People of Purpose

    Truthfully there are some days where I barely can get out of bed. I have to coach myself like I'm playing football; and what I really mean is, I have to coach myself like I'm playing football for the Lions. Previously in life I've been guilty for calling off of work for being "sick", but really it was just because I was overwhelmed with feelings of depression and hopelessness. I've had thoughts that life is not worth living. I've had thoughts of leaving. I have had thoughts of sinning. If you haven't felt worthless then let's just call you what you are - a liar. Ha-ha. I am positive that almost everybody has felt worthless at least once.

    I am positive that we've all tried to cover up how we really feel inside with things whether it be weed, alcohol, buying an excessive amount of new products, blotting out our thoughts with music, or whatever else helps us to not deal with the pain that we really feel inside. It can be hard to see your purpose when you're so focused on the pain, or when you're so focused on internalizing the pain. But the day we seek God for healing is the day we can see our purpose through clear glass. We start to look to God for our identity instead of looking to our feelings of illegitimacy. Wake up. Your designer clothes can't define you. Your sports abilities can't define you. Your radical rap skills surely can't define you.

    If you think they do then you must know that eventually your clothes will get holey (not holy) and frankly, the body that your designer clothes are cladding will get wrinkly and you won't think you look as good in them as you did in your youth. Then when your body gets wrinkly, your bones get brittle, and your b-ball skills are going to drastically dwindle. Then when your body gets wrinkly, your bones get brittle, your voice is definitely going to start to diminish and in reality, your hip hop is going to start to sound like Frank Sinatra. These may be gifts and talents that you have now, but what's your reason behind doing them? You can be making a huge difference, but if you're not doing it with the right heart, a heart of love for others, then it means nothing.

    God gave you a purpose and it is up to you to fulfill it. In order for us to fulfill it He must repeatedly refine us so that it is not our purpose that defines us, but His purpose and who we are as children of promise. If our purpose ultimately defines us, instead of God then we are going to be focused on the wrong thing. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." I want to encourage you today to keep hanging onto the words God has spoken to you and hanging onto the words that have been prophesied over you that you're still waiting to see come to pass. In 1 Kings 9 God had made a covenant with Solomon that if Solomon walked in uprightness and kept His statutes then God would establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever. In other words, if Solomon did his part then God would do His. Long story short, and I encourage you to read it for yourselves; Solomon did not obey the Lord.

    The importance of obedience is great. Deuteronomy 28:1 says, "If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all of his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth." In other words, obedience brings blessings and disobedience brings curses. A good example of this is the prodigal son taking his father's inheritance, leaving his father, and wasting it on things of this world. If you're living in blatant sin I also want to encourage you to turn from it and to come back home. He's waiting for you. Don't miss out on the things He has in store for your life. I pray that whatever you're pursuing this day is not the world, but the Prince of Peace who has given you these promises.

When to Speak, and When to Be Silent

    Sometimes silence can be violent or diamonds and sadly, in a culture so consumed with social media, the line is becoming more and more blurred. I came across a tweet the other day from @SwedishCanary that said, "Never has a generation so diligently recorded themselves doing nothing." That hit home. It boggles my mind that so many can sit behind a screen and yell and scream and preach, but their lives are selling the opposite from sitting and staying stagnant. Over the past couple of months God has been stretching me more and more out of my comfort zone. That's a story and topic for another time. But my point is: are we really saying what we should be? So in this post I'm going to be speaking about when it's okay to speak and when it's okay to be silent.

    God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason, but I wonder how much we would contradict ourselves if He gave us two mouths. In a way, He did. Our second mouth is called our actions. They speak the loudest and they are what determines reactions. This day and age many have the habit of speaking without thinking and it often gets them into trouble. We have filters, but only on Instagram, pic apps, and Twitter. We rarely ever use them for our mouth. Speaking our opinions have become more like partitions than help. Knowing what to say can be more important than when to say it.

So what kind of things are okay to say? 

• Things that express encouragement. (Ephesians 4:29)
• Things that give thanks. (Ephesians 5:4)
• Things that answer gently. (Proverbs 15:4)
• Things that reply graciously. (Colossians 4:6)
• Things that declare truth. (Ephesians 4:24)
• Things that show courtesy. (Titus 3:2)
• Things that mouth righteousness. (Proverbs 12:6)

    There is a time and a place for everything, including your words. Seeking the Lord for discernment in when to say something is also important. Have you ever tried to resolve something with somebody who just wouldn't have it? It's a killer! When people are all riled up at least one, if not all of these three things happen:

1. They're not in the right state of mind. (We've all been here. We're so focused on being right that our state of mind becomes wrong. Our words can be right along with our intentions being wrong.)
2. Their filter is on defense mode. (We feel attacked so we're more concerned about sticking up for ourselves than openly hearing others out.)
3. They won't listen. (We heard what we thought we heard so we just want to speak instead of hearing them honestly.)

    Have you ever gone back to those types of conversations that didn't go well at first after your feelings dissipated? Conversations tend to go much better when you're not on fire. (James 1:19 - "Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;") Learning to be silent than what to speak is a tougher feat. It draws me to people so much more when I can tell that they're pondering what was said instead of them piling up what to say. (This is something I definitely can work on.) It is a sign of wisdom to me; and it clearly was in the Bible as well. It even says the foolish man who is silent appears intelligent (Proverbs 17:28). There are so many other good things said in the Bible about those who are silent whose mind remains steadfast on the Lord. I definitely want to develop those characteristics.

These kind of people are:

• Understanding. (Problems 11:12)
• Wise. (Proverbs 29:11)
• Beautiful. (1 Peter 3:3-4)
• Peaceful. (Isaiah 26:3)
• Prudent. (Amos 5:13, Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 12:23)

    Like I mentioned and demonstrated above, silence is a beautiful thing unless we're being silent about the truth. We are to speak what is true 100% of the time. In that case, let's NOT be silent and NOT back down. Let's NOT be intimidated into silence any longer. What do we have to lose in speaking the truth? I'm not going to say nothing. We will lose our fleshly desires, we will lose our comfort, we will lose our self-dependency, BUT we will NOT lose our souls. So today I encourage you to stand up and speak out now to whoever God lays on your heart!

Dancing With Demons

Dancing With Demons

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

At the club dancin with demons.

Would you be dancin with yo booty up on Jesus?

It's a vivid image.

I know.

It should be makin you cringe.

I know.

You were made for beauty.

Instead you're quenching the thirsty -

Twerking -

It's one of the worst.

Shakin yo booty ain't gonna to get yo booty into heaven,

Inert.

Why you flirtin

With the enemy?

He's a coy little smile watchin,

Sayin cheese.

Well girl, do it like sweet brown and run fo yo life.

There's a fire and you ain't just gonna be burning for the night.

We all fighting in the world for purity.

And you ain't be fightin' right if you're of the world promoting promiscuity.

I can guaran-tee one of you is offended with me.

But I'd rather be real than pretend -

Ya know what I mean?

Honey - You know I'm all for originality.

But you're still - initiating

Every stimulus - you're intimating subliminally

Just happens to be the same

Call-me-lame.

It ain't sexy.

Talkin' Jamie Fox ya-boy

You think you fox-y 

Talkin about shawtys disrespectfully.

There blamin it on the alcohol

Well I'm here with real cannonballs

Knockin down your walls-call it

Truth.

Whatchoo talkin 'bout?

Willis thinkin you the illest

But your girl here keepin it the trillest.

You blamin it on the alcohol when you're the one puttin it in yo mouth.

The truth came in and the truth came out.

Jason Deru- Who?

I'll tell you what you do.

Look to the one and only Author of truth.

Now ya can't blame me for staying silent

Cuz I'm spreadin the truth kinda like a virus.

The Image of Transparency

The Image of Transparency

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

You all up on here carin' about your image like Cain

While I'm just doing damage with the transparency of what I say.

I ain't perfect.

I make mistakes.

But you just on here tryin' to imitate..

The world

With the words you spill 

And the poison you hurl on Saturday nights.

That's what I used to be like

But now on Sunday mornings I learn to be like,

Love like Christ

Instead of loving like those one stand nights.

I'm new.

Let me tell you

It wasn't worth it when the night was through.

Love with no attachments led to other people's misjudgments about me.

Slut, hoe, whore.

Well with that night I thought I won..

The heart of the man who I adored 

In place of the innocent lamb who I ignored..

Swapped..

For a man in a mask,

A man who played around like it was an important task.

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater.
Had another and didn't love her.

Spiritual maturity like a nursery rhyme,
Recognized, realized, and brought into the light.
I was confused.
Heard so many "God bless you's."
Which "god" are you talking about!?
For the first time in my life I started to doubt
What I really knew -
The truth.
Yet the one and only God pulled me out.
I was blind, but now I can see
The ugliness of deceit.

Let this be a lesson.
Not of defeat,
But of victory and freedom..
Because He was watching over me.
Protected by the blood..
From
Wolves in sheep masks.
Always declare, "Let there be light" and ask..
For discernment,
What a beautiful, beautiful adornment.

Crucify My Flesh

Crucify My Flesh

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

MmMm, I don't play games.

I live for Christ unashamed.

He blessed me with discernment.

There's no foolin 'round with this chick.

All or nothing?

My all is the call.

So why would I trade Him in for the world,

trade a pearl in for a meal?

And what's the deal with all these people

Going around calling themselves Christians

Only 'cause they hide under a steeple?

That will just make them weaker,

Living in pride.

That's why I stick with learning to be meeker,

Suicide.

Crucify my flesh.

Going hard for Christ and no less.

Modest in my dress and representing purity.

After all wasn't that who Christ was supposed to be?

Well I'll tell you He always was, will, and will be.

But the lukewarm who call themselves Christians make it look like hypocrisy.

In fact they're not Christians at all.

They playing a game, baseball.

Their relationships are creepin from first base all the way to home plate.

When the Word says home plate is to be sanctified.

Saved for marriage,

But we've got girls calling themselves Christians.

They spillin over their cleavage

Instead of spilling out the Holy Spirit.

But that's why I'm in it

Now,

I've never been gratified from the lies of the enemy.

That's why I keep choosing to look to Christ for who I'm supposed to be.

I don't do the stuff I did before, look at pornography.

'Cause I'm no longer bonded in my sin.

I've been set free.

And my passion is to help these young ones along,

To teach them what God's word says is right and what's wrong.

I'm not in it for the glory

And if you've heard the story,

My God is greater than your idols.
They just inventory.