I am so broken

This poem is by far one of my most personal and it goes so much deeper than this, so sharing this is kind of hard. At the end of this post, I've posted a video of the song that helped me follow through with posting this. Lol I don't really WANT to but... I should because...what glory can God get out of it if I keep it to myself!? It's definitely inspired by the Holy Spirit and I pray that it speaks you. There's no way I'm the only on who's dealt with or is dealing with this Ecclesiastes 1:9 says there's no new thing under the sun! lol I'm not trying to make light of this poem, just trying to uh... loosen things up. *nervous* Okay so now I'll just... reveal and release... AMEN

I... am so... broken
So many words unspoken
It's like the hopeless, hoping
Wake up in the morning, who do you see?
Is that me? Nah, it can't be!
Cuz God, He wouldn't do that to me
Not this hair, these lips, this nose, these eyes
But when did I get to this point where I'd start to despise?
Myself and Him for creating me this way
Take one more look in the mirror, so much to say...
If my nose was just a little slimmer
If only my hair just had a looser curl
If my face was just a little more symmetrical
THEN, I'd feel like a beautiful girl
I mean, isn't that what defines beauty in the world?
They say, "you're so skinny, you should gain weight!"
Or how about, "you're too fat, you should lay off of the cupcakes."
Ever thought it's comments like these that lead to self hate!?
And MAN! I don't know how many times I've heard, "your body ain't perfect till it looks like Beyonce's"
But hold up, who gave YOU any say?
It was your unrealistic ideals that made me feel this way, in the first place
Contradicting EVERYTHING my Heavenly Father had to say
My thoughts were so clouded by your negative views and opinions
I couldn't focus on Him who already gave me authority and dominion
WE are all BROKEN & WE ALL fall short of the glory
Falling short... is everybody's life story
No one sin is greater than the other
So me hating myself, makes me a cold-blooded killer
See, every believer has their own personal battle
It could be adultery or self-hate, I just chose the latter
I've straddled... for too long
Now I'm presenting myself bare before Him
No more of that spiritual Mac make-up
Because it only becomes sin... caked up
I'm confessing everything that grieves my soul
And because God knows my heart,
I can't play the, "I'm so Holy" role anymore
This self-hate struggle won't be my, "Get into Hell free token"
Heavenly Father make me whole, because I... am so... broken

This song was on my heart while mustering up the courage to post this. LOL OH SO RELEVANT!

Chris Webb Poetry

Man, a couple days ago, the Spirit led me to watch the first poem "The Only Thing" and man, I was captivated from beginning to end! The other to poems are nothing short of the first. In my opinion they are listed in order of climax, because the last... WOW But they are all really just, jaw dropping! Motivates me to put my pen to my pad again lol Hope you  have time to watch them all and enjoy!
♥ Glory. To. God!

The Only Thing


Hate Crimes


24

Question: "Surviving the end times - what do I need to know?"

** [Ahhh you know me, up to my shenanigans again. Lol here's something interesting that I really want to share!] ** 

Got this from a really cool website (www.gotquestions.org) , here's the link: http://www.gotquestions.org/surviving-end-times.html

Answer: Oftentimes, people experience anxiety when they think about the future; however, it does not have to be that way. For those who know God, thoughts concerning the future bring about eagerness and comfort. As an example, describing a woman who knows and trusts God, Proverbs 31:25 says, “She smiles at the future.”

The two key thoughts to keep in mind about the future are, first, God is sovereign and in control over everything. He knows the future and absolutely controls what will happen. The Bible says, “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’ . . . Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it” (Isaiah 46:9–11, emphasis added).

The second thing to remember about the future is that the Bible outlines in specific details exactly what will occur in what Scripture calls “the end times” or “latter days.” Because the Bible is God’s revelation to humankind, and because God knows and controls the future (as Isaiah says above), then it stands to reason that when the Bible speaks about what will occur in the future, we can believe it. Concerning predictions about the future, the Bible says, “No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:21). This truth is made evident by the fact that, unlike supposed prophecies made in other religions or by individuals (e.g., Nostradamus) who said they could predict the future that did not come true, the Bible has never once been wrong – every time the Bible has predicted a future event, it happened exactly as Scripture said it would.

When considering how to understand and survive in the end times, three key questions need to be answered:
1. How should I interpret what the Bible says about the future (biblical prophecy)?
2. What does the Bible say will happen in the end times?
3. How should what the Bible says about the future affect the way I live today?

How to Interpret Biblical Prophecy
There are a number of opinions and viewpoints that surround what interpretative methods students of the Bible should use when reading passages in Scripture that concern the end times. While there are good people espousing different beliefs, there is good evidence to believe that biblical prophecy should be interpreted (1) literally, (2) with a futurist view, and (3) in what is called a “premillennial” manner. With respect to a literal interpretation, it should be understood that there are some 300 prophecies that concern the first coming of Christ, all of which were literally fulfilled. The predictions surrounding the Messiah’s birth, life, betrayal, death and resurrection were not fulfilled allegorically or in a spiritual manner. Jesus literally was born in Bethlehem, performed miracles, was betrayed by a close friend for 30 pieces of silver, was pierced in His hands and feet, died with thieves, was buried in a rich man’s tomb, and was resurrected three days after His death. All of these prophecies were predicted hundreds and thousands of years before Jesus was born and were literally fulfilled. And while, indeed, there is symbolism used in various prophecies (e.g., dragons, horsemen, etc.), all of it portrays literal beings or events, in much the same way that Jesus is spoken of as a lion and a lamb.

Regarding a futurist view, the Bible clearly states that prophetic books like Daniel and Revelation contain not only renditions of past, historical events, but also things that will happen in the future. When John was given his commands for the churches of his day, he then received his visions concerning the futuristic things that would occur in the end times and was told, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things” (Revelation 4:1, emphasis added).

But perhaps even a stronger argument for a futurist view revolves around the promises God made to Abraham (cf. Genesis 12 & 15) concerning the land of Israel. Since God’s covenant with Abraham was unconditional, and His promises have not yet been fulfilled to the Israeli people, then a futurist view of Israel and the prophecies surrounding the people of Israel’s return and possession of Palestine must occur.

Lastly, with respect to prophecy being interpreted in a “premillennial” manner, this means that Jesus Christ will return and then reign over the earth for 1,000 years in a perfect rule. Five times in Revelation 20, the Scripture says that Jesus will return first and then reign for 1,000 years (hence the name “pre-,“ indicating “before,” and “millennial,” which means “1,000”). There is no reason to take what Scripture says in any other way except that Jesus will first return and then begin a 1,000-year rule over the earth.

But what does the Bible say will happen before then?

What Does the Bible say will happen in the End Times?
Sadly, the Bible predicts a downward spiral of catastrophes, human sin, and religious apostasy before Christ returns. Paul writes, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. . . . evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:1, 13). The world will continue to reject God, His Word, and His people.

Some day in the future – a day no one knows – God will end the Church age which began in the first century on Pentecost (cf. Acts 2) with an event known as the Rapture. This will be when God removes all believers in Christ from the earth in preparation for His final judgments. Of the Rapture, Paul says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14–18).

The erosion of peace and increase of turmoil that precedes the Rapture will reach epic proportions when untold numbers of people disappear from earth. Such a vacuum will cause panic and scream for a strong leader who will have answers to all the world’s questions and problems. The setting of the stage for this leader has been in progress for some time, as historian Arnold Toynbee has noted: “By forcing on mankind more and more lethal weapons, and at the same time making the world more and more interdependent economically, technology has brought mankind to such a degree of distress that we are ripe for the deifying of any new Caesar who might succeed in giving the world unity and peace.” Out of a revived Roman Empire, one that is organized in a European ten-constituency fashion (cf. Daniel 7:24; Revelation 13:1), the Antichrist will arise and sign a covenant with the nation of Israel, which will officially begin God’s prophetic seven-year countdown to Christ’s second coming (cf. Daniel 9:27).

For three and a half years, the Antichrist will reign over the earth with a false peace being promised, but a peace that is nothing but a trap for the people of the earth as the Bible says: “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Wars, earthquakes, famines, and more will escalate (cf. Matthew 24:7) until the end Antichrist’s 3.5-year reign, when he will enter a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and proclaim himself to be God and demand worship (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew 24: 15). It is at that point that the Creator and true God responds to the challenge. For another 3.5 years, a Great Tribulation will occur such as has never before come upon the earth, one which the prophets and Jesus predicted: “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short” (Matthew 24:21–22).

Untold loss of life and destruction of the earth will occur during this period. Also, many will come to faith in Christ, yet many will do so at cost of their lives. But God’s sovereign hand will still be in control as the Lord Himself gathers the unbelieving armies of the world together for His collective judgment of them. Of this event, the prophet Joel wrote, “I will gather all the nations And bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there On behalf of My people” (Joel 3:2). John records the battle this way: “And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan] and out of the mouth of the beast [the Antichrist] and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (‘Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.’) And they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon” (Revelation 16:13–16).

At this point, the Messiah Jesus will return, destroy His enemies, and claim the world, which is rightfully His. John’s revelation describes this glorious event in this manner: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, ‘Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.’ And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:11–21).

After Christ has defeated all the armies gathered in the valley of Armageddon, He will reign for one thousand years in a perfect rule with His saints and fully restore Israel to her land. At the end of a thousand years, a final judgment of the nations and all remaining mankind will occur, which is then followed with either an eternal state spent with God for those who follow Him or an eternal separation from Him for those who do not (cf. Revelation 20-21).

The above are not speculations or possibilities – they describe exactly and precisely what will take place in the future. Just as all prophecies came true and were fulfilled in Christ’s first coming, there is no reason to believe anything will be different with those that speak of His return to the earth.

Given the truth behind these prophecies, what impact should they have on us now? Peter asks the question in this manner: “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! ” (2 Peter 3:11–12).

The Effect of Bible Prophecy on Us Today
There are four effects that the truths of Bible prophecy should have on us today. The first is obedience, which is what Peter speaks about in the verses above. Jesus continually tells us to be ready for His coming, which could come at any time (cf. Mark 13:33-37) and to live in a way in which we are not ashamed of our lives and behavior.

The second is worship. Because God has provided a way to escape His end-time judgments, we need to be sure we receive His free gift of salvation offered through Jesus now and live in gratitude before Him. John shows this in his description of heavenly worship for Jesus: “And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation’” (Revelation 5:9).

The third is proclamation. The message of God’s salvation and the truth of His second coming need to be proclaimed for all to hear, especially to those who don’t yet believe so they can turn to God and be saved from His coming wrath. Revelation 22:10 says, "And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.”

The last effect God’s prophetic Word should have on us is service. All believers should be diligent about carrying out God’s will and performing good works that are an outworking of the salvation that has taken place in each Christian’s heart. Part of Christ’s judgments will be of the works performed by believers. They do not determine a Christian’s acceptance into Heaven, but show what each believer did with the gifts and opportunities given him or her by God. Paul says of this judgment, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

All of this can be summed up with the same thoughts that began this article. God is sovereign over all events and people of the world, He is firmly in control of everything, and will bring a perfect end to everything He has started. An old Christian song puts it like this: “All is God’s creation … Fashioned by One hand … Satan and Salvation … Under One command.”

The fact that the Bible is a supernatural book is evidenced by the truth that every prophecy conveyed by it to date has been fulfilled. This being the case, it is reasonable and rational to conclude that what it says about the prophecies for the end times will occur as well. For those who know Jesus and have trusted Him as their Lord and Savior, His coming will be their blessed hope (cf. Titus 2:13). But for those who have willingly rejected Christ, He will be their holy terror (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:8). The bottom line is this: to survive the end times, make sure you are a believer in Christ: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Bring Your A Game

This is a documentary. Motivational, eye opening, and very IMPORTANT that our young black men view this! VERY imperative! Enjoy, and I hope you gain something from this! :)

**Wait a few seconds for the video to upload [until you see the still shot of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs LOL]**


Watch more free documentaries

ON GUARD!!

Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." King James Version

The Message Version "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts."

New Living Translation "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life."

To guard means to protect; keep safe from harm or danger. To keep means to hold or retain in one's possession. [Dictionary.com]

But why is this so important you ask?? 
Well for starters, Proverbs clearly states "out of your heart are the issues of life/where life starts/determines the course of your life." So whatever you let INTO your heart will soon sprout out and produce fruit. So, yeah, I think the type of music you listen to, the movies you watch, the conversations you have will either cause you to produce good fruit or.... bad fruit. Everything you come in contact with will influence you in some type of way. Joyce Meyer once said "I'll hang out with you as long as I'm affecting you and you're not infecting me." Emph... how about that...

Another important point is that you can't just allow anyone into your heart. Especially if they aren't a believer. If the Spirit of God is in you, He will definitely lead you in the direction of where you should go. It's up to you to listen and obey. I know me, I put myself in some of the dumbest, most avoidable situations and then have the nerve [LOL] to get upset because God told me not to do it, go there, talk to them etc. but he ALWAYS gives me a way out. Our Heavenly Father is all knowing, which includes Him knowing if you should or shouldn't be around a particular person/people. He knows your weaknesses. He knows your limits, so learn to take heed to the Holy Spirit. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying have a "holier than thou" attitude, because even Jesus sat with sinners. However, He's the Son of God. Lol He could not and cannot stumble like us humans.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doing." You may THINK you can handle certain situations and people, but the heart IS deceitful. God KNOWS though, every secret intention of your heart, and he KNOWS what is best. He knows where you do and don't belong. Don't deceive yourself. GUARD your own heart, preserve your salvation!!

We are not perfect and we don't all share the same imperfections and weaknesses. Some of us may be able to go to the club and minister to people there without even looking at a drink or getting distracted by a beautiful person. Whereas for others, the club would be the ULTIMATE, slip-n-slide, hello world, sliding rock, stumbling block. Instead, their strength may be simply walking in love. The ability to deal with the worst attitude in a Christ-like manner and not getting offended by whatever comes out of someone's mouth.

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm excited because I have 2 weeks off from work and school so now I can focus more on handling my Kingdom Business! :-D Preparing for the new year, IF it's the Lord's will that I make it to 2011. Reflecting on the tremendous amount of GROWTH I've had in 2010, and how mad I've made that dirty dog devil this year :-P Maybe one day he'll learn..."He can't STOP ME! NAH! CAUSE I'M UNSTOPPABLE! IF THE DEVIL COULD KILL ME HE WOULD HAVE DONE IT BY NOW! If the devil could kill me, I would be dead by now. No weapon formed against me shall prosper, more than a conqueror through Christ" This song still reigns as ONE of my 2010 anthems... lol



God is love 

♥Mari

Selah...

"Pause, and think calmly of that..."

All I'm saying is... even demons believe and tremble knowing that Jesus is Lord. James 2:19 So, is it safe to say simply declaring Jesus is Lord is not enough...? PROVE YOUR LOVE! Yes, it is very important that we prove our love. Matthew 7:13-27 [READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER] Even those who profess "Lord, Lord," but practice iniquity [lawlessness] Jesus will still say "I never knew you." I don't know about you, but that's scary to me. And on top of that... He will say, "depart from me you that work iniquity." Can you imagine, you're standing there before God, and this is judgment time. And you say to Jesus "Hey, remember me!? I cast out demons in Your name, I professed you as Lord and Savior before many men, I prophesied in Your name, in Your name did I perform many miracles." And Jesus turns to His Father, then looks at you and says, "I never knew you." Then walks away. How terrible would that feel. That's a scary thought. 

Things have been watered down so much, I don't think this is something a lot of people think about. Tomorrow is NEVER promised to us. James 4 talks about not boasting in tomorrow, but instead saying, "If it's the Lord's will." Well I pray the Lord will be pleased with my life once it's all over. I pray that He is pleased with me now, and that where I am today will not be where I will be a year from now, if it is in His will that I live another year. And I'm not being old school, I just think it's time we go back to the basics. Read every word in the Bible and take it for it is. THE TRUTH and the moral standard that God holds us all to! I just want people to know that time, is NOT on our side, and we deceive ourselves when we know the truth but don't practice it. James 4:17

Read your Bible and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12

God is love.

♥Mari

Paul Washer speaks out again

"Churches Using Carnal Means to Attract Carnal People"
Wow... this man continues to just simply tell the truth. Selah. [Pause, and think calmly of that]

MUST WATCH!!!!

This is Minister Chris Facey dropping MAJOR knowledge. Not only biblical but scientific as well! Yes, Jesus the Christ LIVES!!!!!!!!!
This may be a tad bit convicting, but it's food for the Spirit! Eat up and ENJOY!!!!!! :-D

Daily Devotion: Divine Expulsion

Faith's Checkbook 
Thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong. -Joshua 17:18

It is a great encouragement to valor to be assured of victory, for then a man goes forth to war in confidence and ventures where else he had been afraid to go. Our warfare is with evil within us and around us, and we ought to be persuaded that we are able to get the victory and that we shall do so in the name of the Lord Jesus. We are not riding for a fall, but to win; and win we shall. The grace of God in its omnipotence is put forth for the overflow of evil in every form: hence the certainty of triumph.

Certain of our sins find chariots of iron in our constitution, our former habits, our associations, and our occupations. Nevertheless we must overcome them. They are very strong, and in reference to them we are very weak; yet in the name of God we must master them, and we will. If one sin has dominion of us we are not the Lord's free men. A man who is held by only one chain is still a captive. There is no going to heaven with one sin ruling within us, for of the saints it is said, "Sin shall not have dominion over you." Up, then, and slay every Canaanite, and break to shivers every chariot of iron! The Lord of hosts is with us, and who shall resist His sin-destroying power?

-Charles H. Spurgeon

Fresh Faces: Travis Greene

I just wanted to share some awesome music with you guys! The artist is Travis Greene. I first heard his music while I was on my way to Connecticut this past summer, remember I spoke at the youth conference. The most amazing thing ever by the way... I actually did a post on that back in July. Anywho, I heard "Still here" on XM radio and put the song and artist in my phone so I wouldn't forget to look him up. LOL So, for the longest I kept forgetting to look for him on iTunes and I finally did a couple of weeks ago [yeah I know a few months passed by before I did it lol]. Man, his album "Stretching Out" is so amazing! God has truly blessed his ministry, and Trav is giving ALL THE GLORY to God...!! Which by the way, his song "All The Glory" is amazing... "hope" "you are the one" "stretching out" "saveya" EVERY SONG ON THAT ALBUM is simply amazing! And it's not about him, it's not glorifying any circumstances, just giving all the praise to the Almighty God! I always find it beautiful when a person uses their God given gifts to glorify God and not themselves! So, if you have been looking for a new album to add to your iPod or CD collection, buy "Stretching Out" by Travis Greene. Whether you are "old" or "young" YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! Man, and his testimony... amazing too... here is the link to his website as well if you're interested in knowing more about him.. http://travisgreene.net/fr_home.cfm Twitter: @TGreeneStuff Facebook: T Greene

I'm not sure how to embed this video, but this is a video of when Travis brought Jesus to the club with him and shared him with over 400 people! So amazing! Just click the link and it'll take you right there :) --->> Salvation in the Club

And this is like... ONE of my favorite songs... it ALWAYS makes me smile! =]

Daily Devotion: Heavenly Alchemy

Faith's Checkbook

Your sorrow shall be turned into joy. -John 16:20

Their particular sorrow was the death and absence of their Lord, and it was turned into joy when He rose from the dead and showed Himself in their midst. All the sorrows of saints shall be thus transmuted, even the worst of them, which look as if they must forever remain fountains of bitterness.

Then the more sorrow, the more joy. If we have loads of sorrow, then the Lord's power will turn them into tons of joy. Then the bitterer the trouble the sweeter the pleasure: the swinging of the pendulum far to the left will cause it to go all the farther to the right. The remembrance of the grief shall heighten the flavor of the delight: we shall set the one in contrast with the other, and the brilliance of the diamond shall be the more clearly seen because of the black foil behind it.

Come, my heart, cheer up! In a little while I shall be as glad as I am now gloomy. Jesus tells me that by a heavenly alchemy my sorrow shall be turned into joy. I do not see how it is to be, but I believe it, and I begin to sing by way of anticipation. This depression of spirit is not for long; I shall soon be up among the happy ones who praise the Lord day and night, and there I shall sing of the mercy which delivered me out of great afflictions.

-Charles H. Spurgeon

Who is the love of your life?

**This was sent to me via Facebook by Alex Garrett. Very encouraging! I hope this encourages men and women alike! Never settle when it comes to a spouse...we are not to be unequally yoked! "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" 1 Corinthians 6:14




3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.
4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:3-4

The one perfect man who made you beautiful on the outside, also makes you beautiful on the inside..He washes you clean..His love for you no other man could attain to. He wants to use you, in ways this world can't measure. The beauty He gave you is not for our pleasure, but it's Jesus' way of saying your HIS treasure. The Father you have in heaven is all the love you need, because through Him, you'll find your true love on earth.
Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14

While you're waiting God is molding the heart of your future man to love your heart. God is waiting on you to allow His blood to cleanse you on the inside! Just walk by faith. Trust in the Lord who gives you everything. Don't walk by sight, because the world will deceive you into thinking you'll never find love.
Also, don't live your life worrying about who you're going to marry one day. God wants you to live your life for Him! Fully devoted to Him.
1 John 4:16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Seek first the love God has for you. The irreplaceable love that nothing can separate you from.
Wait, and pray. Think about the love Christ has for you. He spilled His blood all over you...You are His first! He's jealous for you!
He can't trust you being one in Spirit with someone before you are one in Spirit with HIM!

JESUS IS THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE, LET HIM COME IN AND HAVE A DATE WITH YOU!
Jesus said, Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Jesus, the Hottest date you'll ever have! For our “God is a consuming fire." HEBREWS 12:29

He wants to give you all of His fiery love; He wants to embrace you, and keep you forever

-Alex Garrett

A Taste of Hell Anyone??

So recently, I've been having conversations with my friends about...Heaven, Hell and just how some things aren't meant to be understood. I've had my ideas and theories about Hell. I believe there's a reason why we can only go so far in space, and so far beneath the earth. Which is because there's a limit to where our Human bodies can travel. Somewhere beyond where God hung the stars...is Heaven... and down below..into the depths of the earth...is Hell...I think Hell is in the center of the earth. But of course, that's just my idea. But the Bible does say Isaiah 14:9 "hell from beneath..." & "how art thou fallen from heaven..." Isaiah 14:12

Moving right along, a few people told me "you should definitely watch the sermon Creflo Dollar did on Hell." So...today...or technically yesterday when I went to Bible Study I picked up the DVD..from New Years Eve '08. Throughout Bible study though.. all I could think about was getting home to watch the sermon!! LOL [Yes, I am a World Changer! lol] BTW I think bits of the sermon are on Youtube "The Truth About Hell" is the sermon title if you're interested.

I guess the anticipation of not really knowing what to expect began to consume me. All I knew was that it was a very good sermon. Even people who don't attend World Changers were saying I should check it out. I got home..popped it in and was locked in from beginning to end. The audio and visuals actually made it that much more...extreme. I never WANTED to sit down and just think about what Hell is like, you know? LOL why would I? But that sermon...makes you think about what you're doing NOW...that could...send you straight to Hell. And it's scary! It's scary how you can send your own self to Hell by your iniquities you know? It's scary how many people don't know...or just don't believe or even care that there is a Hell and they could very well end up there.

Imagine...going through life like tomorrow is promised to you and one day...poof...you're in another realm. You try to walk towards the light only to be pulled away by some alien, predator, species type looking creature(s)...then you think about the person who was telling you to give your life back to Christ...now you're spending ETERNITY in Hell...the lake of fire...where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth [Matthew 24:51 if you read the 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) they all pretty much give a brief description of hell] a place where worms do not die... it's dark, people are screaming all the time... you want to die but you can't...you're thirsty but there's not one drip drop of water anywhere, that is tormenting in itself...but the most tormenting part.. is that YOU WILL THINK about all the chances you had to truly surrender your life to Christ.

Some people say, "I'm not ready to be saved." Well, I wasn't necessarily "ready to be saved" when I gave my life back to Christ but..it is something I am so glad I did! I won't front, sin does feel good, but once you get a taste of the love of God...you wouldn't want to do those things anymore. Fulfilling the lusts of the flesh brings satisfaction for but a moment... but think about it...you have to keep going back for more and more because then it's like, you can't quite get enough and you're trying to fill this hole that is now a bottomless pit. And from my experience...that one little sin turns into a big ol' mess, and then you're trying to figure out how in the world did you get there!?

Anyway, I'm getting off topic LOL and I don't want to be rambling on in this one blog post. But please if you haven't accepted JESUS THE CHRIST as Lord AND Savior of your life... do yourself a favor and please do so. PLEASE! You can do it right now as you read this blog... it's called the ABC's of salvation. And when you say this... mean it from your heart. Be sincere..God knows your heart Hebrews 4:12 says, "...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" ...and for some people...Ima be real...that's not a good thing. But uhhhh... yeah the ABC's [sorry for rambling it's been a while haha!] Ask Jesus into your heart today...and don't stop here, get connected to a bible based church, read your Bible..ALLOW God to change your heart, your thoughts, your ways...

Admit that you're a sinner
Believe that Jesus is the Son of God
Confess that Jesus is Lord of your life

Dear God, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I realize that I'm a sinner and I cannot save myself.  I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross to take the penalty of my sins.  I ask Jesus now to come into my life and save my soul, and guide and direct my life from this point on as my Lord.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Let the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanse you clean! THERE IS POWER IN HIS BLOOD!! Develop your prayer life....PRAYER WORKS!!


Much Love,

Mari ♥

I am Saved...

Shout out to my friend Jonathan for his participation in this video! SO beautiful to see people in the Body of Christ letting the world know...you may not have as much time as you think...

I smell a blog coming... lol

Appreciation

      These past couple of days, I have grown to appreciate life and health so much more. You never know what the future holds, so all you can do is live in and appreciate the "now." When something does happen, it just gives you confirmation that the little things are more important than you think. Example, you never appreciate a pain free knee until it starts giving out on you, and hurting all the time. I experienced this a few weeks ago. My knee was giving out on me, and just hurting for about 3 weeks, suddenly I noticed the pain went away. Now I appreciate my painless knee so much more hahaha!
       I am just so grateful that God has continued to bless me with a breath of fresh air every morning. Not only that, he wakes me up in right mind, and great physical health. On Monday, I was having cardiac complications. At first, I was definitely scared, but as people began to pray for me, a sense of peace came over me. By the time I made it to the doctor I was thinking, "I don't care what she says, I will be okay either way." No weapon formed against me shall prosper, I'm more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus. The ironic part is, Sunday...I chose to stand on Ephesians 6:10-18
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

I am just....SO GRATEFUL and GLAD that God continues to keep me and hold me up with His Glorious and Righteous Right Hand! What more could I ask for. I have SOOOOO MUCH to just...SHOUT about!! I'm learning not to focus on the things of this earth which are temporary, our light afflictions last but a moment compared to an eternity with the Glorious Father in Heaven.! 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Thank You Father for the Blood of Jesus Christ, and for Your grace and mercy that carries me along the way...THANK YOU!!


-Mari ♥

Just a smooth tune that I absolutely love... This is "Still here" by Travis Greene

Daily Devotion: the Leadership of Our Guide

Faith's Checkbook

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. -John 16:13

 Truth is like a vast cavern into which we desire to enter, but we are not able to traverse it alone. At the entrance it is clear and bright; but if we would go further and explore its innermost recesses, we must have a guide, or we shall lose ourselves. The Holy Spirit, who knows all truth perfectly, is the appointed guide of all true believers, and He conducts them as they are able to bear it, from one inner chamber to another, so that they behold the deep things of God, and His secret is made plain to them. 

         What a promise is this for the humbly inquiring mind! We desire to know the truth and to enter into it. We are conscious of our own aptness to err, and we feel the urgent need of a guide. We rejoice that the Holy Spirit is come and abides among us. He condescends to act as a guide to us, and we gladly accept His leadership. "All truth" we wish to learn, that we may not be one-sided and out of balance. We would not be willingly ignorant of any part of revelation lest thereby we should miss blessing or incur sin. The Spirit of God has come that He may guide us into all truth: let us with obedient hearts hearken to His words and follow His lead.

-C.H.Spurgeon

Un-Equal: Jonathan Inman

This is a note a friend of mine posted on Facebook. What a beautiful mind! I just HAD to post this lol :)

A couple people asked about the symbol or emblem i have created on my profile phone and in my room. This is like an unofficial breakdown of what it means. I got the sign from the mathematical sign "not equal" but when i thought about it, it had a lot of biblical/spiritual meanings:-2corinthian6v14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
1) 2 + 2 = 4 This statement is not just a relationship of what 2&2 will equal but it is also a comparison of 2&2 to the number 4. Are they the same? 2+2 (is) 4.   2+1(is not)4 There should be a difference in the way the world & Christians live their lives, handle situations, and perceive this life in general, they should not be equal they should not be the same thing. The way we think live act talk walk & feel should be 1st off diff. from the way we did before and likewise the way the world does now. A mathematical equation cannot contradict itself otherwise its not legit. It is always a statement of truth. Our lives shouldn't have contradiction and should re-present the truth. Light drives out the darkness, love drives out hate both cannot live in the same environment

2) The 2strips of red represent who i used to be, what i used to do, how the world is, red means stained deceptive & blood, deserving of death, 2lines standing for double what ever i would have earned, both are parallel meaning what i would have gotten in this life and the next. however a white line acceding vertical covers, cuts thru & overcomes both, the white means purity light righteousness and truth obviously Jesus Christ, He is the reason i am, have the power to be, and ability to become righteous separated & different otherwise i would be an equal sign like every1 else..

3) When u pay attention to the linear placement of the equal sign it is horizontal, something horizontal is always a matter of distance-you are always on the same plane..the same level but just going further away never really closer to anything but further from where you started. God is not on our level, he is greater, higher. The white strip is vertically ascending..rising..like flight..at a progression never the same, constantly seeing something new, being on a different level. Once i used to live horizontally but God is in the heavens, now I'm trying to get closer to him so I'm flying, rising, ascending not just running or walking but using wings to get there.

-Jonathan Inman

Daily Devotion: Open Your Mouth

Faith's Checkbook

"Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10

What an encouragement to pray! The Lord would have us request great blessings! When a man is earnest, he opens his mouth wide, and our test  urges us to be fervent in our supplications.
          Yet it also means that we may bold with God and ask large blessings at His hands. Read the whole verse, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it." Because the Lord has given us so much, He invites us to ask for more.
          See how much the little birds in their nests seem to be all mouth when the mother comes to feed them. Let it be the same with us. God is ready to fill us if we are only ready to be filled. The opened mouth shall be filled by the Lord Himself. So be it unto us, Lord, today.

-C.H. Spurgeon

Waiting for change to come

These are just a few of songs that encourage me to keep doing what I do... It's been a long time coming but I know a change gon' come..



This guy... Phil Wade... has the most amazing voice I've heard in a while. The way he and his friends interact slightly remind me of Janelle Monae and everyone at Wondaland. Anywho this guy is HILARIOUS... here's a link to the youtube page SpB2Studios. Change begins with me...




One of the realest Tupac songs...just the he reality of the type of world we live in today...very sad, but since change starts with US [individually] we must make the decision to do better.




Let's make that change!




 Mercy, mercy me... things ain't what they used to be...



Okay, last one... LOL Classic Marvin Gaye...  What's going on..??

Bryan Welsh of Korn gets FREED

Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

What an AMAZING testimony! PRAISE GOD!! Jesus is SO real, SO living, and SO active! What an AWESOME, merciful, powerful, graceful God we serve!

 

Idol Worship

"Idol worship, it's not just about golden calves anymore..."
ANYTHING can be an idol... i.e. Self idolatry, a boyfriend/girlfriend, career, parents, children, celebrity and the list goes on and on
Definition of idol:  any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion
By: The Skit Guys

Paul Washer: This is War

WOW... this is CONVICTING

Show some GRATITUDE

My inspiration for this post comes out of the good ol' book of Deuteronomy :) I believe Deuteronomy is like a... forewarning. It talks about how the Israelites turned an 11 DAY trip THROUGH the desert into a 40 YEAR journey CIRCLING the desert. WOW... how did this happen?? Well, the answer is simple, because of their murmuring and complaining. All they had to do was walk by faith and not by sight. But most importantly they needed to show some GRATITUDE! God was supplying everything they needed but, they weren't satisfied...at all. Come on, God was giving them manna, which they would have only had to eat for 11 days but they were complaining about that. God supplied them water from a rock so they wouldn't go thirsty. The Israelites were just on some other stuff with their complaining and disobedience. They complained about being taken out of Egypt [a place were they held in bondage, slavery--or in other words, God brought them out of their pit, their sin, depression, sickness, poverty, etc.] and being placed into the desert.  They rebelled against God and provoked Him to anger/wrath.


Deuteronomy 9:7 "Remember, and forget not, how thou provokedst the LORD thy God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD." -KJV

All the Israelites saw was the desert. They weren't thinking about the land that was promised to them because of their forefathers... They were thinking about the "now." God had SO much more and SO much better for them than the desert. All they had to do was go the distance for a few days and be grateful for what was to come! SOOOOO many of us are like that now. I'm guilty myself. We get so stuck on the "now" but remember:

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." KJV

We have to go THROUGH the desert to get to the place God has promised us. Realize that once God brings us out of Egypt, he will give us EVERYTHING we NEED in order we make it to Goshen. Stay on the right path and be humble, meek, and grateful for what God has in store for us.

Choosing to walk the walk of faith comes with so much responsibility, tests, trials, etc. We, as TRUE believers, ARE a peculiar people, a chosen generation:

1 Peter 2:9 "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;" -KJV

Concerning their disobedience...

Deuteronomy 9:16 "And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you." -KJV

This is where Moses was talking to the Israelites. Note where he says "you had turned away quickly from the way the LORD had commanded you." In other words, in no time, without deeper thought, they disobeyed what God told them not to do. Moses came down from the mountain, where he fasted 40 days and 40 nights and was VERY upset with them. How easily to get distracted from your divine appointed assignment because of some type of sin, whether it's idolizing something, complaining about what God has called us to do, or just being lazy..?

In verse 23 he goes on to say "Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice." -KJV

God was telling them, go get the land that I have ALREADY given you. Instead, they ignored what God said and His commandments and did not listen to Him or truly believe what He promised them. Is there unbelief in your life? Have you been doubting your faith and the promises of God which are rightly ours because of the Blood shed on Calvary..? Do you understand we have been bought with a price? Do you know how expensive Jesus' blood is? Do you truly understand the power that is in that blood?

Jesus' blood is so precious to the true believer. Knowing that he died to cleanse us of our sins, we should want to live Holy everyday BECAUSE he BOUGHT us, with His precious, stainless, PURE blood and allowed us to go free and live in the peace of God. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. All throughout Romans, you can see where everything is possible THROUGH the blood of Jesus.

Example: Romans 5:1 "THEREFORE being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

I suggest you examine the book of Romans yourself if you already haven't. There is SO much I want to say but I will have to save it for another blog post... I need to find the right words to say...it will be a sequence to "Let's stop faking this.." The hypocrisy in Christianity is becoming a huge problem. I'll just put it like this for now... it's all or nothing... living Holy one day out of the week for a couple hours won't suffice. You are either hot or cold. Please, pick a side....

-Revelations 3:15-16 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

Be blessed my brothers and sisters. I love you all dearly...

Open Mic Night

So, last night was my first time EVER reciting a poem. Man, I went through a lot to get there. LOL you might be able to hear my voice cracking.. I think I was about to cry mid-way through. SMH LOL When I tell you, the enemy was attacking me... it was some serious stuff...But the hand and grace of God led me to continue on despite the tribulations that came my way. I cried, I was very sad before I even got there.. it was just a MESS but my girls Brittany "Monique" -- she's the one who comes on after me -- and Vania definitely tried their best to get my spirit back up... with prayer and patience, I built up the courage to let go of those emotions and the events that took place and got on stage... strangely enough.. The poem and what happened that night coincide with one another..ANYWAY...here's my new poem .. "Myself"..

Myself.. I need freedom from... myself

Because, myself... is always doing something else

That contradicts Your Holy word

See my heart, has been so disturbed, Caught up in the lusts of the world,

I was almost at the point of NO return

I was almost at the point of NO return

I was almost at the point of NO return

Which way did he go George, which way did he go?

Got me going in circles now I don't know

Which way is which, because now I'm in a pit

Confusion [amiss]

Dag! I fell for his trick

Once again here we go, Same ol' same ol' Puppet show

But THIS time, now I know it's

Myself, LORD free me from... myself

Because myself, is realizing that I need some help

Help to break away the chains, This program is old, it needs to change

No longer can I stay the same

No longer can I stay the same

No longer WILL I stay the same

It's dark in here, BUT I can see a light, It's so small, but yet so bright

So, on that day... I chose to be free

LORD Jesus PLEASE save me! Holy Spirit move inside of me!

The Godhead is 3, the most powerful source, Those chains were broken, with a mighty force

And now, myself, is free from myself

Because, now I know it's not JUST myself

God dwells in THIS temple I had to die to self

God dwells in THIS temple I had to die to self

God dwells in YOUR temple you have to die to self

Pride, and hatred, vanity and gratification

I made a vow to deny fornication

The old me, is gone, I've been made a new creature

Now I stand among those few peculiar people

As You continuously mold me into Your, Original masterpiece

Now myself, is finally free...and at peace

Daily Devotion: Choice Men

"I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." ~Isaiah 48:10

It is no mean thing to be chosen of God. So eminent is this privilege, that whatever drawback may be joined to it we very joyfully accept it. We choose the furnace since God chooses us in it.
      We are chosen as an afflicted people and not as a prosperous people: chosen not in the palace, but in the furnace. In the furnace beauty is marred, strength is melted, glory is consumed, and yet here eternal love reveals its secrets and declares its choice. So has it been in our case. In times of severest trials, God has made to us our calling and election plain.We have chosen the Lord to be our God, and He has shown that we are assuredly His chosen.
        Therefore, if today the furnace be heated seven times hotter, we will not dread it, for the glorious Son of God will walk with us amid the glowing coals.

This is an excerpt from a book called...
"One-Minute Devotions FAITH'S CHECKBOOK" by: Charles H. Spurgeon

My mom gave me this as one of my gifts for my birthday and wow... it has definitely been blessing me. If you can find it, I suggest you buy it! Mine is a little smaller...more like "Tote size" and has a nice ribbon place holder, it has the same design though :-)

♥Mari

WOW... Please watch...

"This video is for church people.."

-Nate Pfeil

Wow.. we serve a merciful God right..? We have a choice.. "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" Deuteronomy 30:19 Praise. The. Lord. PTL

♥Mari

God's chisel

This is an awesome video entitled "God's Chisel" by The Skit Guys. It's a bit of a tear jerker, and it has truly blessed me. So many of us carry dead weight [burdens] around like it's a trophy. I pray that you will view this video with an open heart.

Man, this video SPEAKS VOLUMES!! I think this is saying that you, yourself, cannot free yourself from the strongholds of sin. From the feelings of pride, guilt, comparison, laziness, lust, low self-esteem, depression etc. we are only human, and oftentimes we don't even see the sin that we live in because we were made to believe that it is OK. We have to ALLOW God to cleanse us of our sins no matter how painful it may be to let the past go. Ultimately, we are to be images of Christ. When the world looks at  *us* they should see light in the midst of darkness.

God is so amazing, and so faithful! He knows EVERYTHING that we go through. He knows everything that we have been through, and he wants to help us SO badly, sometimes however, we often feel like we can do it on our own. But being that we are not all-powerful and all-knowing, we cannot fix our problems on our own.
When it is all said and done, God knows who WE are.. Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. [KJV] That's a scary thought to know that God knows our heart, what man cannot see, know that it is not hidden from God. He knows the intentions of our hearts...that's why change should always start from the inside, and we must humble ourselves to allow God to chastise us and move us to truly repent... from the HEART. Thank you Jesus... We serve an AWESOME God!!

The High Calling of God

**I came across this note on Facebook via Jose Palos. This has really...blessed my lifeeeee!! So glad I read it [much needed read]. Be content with who YOU are in Christ.. no two stories are alike, no two walks are alike... once again, be content with WHO YOU are in Christ...!**


OTHERS MAY, YOU CANNOT - G. D. Watson
If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.

Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.

Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.

Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.

The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.

God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature. The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time which other Christians never seem distressed over.

So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. God will take you at your word; if you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.

- G. D. Watson

Don't reprimand judge me..!!

This is all IN LOVE you guys, if you get mad, it's conviction...receive it...and just.. read your Bible.. PLEASE!!

Okay, so... I've been seeing/hearing/getting this a lot... "But the Bible says 'Do not judge' .." uhm.. okay... but...is that the only sentence you've read out Bible... obviously it must be because if you read after "Judge not, that ye be not judged" [Matthew 7:1--one of the MOST POPULAR scriptures for lukewarm believers lol] you would know it goes on to say: Matthew 7:3-5 "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye." OK so..what is this saying?? DO NOT pass judgment on your brothers and sisters if you are doing those same things..or even worse things yourself.  Otherwise, that would make you a HYPOCRITE!!

Check this out Psalm 37:28 For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off. --> WOW... well look-a-there! The LORD... LOVES judgment...!! :-o  Now look at this Psalm 37:30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. Is it starting to hurt yet?? hahaha =^)

I Corinthians 5:11-13 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person." So..what is this saying?? If YOU call yourself a Christian/brethren but you participate in worldly, sinful activities, it is OK for your brethren [your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ] to tell you what you are doing is wrong! Mmm Mmm, this spiritual food sure is GOOD!! :-P

CONTRADICTION ALERT: when you say "do not judge me," aren't you judging me [or the person suspected of passing judgment] by saying I'm judging you?? LOL so...you're being a hypocrite yourself when you tell someone not to judge YOU, yet you JUDGE THEM by saying they're judging you...!! Stop using the whole "don't judge me" defense just so you can continue to live in sin.

Moreover, for all you LUKEWARM believers... who use the whole "the Bible says Do not judge" and "God knows my heart" justifications.. here's something for YOU!! :) Revelations 3:15-16 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." You cannot call yourself a Christian and say you love God, but you live in sin and you ENJOY your selfish sinful pleasures and get high off self-gratification. C'MON CHURCH!! WE have got to do better. WE are the body! [I Corinthians 12:12] And my brother, my sister, I'm here to help YOU, and I want YOU to help ME! Correct me when I am wrong and I will do the same for you. It's all out of love you guys. If you KNEW better, you'd DO better. SO please people, read your Bible. You can even read the Bible online now...it's so easily accessible so there is really NO excuse. SEEK wisdom, accept the truth, make a change, and move forward!!

I LOVE y'all!!
♥ Mari

What does "Oatmeal & CinnamonSugar" MEAN!?

Since people have been asking...here it is... :)

So... Oatmeal is something that is good for you, right? I believe majority of us were forced, or willingly ate oatmeal when we were younger. In order to make oatmeal more pleasant, some added sugar, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon sugar, strawberries, et cetera. So, in this case, I'm bringing to my readers something that is good for them...and I add a bit of sweetness to help it go down easier. I pray that with my boldness, yet touch of sweetness, it will reach those who tend to straddle the fence and realize that being a lukewarm believer just won't cut it.

Oatmeal = The Truth
Cinnamon Sugar = Love

Uhm..no title.. yet..?

LORD, I don't know what your calling is for me
I feel like it's something I'm not expecting, when will you let me see?
Steadily I've been losing a lot of people who were once close to me.
I was told that once I start my walk with you, I would have to give up everything
But the beauty of it all, would be the anointing
So strengthen me LORD, and keep me strong
I'll continue to pray that this emotional roller coaster, won't last too long
I Thank You for those who you allow to encourage me
Like my best friend, my parents, my brother(s)/sisters [in Christ] who see...
That this transition...isn't very easy for me
I've been forced to sit in this corner, and often times I feel like a loner
But then I feel you and can hear you say,
"My child, not much longer will you feel this way"
So LORD, take me by my hand
Help me see, help me understand
Your will, Your thoughts, and Your Master Plan
"Continue to trust in God. God will bring you through"
The most encouraging word I've ever heard
And those...were from You...
As I looked out the window and saw nothing but the darkness of the night sky
I saw one star, one single star..yeah, that little light of mine
And it shined and shined 2 nights in a row
You were there with me, now I know
So as I write these words to encourage myself
I realize that time will tell on itself
I'll continue to stand strong, head up, shoulders back
Pushing forward...
Staying on the RIGHT path

My Photoshoot

Well, I was in Connecticut for about a week. Along with the Youth Conference, I had to get started on my portfolio...so...this post contains SOME of the pictures..  The following were taken in Elizabeth Park [in Connecticut]...it is such a BEAUTIFUL park!

Please know...that EVERYTHING I do, is for the glory of God...so if this road tries to take me off track...know that, if it comes down to God.. or wherever this road leads.. I'll drop everything and continue to live clean.


[The rest were taken at Wadsworth Museum in Connecticut]