Falling In Love With Jesus

There are a lot of mistakes I've made in my life, so many that I've lost count.  There are also some good things I consider as accomplishments, things like obtaining undergrad and graduate degrees, live on my own in 3 different major metropolitan cities in 3 different areas of the country. But there is one perfect thing that I count every day that no one can take away from me, that I've done so so right and so proud and assured about, and that is accepting Jesus Christ into my heart as my personal savior.  I accepted Jesus at a very young age, but it wasn't until I was a full grown adult that I actually fell in love with Him.  Accepting Him is one thing, but falling in love with Him is a WHOLE nother.  They are mutually exclusive.  It is a totally different situation that can only be understood through a personal eye opening, heart warming, revelation producing experience. And because of the fullness in my heart from being in love with Him, this is the reason I am able to forget the immaturity of my youth and early adult life, let go of my mistakes, my past, and so much so that I truly can't count them, mainly because He doesn't count them.  I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  The blood still works and still has miraculous power!!!  There is no doubt in my mind that falling in love with Jesus is truly the best thing I've ever done, and there is no place I'd rather be.

You ARE ALREADY Loved

One thing in life we as humans desire the most is to be loved and loved genuinely. We pursue personal relationships hoping that its "the one", and pray that our desires of feeling the love we hear expressed in our favorite secular love songs will manifest in those relationships. But I have a secret to share....well its not really a secret in general, just a secret that the enemy has tried and is often successful of keeping the sincere understanding from us. The secret is God IS Love.

Like I said, not a secret at all, but we have been deceived with understanding the detailed significance of that completely, because time after time we go on serious pursuits to "find" love. We stay in situations that are not healthy for us, because we think it's love. We deal with people and issues that they bring us because we are trying to stay true to what we believe is love. We go back to situations, or try to go back to situations after we have come to the conclusion that this isn't love, hoping that love will have mercy on us and miraculously show up through the hearts of wrong people because we decided to turn around and try it one more time. To be loved, is all we want. To "want" to be loved. STOP!

Psalms 23 starts off with..."The Lord is my Shepard, I shall NOT WANT." Exactly. What are we wanting for? Why are we wanting? And most importantly don't we know that we don't have to want? And going even further, we don't have to "want" love! Why? You guessed it...God is love. Sooooo not a secret though. But let me share the REAL secret. What the true secret is, is that the origin of dissatisfaction, unfulfilled expectations and feelings of sadness or loneliness is the same: a raging hunger for what you cannot see and do not fully know: GOD. Simply put, a true burning desire to be loved is nothing more than hard core evidence of the absence of a sincere intimate relationship with the one, true God. Hmph, tell the truth and SHAME the devil!

What your heart is seeking is not per se "love", yet your heart is seeking and yearning for an intimate relationship with God because GOD IS LOVE. God already loves you. God can't help but love you because that is what He is. LOVE. Therefore God already loves you, yes, let it soak in...you are already loved. He loves you so much he gave His life for you. But not only that, He is seriously concerned about every detail of your life, large or small. If Jesus gave His life for you and for me, why would He not provide lesser things that are for our benefit? He has already done the ultimate task, anything less than that is really a given. He cares about the things you care about, the things I care about no matter how small we think they are. He loves you. He loves you right where you are, He loves me right where I am, He loves us unconditionally right where we are. He is burdened with your burdens, He is burdened with my burdens...He is severely burdened with our burdens. No question or doubt about it, He truly cares for us. He LOVES us.

He is always there ready to lead us on the path we should go. He didn't just love us in sacrifice, but He loves us in our daily life, our struggles, our fears and our mistakes. Jesus loves you more than you can ever imagine. He loves you. He can love you. He will love you. Matter of fact, truth be told(about to shame that devil again)...He does, can and will love you BETTER than any man, woman or child ever could. So remember to not only reflect on our love for Him because of what He has done, but also His amazing love for us....BECAUSE!... of what He has done. God IS love and is ready to love you, unconditionally. So if you are ready to be loved, and loved the way you have dreamed, don't seek people, seek GOD. Don't go back to people, go back to God. Don't run after people, run after God. Don't give your heart to people, give it to God. Open your heart now so you can receive the love you've always desired, because He is waiting for you to willingly accept all the love He has specifically reserved for your soul....God IS Love. Receive it, because it is yours.

It's Not Personal, It's Spiritual

I read so many things about how we as Christians are quick to get upset when fellow Christians have wronged us or ended relationships. We criticize them for their choosings because we are angry with what they've done. We call them out about what they are doing to other people, never to them personally, and we don't even realize that with this criticism,we are putting ourselves in the same category with them from the opposite end of the judgment spectrum.

What I want us to understand is that we are all at different levels of our faith and spiritual walk, you and the people who you are referencing, so believe it or not, they are struggling with things also. We have to listen to the Holy Spirit for direction. I can't say if they are listening to the spirit or their flesh, but which ever so we probably will never know. But if people decide to walk away from you or if God decides for people to walk away, if it is going to be for the betterment of your spiritual maturity or theirs, then let them walk. No one walking the face of this earth should sacrifice their personal relationship with God, just for the sake of keeping others happy. I can't say to God, "well Father, I would but I can't cause she's going to think I'm being funny". And neither can you, and neither can the person who leaves you.

Sometimes, someone may be advised by the Holy Spirit to disassociate from you. Sometimes, the spirit may advise someone to disassociate from me. There will come a time when the spirit will advise us to disassociate from someone else one day. If God says so, we can't worry what other people will think, nor if its on the receiveing end, get mad at others for being obedient to God. Yes, its all true. It's not personal, it's spiritual.

But trust, God is not going to disassociate someone who has purpose in getting you to your next level of faith. And vice versa. Anyone who walks out of your life is not connected to your destiny. That's not bad, its just what it is. Maybe those people were not called to spiritually guide you, and Lord knows we don't need the wrong people guiding us. Not to say they are wrong people in general, but maybe wrong people for you, your life and your walk, or you're wrong for theirs. Maybe they are wrong with how they went about doing things, but that is still very subjective.

The main thing is, if they happen to go about it in a way that we didn't think was appropriate, we are not supposed to take offense to these things, we are to show compassion and forgive. There is always a twist/difference in what we think and what people believe they need to do. We all make decisions based on what we think is best for us at that time, right? So why do we get so ticked off when people make decisions that they think are best for them? Its really spiritual food for thought if I may say so. Again, as Christians we are not to take offense.

The biggest scheme the enemy has right now is allowing Christians to get offended by other Christians,which ultimately keeps us disconnected and weak as the body of Christ. We are the only religion that I have ever known that will stop serving and walk away from healthy mass worship, church membership, and serving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ because someone has gotten us upset or offended. How people treat you should not be your business, you just continue to serve God through your actions and treat them right.

We have got to get over this and get over these FEELINGS. Feelings are of the flesh, are not fruits of the spirit and have nothing to do with spiritual things. We ALL are also an imperfection. The bible says that we ALL fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So no one is perfect, not even mature Christians. So I'm sayin all this to say, if you experience or have experienced situations like this from other Christians, pray for them. It is the best and most effective thing you could ever do for someone. It does change things and also allows you to continue growing in your faith.

Serve God and be thankful for how He treats you more, and worry less about those around you and their actions toward you. We should be more concerned about our Savior who is waiting with open arms for us to run to Him, not who is running from us. Matter of fact, Love them anyway. Remember,we are not called to retaliate, we are called to bless.

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
~James 5:16 KJV

Reflections of the Most High

This is an article I wrote about a year ago for an online teen girls magazine...Goddess Magazine. I was the contributor for the inspirational "Goddess Within" section. Thought I would share, and feel free to share with other young girls who are struggling with the understanding of how beautiful God truly created them.

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I adore mirrors; most girls do. But I mean personally, I absolutely love mirrors. It is hard for me to not look in a mirror if I am near or around one. Mirrors are probably one of the most innovative inventions known to man, especially to women, because it allows us to really see ourselves exactly the way we look at that period and time. And if at that period of time we think we are pretty, it gives us what we believe to be the pretty truth. Now in addition to our pretty moments, more often man made mirrors also show us the natural, the flaws, and the things we may often times try to cover up. The blemishes and imperfections that sometimes can be less than desirable and maybe the things that we have been told are not pretty or cute. A man made mirror can be your friend, or your enemy. It could be your dream or your worst nightmare.

When we are all dolled up, we usually can't stay out of them. We love to look at our beautiful faces, perfectly manicured with all the trimmings of foundation, concealer, lipstick, and liner. And if looking in a large mirror, we twist and turn to see all the angles of the phenomenal completion of a trendy dressed woman. However, on the flip side, sometimes many of us including myself, have no desire to look in one if we fear what is staring back at us is less than what we desire. Needless to say, a man made mirror, at any given moment, can also give us what we believe is the ugly truth. In contrast, it is really not a truth but more so a man made perception. This is the fallacy of what a man made mirror can tell. We quickly forget how no matter what we may look like at whatever time, we are still a reflection of the most high.

God created us in His image...let me say that again...God created us in HIS IMAGE. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14). A masterpiece sculpted by the master of perfection. You are beautiful beyond words. You are so special to God, that when He created you, He set you apart from all the rest. He loves you so much that you are more than a flock of sparrows to Him. (Luke 12:7) What a man made mirror shows, God does not even recognize. What a God made mirror shows, man does not want to recognize. Man does not want to recognize that God sees no flaws, even if and when they are present. We have been trained by worldly standards to think that what we look like is most important, and anything less than perfect is "damaged goods". This, young ladies, is an ultimate untruth. There is nothing on this great earth that God put His hand in and created that was damaged or contains imperfection in His eyes or by His standards.

So I ask you this, what mirror do you have? Whose mirror are you looking in? Is it man's mirror, or is it God's mirror? God's mirror honors no flaws or imperfections because you are perfect, lovely and unique to Him. God’s mirror does not give the reflection of a blemished fallacy because you are a specific reflection of Him. You are indeed a reflection of perfection. And remember, if you are a reflection of Him, the Most High; then well, by the grace of His majesty and dominion, you must be fly.

Song of Solomon 4:7:
7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. (New Living Translation)

I Won't Complain

I could write all about the lyrics to this old church hymn, and how it tugs at my heart every time I hear it, but I believe the actual lyrics tell it all.

I've had some good days
I've had some hills to climb
I've had some weary days
And some sleepless nights

But when I look around
And I think things over
All of my good days
Outweigh my bad days
I won't complain

Sometimes the clouds are low
I can hardly see the road
I ask a question, Lord
Lord, why so much pain?
But he knows what's best for me
Although my weary eyes
They can't see
So I'll just say thank you Lord
I won't complain

The Lord Has been so good to me
He's been good to me
More than this old world or you could ever be
He's been so good to me

He dried all of my tears away
Turned my midnights into day
So I'll just say thank you Lord
I won't complain.

Fa Sho

How many things can you name in life that are certain? Not many. The only things I can think of off the top of my big head are aging and death. Not really topics that I nor anyone I know would like to deal with on the regular. Most of us dread getting older and we try to avoid discussions that relate to dying or death. But we all know both will happen, fa sho. For all my non southerners, this term "fa sho", that I so eloquently use and one that I over extend more times than not is just urban southern dialect for "for sure". Of course my generation has put a twist on the term and we have slang'd it out. I've come to find that sometimes my "fa sho's" do actually mean "for sure" in a structured sentence. But more times they are just per se' the tag line on the end of my sentences specifically to reiterate the certainty or to solidify my statements, actions, or feelings. I've also come to find that my "fa sho's" mean the word "yes" if it is in response to a question. If someone is asking me a question, and the answer is yes, I may respond with, "fa sho". If I am making a statement and I want to put an emphasis on the importance of it, the last thing I might say is, "fa sho". Like a handshake at the end of a business deal, a period at the end of a sentence, or the click of a lock after a door is closed. A "no questions asked" type of ending, a literal "it's done". The phrase itself is ironic because of where I'm going. Now since we can't think of too many other certainties, we'll go with death for $500. But don't fret on that topic because there is a twist. There is a certain death that I can be happy about. Jesus' death. This is a death that I can talk about without feeling sad. Did you know that what Jesus represented on that cross had a tag line? A "fa sho" if you will, and without a doubt the best one yet. His sentence and statement was what He did for us, His "fa sho" was what He said after it was all done. Therefore our questions are answered and promises fulfilled with this responded "fa sho" because He is the resounding "Yes". The "fa sho" that I'm talkin about and the best "fa sho" I've ever heard of were Jesus' last words on the cross, when He said, "It is finished". Can someone call Stevie Wonder about THESE three words? When Jesus uttered these words, we can only imagine the atmosphere. Some bibles say the earth shook or quaked. But He has placed in our hearts the spirit of what those words truly mean. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, so hear me when I say...Everything you deal with has already been dealt with. Anything you have to face uncomfortably, has already been handled. Things you've done in the past are over, gone, and forgotten. Things you haven't seen or heard yet, hey now, He got that too! Turn it all over to Him now because He said "It is finished", and since those were His last words, where I'm from that means, "fa sho". He solidified His purpose so we could be free, fa sho. It is certain that Jesus has already fought the battle, fa sho. We are winners in Christ, fa sho. He will never leave nor forsake you, fa sho. In Him you are forgiven, fa sho. He is on your side, fa sho. Who cares if things aint right, He will fix them, fa sho. The devil has been defeated, fa sho! You have been given the keys to the Kingdom, fa sho. He loves you, fa sho. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, fa sho. Jesus, fa sho. So as I continue to wear out my southern slang, after all the times I've used that term to close a deal, confirm or make certain of what I'm saying, or just to say it cause I am reppin that wonderful Dirty South, there is nothing more certain than what Christ did for us, what He is to us, and who we are in Him. He, His actions, love, and purpose is the ultimate, realest, most personified "fa sho" I know.



Copyright ©2009 Crystal Dion Lewis