life & death

I'm not sure what this post is going to turn into, like usual, I didn't do much planning or put much thought in to this prior to clicking 'new post'.

The power of positive thinking -- and subsequently speaking positively -- is one thing that I stand firm on. I have noticed over the years that a lot of people either grasp on to the concept as undeniable truth or they dismiss it completely, not much in between. This is one of those things that I feel as though I could talk about for hours simply because I've seen the fruit and evidence of it in my own life for years. I drop a lot of knowledge on this blog but never, ever do I claim to feel as though I have all of the answers but I do put my confidence in God, knowing that he indeed does. Having faith in God is having faith in the Word of God. If he said it, it is so. God cannot lie.

God is not a man, that he should lie,

nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Does he speak and then not act?

Does he promise and not fulfill?

Numbers 23:19 (NIV)

If you can believe that then how can you NOT believe in the Word? Not only is God a "man"( for lack of a better word) of his word but he is the Word. If you have no faith in the Bible, how can you adequately say you have faith in God? That literally is impossible to do considering that they are one in the same.

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

John 1:1 (NIV)

I wasn't expecting to go down that route but I just write as I feel led. So, with that being said: If the Word gives scripture upon scripture about the power that the words coming out of your mouth have I would think that it is safe to say that God puts emphasis on it for a reason. Simply put, there is life and death in the power of the tongue.

The tongue can bring death or life;

those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

Proverbs 18:21 (NLV)

When people hear the word "consequence" the often equate it to something negative. However, consequence, by definition is "an action that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition". God has laid the two possible consequences on the table, plain and simple: life or death.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you,

that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)

When the option is laid in front of you: life or death -- we should of course choose the most favorable of the two..that being life. For those naysayers that will argue that this is impossible, not true, silly to "monitor" your words, or the words coming out of your mouth don't have a real impact on your life the only thing that I can give them is scriptures to help guide them.

And I tell you this,

you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

Matthew 12:36

I honestly am not much of a debater, if someone doesn't believe something I'm never the one to beat them over the head in attempt to GET them to understand. That can sometimes be a negative thing, this I know. Especially, if a person is not operating in faith or does not believe the Word of God then honestly, what can I really expect? But, like I said, for those of us who do believe in the Word but just don't have full revelation knowledge -- I gladly share what I understand.

The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain,

the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.

Proverbs 10:11 (NLV)

Don’t use foul or abusive language.

Let everything you say be good and helpful,

so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29 (NLV)

It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you;

you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth."

Matthew 15:11 (NLV)

For the Scriptures say,

"If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days,

keep your tongue from speaking evil,

and your lips from telling lies.

1 Peter 3:10 (NLV)

Please realize the power that you hold in your tongue. You have the power to speak life or to speak death to any situation that you encounter. So you may be wondering then, what should you be speaking exactly? Speak God's Word. Speak faith. If you have faith in God then what comes out of your mouth should reflect that. For example, If you get a negative report about your health from the doctor you can

1. speak death by claiming the sickness and disease, by stating that it is God's Will for you to be sick (it is never God's Will for anyone to die or be sick & it bothers me immensely when I hear people say this.), by saying/believing that you are going to die, etc, etc, etc

or

2.speak the Word -- speak life, "By Jesus' strips, I am healed (Isa. 53:5)-- because the Word of God says so." "I will live and not die & proclaim what the Lord has done for me (Ps. 118:17).

That is just one example but this literally can be applied to any area of your life. You have the ability to speak things in and out of existence in your life.

Call those things that be not as though they were...

(Romans 4:17)

I tell you the truth,you can say to this mountain,

‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’and it will happen.

But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.

I tell you, you can pray for anything,

and if you believe that you’ve received it,it will be yours.

Mark 11:23-24 (NLV)

Your words should line up with what is found in the Word. If the Bible calls you are blessed beyond measure, you are blessed beyond measure. If the Bible calls you the righteousness of God through Christ, you are righteous. If the Bible says God will protect you, he will. If the Bible says you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you, then you can. If the Bible says that God will bless you with an abundant life, that God will never leave nor foresake you, that....etc etc etc ...then believe it because the Word says so, which means God says so.

Like I stated earlier, God cannot lie. If he said it, it will come to past. We need to make sure that we speak LIFE to our situations, speak positively regardless of the natural circumstances. Anyone can look at the outward situation & make a logical judgement (i.e. this situation is horrible) but in all honesty, faith & logic do not go hand-in-hand.

We live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Faith causes you to disregard the natural circumstance, which may be indeed negative, and put your faith in God. Faith causes you to rise above life's circumstances by knowing that your help comes from God. If you have faith in God and his Word then the words coming from your mouth should reflect the words God has said. Choose to speak life, not death to your situations and watch your life change.

This post definitely ended up longer than I had intended it to be but eh *shrug*. I don't like to feel like I'm "preaching" at people on my blog but uh....yeah, it is what it is today lol. I don't like to throw things out there without scripture reference to back it up...like I said earlier, I never claim to have all of the answers so I will never try to pretend like I do -- I can only share with you guys what I have knowledge on and that's what I will continue to do.

"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge..."
Hosea 4:6

♥♥♥

good music.

thought i'd share one of my favorite albums with you all:

Corinne Bailey Rae's self-title debut album (2006)

01. like a star♥

02. enchantment♥

03. put your records on

04. til it happens to you♥

05. trouble sleeping♥

06. call me when you get this♥

07. choux pastry heart ♥

08. breathless

09. i'd like to

10. butterfly

11. seasons change♥

♥♥♥

tell her.

True, a self-confident & secure woman should not NEED a man to validate her. Nor should she NEED a man to reassure her in order for her to feel secure. I can agree with that. However, when it comes to the realm of relationships, I believe that things are a little different.

On that note, there is nothing wrong with desiring reassurance from your partner. It doesn't make you less of a "strong & confident" woman. It doesn't mean that you are weak or that you are battling insecurities. Quite frankly, it just shows that you are human. Let's be real, everyone likes to know that they are appreciated.

I don't think men realize how easy it is to keep a smile on his lady's face. Hm, actually, I'll take that back. Let me just speak for myself here & not generalize. Every woman isn't so easy to please, this I am sure of. SO, speaking for myself, even the smallest gestures of kindness don't go unnoticed. A little reassurance can go a long way. Speaking from personal experience & from numerous conversations with female friends -- feeling left in the dark about how someone truly feels about you isn't the best feeling in the world.

Don't neglect to tell your lady how you feel. If the little things she does puts a smile on your face, tell her. If you feel lucky to have met her, tell her. If you like the way that things are progressing between the two of you, let her know. No one is going to know how you feel unless you tell them. I think that a big misconception in this situation is that people often assume that their significant other should know how they feel about them based solely off of actions, past discussion of emotions, and past conversations about feelings. When people get too comfortable and complacent they often lose that initial eagerness and zeal towards their partner -- that same eagerness that their partner probably fell in love with from the beginning. You may think "I've told her how I felt before." ....ok, lovely but like you said, that was before and this is now. The dynamics of relationships are ever evolving & growing (or deteriorating) so to think that telling her how you felt a month ago should still suffice today would be kind of silly, wouldn't it?

Honestly and truly, everyone loves to know that they are appreciated. We all love to hear how the person we are interested in feels about us. And although, deep down, we may "know" that they do indeed feel a certain way about us -- hearing it come from their lips provides a sense of comfort & security that everyone in a relationship should have. On the other end, like I stated previously, tell her! Tell her five, ten, twenty times -- I promise you that there is absolutely no harm or shame in sharing your feelings with someone that you care about. Most importantly, even the most basic reminder can have the most beneficial results in the long run. Taking out the time to send her that cute text message in the middle of the night -- taking the time to call her and tell her that you appreciate her -- are just little things that can prevent the dreaded "I don't know how you feel anymore" conversations in the future.

Sometimes all we need is that little reminder that you do indeed still...feel. True, true "actions speak louder than words" ....but don't forget that your words do indeed speak volumes.

♥♥♥

Ladies, before you can allow anyone else to love you, you must first learn to love yourselves.

Most people would probably say that they do indeed love themselves, If one were to ask.

But can you truly say that you love yourself?

Truly loving yourself means loving all of you.

This means, loving who you are past the insecurities & past the flaws.

Realizing that no one in this world is perfect, embrace your imperfections.

Your imperfections just show that you are human...

Not a 'barbie' ...which apparently is the 'new thing' to be as of late.

Realize that your imperfections make you undeniably beautiful.

They are just a 'minor' part of the complex bundle of things that make you...well... uniquely YOU.

Understand that even with all the imperfections in the world,

You are the wonderfully & fearfully created craftsmanship of God (Psalms 139:14)

Embrace who you are & everything about you!

Only when you can love yourself will you be able to let someone else love you.

Love yourself first, then watch everything else play out the way you've always imagined!

Someone is going to come along who will appreciate you 100% as you are.

In their eyes, your imperfections will be what make you perfect.

If someone can't appreciate you, 'flaws & all' ...

Then they never were worth your time!

Fall in love with YOU.

Love yourself from the inside out

♥♥♥

distance.

"The rain came down,

the streams rose,

the winds blew,

& beat against the house,

yet it did not fall,

because it had it's foundation on a rock."

Matthew 7:25

The basis of building something of value is making sure that it has a stable, solid foundation.

Having a weak foundation means that you have nothing of substance to fall back on. Building too much, too high, too quickly on a foundation that has yet to be tested over time could very well lead to an inevitable downfall in the future. Why? Because it is probably rooted in superficiality -- based off of loose opinions, fickle feelings & ever-changing emotions. No stability, no true cohesion. distance takes away some of the many external factors that are easy become distracted by and caught-up in. distance causes attention to diverge from the trivial to the meaningful. distance forces appreciation -- it highlights the significance of little things (which usually may be overlooked) which are slowly building into the most important things. distance forces introspection -- urging one to decide what truly matters at the end of the day. distance makes the happy moments happier, unpleasant moments more unpleasant -- forcing one to evaluate & put emotions into a genuine perspective without the external factors clouding their judgment. I don't like distance. I wouldn't wish for the distance to last any minute longer than it must. But as time progresses, I've realized that distance is the teacher, I am the student. distance is teaching me patience. distance is teaching me how to be appreciative. distance continually reassures me of my favorite cliché: Everything happens for a reason. distance makes me excited. Anxious. Makes me nervous at times. The distance sometimes makes me feel as though things are so out of my hands. But the distance also teaches me to relax because honestly, if it's God's hands are in it then why does it need to be "in" my own? I guess that's the beauty of it all. I hate the distance between us, but at the end of the day, I can appreciate it.

♥♥♥

"better late than never, but never late is better..."

I'm going to try to avoid a rant right now and just speak what's on my mind. Excuse me if I seem a little annoyed. I am. I've just been noticing lately that when it comes to relationships it seems to be a common trend for people who MISSED OUT on their opportunity to try to double-back & "reclaim" it. No. It doesn't work like that, lol.

I think it's safe to assume that everyone's motives behind doing this different. Jealousy, maybe? Perhaps selfishness? Maybe the person doesn't want to see the person with someone else. Arrogance? Maybe they want to keep the other person strung along for their personal gain? Maybe the person is attracted to the situation simply because it is now "off-limits" or maybe they genuinely realized that they let someone good slip through their fingers. Who knows. I don't know. I just have a big problem with it.

On of my previous blogs was a quote from my friend which stated:

"If you truly believe someone is special --

don't be dumb enough to think you're the only one that thinks so."

- adam tolliver

That quote = the truth. Don't play games and then be surprised when the person moves on. Everything happens in due season. In due SEASON. And just like everything else, seasons change. Seasons come and go. Once your season is up -- you might as well say that you have exceeded your expiration date...time to give it up. If you decided NOT to seize the moment when it was initially presented to you, don't try to SEIZE the moment when that person is trying seize the moment with someone else. Take the L. Keep it moving.

It's easy to try to dismiss a situation like this by saying "Oh, well maybe it just wasn't meant to be." Don't kid yourself. It may have very well been what was "meant to be" but because you have freewill -- the decisions you chose to make simply assisted you in diverging for the opportunity that was placed in front of you. There are many paths that are presented to us in life. The ones you decided to take lead you to different outcomes -- some desirable & some undesirable. If you took the undesirable path -- don't be upset about the undesirable results in the long run.

Ugh, and no, I'm not saying that there are no second chances in life. Just know that second chances are only given out to some (shoutout to Kid Cudi, lol). If you see the opportunity, don't put it off. If you see the potential in someone or something, go for it. Don't wait around, play games and string people along because as soon as they catch on to your game and decided to say "GoodBYE" -- you're going to be sitting there looking real silly.

Don't be the one living in regret, looking for a second chance. Please.

Seize the moment.

Take opportunities.

Be open.
love freely♥

Live your life without regrets.

That is all.

Goodnight.

♥♥♥

Sorry for this. Ultimate rant, smh!

be careful what you ask for...

When I was in middle school, my friends and I competed annually in Bible Drill back at F.O.G.B.C. Ahh, the good ol' days, lol. For those of you who have no idea, Bible Drill is basically a competition of memorizing bible verses, bible book locations, & finding them quickly in those standard burgundyish-red hardback bibles, lol. Literally. We had these long lists of bible verses we had to memorize so that when it came down to competition time, we'd know our stuff. So, my friends and I used to do everything we could -- using songs & all types of random techniques -- to try to memorize everything. Well, this afternoon, I woke up humming one of the songs my friend had made up (mind you, this was YEARS ago. Why was this song stuck in my head? lol)

"Ask and it will be given to you,

Seek and you will find.

Knock and the door will be opened you,

Luke 11:9."

(Shoutout to LaKeva G. for realizing that rhymed, lol)

Haha, so random but instead of dismissing it, I decided to think about how it applied to anything going on in my life. I started to think about it different then. Seek and you will find. Usually, when I think about this verse, I think about it as:

1. ask for the things you need (not necessarily material things, but you get me) and you'll receive it.

2. seek for something (answers, wisdom, revelation, knowledge, etc) and you will find it.

3. knock (Figuratively, on the door of opportunity) and the door will be opened for you.

No problem looking at it that way, considering that it is pretty much the most straightforward way of looking into the verse. I just like to find alternative ways of understanding scriptures when I can.

Today's interpretation: If you are seeking to find something, especially when it comes to finding fault in something or someone, undoubtedly -- you will find it. If you decide to investigate a suspicion (whether rational or irrational) in a particular situation, you'll find something to validate what you are looking for. If you seeking to find fault in someone, you'll find it. If you're looking for a reason NOT to pursue something (i.e. a relationship) with someone, you'll find a reason not to. I think it's important that we be careful what we ask for and what kind of answers we look for. If you know that you are not mature enough to handle the truth about a situation -- don't go investigating it and setting yourself up. I can almost guarantee that you will not like what you find! I believe that there is "Not So Good" in every good person & in every good situation. If you go seeking it out, you'll find it. That's why we need to be careful and realize that the bad isn't what we should be seeking out in situations.

If there is an issue that needs to be brought to our attention (i.e. red flags), they will reveal themselves in due season.

No need to try to find them.

Enjoy the good in people.

Be happy In Your Happiness.

Don't ruin it by trying to find possible faults & imperfections.

Random ramblings.

♥♥♥