Redemptions Surrender

Within each of us there is an inability to give up. We at times hold on to what we believe is right and do not let anyone tell us otherwise. Some of us hold on to things stronger then others and are more dominant in their methods. One of the hardest things to learn is to give up when you know you are wrong or when you know you can't do it on your own. In theory, it shouldn't be very difficult to just lay in surrender to the truth. The well known saying of the truth hurts is as precise as it gets. The truth hurts people because it pierces through the hardened shells we have constructed around ourselves. The dangerous part is when people have designed this hardened wall around the heart.


We all have different fronts and some of us can push our emotions aside so no one could ever see us struggling. The difficult thing is you can never hide from everyone. Each person is not immune to complete deception. Your game of deception in only a manipulation of your lack of being able to surrender. You hide behind the walls of this life, allowing anything to hide your pain. You place your face behind the screen of your computer hoping some world out there in cyberspace will come to love you and take care of you. You push yourselves into the arms of a man or woman you know you may not marry because they provide you safety and unprotected joy. With each bottle you knock down, you are lying to yourself in what makes you happy. With each hit you take life's pains become more blurry and irrelevant. That is until each of those things disappear and you are left all alone with not a single person to say "I am with you."


Why do you let life take you on that journey? Do you not realize that you cannot do it on your own? There is not a man strong enough on this earth that can fight every battle on his own. No man can stand in the face of danger and defeat it every single time. Yes, we may get lucky and are able to fight some of our own battles, but in reality, some of these battles were created to defeat us. If these battles were designed to bring us down, then why do you run to them and stand at the front line. Why do you allow a complete stranger to tell you they love you when all they want to do is use you? Girls, why do you allow yourselves to be treated like objects, rather then vessels of pure and untainted love? Guys, why do you allow your self-worth to be limited to the temptations of your mind?


The beauty of this world is that it was created perfect, but was destroyed by the lack of surrender and unequal love. The beauty within that is now we have a reason and ultimate purpose to run full speed to the One who came to save the world from our own inabilities. We are given the choice to completely surrender our lives to Him for him to cleanse us and fill up those areas in our life where we are empty. If you lack love, He is love. If you lack strength, He is stronger. If you lack direction, He is your Compass. Life can be different for you when you fully decide to get down on your knees, raise your hands high and say, "I cannot do this on my own anymore." The universal symbol of surrendering is to put your hands up. I am telling you that to raise your hands high is only the beginning. With that, you need to lift up your heart, your mind and your everything to Him who created all things. Give up your empty relationship, your destructive habits, or whatever it is that takes you away from true Happiness. The only thing standing between you and surrendering is your inability to truly want pure joy. I promise you, once you have tasted of His glory, you will not turn your back. For we cannot do this on our own, but with Him, we can do all things.


Imperfections were created to bring the Perfecter for us to Surrender


That is Truth

Live to Overcome

Today, yesterday and in the future, you will go through the tragedies of life that will bring you down ever so slowly. That is, if you allow them to. Unfortunately, us as humans have this innate ability to allow things to get to us and hurt us. This comes in many forms, such as friends and family, work, and even death. There are many things we cannot control, although we'd like to think we could. We always think we have all the answers, but what happens when that answer you wanted is just not there?


There are two ways to live your life. The first is to be passive and emotionless. In this state of like, you accept all things that happen to you and have no desire to overcome them. You may have had a friend or family member pass away, but yet you won't let them go or won't allow yourself to move on. Now I am not saying you shouldn't mourn or even grieve over the loss of a loved one, because that is part of the process. There comes a time when you need to look at what has transpired and understand why it happened and find its purpose. Everything we go through in life has a purpose. Remember all the great times, smile about the close memories, and cherish everything about the person. Part of being able to overcome is to take yourself out of the equation and allow Someone higher to take control of your life. Each life on this earth has a purpose and to seek out the purpose before our own selfish desires is so hard to learn, but it is possible. When we try to control our own lives, we always fall short of the glory. When we just sit there and allow life to walk all over us we will not be able to get up no more.

One thing that will always be consistent in life is that it will always throw you curve balls. Things will always change on you and you must be prepared for it all. Part of being a passive and emotionless is not being proactive and driven. You fall short of all your temptations. When life throws drugs, sex, and money at you, the response of no is as far as east is from the west. You stumble and get trampled over like dirt on the road. You are scared of the pressures of everyone around thinking you are weak and weird. You cannot say no to all that life throws you because you are weak, and you will not try to find help or even admit your inadequacy.


The second way to live your life is to be proactive and driven. When life halts itself right in front of you and tells you that you cannot overcome what it is about to throw at you, your ability to step forward and say "yes I can" will be words of fire that will torch any temptation. Be proactive in seeking ways to make yourself better and stronger. When you know you have a struggle, do not find a method to heal it, but find a way to run as far away from it as possible. What good does it do to you to sit in your filth and wait till the wounds close. No, get as far as you can from what is dragging you down and the further you get, the harder you work on never getting near it again. Be driven about wanting to move forward with your life and allow yourself to be encouraged and strengthened by those who love you the most. Drive yourself to be great and do great things. Live to not live in your past and fight the greatest fight in your life. Nothing can bring you down when you have Him on your side.


Whatever it is that you have gone through, know that it has a reason and one of the greatest things you can do is to teach others about your testimony. Every day that you live is a new chapter in your story. With each breath you have added one more sentence. One day when you are old and sitting on your rocking chair gazing out to the distance sky, you will open up your heart and go through the chapters of your life. Why don't you craft a story that is amazing and filled with love. Allow there to be a happy ending and joy. Bring yourself to tears to see how no struggle or pain was ever able to tear you apart. For we have the greatest Director ever and He will make your story worth living.


Life is good when you are happy, but great when you are saved. Live to overcome your past, your future, and this very second.


That is Truth

Clearly Content

Our generation has become one that is always wanting more when what we have is not enough. We seek out all the newest gadgets and toys. We post updates to the newest fads. Our eyes are constantly window shopping even when we don't realize we are even doing it. The struggle to accept what we have and where we are in life is difficult to grasp. Being unable to be content in your life leads to much disparity and pain. We have seen billionaires take their lives because they did not have as much money as they wanted. We have all seen children putting up a fit in a supermarket for that candy they wanted.


Does having all the riches of the world truly bring happiness to you? If tomorrow you won the lottery, would you not play it again because you tasted what greed was like and now you want more. There is nothing wrong in wanting things and having desires. There is however a line, which can be passed in our desires, that leads to our fall as humans.  It is that inner battle that is so hard to reckon with. To learn to accept what our lives look like and all that we have is not learned over night.


The way I've always attempted to deal with being content is to remind myself of others in the world who are not privileged like I am. My parents did an amazing job in reminding us that the wealth of this world can never fully suffice the desires of my heart. They taught that to me with love and the older I got, the more I understood it. I had to fully understand what being content meant in its entirety. I saw being content only in the context of wealth and materialistic things. I did not see it in relation to my heart and to my everyday doings.

It fully surrounds you in all that you do. Look at a few examples: a relationship, love, work, friends and family. These are all things that center around being content. When there is an imbalance, it leads to problems, separation or struggle. Sometimes the best way to get back to that place of being content is to just slow down and baby steps. Get back to the basics of life and learn to crawl before you can run.


Take what you have been given and make the best of it. Lead others by example of your own life. Be joyous in all that you have for others do not have but a speck compared to you. Your life can be beautiful when you set it all down and let it go and accept it for what it is. To be breathing and alive is a blessing in disguise. To be healthy and able to do all that we want to do is overlooked so often when we think about thanksgiving. See your life as the greatest gift that can be given to you. Everything else that is added to it is a blessing and it must be given to Him in complete surrender.


Through being content, you will be much happier and your blessings will increase. Your eyes will be cleared and your future will be seen with stronger vision. Set your anxiety aside and take up His cross. He came and laid down His life for you to live a life that is free from worry and anxiety. He gave up a world of riches to give you a life of happiness. We are all different and each have been blessed by Him differently. But no two blessings can be compared by each other because each blessing was crafted carefully by the Maker of all things.


The grass may not be greener on the other side, so be joyous for the grass that you stand on is alive and rich in life.


That is Truth

Rested Silence

Picture yourself for a second sitting by yourself by the ocean side just listening to the ripples and waves of the water crashing in. Suspend yourself from where you are currently at and place yourself directly in the middle of the biggest rain forest you can ever imagine. Listen to the water droplets, the subtle chirp of a distant bird or the echoing hiccup of a spotted frog near your foot. Paint this picture in your mind for just a minute. You are standing at the edge of a tall mountainside, there is a long river that extends from behind the mountain heading out towards the west where you see with pure amazement, the sun setting. There is not a single cloud in the sky. You gaze upon the beauty of the sun as you have never seen it so big and vibrant before. You reach out your hand towards the west and then raise them high above you in complete surrender, for a moment like this is but a still portrait. And when you least expect it...


Sirens go off, cars drive by honking, and yelling erupts. You lower your hands and turn your back to the sun and start to head back to what you were doing. You quickly forget about that split second in history where for a moment or less, you were free. Is this not how our worlds are designed and constructed? We are constantly moving and doing and never take the time to sit in silence to just rest. I struggle to understand why we do not truly rest away from the constant distractions of our world. Most of us cannot sit more then 5 feet away from our phone without feeling self conscious or in complete bluntness, naked. Our distractions are that which cloth us and make us. We will quickly make plans to do something or go somewhere, but we will not stop and let our bodies truly rest.


When is the last time you sat in a room, a car, in a park, and just did nothing whatsoever? I mean really, when was the last time you placed yourself away from just everything and anything? Some of you reading this may think I am completely crazy for even recommending time away from everything and just spending time by yourself in complete quietness. Honestly, I am okay with you thinking that, because until you have done it, you cannot love it. Many of you are too scared to stand up and be away from your Facebook for more then a minute because of your fear of missing something.


Let me tell you this: all the things in this world will be here and one day will pass. Your distractions will always be there to push you away from building you up. As great as it is to spend time with loved ones, sometimes you just need to be away from them. Even those that love you can distract you. That is hard to comprehend and understand, but the reality is, everything in this world can distract you. The biggest danger does not lie with everything that surrounds you. Rather, it lies within you. The biggest distraction that hinders your ability to find complete rest, is yourself. You will give yourself an excuse to everything and will never fall short of excusing yourself from an opportunity to just find rest. Why are you fighting yourself? Do you not realize that you will never win the battle. You will only hurt yourself and take away from the amazing life you can have.


You need to allow your mind to rest, your heart to be still and your body to heal itself. I know some of you think you are strong and picture yourselves as some morph of Superman, but you cannot do what Superman does, because it is fiction. The only One who was able to conquer all was He who came, taught, loved, died and was resurrected. Through it all, He found time to rest and take sabbath time to be with His father. True rest lies within the Father and no one else. Listen to the still silence and find His voice. Through His words you can be stronger, wiser and happier. He wants to take care of you and hold you near. He will protect you from all your distractions, if you allow Him to.


I encourage you to spend an hour every day, or at least a few days a week and take yourself away from everything and just spend it in complete silence. Allow that time to be spent with Him and listen to the beauty of His nature. Give yourself what you deserve, which is a break. Don't overwork yourself, don't stress yourself and don't ever give up on what you can do with your life. Challenge yourself to find rest, and if you do not feel better I sincerely apologize. I want nothing more then for your lives to be filled with joy, love and peace. I am completely confident, with not even a hint of doubt that He is rest and He is OUR strength.


Within the silence, seek the stillness of love and rest will be laid upon you


That is Truth

Sanctified Courage

The opportunity lurks within the distance. You can see the light that screams freedom directly to your face. You've dreamed of a day like this where you can step up to the plate and hit one over the bleachers to right center. All of a sudden, you realize that your arms are chained down to the ground. Your legs are cemented to the floor beneath you. You begin to sweat. Breathing begins to slow down to a minor faint. Your mind is running and you cannot control it anymore. You've been in the place too many times. The familiarity begins to sicken you. You have literally been placed in the most opportune moment in history, but you have failed to have the courage to overcome all the things others have said you cannot do.


See here is the thing. The sweat you are sweating was by all the layers of stress you have allowed to be placed upon you without asking for someone to help you. You have decided to take the easy way out without having the courage to go to the ones who love you most, and ask for their help. The ground you stand on was laid down with cement by your own hands because before you decided to step forward and act on the opportunity given to you, you believed that you could not do it. You did not have the courage to set the lies thrown at you to the side and walk on solid ground. You step into the cement and stop. Then you have placed the chains around your wrists and nailed them to the ground. You took your life and you dedicated it to this earth, to the one place you currently stand. You have placed the blinders upon your eyes and gave up your privilege to look far into the distance. You've settled for who you are and told yourself that you cannot do anything. You cannot go anywhere, you cannot change lives. Heck, you can't even bring joy to the lonely. You constantly remind yourself of this by chaining yourself to the place you currently stand. The cement you stand on is time. With time the opportunity to get up and go lessens. The only thing that stands between you and the next chapter of your life is your lack of courage.


Why are you afraid to live? Do you not ever think of the millions of people in third world countries that get up each day wondering if they are actually living, or have gone to heaven? The children that run around with nothing but a piece of cloth covering themselves sitting in the dirt and filth begging to eat just a grain of rice. Their bellies so malnourished that they would do anything to be able to walk to the nearest Taco Bell and pick up a burrito. You laugh at the image of Taco Bell and the taste of the burrito, and you have quickly forgotten the child that would give up his life to eat and live like you do. The courage it takes for others who do not have anything to get up and just beg for one more day, for one more breath is courage that cannot be taught.

Yet you sit there right now reading this, and i'm not sure where you are in your life, but I can guarantee you one thing, you have not done what you know you can do. You have sold yourself short because you do not know what you are capable of. If you do not know what you are capable of, let me take one second and tell you what you are capable of doing. I want you to listen with full attention right now, because you may not like what I am going to say. Heck, you may be hating me right now up until this point and this will just push you over the edge. Are you ready to be rocked? Well here it is. You have the ability to live, and let others live. You have the opportunity to take out just 1 minute in each day that you live and do something nice for someone. You have the opportunity to take what has been given to you, and give it to someone else. You have the ability to do whatever it is that you want. You can go to school, you can work, you and get married. Whatever it is you want to do, you can do it. There is not one person in this world that can ever tell you what you cannot do. The only reason someone will ever tell you that you cannot do something, is because they themselves cannot do it like you can. If you want to go out and work in the missions field and give up your lavish lifestyle here, then do not wait one more second. For if you wait, you have lost. You have let the cement dry under your feet and the chains have won their victory.


Release all that you have placed upon you and have the courage to go and do whatever it is you want to do in life. Give all that you endure and experience to the One who gave you it all. For if we do not give up all our blessings, and our sufferings to Him, then we might as well call it a night and forget about a future of happiness. Ask the Leader of all nations for the courage to step up in your life and run with the Angels.


All these words I write to you are not me telling you that you are not a great person. I write this to you today to tell you this is what I have done to myself for so many years. For a lifetime I lacked courage to do God's work. I failed to be His servant and His missionary. I pour out my heart to you in this moment for you to see the vulnerability of man when man does not allow a God so strong to help him through everything he goes through. Through Him, I pray that you find the courage to live your life for all that it is and that you do not ever doubt the power of courage and the power of love.


In courage comes the gift of renewed life. Live and be free for Thee.


That is Truth

The Pursuit of Happiness

Have you ever wondered what happiness really is? I mean honestly, think, what is true happiness? We are born into a world that is consistently burdened with wars and suffering and we hear of catastrophic natural disasters and unfortunate losses. What is happy about all this? It's true that these things are in theory sad things. They're devastating to families and bring tears unlike anything our eyes have ever witnessed. The question that always puzzles me is how can someone be expected to pursue a life of happiness when sadness surrounds them? Can you forget about the sufferings you have been through or forgive those who have hurt you? The questions are endless, but the beauty of the pursuit is that it too never ends.


We are given the reins to our lives and we have the free will to do whatever it is that we want. We can choose to do something really dangerous and thrilling, or we can choose to play it safe and take the road around the obstacle. Both paths lead to our goals' end, but the journey is what shapes you into who you will become. There is a beauty that lies within the journey of the pursuit of happiness that is so unique and individualistic to each and every one of us. Two people will never live an identical life. Two people will never be as happy as each other. Thinking that the grass is greener on the other side, we strive to always want our lives to be better. But at times, we forget what we have been given. For those of you who live in America, do you realize how much of a blessing your life is here in the complete freedom of democracy? We forget; we take for granted the many gifts that have been given to us.


Sometimes. understanding how to get to the place of pure happiness will often require taking a step in the opposite direction. Pause the busyness you call life and take a second to do some reminiscing. Think back to your childhood, middle school years, high school, and beyond. Can you recall each breath? Can you remember each step that brought you to where you are? You were created to run after everything you have ever wanted. For most of us, we tend to run without ever looking back. Let me tell you this: your future would be nothing without your past. From surviving a rough upbringing and true heartache, to being blessed with abundant love, your life would be nothing but an empty vessel without those trials and tribulations.


You think you know what you're running after, to this figurative place the world calls happiness. You continue to race after it, thinking of nothing but achieving this goal. Have you ever run a race free of exhaustion? It's not possible. To achieve greatness, one needs complete brokenness. You need to train, learn and examine all aspects that will hinder this race. I am promising you from the bottom of my heart that happiness is right around the corner. If you want it, you will receive it. If you strive for it, you will never walk away empty handed. The pursuit of happiness in its entirety is a beautiful race. To be healthy, loved, and to have a purpose in life are common goals.


But here's the catch: these things, health, love, money and possessions, they all fade. The dirt on the ground changes from day to day, as does the air we breathe. What if I told you about a pursuit of Happiness that will never leave you unhappy? It will only cost you one thing, but it's something that never belonged to you from the start. What would you say to me? Would you crucify me and beat me till I bled profusely? The last time that happened, my Christ proved that love overcomes all and cannot be broken down. He came to promise us a life of pure happiness and endless love. He showed us this throughout His life on earth how much He cares for us and that's something He'll never stop doing.


If you want to pursue complete happiness, I encourage you to pursue the Maker of happiness and the Designer of consecrated love. In life, you will find many things that will make you happy,  but none of those will ever make you happy forever. Each season comes and goes. But there is One who will never leave you on your own in your tough times. You need His love to overcome all your pains and struggles; to wait is to only be unhappy one more day.


Be happy and be loved. For to be joyous is glorious, and He is Glory.


That is Truth

Unfound Fear

Set aside everything you are doing right now and think about this question: What is it that you are fearful of? This may be a silly question to some. For others, it might be thought provoking and will stimulate some hidden feelings that might never have been dealt with. You may be sitting there wondering where to start. What if I told you that no matter how long you've been dealing with it, the fear you have been battling with can be subsided and harnessed with one step? I have your attention now, don't I?


Well, here is the thing. This step is so big it cannot be watered down into a self-help book that is sold on the clearance racks at Barnes and Noble. For too long, you and I alike have sought out how we can overcome the fears of life. But before we can talk about how to subdue this annoying pest we call fear, we must clarify what fear I am talking about. Think about this for a second: Where is your life going right now? What is guiding your direction? Do you wake up tomorrow knowing full well that no matter what happens, you will be secure in some sort of peace? If life ended for you before the end of this paragraph, would you be alive? Kind of a paradox there to be dead and alive in the same instance, isn't it? The fear of losing all that we have and not knowing what will happen with us is such an unsettling feeling that leads many to run away from the only thing that makes sense. But you are not ready to know what this is yet.


Does your life mean so much to you that you would hold it with all that you have, unwilling to allow someone to help you? Are you that afraid of being hurt or being torn down for some higher purpose? What if I told you that you sit there today reading this, knowing that you are afraid of life in its entirety and have forgotten what life is in its complete essence. I will tell you this: not as a person who is all-knowing or fully wise in the wisdom of my elders, but as a man growing up with fears that are true, fears that are real and common. Life scares the living daylights out of me. But here is where the kicker kicks in. The life I have here is empty. I live each day as if it is my last. I seek out the opportunities to love and be loved. Encouragement at its best is like a breath of fresh air each day. I live with the fear of joy, fear of prosperity, and fear of eternal life.


Yes, there it is. The answer to all questions. The step to overcoming all fear, all doubt, and all pain is the giver of eternal life. He is the maker of life and the designer of who you are today. On this day, you can take your fears, lay them down at His feet, and allow yourself to be emptied of all the burdens you have brought upon yourself. We as people do not ever allow someone to fully surround us and take control of our life. Can you believe me right now when I tell you that there is only One who will not hurt you, forsake you, or give up on you. His name is Jesus Christ. He saved my life years ago when He showed me grace for a life I did not deserve. I was afraid of the life I could live and did not trust anyone. He gave me reason to live, purpose to breathe, and joy to love.


On this day, you can bet set free of all your fears. You can have this fire burning within you that will never be put out by anyone. You can burn for Him and allow others to see how there is life and hope even in our lowest moments. Sometimes we don't understand why God does things the way He does. Sometimes He takes away the things or people we love most. But do not for one second ever blame the Creator of life for what He chooses to do. He has a purpose for all things and one day, you will understand and see how it was part of the bigger picture. Do not be afraid of this bigger picture.


The beauty of this bigger picture is that it can include you. He wants to etch your name into this amazing love story that casts you as its leading role. You can change lives, give hope to the hopeless, and take away fear from the fearful.


Will you allow Christ to take away your fear today and replace it with hope? For your fear is unfound, and His love is pure. Don't let your life slip away knowing full well that life beyond your last breath can truly be the last breath you ever breathe. Give up all that you are today to Him, and He will give you living breath for the rest of your days. He is the Giver of life and the Peace to your unsettled heart today.


I pray you will seek Him in all your ways. For He will wait for you till the end.


That is Truth