Give Thanks, even in the midst of a battle.

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 There's an old saying that it is sometimes difficult to remember that the main objective was to drain the swamp, when you're up to your butt in alligators. Well a parallel thought is also true that in the midst of a struggle, there is still the opportunity to give thanks.  Now many would find that a strange thing to do, in light of the fact that you just might be butt high in alligators.  Life is a journey of discovery.  We discover our limits, our abilities, are strengths, and our weaknesses.  We learn with every victory, and with every failure.  We will always be learning, and through it, we need to give thanks.  I know how difficult life can be at times.  I was just asking Father God this morning what is it that I'm supposed to be learning during this period of upheaval in my life?  Asking questions during a difficult time is not always easy, but I assure you it will pay off dividends, as long as you don't loose heart, don't loose faith, and you realize that everything is a lesson. 

What I want to do today is get you to see the bright side of things, the silver lining.  What I want to do is position you to realize that there is nothing put in front of you, that you do not have the ability to either overcome, or simply learn a life lesson.  In the midst of a storm it is not always easy to remember that knowledge is power, and through any ordeal you will gain knowledge.  It may be something that tells you how not to go through something, or experience something a second time.  It may be as simple as an internal knowing of what to do next, or in some cases what not to do.  

So why is thankfulness, or being thankful, or showing thanks for what you are going through so important?  First off, it is a recognition of self.  It is knowing that you are fully equipped to handle anything thrown at you.  It is the realization that you have immense power within your person.  It is an understanding that no matter what, you will be victorious.  We have forgotten our strength, our power, our divine nature.  What we can never forget, and I've said this countless times, we are spirit first and foremost.  We were created to create.  If you can not come to terms with this, then you will never be able to be thankful, even when you are standing on the mountain top.  I see people daily who are totally demoralized.   They want to quit, they want to run, they want to just end whatever it is they are going through.  Oh trust me, I have been there, and were it not for the Grace of God, I would not have come through it.  Did the pain I experienced bring me joy?  Honestly not at first, but the lessons I learned going through some of the things I have gone through, taught me valuable lessons, and for that I am totally grateful and thankful.  I am stronger having gone through certain things, and for that I give thanks.  

We face so many challenges in our life.  Most of these challenges we have brought on ourselves, as we have created them with our words, our thoughts, and our feelings.  I know this may come as a shock to many, but the creative process we were born with operates 100 percent of the time, 24 hours a day.  Whether or not you believe this is inconsequential.  We must get to the point where we squash negative words, negative thoughts, and only speak those things we want present in our life.  I have first hand knowledge of this, and trust me, when the negative comes out, it is never pretty. Thankfulness comes when you realize that you control all things.  Once again, we have been taught that we simply are in this life to go along for the ride, and whatever happens, happens.  Well in a sense that is true, what is going to happen will happen, but to a very large extent, you control what is going to happen.  

I have never before been buffeted like I have the last few months.  Many will say that there are countless others going through the same battles, and struggles.  What I have had to do is be thankful that I have lived to tell of the battles.  Others, sadly, cannot say the same thing.  I do not bring this up to glorify myself.  I bring this up because the only acceptable action to take when inside of a battle is to show gratefulness, and thankfulness.  Grateful and thankful that you have been endowed with power from on high to withstand all that might come against you.  I often find myself asking why?  Why this, why now?  All that happens is a segment of the journey, and as I have said, life is a journey of discovery.  Discovering who you are, what you are.  Discovering that you indeed have all you need to walk into a battle, and win the battle.  It may not be without scares, hurts, frustrations, anxiety, but you will get through it, and when you do, thankful that you had what it took to cross the finish line.  

Let me say this in conclusion:  I know how difficult it can be to remain positive when you are up to your backside in alligators.  I fully understand and comprehend the depth of despair that others are going through.  I may not know exactly what is happening in their life, but I can attest to the fact that I too go through trials.  As hard as it may be to accomplish, you must, must, must stay positive, focused, and more than anything, thankful, that you are able to withstand all that comes against you.  If you are not able to give thanks in the middle of a battle, then you will never have to worry about what happens next, because what happens next may never arrive.  As spiritual beings we have more power in our finger tip than the most destructive weapon known to man.  What most haven't done is accept this truth, and begin to walk in this truth.  Certainly many will think that I am crazy for having these views, and for writing about it, but I have no choice in the matter.  When Father God says to write, I write, and I don't second guess.  I still have a long way to go to fully understand who and what I am.  I am quite sure that I will have my share of battles in the future.  What brings me solace is that I know from whence I come, who brought me here, and why I am here.  In knowing your purpose, in knowing your destiny, you are able to overcome so much.  When one sees the future, when one knows what lies ahead, then tiny battles are just that, tiny.  You have come through so much, and you have positioned yourself to do even greater things in the future. Hold fast to the thought, be grateful, and be thankful that you have been called for such a time as this. 

When in the Course of Human Events

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There is no doubt that we live in a flesh and blood body.  We experience the effects of this body each and every day of our life.  We walk, we run, we sleep, we eat, we cry and laugh.  Every minute of everyday we are acutely aware of where we are, where we have been, and some fortunate souls can even sense where they will be going.  There is nothing wrong with the human experience, but in all honesty there is so much more to who and what we are, and today I wish to shed some light on just that. Sadly there are so many people who have yet to tap into the spiritual side of things.  For many people the subject of spirituality is taboo.  There have been so many people who have fraudulently portrayed spiritual as mystical.  Mystical to so many people carries a negative connotation.  What I will attempt to do today is give you a clear, concise, and honest assessment of what true spirituality is, at least in my estimation.  Some will agree with what I say today, others will run from it.  I simply would like you to keep an open mind, and it is my hope that all of it will resonate with you.

One of the first things to know as we tackle the very sensitive subject of spirituality, is the simple fact that you are spirit first and foremost.  You came from spirit, and by virtue of that you are spirit.  A bird can only give birth to a bird.  A fish, a fish.  We could go on for hours describing the offspring of everything that is on this planet.  Suffice it say, your creator is Spirit.  The simple truth of the matter is that your spirit is the only changeless thing in your whole existence.  The spirit you were born with, is the spirit you will die with.  Your body changes throughout your life, but not your spirit.  Sadly, far too few people ever get to know the true essence of their being, never learning how to communicate with their creator, which is spirit to spirit.  Although we as humans have a life that begins as a child, unable to talk, unable to walk, dependent on everyone else to survive, our spirit at birth, heck our spirit at conception, is fully whole, fully functioning, its' knowledge is unlimited, has abilities beyond imagination, and is perfection in all things.  We as humans tend to believe that our spirit is as fallible as our flesh. We don't give it the credit it deserves, and as such, we never fully depend on it to do for us what it was designed to do.

Whereas we as humans tend to limit our physical abilities based on what we see, or what our experiences are, we also limit our own spirit's abilities because we simply are not aware of those abilities.  Christ walked in spirit all day.  He was aware of who and what he was, and he didn't doubt the creative ability that he was born with.  Sadly we have been conditioned to believe we can never do what Christ did because after all he was Christ.  Well truth be told we are no different.  We have been sold such a bill of goods when it comes to who we are.  We have been told that we can't do certain things.  We have the mind of Christ, we simply do not operate with the mind of Christ because we have been told we can't.  I'm not there yet, as much as I would like to be, but the first step in the process is recognizing that we have this ability.  We were born with this ability, but it has been buried under layer upon layer of doubt, of conditioning.

Our daily lives are filled with things that we have brought into existence with our words.  Our daily lives have been created by what we think, and what we feel.  Good, bad, or indifferent, we have to own the fact that we have created our reality, whether you believe that or not.  I've said it before, you don't have to believe in the Law of Gravity, and you live with its' effects every day of your life.  So too,  we live with the effects of what we say every day of our life.  I hear so many comments from people daily.  "I can't do it", 'I so awful at this", "I am...I am....I am....   When you dare to say "I am", you had better be sure that what ever follows those words is something you truly want in your life, because I can tell you, it will come to pass.  Certainly this might sound like some mumbo jumbo, but I assure you it is anything but that.  

So, when in the course of human events, you find yourself drifting away, heading in a direction you do not wish to be heading in, experiencing things you do not wish to experience, might I suggest that you begin to communicate with your creator in the manner which was always intended.  The topic of spirituality is so complex, because we have made it that way.  In actuality, it is quite simple, if you will just get out of the way and let things happen naturally.  Look at it this way; did it take any effort on your part as you went from infant, to toddler, to child, to teenager, to young adult, to where you are now? No, it all happened naturally, and to be frank, it was going to happen one way of anther without any action on your part.  Your spirit, that which is the center of your being, has been whole, complete, and perfect, without any input from you whatsoever.  You can't change your spirit, you can't kill your spirit, you simply are your spirit.  We have to get away from seeing things simply in the natural, your body, your life, your eye or hair color, your height, your weight.  These are all things that at the end of the day mean nothing.  Now seeing your spirit, communicating with your spirit, walking in your spirit, now that has lasting impact on you, and it will change you completely on the outside if you will let it.  Given the option to walk in the flesh, experiencing all the ups and downs of life, going without, feeling fear, anxiety, frustration, or walking free from all these things because you are being lead by the Spirit of God, what is the better choice?  

I've only scratched the surface of what True Spirituality is.  My desire today is that you simply begin to see things in a different light, and that you begin to open yourself up to new ideas about the real you. I could write volumes about any number of topics out there, and you could reach each word, but believing in those words, putting those words to action is often a totally different thing.  I encourage you to begin to see things in a different light.  Open up and believe in the inconceivable.  We are limited, but only because we have been taught that we are limited.  Please understand this, we are so unique, we are so special, so gifted, so incredibly powerful.  You must, must, must, start embracing the real you.  You have to begin a conversation with your creator so that you can learn what is real, and what is not.  We have been kept in the dark for far too long, and as the light begins to dissipate the darkness, you will begin to see what is real, and what you have been lied to about.

My dear friends when you walk in your true essence, when you accept the greatness that you were born with, then and only then will you be able to accomplish those things that you were sent here to do.  Some will discover this early on in life, others, at the end of their time.  It's not important when, what's important is that it happens.  It will happen at different times for different people, but rest assured it will happen when the time is right.  I encourage you to prepare now, open your heart, open your mind, and begin a conversation with your maker.  I promise you the topics will be something amazing.

 

Before it's too late, you need to decide.

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What is the difference between trust and truth?  Is there a difference between truth and trust?  Can anyone live a full and productive life void of truth and trust?  Lastly, how does an individual incorporate truth and trust into their daily regiment?  Now what I am about to explain may fly in the face of "Normal Thought", but just hang in there with me, and I do believe you will go away with a new understanding.

I think most people would say that trust is earned.  We as humans find it hard to trust someone we don't know.  We as humans find it hard to trust someone who may have done us wrong in the past, or who has proven themselves untrustworthy.  Truth on the other hand is entirely in the eyes of the beholder so to speak.  One man's truth is another mans fallacy.  To most people the earth is round, to others it is flat.  They claim science is behind both options, but one believes one, and the other believes just the opposite.  At the end of the day their truths are different, but it is their truth.  Most people will tell you that truth needs to be proven out.  But in reality many also believe that trust is equally in need of proof, especially if we don't trust a person or situation.    So here's a mind buster, should we trust truth?  

Why do you think it's so important to have both trust and truth in our lives?  Then again, maybe you don't.  I personally think life would completely suck were it void of both truth and trust.  How would it be if we walked around all day trusting no-one?  I mean you would eventually get to the point where you would only think that everyone else on the planet was out to get you, and man that would completely ruin your day.  What about this:  if you had no trust in anything, basically a lack of faith in anything, would there be any reason to go on with life?  How bad would it be if all you saw in life was falsehood, darkness, hate, and discontent?  All of these things I just listed is simply because a life is void of trust.  Let me ask this:  Is it possible to trust something that hasn't been proven out, meaning it's not truth to you?  It's safe to say that something that hasn't been proven out is going to be nearly impossible to trust.  

But just for fun, let's throw something else into the mix.  What about faith?  Does trust take faith?  Does truth take faith?  Can you you have one without the other?  Here's how I see it, and in full disclosure, these are just my thoughts, so take them as you will.  When we talk about faith and trust, don't you have to have faith to believe in someone else, someone who you might not know all that well?  So if you don't know them that well, do you trust them emphatically?  I guess you could say you have to have faith that someone is going to be trustworthy until they give you a reason not to trust them.  Let's look at truth for a moment.  If something has not been proven to you beyond a reasonable doubt is faith enough to get across the finish line of believing in it?  Let's look at an example I used earlier, Round Earth verses Flat Earth.  Now I have no real knowledge of what Flat Earthers are talking about.  To be perfectly honest, I simply don't know, and based on that, can I really say with absolute truth, and believe it, that the earth is flat?  I can't, but once again I could be proven wrong.  

I say all the previous to say this:  We have to have both truth and trust in our lives, and that comes with an element of faith attached to it.  Is it risky to have absolute trust in something?  Yeppers!! I trust that I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning.  Can I say that without doubt, of course, and most would answer the same way, but is there not an element of faith in all of it?  I mean is there any guarantee?  We can trust in things, but that trust is always going to be associated with faith.  We can believe something is truth, but once again associated with faith.  I've said before that there is a huge distinction between having faith in something, and simply hoping for something.  "Gee, I hope I can trust this person."  "Oh I so hope this is true."  These two phrases are littered with doubt, and doubt is not faith, and in the absence of faith is anything really ever going to happen?  

I want to believe, but it will take faith.  I want to see truth in everything, but once again faith.  Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  I have trust and truth operating in my life, but I also have faith.  The three are all needed, and if any is missing in your life then you are going to miss out.  Keep this in mind, what you see with your natural eyes is not always truth.  Truth comes with a need for decrement.  Our eyes can play tricks with us, so decrement us an absolute must.  

So why have I brought this subject up today?  There is much going on around us these days.  We are entering a period of awakening, and with such a thing we are going to have to define what is truth, what is fiction.  We will have to decide to trust something, or toss it away.  We absolutely are going to have to decide what is right for us and what is wrong.  Each step of this journey is going to have to be walked in faith.  As humans we inherently want to trust others.  We want to believe that everyone is being truthful with us, and there is no reason to doubt their sincerity or honesty.  We place faith in so many things in our life, and attaching faith to truth, and trust, is an absolute must.  

So let me ask you again, should we trust truth?  Should we believe that others around us are inherently good, and also want the best for us, or does this come across and raise to a level of mistrust?  Only you can come to your own conclusion.  There is no doubt that we need both truth and trust operating in our daily lives, but that means we must also have faith operating.  Faith is always going to be the cornerstone.  Faith in love, faith in life, faith in our Creator.  If you have no faith, can you have trust and truth?  

Let me end with this, and this comes from a very personal experience.  Many have been hurt in the past, and that hurt has caused us to trust less, and see everything in relationship to that hurt as untruth.  I get how difficult it is to trust someone once that trust has been broken.  That being said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.  We are all going to make mistakes, we are all going to fail someone one day.  There is a huge difference between doing something by accident, and doing it with malice.  If we are unable to forgive, and yes even forget, we will be wrapped up in that hurt for the rest of our lives, and then there will never be trust and truth again.  We've all done things that we wished we hadn't, and hopefully there were people around who could accept that and see you as you really are, and not based on what may have transpired previously.  I've never tried to hurt someone on purpose, that's not to say people haven't been hurt by something I may have done.  I would hate to think they may be holding a grudge for something that was never intended.  That type of unforgiveness will do more harm to you then you could ever imagine.  I know this might be off topic a bit, but when I'm prompted to write something, I obey that prompting.  

Truth and trust are so important, and it ties in with faith, which is something that can never be forgotten.  Truth is truth, trust is trust.  No matter how you look at it, you have to decide how important they are to you, and if you want it present in your life.

 

The Time has come....

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 There comes a time in every life when one has to decide what is important, and what it not.  There comes a time in every life when one has to decide what direction to head.  There comes a time in everyone's life when they will have to discover who they are, and why they are here.  Well Ladies and Gentlemen, I do believe that the time has come to do just that.  This week's blog is going to be hard hitting, and to some maybe even impossible to believe, but let me encourage you to keep an open mind, an open heart, and maybe you will walk away changed forever.

I've been writing this blog for 12 years now, and I, like everyone else evolves and grows at our own pace.  That being said, we are fast approaching the time when  we can no longer just sit back and operate under the status quo.  We are entering a time when we must evolve, we must grow, and we absolutely need to be stepping out into those things that we were created to do.  Why you might ask is this so important right now?  We live in challenging times, and things are going to get even more challenging over a very short period of time.  We need to be equipped to handle all that is about to happen, and knowing how to navigate around what is coming is of paramount importance.  While I believe that there will be some who will not fare well in the upcoming events, it is my hope that each of you are prepared, and will get through whatever is coming.  

We, as I've said countless times in the past, have been conditioned to believe that we are simply humans, having a human experience, tossed to and fro every single day.  Quite frankly far too many people have never discovered their true power.  Far too few people have accepted their own divinity.  In the absence of this is it any wonder so many people are in turmoil these days?  What I truly desire is that every individual on the face of this planet could come to an understanding of just how powerful they are, and where they came from.  Whether you believe in the story of Adam and Eve, they were created to walk with the Creator.  They communicated with their creator just like we communicate with family and friends today.  Their creation was no different than our creation, as we came from the same source.  If we came from the same source then surely you have to realize that we were created with the same abilities.  Once again we have been told why we are different.  We have been told why we have to suffer.  Sorry folks, that is just not something I am willing to accept, and although I still have a long ways to go to walk in this place, I fully expect to someday, and you should be no different. 

People have been talking about the Great Awakening.  Just what is the Great Awakening, and how does it even apply to us?  Well, let me say this:  The Awakening is very real, and it definitely applies to us.  Whether one walks in this awakening is something all together different, but it is here, it is for you, and it is totally up to you to walk in it. We live in this world, and sadly because of that too many people believe that we are destined to scrape by, and never truly enjoy what was always intended for us to enjoy.  We work, we toil, we sweat.  We go through our day with all kinds of expectations placed on us by others, and we never fully get the opportunity to be our true selves.  We battle, and battle, and battle.  We battle so much that we have nothing left at the end of the day to enjoy.  But do we have something in us, something created in us, that we just are not aware of right now?  The answer is yes, and this is where I need you to hunker down and truly listen to what I am about to say.  

When your Spirit was created, it was flawless, it was complete, and it was infinite.  Your Spirit, your true essence has never changed, will never change. It has always been, and will always be.  How can something with no limits, how can it be limited?  If we were to be guided by our spirit 100% of the time, would we not also be limitless?  Here's where our conditioning jails us to a life of fear, anxiety, dread, you name it.  When Christ walked the earth he understood his essence.  He didn't acquiesce to what others said was truth.  He walked in the fullness of his spirit.  Why is it so difficult to believe that we should also be walking in this fullness?  Have we been so conditioned that all we can see is what others tell us is normal. We as humans, to a large extent, have never fully grasped our true nature.  Is it any wonder why so many people are distraught all the time?  

I see people all the time who pray, and pray, and pray, and yet what is the result?  If you see yourself as a mere mortal, doomed to be sick, doomed to die, doomed to live in poverty, do you really think you are going to walk in the absolute power you were created with?  You can pray til the end of your time, but without a knowledge of who you are, what you are, sorry, but it's all moot.  I know what I just said may upset some, that is not my intent.  My intent is to get you so spiritually minded, the Mind of Christ, that prayer is no longer an issue, and you begin to create the way Christ created.  He would speak healing, and healing was done, the lame, the blind, the deaf, you name it, done.  He created miracle, after miracle, simply because he completely understood his true essence.  He communicated with his creator the way it was always intended to be.

My dear friends, you have a simple choice to make.  You can either embrace your true self, or walk around like so many others are doing right now in darkness and gloom.  You can either embrace your true essence, or forever think about what could have been.  We are created beings, created to create.  Why would your creator place an infinite, perfect, powerful spirit in you, if the intent was for you to use it in any endeavor, dream, desire, that reside in you?  Your journey to your destiny begins with you accepting your power, your creative ability, your perfection.  The time has come to embrace the real you, change the way you have been doing things, and in doing that change the world.