"Bitter"

"And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground....But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt."

We all like to focus on the future, when our present seems so dark. The future can be that one distant star of hope, brightly shining as dim as a weakened candle. While holding on to the future's reward is often the tylenol of enduring the present heartache, for a moment I want to talk about the Ghost of our own past.

In the story, Lot and his family was spared from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra. As the verse says, she turns around and becomes a pillar of salt. I want to bring a much deeper meaning to that verse. Looking back into your past and wishing it was still your present, or regretting the changes you have made, or just simply being bitter about the things that happen, will destroy your future. It will leave you planted in the same position eternally until you decide to look forward to your future, instead of falling backwards into your past.

"And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."

When God relays a message to you from someone else, make sure you are listening. It may not always be what you want it to be, but its for your own benefit. God told Lots family not to look back and to escape to the mountains where you can not be consumed. God wants to take you to the highest place, spritually so that you will be above all the things that come to harm you. And when I say above, I mean not only physically, but spiritually. So when someone forms a weapon against you, if you are in Gods will and his grace, you will know that it shall not prosper against you. And not only will you rise above it, you will be reborn in him so you will not be bitter towards that person because you are higher mentally. In fact, you will pray for that person and that they find God.

Looking back into your past with "wishful thinking" will cloud your future. Looking back will even sometimes have you bitter towards God because you miss some of the things you had you feel may have actually had some good in it. Let me break down the difference between "good" and "God." Good is a four letter word that looks like God with the letter O being replicated. But there is only one God, and he cannot be duplicated, though he is often imitated. God is a three letter word, which is a prime number so it can only be divided by the number one and itself. Since God is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, so the only thing that can divide(serparate) you from him is Himself. He is number one. Thats why the things that are good are not always God, but the things that are God are always good.

When God gives you something, he does not take it away. And even if he does, its because he is upgrading you for your obedience. So do not look back into your past wanting some things to return to your present. The only time we should be thinking about the past is when we are thanking God for our present and that he brought us out of destruction. God wants your future to be on a high mountain, filled with milk and honey. Far from destruction, and closer to the heavens with him. But first you have to listen to him when he is calling, and you have to climb that mountain. Trust me I know, going up that mountain is painful, tiring, and streneous to the body.

God can put you through so much you become bitter towards him because life was easier when you were on your own it seems like. He will make you want to give up, but you can't. You must have faith in him. Because when you are done climbing, your legs and calf muscles are stronger so you can walk through life and stand your ground without getting knocked down. Your arms are stronger so you can fight against tricks of the enemy. And finally you will be in a place where you are so close to God its like you can see him and talk to him personally. Its like He is in the room with you, talking back to you as you pray. He wants you so high up that even if someone does come to attack you, they will be fatigued from all the hard work it takes to even try and harm you, and they will be easily defeated with your new strength!

That is why God tells you not to look back, because there is so much in front of you, just need to move forward. When you look back with bitterness, you become a statue, planted at that place in that moment, never seeing the future God has in store for you.

"Moving Mountains"

While being in a class once, the teacher made a very clear and concise presentation on the meaning of faith. Let me tell you the story...

"Class, I would like to demonstrate to you the meaning of faith. Take this rubber ball in my hand. Its soft, squishy, and when it is exherted by force against a dense object, it bounces. As so (Teacher displays the ball's ability to bounce.) So now that you know this ball can bounce, Myron, would you mind displaying the fact that it can bounce again for the class." I attempt to bounce the ball, but it doesn't bounce. There is confusion written all on my face. I look at the teacher for an explanation.

"There it is ladies and gentleman. Faith. The moral of the story is not that fact that the ball did not bounce when I gave it to him. In fact, I switched the balls and gave Myron a different one that doesn't bounce. Whats important is Myron just knew, without the shadow of a doubt that when he threw the ball it would bounce. No questions asked. He knew it, he believed it. He witnessed it before. That is faith and how it should be. Its what God wants. For you to believe in him blindly and to trust he will do what he says he will do. God is the ball, which is the instrument of faith or reason to believe it to be true, while the bible and our every day lives is the proof that the ball bounces."

This story came to me while I was preparing to fall asleep last night. Yes I made it up, but I hope it was as powerful for you as it was for me. God will deliver everything he promised, even if sometimes you reach out to make the ball bounce and it doesn't. That's because we need to move on God's time and not our own. The moment you rush God or begin to doubt him is when the ball doesn't bounce. And that's because its a trick of the enemy, an imitation ball. Just like how the teacher switched balls on me in the dream, the enemy will make something look like God, but it aint. So check the content for its authenticity. Then you will know why some rubber balls just aren't bouncing back like they are suppose too.

"Holy Suicide"

"People are dying to please others and themselves, instead of dying to please God. And I do not mean that in a literal sense, I mean it in a way of always looking for ways to please one another and being overly anxious to do so, instead of driving that same passion towards God." - Myron Hargrove

“Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”- Luke 9:23-24

In this passage, God is not asking you literally die for him. What he is asking is that you stand for him, instead of falling for others. By denying yourself and that all you do or accomplish is accredited to God, you give Him the glory in all things. But by doing this and confessing with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, enemies are sure to follow you and persecute you. The enemy is always looking to test you and prove that God's existence is not only not real in you, but sometimes, not real at all. How many times have we been confronted by people who don't attend church and, "Church is so fake and nothing but a business. Everything you say not to do while you are in service, you do as soon as you leave." They have a point. Some people do act the same as "the world" in shadows, which is when they feel God is not looking. But they are some of us who Let our light so shine from within us and show that God is real.

The biggest impact you can have is not the words you use, but the actions you take. More people are watching you than people that are listening to you. This is why God said, "take up his cross daily and follow him." Think about this. When Jesus was being crucified, there was a multitude of people below him, watching him, waiting for him to pull himself off the cross and prove He is Lord. People do they same to us, they put us on the cross everyday and judge us and wait for us to prove that God is real within us. Its subliminal, because they don't really want you to come down off the cross, they don't want Jesus to show he has power over all things including simple nails in my hands and feet. They do not want to be proven wrong. Because then there is accountability at that point for there actions and people want to live free and without rules and they look at religion as rules. And to a great extent it is. But Christianity is more than rules, more than a religion, its a lifestyle. And people are already comfortable with their own lifestyle and they do not want to change. So I just encourage you to show them how beneficial this way of life is, instead of just telling them about it. "Actions speak louder than words."

Just something to think on.

"Love is Blind" - Pt 2

First off,  you must/will be equally yoked when God joins you together.

As an example of NOT being equal, I was talking to my brother-in-law yesterday and he was telling me a story of his ex from some years ago. One day they were hungry and he requested pancakes. Pancakes being an easy request, she got right on it. As she was cooking the pancakes, she ended up making mistakes and messing the pancakes. So instead of starting over again and trying a new approach, she pouted like a child, threw the pancakes and the PAN in the garbage and told him with an attitude, "We aint having no pancakes today."

Now I will give you a moment to stop laughing (I know I was) and lets look at the big picture of that. Her actions/attitude was a DIRECT reflection of her inner core. It was clear that she does not handle pressure well and when things do not go her way, she scraps the whole idea and gives up. Who wants to be married to that?

I fear some of you will Question the title of the entry seeing as how the focus is not necessarily love, but of unconditionally loving God so much you have blind faith in him. Some have requested that I go into more detail about the love itself. At this moment I have no bible verses to back up what I am saying, so just take it as a life experience I am speaking on.

Unconditional love has come to me as loving without prejudice. It's a blind love not in the idea of not seeing the truth about someone, but in fact the exact opposite, knowing all there is to know about someone and loving them anyway. This love is a hard love to accomplish and I have found that it can only produced by God and not by man. Since we are born into the flesh, we naturally only accept the people who we like, for whatever reason that may be.  Thats who we hang around, call on the phone, and attend events with. But an unconditional love runs deeper than the heart of the oceans. Stronger than the most durable metals. And more beautiful than the most precious diamonds. Now, I'm sorry, but as a human being, I can not love just anyone with that much intensity. For me, they have to earn that kind of love. And that is why God is who he is. We don't deserve a single thing, but he loved us anyway. Loved us so much he gave his only Son. Now thats a father for you. 

"Love is Blind"

We have all heard the saying that love is blind. But I think there are two sides of that coin. Follow me around the room for a second here...

We are accustom to the definition meaning when we are in a relationship, there are things that we don't see because we are busy falling in love. We are on this emotional roller coaster moving so fast that we miss out on the scenery surrounding the "ride" we are on. While this is still true, people do get stuck in that box, I want to talk about the mysterious definition no one speaks on. A love that God meant for us to strive for; an unconditional, trusting love.

The next question becomes, "Well, what kind of love is that then? Give me an example." I am going to give you more than an example. I am going to give you God. I was thinking about a bible verse that says "we walk by faith, and not by sight." This verse is so powerful to me I can not even begin to tell you, but here is my most solemn attempt. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." If we are following God so faithfully, we should not even be distracted by the things around us because we can't even see it. If we put him in charge of our every step, how can we fall? Our love should be so blind that we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and fear no evil. We can't see the foggy mist that wouldn't allow us to drive down the road because God is in the drivers seat. God guides us as if we are children, because like all children, we are disobedient and we want to do things our way. Stubborn. The enemy can place MANY distractions to try and have us falling by the wayside. Just have to trust God. 

"A Letter From God"

I see you, I have always seen you. I have been watching you since the day you were born. I do have a special purpose for you, as do I for all. I can see your faith in me has deteriorated, but not expunged. Well, while I may understand your heartache, that does not justify its existence. You are a sinner. But yet, there are very few I allow to experience what you are going through. It is not because I do not love you, or I wish to see you in pain. But rather, I allow trials and tribulations to come upon your life to build you. Its hard, I know. More than what non-believers have to bare. But it is this way simply to prepare you for the future. I love you. I know you love me too. You believe it, you embrace it. But I also know you need a reminder because it does not always seem that way. Be assured and know that all things work together, and are good to, and for ,those who love Me and are called according to My design and purpose. Your virtue is held only by the brave, the bold, the few. The few people that I call "My Children." And it is only that few, that have my word hidden in their heart motivating that virtue, that will have true happiness. Never release that virtue. Trust in me with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. If in every step you take, every decision you make, you would but just acknowledge me, I will direct your path. I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake you, nor let you down. I will give you what you desire. Peace, love, Joy, all the fruit of the spirit, all the things your life needs right now, if you would just seek me first. Seek My kingdom, and all these things will be added unto you, including that new car you have been eyeing. As I close, I want you to remember a few things as you start your day today. Remember to Love thy neighbor as you love yourself. I know you do not have the greatest boss in the world, but he is human too. Do not be angry with those who try to hurt you. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that will rise against you in judgment, you will show to be in the wrong. Remember that you fight not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness in high places. The spirits that are within the people around you. That's why My son whispered to me while he was dying, "Forgive them father, for they know not what they do." Forgive those who try to rise against you. Vengeance is mine, and mine alone. Sing the song in your heart to defend against others, just like your ancestors did with the trumpet against the walls of Jericho. I love you so much I gave my son for you. And through my son, you have eternal life. Never forget that. And finally, remember that I am your father, who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before Me with exceeding joy. Unto me, the only wise God and Savior, be both glory and majesty, dominion and power. Both Now, and Forever.

"Friendship Revisited"

I am troubled by the ability to express featured thoughts and enigmas that weigh heavy on my heart. I don't want to write on the Cloud anymore because the Cloud has the reputation of being based on relationships and my opinion of what to do and not to do. But I am more than that. There is more information imprisoned in my head waiting to be released than some guidebook to how to treat your significant other.




This is no disrespect to those that follow this blog. Its a great way for me to express what I feel, and take requests on what others want to hear about. I feel though that its a hindrance to my overall potential. I need to expand my horizon and write about other realistic topics. Though relationships is my strong suit obviously, it's not easy to come up with new topics all the time.





But there is one thing I want to leave on the Cloud before I retire, a revisiting of friendship.





Someone define friendship for me. Is a true friend the one that sticks by you even when you spit on them, or curse at them, shut them out and disrespect them? Or is that friend too naive to see the other friend for who they truly are? Someone tell me what it takes to be a great friend. Is it the money you spend on them?, or is it the time you spend with them? Is it thoughtful phone calls or text messages when you are sick or tired?, or is it the ability to continue to stand close to them, even though you are so sick and tired? Is it the courage to jump out of a plane with them for excitement (skydiving)?, or the courage to stop them from jumping off a roof when they are frustrated and ready to give up?

I have to conclude that being my friend is a luxury and an opportunity, not a necessity or a duty. I am the most loyal friend you can ever have. I am not deserving of disrespect, though I take it with a smile and continue to stand by you. I am to be appreciated and valued, because my worth never depreciates. I am all the things I asked above. God made me such an individual that cannot be recreated or reciprocated. I have my moments that I am intolerable, but that’s because I have to tolerate others and their foolishness and it has caused me to develop a backbone that I use out of context frequently. So please forgive me to all those I speak abusively to.

This is not a shot at anyone in particular or me venting from an issue that occured today. Its just something that has been on my heart and I have not been able to express it until now when I was listening to my ipod earlier. The word Friend is frivoriously being used out of context, just like the word love. We call everyone friends when a lot of people do not deserve that title. Some people are simply associates and affiliates. Associates are exactly what it sounds like, someone you associate with, while an affiliate is someone you know because there is a common individual that unites you. Otherwise without that common person, you would be strangers.

Everyone is not your friend and we have to remember that, even the ones that really are. All it takes is a moment for their loyalty to be truly tested, and they will fail. Or a moment where they have to chose between your friendship, and their personal agenda. Think about all the great heros and stories alike. Whoever the villian is on the story, they usually have some type of history with the hero and they know the hero personally. Usually some type of friendship or relative. And what happened? The villian wanted to do some action and the hero was against it, so their bond was broken. Same thing applies to us, let something get in the way of our so called friendship, and you will see who is REALLY real.

"Pisces" Pt 2

Pisces Deep Inside:

Pisces have an intuitive and psychic ability more then any other zodiac signs. They trust their gut feelings and if they do not, they quickly learn to because they realize that their hunches are usually correct. Pisces downfall is their sensitivity and their inability to reject another person. They do not like rejection and they try to treat others the way they want to be treated so they will rarely say no to a person for fear of hurting their feelings. They will help another person with their problems and like to do so because making others feel good in turn makes them feel good. Pisces is the zodiac sign of self-undoing. People born under this zodiac sign are not susceptible to bad luck and unfortunate events, they bring them on themselves by overindulging, laziness and a knack for picking poorly suited partners and friends. They want people in their life who stir their emotions because this helps them to practice emotional stability. The inner conflict of Pisces is extremes of temperament and conflicting emotions. They are trying to pinpoint themselves on the real world while their spiritual world can cloud their vision, they will try to escape or avoid a situation instead of confronting it. Pisces eternal struggle is to learn to use their powers and their imagination in a positive, productive way and vying for emotional stability by not giving away their emotions to everyone else, they need to help themselves.

Yet again I am wowed by some of the truths in this caption. All I am going to say is I do not agree with a lot of this caption, but there is some truth in it. I am not afraid to confront issues, but I have tunnel vision meaning I can only fight what’s in front of me, and not around me. I need to develop omni vision. And yes, I do like to read about certain levels of drama in books and I also like to console friends if it’s not too heavy of a topic. And I do have an extreme temperament, no argument there. Overall I feel like everyone has a little bit of every Zodiac sign in them. Personally, I have some serious Gemini tendencies, so does that make me a Gemini? Your personality is your own and is constructed simply by the environment you are raised in. And no book, or fortune teller can or even should tell you otherwise.

"Communication Without Trust"

Darius: “For the last time Nina, Lisa and I are over. You and I are together. So tell me, what is your problem?”
Nina: “How am I suppose to believe that?”
Darius: “Because I just sat here and told you.”
Nina: “Well that’s not good enough.”
Darius: “What are you talking about?”
Nina: “I’m talking about the blackboard, with her phone number on it. I’m talking about the phone calls at 5 am. I’m talking about trying to read your mind…”
Darius: “You don’t know [nothing] about trust. You the one that went to New York and [slept with] old boy.”
Nina: “You acted like you didn’t even care.”

Classic situation of not trusting your partner. Darius says whole heartedly that a woman he was previously dating is no longer an issue, Nina is disagreeing based on the evidence left behind. Darius claims she’s the one not trustworthy since she went out of town to see some ex for closure, when they were beginning a relationship. But Nina only went to because Darius played the “I’m cool” role about it and wanted to prove a point. Really its not that Darius was cool about it, Darius just wasn’t worried since he was doing his “job”.

So now there is this big elephant in the room that no one is speaking on, and because of the silence, it all aggressively came out at once. Bible speaks of being “slow to anger”, and this is one of the main reasons why. Because of Nina’s accusations on Darius, he got so fed up that he broke up with Nina. And judging by the look on her face when Darius spoke those words, that wasn’t her intended outcome of the situation. Letting things linger in the way Nina did, can bring out the opposite of your intentions. Its not just about what you say, it’s how you say it. Food can taste good, but sometimes its presentation will you drive to not even want to find out.

The moral of the story is not whether Darius was lying about dating Lisa, rather that we have to learn to trust what our partner is telling us. Unless it is painfully obvious he/she is lying. I’m not asking you to be naïve of course. Because if you don’t have trust, what do you really have? If you do not trust your partner, then you become this obsessive, insecure stalker who is always challenging the words of your partner, and treating a simple conversation like an FBI interrogation. And who wants that?

I don’t know the solution necessarily because every situation is different. But I do have a theory. That theory is called “understanding.” Communicate with your partner so you can try to understand their point, or whatever their defense is. And really listen to whatever it is they are saying. If you don’t understand how you partner thinks, or the type of decisions they make, then it’s going to be a LONG road ahead of you. Ask rational, intelligent questions without the co-signing of an attitude. And if you do suspect something, do not treat them like you caught them in the act of committing the crime, be normal! Law states, innocent until proven guilty, so keep it that way.

I am going to use myself as an example and then I am done. I am a flirt. Any woman who dates me needs to understand that. I do it for fun, and to keep the air clean. Difference between me and niggas though are my intentions. I may be a charming individual, but I simply press the demo button on the packaging of the action figure. I leave the product in the store where I found it, ya mean?

"Luggage Claim"

I want to give everyone a homework assignment. Watch the movie Love Jones.

I am going to give a basic break down of how you can apply moments in Love Jones to your own life. Lets start from the beginning.

The author/director of the movie seeks to give you a minor introduction of the past of the main characters of the movie, Nina Mosley (Nia Long) and Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate). The point of the past was to give a glance into what someone experiences and to show how it can become “baggage” later. Baggage is negative, emotional weight that lingers from a previous experience or relationship. First off, all baggage must be checked at the door before entering into a new relationship. Otherwise, you have a bunch of things to deal with before the new relationship can even grow.

You may try to force something or make something new with baggage still in hand, there will always be doors you cannot enter, conversations you cannot have, places you cannot go. You will always end up hitting a brick wall until some closure is formed from the other party.

Baggage is not always bad however. Baggage that has been claimed can be a motivating action or a mind opening realization. It can be a tool for the next relationship and help shield you from certain “attacks” that resemble from a previous relationship. It can help you choose what to look for in a new partner, and what to avoid.

In the movie, Nina has baggage from her last relationship, which was an engagement. In bringing that, she avoids Darius tactics in pursuing her. Though I will say Darius was a bit hasty in his assumption of the type of girl Nina was, thinking dedicating a sexual poem to her and expecting her to want him to jump her bones was not the best approach! That’s because his past comes from a situation of him trying to be a player, which is later explained in the movie.

Bottom line, need to get it together before you and someone else decide to get together.