Too Many Fish in the Sea

    This is for all the single people who are always told, "There's plenty of fish in the sea." Truthfully, I'm one of the people who never really cared about romantic relationships in the realm that they weren't something I needed in my life. That's my problem; even though I have been in more relationships than I care to admit, I didn't care to understand them and I guess it took getting hit on this week by a 40 something year old "Christian", a girl, and a co-worker who is a little confused on what he believes for me to actually start caring and realizing that I should seek more of an understanding about relationships. I would have rather done without these awkward moments and somehow my backhanded nos don't seem sufficient enough for those situations. I really try to avoid them like a plague because they're so uncomfortable to me. I should not feel bad though for the beliefs that I hold onto: my belief in God, my belief in Jesus, and my belief in the Bible.

    However, I don't want to talk about everything that's biblically wrong with those three instances. Instead, I want to talk about when you know the one is "the one". I'm going to be honest in saying that I personally don't know if there is "the one" and would love to find out if there is, but I do know that when it's the right one you will be at peace but it's so much more than that. You can find the picture perfect man or woman who has everything, and I don't mean just in the physical realm; I mean they can take care of your emotional, mental, and maybe even spiritual needs, but if their God given purpose is not somehow parallel with yours then one of you two will end up sacrificing what God called you to do. There is also the big factor of being unequally yoked.

    2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" My thoughts on this verse are that it goes further than being unequally yoked with an unbeliever. I believe you can be unequally yoked with a believer these days as well. We cannot pick and choose from the Bible what we want to believe; and unfortunately we have a lot of lukewarm believers who believe they can do that, but that's the exact thing that they are - simply believers and not doers. They have no substance and are weak in their faith. Revelation 3:16 says, "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." That is a bold statement, beloveds. We either obey Him or we perish, simple as that.

    So boldly put, not everyone is on the same path as you and they will end up pulling you away, intentionally or unintentionally from your relationship with God and your individual purpose. They are not on the same page and frankly, are not God's will for your life as a mature Christian. It will be the wreck of you if you try to make it so. Know that there wouldn't be a heaven if there were no hell, honey. Matthew 7:14 says that the road is narrow and there are very few people who find it. I'm sure that this also dwindles down any option of who you might think is "the one". Thank God. I have one last thought that I want to pose: Most of the time we pray asking God about things, but we forget that a lot of times His answer, instruction, and direction was already given. It's called the Bible, and how many of us who say that we're Christians actually read it and use it? So does what your potentials say and live match the Word of God? If the answer is no then honey, know that God's got better for you and that it will definitely be worth the wait.

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!

We Live

We Live

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

We live in a land where consequences for your actions 

Is "persecution",

Telling the truth is 

"Accusation",

And who you are is 

"Speculation" from people who merely read what you write.

We live in a land where "love" is infatuation,

Where a woman's "not" pregnant at conception

Despite its definition,

Where saying sorry is meaningless defiant

"Reparation".

We live in a land where if something's not perfect,

It results in abolition,

Where big boobs, a big butt, and a tiny waist

Is viewed as "perfection",

And where caring about somebody's heart

Is nothing but a preconceived notion.

We live in a land where the world wide web

Is a huge, ugly, steel door for pornographic imaginations,

Where "love" is only a quick and fleeting sensation,

And where relationships have no healthy expectations.

We live in a land where we don't even follow our own constitution,

Where our freedom of speech is conditioned,

Especially if you're a Christian.

We live in a land where the church has become the epitome

Of selfish devotion,

Where helping the needy has really become "stagnation",

And where the church doesn't even know the meaning of Jesus's resurrection. 

We live in a land where very few things see consummation,

Where there's few that actually know the meaning of consecration,

And where so many people quit this walk 

Because of condemnation.

We live in a land where condemnation is confused with conviction,

Where we don't have to work out our salvation,

And where people don't have the encouragement to change

Because of excommunication.

We live in a land where -

Well you get the point.

What is the point of this life..

That we live if not for a greater purpose..

To rise above the status quo..

And put a stop to this.

What is the point if not to reject what we've learned

And accept more of what our Creator knows?

His promise.

Sticks and Stones, Honey

    Most of you who know me on a personal level know that I'm a very sensitive person. When I'm not thinking deeply I'm feeling deeply. Well this past year I have probably felt more emotions than every year of my life combined, but let's throw it back a few years. In 2011 I felt the Holy Spirit come into my life and lead me for the very first time. I was freed from addictions. In 2012 after coming back from backsliding I gained a little more wisdom. In 2013 I thought I was entering into ministry that came in the form of what I desired to do for the Lord. If you can call it ministry then it would have been best described as masked ministry. It ultimately put me right back into the very thing it preached against. In this time of my life I am gaining more wisdom than ever before mainly in the subject of the spiritual realm. I blindly stepped into the season I'm gladly exiting out of. I did not have much knowledge of the Word as a whole at the time.

    Besides being sensitive I'm also someone who believes the best in people, gives people second chance after second chance, and someone who trusts in man too easily. Man, has that gotten me into a lot of trouble and my heart broken time and time again. That's how I got to the place where I am now. Psalm 118:8 - "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans." I sure am in the process of learning this now and if I would have learned it a year and a half ago I would have saved myself a lot of pain which is why I am sharing this with you all. I was talking to a wise pastor a week ago who asked me, "Would you leave a child molester alone with your children?" I thought the question was absurd! "Of course not," I exclaimed enthusiastically! I immediately had to take responsibility for letting people into my life that were not only sinning against me, but tempting me back into sin. (Note - We are all responsible for our own actions.)

    You might be saying, "Well I already failed that and now I'm broken as ever." Well there's good news. God heals! I'm going to quote my tweet from earlier today: "Let's be real. Emotions can suck. But God heals and that healing INCLUDES your emotions, not just the physical! Rest in His presence" (Psalm 107:19-21, Psalm 30:2, and my favorite Psalm 147:3). This past year I was called everything from a whore from the same lips who did the same thing to delusional and crazy for listening to what the Holy Spirit was telling me. I suffered many accusations that weren't true because of my sin and for letting there be cracks in my life for demons to enter into. I texted my spiritual mommy in tears while I was at work about how hurt I was to keep myself from going off the deep end and into real insanity from all that I've had to endure this past year. She simply told me to look at it from a spiritual perspective and that God will heal my broken heart. Yesterday I realized that God is doing two more amazing things in me by going through this: 1.) He is purging me of my pride and getting rid of all my self-sufficiency and will. 2.) He is teaching me the fear of the Lord.

    This little girl who was once made fun of for being so sensitive is also learning to not care what people say about me or scheme against me because God knows, and if I take into consideration what He thinks about what's going on all around me then I don't have to worry or defend myself. Words, words, words? They're sticks and stones, honey. I've spent the last three months trying to defend myself and fight for worth and it didn't work, but thing is, none of us have to! God avenges (Psalm 94, Nahum 1:2, Deuteronomy 32:35). God says you're worthy (Psalm 139:13-15, Jeremiah 29:11, Luke 12:6-7). Take rest in that, weary soul.

(Credit to Anthony Young for the photo. Go like "The Reading Group" on Facebook)

The Reality of Innocence

The Reality of Innocence

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Murder capital.

Sin city.

This was around when I was 

Twenty. 

Ha.

Arrested in Flint for a crime I didn't commit -

At least this time..

 A crime..that I didn't commit.

So much injustice..

In a city of violence

This time..

I was innocent.

Later my case was dismissed.

But I want to tell you about the experience.

Betrayed.

By somebody who was supposed to love me.

But all I could think of was that

Some of these prisoners were more free

Than the people you see..

Walking on the streets.

Some of the police..

Were missing their hearts

While some of these prisoners had missing body parts.

And when I say they were missing their hearts

What I really meant was..

 That their hearts were brutally dark.

Mocked.

By men in uniforms

And I surely..don't mean

Orange..ones.

But by men and women with badges that they supposedly..earned.

Who were still given grace if they could only learn..

To accept it..

And to stop rejecting it.

If they could only learn to see..

That they were no better than anybody.

In cuffs

While I was waiting to see the judge

All I could think of was the man hanging up on the cross -

Jesus.

He was betrayed by the people he walked among..

The very people that he still died for..

To love.

The ONLY innocent man who was hung upon a tree

Gave me peace.

You are my child - protected by the blood.

All things I have worked together for your own good.

You are called according to my purpose and you've got to

Forget those who are still being remorseless.

Forgive and forget the pompous.

Move on because you deserve..

Love.

Move on..

Because I have something greater.

Someone who is faithful.

Not only..

Faithful..

To you, but faithful..

To me.

Silky Smooth

Silky Smooth

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

I used to think having a job close to full time,

a car that I paid in full, listening to those hard rhymes,

& living without my parents at eighteen

made me all that I was supposed to be.

Little miss independent wasn't who she was supposed to be.

Then I started relying on God and in Him I had found my purpose.

He was the right compass, direction,

The protection provided to keep me from hurt,

From all that dirt that made me feel like I was worthless.

The story is I was fed all these lies from all these guys

telling me I was a loser, emotional abusers.

But hey, they were cute

and their smooth words absurd as they were

didn't bring me any closer to kicking them to the curb.

I knew those words were slurred with deception,

But I had a fear of their rejection and

I yearned for their affection.

The only way I learned to keep them was by seduction.

They were my security, a part of me.

My vision for success

was clad in a silky smooth immodest dress.

It was a plan that I ran and controlled.

It only ended up being a deadly hold on me.

This was not who I wanted to be.

That may have been success from a worldly view.

Then #God said, "I'm the only one who can make you new."

Reminded me I wouldn't be content in that and

I hadn't been in matter of fact.

I lacked the only thing I need.

No good deed would suffice until I turned my life around and gave it to Jesus Christ.

In Him I was made right and found all that I was looking for.

That very day was like I was walking through a brand new, unopened door.

Against the Crowd

Against the Crowd

By: Elaina Morgan

People, you all make me laugh.
Always swimming with the current when the current won't last.
They're always going to change direction,
going to change what they think is perfection.
Nope, not me.
I'm never going to live to make other people happy.
I don't want to lose control.
I don't want to lose grip over my soul,
'Cause what's the meaning of gaining the world
and losing your soul
If you only end up feeling broken instead of feeling whole,
If you only end up feeling empty instead of feeling full.
Go against the crowd,
Even when it seems like they're yelling too loud,
Cover your ears until you make it there.
Don't let them pull you down when you're climbing,
don't let them interrupt your timing.
Instead be that one to reach even higher.
Perseverance's dire.
Always say what you mean and mean what you say.
Make your ways different than you would any other day.
Be someone caring, loving, considerate, and kind.
Don't play mind games or waste any time.
Prove yourself.
Don't lose yourself in yourself.
Be selfless, not selfish. That's my wish.

God Sent

God Sent

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

I lost myself last year

because I really didn't care.

Tried to find myself,

But is it really there?

If I find her I'm not sure if I'll define her.

She was so loving, and caring, and pure.

She was so precious and giving,

 I'm sure.

She may have been beautiful,

But it's all become a little new to her.

She got lost by the incogonito.

Turned out to be all deceit though.

 Love is true.

It doesn't manipulate.

Guess it's not you

If you didn't know how to participate.

Knowing how to truly love

Only comes from knowing what's above.

It doesn't always mean finding love

here on earth

Because here it might have been birthed,

But without Him it is absent.

Love only comes from a God sent.

Hesitant Steps

I wrote this January 9, 2010. I don't have much to say about this one except that this battle is real.

Hesitant Steps

By: Elaina Grace Morgan

Hesitation in my condemnation

To run back to your arms

Lost in this dry desert

In the way of harm

I need you to take me home

I'm trying to get to you

but I'm running in place

Doubt is getting through

Past grasping me

I want to turn to you

Lost in my failure

Calling out for you

Little bloom of hope

Blowing in the wind

Little flame of light

Guiding my way again

Hope for all the things I've been

I'm falling more in love with Love

Light so I can see the end

I'm falling more in love with You.

Copyright: Elaina Morgan, January 10, 2011