The Rightful Owner

Luke 15:8

8"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?

When you lose something and realize that you have lost it, you look for it. If it is of value to you, you will search until you find it. The other day I was on my way to the restroom and I came across a Metro SmarTrip card with a unique identifier. I figured it was a woman who dropped it because of the location where I found out. I started to put it in the women's restroom but thought, someone would take it and it may not be the rightful owner. So I went back into the office and sent an email saying what I had found but that it had a unique identifier on it. If the person could tell me what it was then I would know it belonged to that person. People looked at me as if I were crazy. I made mention in the email that I knew what it was to lose a wallet and metro card and someone returned it to me. I said I would turn it into Metro if the owner didn't come forward. Some do not realize that you can register your card with Metro so that if you lose it, they can track the last amount you had on it and ship you a new one. Anyway, many looked at me and wondered why I didn't just keep the card. My thought, I am not the rightful owner. The person who lost it didn't intend to lose it. I even told the security guard at the front desk. The next day, a colleague came to me and said they met the rightful owner. She was talking with the security guard and spoke of the SmarTrip card with a unique identifier. The colleague said as soon as he heard her say it he stopped and told her where she could find me. The woman came to me yesterday to claim her card. I recognized her as she is in one of the other suites on the floor.

The Word says in Luke 6:31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

Would you want someone to return to you something you lost? Anything that is rightfully mine, I want returned to me regardless of how it was lost. How you treat others is an indication of how you want to be treated. If you want something that belongs to you returned, when given the opportunity, return to the rightful owner what belongs them. The body of Christ often speaks about taking back what the devil stole. So if you know you have come across something that God didn't say was yours, return it to the rightful owner. And so God will do with you at the proper time.

A Testimony to His Great Name

Proverbs 16:3

3Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.

In whose name are you doing anything? Is it for your name or in the name of the Lord that you are attempting to move forward? As the Word says, anything you attempt to do you ought first to give it to the Lord.

I was in one of my author groups on LinkedIn last night. The group is geared toward Christian writers. Someone posed the following question, "Should you ask God for success in your writing?" My response, "Of course! More importantly, you ought not begin to type words on the page without asking the Lord for direction." It seemed like a "no brainer" to me. Then I remembered that we live in a society where it is acceptable to "have it your way" as Burger King says. It is acceptable to do whatever floats your boat without care or cause as to if what you are doing or where you are going is the direction God has created and purposed you to go.

In all my works I ask God for direction and give it to Him because He is the one that presented me with the gift and He is the great inventor. I not only ask for guidance in daily writing but also in books, the company created with my wonderful partner and future productions we have on the timeline. While jogging last week, God gave me a wonderful marketing download and it's the same one He gave to someone else I have been working with so we are in sync. Asking God for guidance in your work is the way to allow Him to get the glory. The success He gives you is a testimony to His great name.

P.S. Remember to check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Network (www.lofnetwork.com) Monday-Friday from 10am-12pm ET and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!

A Clear Divide

2Corinithians 6:14

14Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers . For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?

Many understand that those in Christ are not actually to marry those who are non-believers. The question of "why not" often comes to mind. The reason is that the foundation will not be in unison. Your beliefs shape your view and are actually to be a guide to how you speak and act. If the foundation is not in sync, how do you expect to build? The house will be lopsided. Even if you share the same basic principle of "there is a God" and the "Holy Trinity exist", are you even on the same page?

I woke up the other day with an old song from Ashanti in my head, "Rain on Me". Her song was about the difficulties in abusive relationships. If you view the video you will see that Ashanti's character was in entertainment and she had a boyfriend/spouse, though it's not clear what he did. The video starts with Ashanti examining her face after an apparent beating from the boyfriend played by Larenz Tate. He attempts later to fix the abuse with sex, which is really the only area the couple had in common in the video. Later they attend a star-studded event and she is embracing her stardom. He on the other hand, feels left behind and you see the anger and jealousy with his clenched fist. He goes off and has sex with another woman in their home. Ashanti's character realizes it's time to go. But let's go back to the partner. He was jealous of her success and it shows that he was uncomfortable with her growth.

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

When you are with someone who is not growing and cannot appreciate the mutual benefit that comes with growth in a partnership, then you cannot walk in unison. You cannot move forward together. One person attempts to move forward and the other attempts to hold them where they are. Ashanti's character was in a new arena and place in her life and the boyfriend/spouse felt like he didn't fit. Here's the issue. They were never on the same page in the first place. Ashanti's character was always going somewhere forward. And the boyfriend/spouse was always going nowhere fast. He may have looked good but that means nothing in the grand plan if mentally and spiritually they were not attempting to go the same road regardless of the vehicle. You don't have to do the exact same thing to be in sync but it certainly needs to be for the purpose of going forward and healthy for you. My assistant pastor did a physical demonstration of two people holding hands and not in sync. When one person wants to go forward while the other persons wants to just stand still and they are holding hands, what happens? The one going forward has to drag the other forcefully to move. It becomes a wrestling of strength.

Do not enter relationships and partnerships where the balance is so off. This can one day lead to a jealousy within the relationship that can attempt to kill the spirit of another. Know who you are and what place God has you in. You are a thriving, living  person who deserves to grow and deserves those who appreciate your growth. And the right person ought to have the ability to grow also alongside you. This scenario is not reserved to women with the wrong men. For I was in a bad place with the wrong man. He was once someone who wanted to grow but had the wrong woman and then embraced anger and bitterness. This scenario is not only reserved for romantic relationships. It is with any exchange that is supposed to be equal when there is a clear divide.

Minimize the Drama

Romans 12:9

9Let  love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

The apostle Paul addressed the church of Romans via letter regarding how to live life daily as Christians. A Christian or follower of Christ is to show brotherly love to all. But notice he said to be "without hypocrisy". There are many who claim to love the Lord but their relationships with others do not reflect as such. And there are those who just stand in the presence of Christ followers yet you see no evidence that they themselves are followers. Tension, discord and unfriendliness is a common problem whenever these type of people are involved. Pray for them to have a right relationship with Christ. Why? If they are always involved in discord, tension and unfriendliness then it is clear that their relationship with Christ is not in order either. The NKJ Study Bible reflects back to Matthew chapters 5-7 and says, "A genuine relationship with Christ will be evident in personal relationships with others."  To abhor means to loathe. True followers of Christ are to loathe the type of behavior that creates tension and discord. Honestly, sometimes it is difficult to separate the behavior from the person but we are still called to love. God loves us all even though He doesn't always like our behavior. Prayer with a right heart is a demonstration of love even when you prefer not to be in the presence of drama. When they get their relationship with Christ right, you will see a change in their interaction with you and others. Until that time comes, continue to cling to what is good and minimize the drama in your life.

You Can Be Free

Luke 13:12

12But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman you are loosed from your infirmity."

It was the Sabbath and a woman who had been bound with sickness by Satan for eighteen years had appeared while Jesus was teaching. She was bent over and could not stand upright. She did not ask for Jesus to heal her nor did anyone ask on her behalf as it is often seen in the scriptures. Jesus had compassion on her when He saw her and wanted to heal her.

Sickness is of Satan, the enemy of our souls. All sickness has it's origin in him. Remember he comes to kill, steal and destroy. Some people are bound by Satan and do not ask for help. Just as Jesus did with the woman, He can do with anyone He has compassion on. Have you ever seen someone who obviously needs help but won't ask for it? Some have settled for being  bound whether by physical sickness, circumstances, spiritual and/or emotional pain and never cry out. Do you know that Jesus can still see you? He wants you to cry out to Him and ask for help. But when Jesus has so much compassion though you don't cry out, He can step into your situation anyway. You don't have to live in any kind of bondage.  Jesus came so that EVERYONE can be free.

Today is Independence Day in the United States. As those of you who are celebrating today eat and be merry, ask yourself , are you settling for some type of bondage whether physical, circumstantial, spiritual or emotional when you can be free by and in the name of Jesus?

It Will Change the Way You Look

Ecclesiastes 8:1

1Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretations of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine. And the sternness of his face is changed.

King Solomon talked about wisdom because he prayed for it and God blessed him with it. When Solomon was handed the kingdom by his father David he was very young. Having charge of an entire kingdom was overwhelming. So he sought the one his father sought, God. When Solomon prayed he did not ask for riches. He simply asked for wisdom. And God responded with, that's all you want?! And God told Solomon indeed he would have wisdom but because he didn't ask for anything else he would also receive wealth. Solomon was so wise that people came from afar just to see for themselves how much wisdom Solomon possessed. What Solomon notes is that wisdom will make a person's face shine. Have you ever seen a glow in a person's face? Have you ever just thought it was because they eat right, get rest or are happy? Yes, these can all be contributing factors but more importantly, the more time one spends before God, the more wisdom will be obtained and the more their face will shine. Even Moses spent a lot of time in the presence of God and he had a glow. Wisdom is from God. Spend time with God. It will change the way you look.

P.S. To see highlight photos from the June 15th Pre-Release Book Signing and Reading of my new book, Shh Don't Tell visit the Get Your Joy In The Morning page on Facebook.

"We All Fall Down"

Matthew 12:25

25But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand."

How much is accomplished when there is division? If no one can agree on the goal or "the win", then nothing gets done. If no one can agree on how to achieve the goal, then nothing gets done. Division is the way to ensure that everything and everyone fails. The apostle Paul used the analogy of a physical body in 1Corinthians 12 to show the importance of unity. Jesus used a house and a kingdom. The Pharisees saw Jesus cast out demons and accused him of operating by the power of Satan. But why would Satan want to cast out his own demons who are part of the kingdom of darkness? Jesus is the light and only wants to cast out the darkness. Jesus did not want to cast out the light. He is the light and everything that represents light, He wants to keep with Him.

There is a lot of division in various places. The question is, who is driving out what? If light is driving out darkness then everyone is on the right path. If darkness is driving out light, then there is a HUGE problem. If the people of God are divided against one another, who wins? If a house, church, etc, is not on one accord with God and the light of Jesus, it cannot survive. Jesus is the rock and the foundation upon which everything is to be built and how to remain standing. Jesus stands upon the will of the Father, our God. But if the will of God is not the main goal, then it all fails. Personal agenda instead of God's agenda is the reason for division. Personal agenda instead of God's agenda is the reason why a house, church, etc will fall. "Ashes, ashes we all fall down", as the nursery rhyme goes.

P.S. Remember to check out my girl Stubbs on the Leap of Faith Network (www.lofnetwork.com)  and Listen Live Monday-Friday from 10am-12pm and listen for the Get Your JOY In The Morning segment!