producing?   Good fruit or bad fruit? 

As a child of God, we should display the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, kindness, self-control, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, peace, and faithfulness.  All these fruit are visible spiritual attributes that our Christian life should display.  If we can practice the Fruits of the Spirit we will be representing God in a wonderful way. 

Joyce Meyers pointed out that our thoughts bear fruit.  If we think good thoughts, the fruit of our life will be good.  Think bad thoughts, and the fruit in our life will be bad.  It’s like the old saying, “Where your thoughts go your actions will soon follow.”  So we have to be careful about what we allow to occupy our mind; because we want to produce good fruit and the right actions. 

If you want to have the victory over your situation, keep thinking positive victorious thoughts.  Our thoughts will produce a certain fruit whether it is good or bad. 

This particular verse serves as a reminder that we have a right to judge each other’s fruit and if you are producing bad fruit expect to hear about it.  Take and receive the truth.  The truth will set us free.  When we receive correction it may hurt, but it also places us in position to get right with God.  It gives us the opportunity to change and to make God proud.  Our goal as Christians is to be a light unto the world by imitating Christ, so we can bring unbelievers to Christ.  Why would an unbeliever want to come to Christ?  My answer is the fruit that we bear.  

Valentine's Day Ideas

Valentine’s Day is set aside to show that special someone how much we love them! Couples expect romance on this day.  Even singles go out and snatch up a mate just to celebrate this one day out of the year.  After years of celebrating Valentine’s Day and Anniversaries ideas and gifts can get difficult to come up with, especially if you want to surprise your mate or be creative.  Women as well as men get tired of receiving the same old teddy bear, candy, flowers, and card.  So, I decided to give you a list of creative things that have worked for me and a lot of them are inexpensive!  Be sure to read all the ideas, one might just catch your attention!

1.       If your mate like nuts go to Wal-Mart buy several types of nuts in different containers.  Put them in a basket along with a cute teddy bear or whatever their interest maybe, such as video games, golf balls, etc.  Then, wrap it and attach a cute note, “I’m Nuts About You!”  My husband absolutely loved this one and he ate all the nuts!

2.       Make a snack pack! Get Doritos, Pepsi or Coke, M&M’s, Nuts, Fruit or whatever their favorite snack maybe, put it in a basket.  Wrap it; put a bow and a sweet note on it! I promise guys really like these, because it saves them a trip to the store and they can watch t.v. and snack.

3.       Love Coupons are really good! Make up different things you are willing to do, like give a massage, take out trash, let him choose, photo shoot, etc.  They even have free templates online. 

4.       Picnics are nice and if you have a fireplace that is even better.  Picnics are better when your mate doesn’t know about them.  Make sure you have pillows and good conversation.

5.       Candlelight dinner make sure you fix your significant other’s favorite food! The table should be set, jazz music to establish the mood, and make sure you are looking hot! Ladies pumps will always work!

6.       This is for the sexy couples! Blindfold your mate and feed them chocolate covered fruit.  Turn it into a game let them try to guess which fruit it was.  You may also use whip cream instead of the chocolate.   Light music would also be good for this idea as well. 

7.       Lingerie is awesome! Women love it when their mate go and pick them out something special.  Sometimes, this is uncomfortable for men, but hey women love it! Also, ladies some satin boxers would be nice for your man as well!

8.       For the Sports Fans, you can buy them a ticket to see their favorite team play.  I brought Carl a trip to Arizona to see the Redskins play.  Of course, he loved it. 

9.       Try something different! Ballroom dancing is always nice, fun, and exciting! If you haven’t been, I suggest you try it!

10.   Lastly, buy them The Love Dare from a Christian Bookstore or I love my wife tee-shirt or mug! We personally loved them! But, it is all according to how you really feel about your significant other!

I hope these ideas bring a lot of happiness into your relationship.  Remember adding spice is always nice! Don’t stress yourself out! Always have fun in whatever you do!  

How to Be Successful! by Tyler Perry

This is a message by Tyler Perry! I thought this was awesome!  What stood out to me is the part about "seeds" and water one at a time!! If you can't watch the video, you can read his message below:

There’s only one answer for that and I say this all the time in the press but people cut it out of articles or they don’t want to print it or they don’t want to say it. The truth be told, it was nothing but the grace of God. Nothing But The Grace of God.

You can plant seeds all day long; you can go around giving your business cards to people. You can go around knocking on doors and auditioning; you can do all of that every day of your life and for most people nothing happens. When a seed is planted in the ground all you can do it water it. You can not control the sunshine. You can not control the weather and you can not control what the locus will come and try to destroy. All you can do is plant your seed in the ground, water it and believe. That is what allowed me to be in this position right now.

I would not stop believing. I planted my seed; I worked really hard. I had one idea and that was to do a play and all that other stuff came. My only focus was to do one play and I knew if I could get that to work, everything else would come to pass. There are so many people who go into so many directions. This week they’re doing this and next week they’re doing that. Then the next week they’re they’re going to be in Real-Estate and the next week they’re going to open a salon. Those kinds of people are all over the place and I usually try to get them to focus. Focus on one thing –one area. Put all of your energy into watering one area. If you spread the water across many, many seeds you don’t have as much water for one seed. So focus on one thing, make it your priority and stick with it no matter what.

No matter how many people told me no. No matter how many people lied to me. No matter how many times I put the show up and nobody came. I remember when I tried my very first show, I worked my butt off and saved $12,000 tax returns through H & R Block money. I worked hard and saved it myself. I rented 14^th Street Play House; put that show up and thought that 1200 people would come over that weekend and 30 showed up and I knew everyone of them. But I didn’t stop; that didn’t deter me. That was in 1992. In 93’ the same thing happened -94’, 95’, 96’, 97’ up until 1998 the same devastation of nobody showing up in the audience. It was still one show a year working with promoters trying to get the show up and nobody showed up but I didn’t stop.

What I say to you now, looking at me here, I am a human being; there is no difference between my humanist and your humanist. The only thing is if you’re trying to get there you can not stop believing in any way. No matter what anybody says, no matter what anybody tells you, you have to know it beyond knowing it. When something is for you, there is a feeling that is deep down inside of you that will not allow you to let it go. It will keep you going when you can’t keep even keep yourself going. That’s why the mantra here at Tyler Perry Studios is a place where even dreams believe because there comes a time in your life where you’ve worked and you’ve stressed and you tried to get there and you couldn’t on your own but you have a dream and that dream has to take on the belief for you because you can’t do it by yourself. So what I would tell you is this, don’t stop; narrow your focus to one idea –[only] one and make it work. That will give birth to all the others. All you can do is plant the seed and water it. God himself has to give the increase. Only God can make the sunshine. Only God can make it rain but if you planted the seed then you’ve done your part.

I wish you so much success in 2012. Anything you want is possible. God knows I’m a living witness. Please feel me. Please hear this from my heart. Anything you want is possible. If I didn’t believe it I wouldn’t take the time to send this message to you. Take care of yourself.

So, what you think? Do you think this is great information or just devine favor on Tyler's behalf? 

CHANGES

Changes

This is the time of the year that some of us decide to make major changes in our lives.  But, do we really like change?  Although, we want it, do we actually like it?  We make goals to lose weight, stop drinking, find a better job, and the list goes on.  In reality, do we truly want the lifestyle transformation?  We all know that it is very expensive to change our eating habits to something healthier.  In the beginning of each year our church goes on a Daniel fast and I recall saying to Carl, “I never knew fruit and vegetables could be so expensive.”  You see I was ignorant to the reality of the full alteration that needed to be made.  The reality was that I had decided to start eating vegetables and fruit 3 times a day and bags of fruit were vanishing like clock work in our household.  It got very expensive. 

I also want to shed light on gym memberships that cost up to $60.00 per month?  Only to go for 2 months and they continue to withdraw the monies from your bank account for another year.  Fitness facilities do automatic withdrawal for that sole purpose of collecting extra money from folks who have gotten lazy or discouraged.  There is nothing wrong with wanting a change in your lifestyle or to lose weight.  My advice is to sit down and write out how these changes will affect your life.  This may help you put things in proper prospective, such as time, cost and how it will assist you in the future.  Who doesn’t want better health, fitness, and eating habits? 

As a wife, I realize my husband’s goals and resolutions affect me and visa versa.  So, if you want to set a goal for yourself or your spouse take into consideration how this modification is going to affect you both before making it.  A lot of times there is sacrifice involved on both sides.  If I want to lose weight, that means better eating habits for me and my family.  Everybody is going to be eating vegetables.  I’m not sure how my son, Zion will feel about that considering he doesn’t like veggies.  This means I would need to come up with ideas and plans to include him as well.

If you desire a change for your spouse, you have to be willing to take part in that sacrifice.  Meaning if you want your husband to stop drinking, you have to stop drinking.  You may have to put down that one glass of wine that you occasionally want.  A lot of times you have to change the people you hang with.  I know you may not be the one with the issue, but the issue and the transformation still affect you.  We have to be there to encourage and motivate.   If you desire your husband to lose weight, stop fixing unhealthy food, make better selections at the grocery store and fix something healthier! It requires change in the atmosphere, meaning lifestyle change for the whole family.  However, these things can be turned into fun, such as learning new recipes and cooking them together.  You can also go for walks, which can eventually turn into races, at least for our family it does. 

My advice is to start small and write everything out.  Make simple changes and then make bigger changes.  For instance instead of the gym membership and losing money, try taking family walks.  This saves money and allows for family time.  Instead of abruptly changing eating habits, work them in.  Start with fruit for breakfast and baking more foods.  Then, each month progress and eventually you may have a gym membership.   Change usually last longer when it is done gradually and consistently.  Try not to be hard on yourself, because everyone changes, nobody stays the same.  But, hopefully the “Change is For the Good!” 

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

 John 3:16-For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

          During this time of the year we exchange gifts with loves ones, friends, and colleagues.  Even if we dislike the person we still find a way to dig down in our pockets to buy them something.  Alot of times, we tend to place monetary value on love.  If someone buys something expensive, they must really love us; if someone make us some homemade cookies, we feel like they are just being cheap.  We fail to realize the love and time that was put into making those cookies. 

Time out!

Ask yourself don’t we do God the same way? 

A lot times we fail to realize and appreciate how much God loves us!  We will never appreciate a gift fully until we understand the true gift.  The true gift isn’t money, my husband, or my kids.  The true gift is love, God’s love.  I know some were expecting me to say Jesus Christ.  But, Jesus Christ came from the love that was gifted to us.  God had to have loved us first in order to even want to give us such a wonderful gift.  Nobody can ever give you a gift more valuable.  God’s gift of love is the gift that keeps on giving. 

John 3:16 tells us God gave his son so we can have eternal life.  I think some of us really don’t understand how big a gift salvation really is.  You can’t lose sight of the gift.  Because when you do, we become ungrateful.  When you love somebody dearly you are willing to give freely to the point of self sacrifice.  God’s love is not self centered.  He paid dearly with the life of his son, the highest price he could pay.  God loved us enough to save us from a burning hell.  He gifted us with an eternal life of paradise, filled with many mansions and cities of pure gold.  In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil or sin.  There is no greater gift! God’s love is the gift that keeps on giving. 

 God has set the pattern of true love.  The love of God surpasses all knowledge. God’s love never fails.  It something that money can not buy. 

Please remember that there is nothing that we can do that will separate us from the love of God.  Although we are ungrateful, God still loves us!  Although we are disobedient, God still loves us.  Although we are of filthy rags, God still loves us!   Yes, even you, God still love you!  God’s love is the true gift! It is the gift that keeps on giving!

Run the Race

Run the Race

Hebrews 12:1-4

Runners work hard to build endurance and strength.  Some may lift weights, practice run, stretch, and lose weight.  Runners wear lightweight clothes and tennis shoes, so nothing weighs them down. 

As Christians if we are going to run the race that God has set before us, we must strip off the excess weight that slows us down.  This race is our life and the weight is the baggage that we pack around. 

·        We are too busy trying to run with debt weighing us down..

·        With addictions weighing us down.

·        With unforgiveness weighing us down.

·        We are running with family issues weighing us down.

·        With our friends weighing us down.

 Today is the day that we get rid of these weights and run the race!

 We can’t run with a bunch of baggage attached to us!

That baggage is going to weigh us down and keep us from reaching our godly potential.  Why? Because we are focused on the baggage instead of on God.  The scripture tells us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus! How do we expect to run this race if our eyes are focused on our mess!  It is time to strip it off and run the race!

Haven’t you seen people that have taken their eyes off God and put their focus on their problems?  They are tired all the time.  They have just thrown in the towel and gave up on the race. They are weighed down by the issue of life.  Examples: husbands acting a fool, kids in trouble or not acting right

 As Christians we must remember that the goal of the enemy is to destroy us!  He is going to start with the closest thing to you.  He is going to attack your mind.  It is all a mine thing addiction, worrying, low self esteem, and some times sickness.  It is all just a trick of the enemy.  Remember the devil does not want you to succeed.  His purpose is to slow you down by throwing everything at us. 

It is not by happenstance, my car broke down, that I locked my keys in the car, that I cut my tongue all in one day.  The enemy wants us to throw in the towel and refuse to finish the race.  

Never quit, have determination! 

In Philippians 3:14, Paul says “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize!”

We have to press our way! We have to press just like Paul in order to receive that prize which is our salvation.  

 Matthew 26:36-39

³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”

 ³⁷ He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed.

³⁸ He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

We have to press our way the same as Jesus did for us in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus was knew he was going to die.  He filled with anguish and distress.  Ask yourself, “What Jesus threw in the towel on us?”  Forget it!  I’m not dying for them. Instead he picked up the towel and ran the race, and he died for our sins.  He was pierced in his side for our sins.  They put nails in his hands for our sins.  They put a crown of thorns on his head for our sins.  Jesus said, not my will but your will be done. 

One thing we need to realize is our father is here to help us run this race, just like you saw in the film.  It is time to give up on your will and let God’s will be done in your life.  There is no way to run the race without him. 

Let go of the weights in your life:

1.     Choose friends who are committed to the race, wrong friends take you off course. 

2.     Drop certain activities.

3.     Get help with addictions that weigh you down. 

4.     Get help today!!

Lastly today is a new day!  It is time to run the race!  Receive your prize of salvation!  Our God has many mansions in heaven and we will store up treasures that no man can steal or destroy! You just have to run the race!!

Greener on the Other Side!

It is amazing how many people actually look at the lives of others and covet what they have.  Is it human nature to always want more?  Can people ever be satisfied with what they have?  No matter how much God bless us with, we can always find something else to ask for just from looking at the lives of friends, family, and strangers.  For some reason the grass always appear greener on the other side. 

My mother recently decided she wants a new house.  She had a list of things that was wrong with her house.  She went from it being old to the house having bad memories in it.  She couldn’t bring herself to find the good things nor any of blessings that are stored in this house.  From her perspective everyone else has a new house, so she deserved one too!  What I failed to tell you is that her home is paid for free and clear.  This means no mortgage payment!  So, to her the grass looks greener on the other side, but to me, it looks greener on her side.  Most families are working hard everyday to pay off a mortgage in order to provide a nice safe environment to raise their kids, in which my mother already has.  I just wanted to use her as example of how we are quick to lose sight of our own blessings, while coveting others. 

As the Bible states in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “... there is nothing new under the sun.”  Just like the Children of Israel we are never satisfied.  These were God’s chosen people and they had everything they could ever need.  But, they still found ways to be unfaithful to God, by chasing after other gods to worship, all the time believing they could find something better. The Children of Israel believed that the grass was always greener on the other side. 

The grass is always going to be greener on the other side, especially if we are worshipping the wrong person, place, or thing!  If a friend appears to have a stronger marriage, fancier car, or bigger house, praise God for them and what he is doing in their life.  Then, praise God for your marriage, house, or car that God has blessed you with! Because you can always go up, but you don’t want to come down! Someone, is always going to have more than you, but that doesn’t make you any less blessed! God will give you gifts according to his will, whether it is spiritually or physically.  Who are we to reject or be dissatified with God’s blessings? 

How can we be humble with the gifts we already have?  Why does the grass look greener on the other side?  Does it go away with our maturity in Christ?