These people called to earthly royalty and what a responsibility. It is written in scriptures that Saul being the first earthly King fell short of the Glory of the Lord and lost the blessings. It has been a struggle ever since then for earthly royalty. I pray that they themselves are praying and not like everything about their lives, make going to church a tradition and not a revelation. I pray that they truly seek the Lord with all their heart and mind. Form a relationship with the Lord, their well being depends so much on it. To whom much is given much is required, scriptures declares. You can’t stand alone in the requirements of being royalty, rich and famous. You need guidance and protection, more than what the world can offer. We all need the Lord, we can never be so established that we don’t.

I was praying for the Royals when a picture of the movie the Ten Commandments flashed in my mind. As a child after watching the movie for the first time with actor Charlton Heston one question remained in my mind, “why didn’t he just marry the pretty lady princess and become Pharaoh? No one had to find out who he truly was.” It was only when I got older the truth was revealed to me in my spirit that Moses did what he did by going to find out the truth about who he is and his people because he was lead by the Holy spirit. His life being rescued out of the water by the Pharaohs daughter was all for a divine purpose, he was chosen. Being chosen he was lead to find out his destiny. Moses didn’t allow the love he had for the princess or the fear of losing her stopped him from his destiny. There’s nothing wrong with love, but fear can destroy the power that it possesses.

2 Timothy 3 Tell us to be ware of such individuals having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Matthew 7:21 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. We can fool each other with lies and deception, but when it comes to the omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscient God you just can’t. But there are people who really believe some how they can. That’s why he says, “depart from me for I know you not.”

Humans would always be imperfect beings. Faith doesn’t some how make us a deity or even exempt from imperfections. This misconception is causing a lot haters towards confessed Christians (religious people) who has fallen short.

Listen people, you who are being disliked for being a bully, being mean and egotistical doesn’t make biblical scriptures applicable to you. Understand it is because what you are doing is hurtful to others and not just one or two people, but you are affecting everyone you come in contact with. So stop quoting John 15:18-27 “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” You’re not in anyway being like Jesus when it’s all about you.

People shouldn’t use biblical scriptures to justify their ignorance in their behavior by victimizing the innocent, the people who are faithfully seeking the Lord. Everyone should understand God is not to be mocked. I could never understand why most nonbelievers trust to come to the church to find a spouse. They wholeheartedly believe church spouses are the real deal because the believe them to be very naive and perfect. If only they would get it, not all people who go to church was born in it, they themselves came from the outside world and are works in progress when comes to their Faith. Sometimes they backslide, so stop putting them in a general category as all church people. What does anyone really know about true believers other than opinions. Even people who are born into church life suffers imperfections.

“When I think of the Goodness of Jesus and all that he’s done for me… My soul cries out Hallelujah!!! Praise God for saving me. What a powerful hymn.” I am truly greatfull for all the Lord has done for me all the days of my life. When I thought of the many times I’ve cheated death, I felt abandoned and alone, hopeless, abused, afraid, tempted, misguided and confused especially about faith in him, sick: mentally and physically. God always showed up in one form or another. How does he shows up and how do I know it’s God? Through the presence of love, forgiveness deliverance, salvation, and redemption. God doesn’t show up just to see what’s going on, he knows, he is ever present. God doesn’t just show up for a need to know bases, He shows up cause He’s our problems solver, our way maker where there seems to be none in our lives. His presence is to deliver us from any situation because of sin. It’s all about sin within and surrounding us. We should have strong faith and pray for those who doesn’t. Our lives should be the living testimony of faith in the Lord, like our ancestors are in the Bible.

Pain and suffering should not be the only reason for us to find God. But in most circumstances it is the reason for our conversion of faith even drawing some of us closer. 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 declare His strength is made perfect in weakness. I can’t express my gratitude for all that the Lord has done for me. I want to be able to show him, so I pray, ” Lord help me to always pay it forward” Amen!

I always say that I will follow Jesus. In following Jesus I learn the importance of love which is the driving force behind Jesus ministry. Any man or woman of God in authority that has no love for other is not following the way of God. John 3:16 God so love the world that he give his only begotten son. Everything about Jesus begins with love.

With love comes compassion, patient, forgiveness, understanding. 1Corinthinians 13:1 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love also discipline even though it may seem hurtful. Discipline is correction for your own good, that is love.

Where the presence of God is there is love. The glory we feel in worship is love manifested, making love spiritually. Grace is the greatest manifestation of the Love of the Lord, because it is unconditional. Jesus is grace (love). Love is discipline, redeeming, sacrifice, unity, and obedience.

We all know the story of Joseph and his brothers who planned on killing him and then decide to beat him, put him in a pit and sell him into slavery over a dream and the love his father had towards him by making him a coat of many colours. All because of jealousy and hatred. Joseph was sold to a merchant who brought him to Egypt and sold him as a slave to Potiphar the captain of the pharaoh guard. Even though God was with Joseph his father Jacob sins followed him, that hereditary behavior of trickery. But unlike Jacob his father the trickster and his grandmother Rebecca, Joseph was honest, respectable and a righteous man. Nothing like his brothers who follows the pathology of their heritage of trickery and sin. Just the thought of their plan to not only to hurt Joseph, but totally disregard how it would effect their aging father knowing how much he loves Joseph.

Poor Joseph to be born into such a family. Joseph is proof that bad things happens to good people sometimes just because of your lineage. You can be a very good person and your goodness not even known to you is what’s needed to break a hereditary curse in your family. And guess what? You’re the chosen one everyone hates and they have no reasons to, cause you’re loving and compassionate. Joseph is also proof that your own will reject you, but strangers can except and love you more as one of them.

Joseph brothers behavior and attitude towards him was identical to that of Cain to Abel. The only difference is God intercede that they couldn’t take his life. Today as a Christian if you can’t say,” I am my brother’s keeper” then you are not on the Lord side. David who killed Goliath I believed was treated just like Joseph by his brothers, especially after he’d killed Goliath. David wouldn’t turn to Jonathan or even Bathsheba if he had a strong relationship within his own family.

Joseph broke the family hereditary and generational curse by continuing to do good regardless of what he had to endure for no reason at all. He didn’t do anything wrong by being sincerely truthful and honest to his family about a dream he had and to his slave masters, be respectable and noble. But his noble behavior made his master wife loved and amired him. So she lied on him to her husband because he rejected her sexual advancement and was thrown in jail. Joseph was like the first Job, God’s faithful servant, keeping the Faith regardless. Joseph is not only a man of great character the one thing we don’t associate Joseph with in his story is that he was also a prophet of the Lord. And like the rainbow his coat of many colours made for him by his father was prophetic as to say he was the promised one to deliver not just his family, but many from  famine that was going to affect their lives and to serve in God’s purpose for His chosen people. He even changed the mindset of his wicked brothers.

Scripture declares, ” let your light so shine before man, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven” Matthew 5:16. The cost for your light shinning brightly is a price only through God you can pay. If it had not been for the Lord who was on your side there’s no way you can stand on your own shinning brightly. If man can only get it, the light belongs to God and not ours. As Christian we do nothing of ourselves like Jesus said, ” the son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the father do; for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the son likewise.” After all we are God’s creation, created in his image, fearfully and wonderfully made. So instead of being filled with jealousy and hating someone for being blessed and highly favoured go to God, that’s a choice we have and is given. Pour out you complain and fight with him about it.

Ephesians 4:26-27 (KJV) Be ye angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil. Lord have mercy! Sometimes we know the scripture so well, but when provoked and tempted by what we consider pure evil we lose all control to stand in the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord. Psalm 73:2 “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.” That’s what happened to me as I watch a man in authority take advantage of it and was abusing his authority just because he can, a real bully. And for this cause I lost control of my thoughts, emotions and action. I should of known better as a child of God, but my excuse, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” Matthew 26:41.

I visualize myself choking, shooting and hitting him in the head as I was saying my pray when I heard a voice clearly say, “seeing that you’ve done everything you deemed necessary to him already what is left for me to do?” And I was frozen couldn’t even reply for it was the Lord that had spoken to me. The voice came from within my mind that I no longer could continue praying. I was at a lost for words even a thought for a few seconds. Then I said, “speak Lord, speak Lord for thy servant heareth.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord say, ” if you are praying to me for help, then let vengeance be mines.”

I never felt so ashamed for praying to God for help then taking the matter into my own hands instead of waiting on Him. I tried to justify myself by saying, “Faith without works is dead” James 2:14-26. Then conviction of the spirit hits, I was working faith alright no different than the evil bully. I thought to myself maybe that’s why Adam and Eve felt the need to put leaves on themselves when they realized they were naked Genesis 3:7. The shame that is felt within your spirit is like an emptiness a lost you can’t be regain and exposure so embarrassing, but there’s no place you can hide, “busted!” That is what sin felt like not even comprehending that sin can be an emotion and not just something we do.

We sin in thoughts and in deeds. We have to discipline our mind in our reaction to the things that hurts us. How many times Jesus was beaten and tortured yet not once did he retaliated given his abilities and power. He showed us what restraint and true Faith in the will of God and letting it be be done when he didn’t call down the legions of angels to save him from being tortured and crucified.

People can be used by the devil to get to you. You must be discerning as a child of God and not let the enemy win. We are so much stronger in the Lord than we give ourselves credit, if we just keep the Faith, let go and let God do his thing in us and through us.

Love unconditional is fantastic for those who are not sensitive or emotional. But in a world where everything has a price nothing is for free we take into account. When you can overlook the cost and do whatever it takes to stand for peace and righteousness all for the will of God, your reward is not after you die but while you are living. God sees and knows everything so you are not going to be rewarded by those you’d expect, but like angels, a stranger will be sent by God.

As I spent years watching and observing humanity I realized why on the cross Jesus cried out, ” forgive them father for they know not what they do” Luke 23:34. Some of us human beings have mental issues when it comes to perceiving right and wrong, good and bad; completely oblivious especially about spiritual things. We are arrogant and ignorant enough to believe we know everything. Everything about our behavior has to do with our mindset and our egos.

It takes bold courage, tenacity, resilience and confidence in one self to be able to stand with an emotional and sensitive heart. You don’t have to be bitter, cold or heartless for your heart not to be broken. You just have to be strong will to overcome the pain and move on. Not allowing it to disable you mentally. Having feelings is not a sin. Disappointment, along with heart breaks and aches are all part of life, especially if you’re loving, caring and compassionate person. Sometimes you have to pray God that same love that lead Jesus to the cross be in you to survive in this life as a Christian.

Whenever we feel that we have suffered ingratitude just remember Jesus and what he had to suffer for us all on the cross and yet loving mankind. Ingratitude does hurt!

Memory of my first Christmas was unconventional besides going to church on Christmas eve. We had no Christmas tree or presents. I can recall my aunt doing a lot of house cleaning. The house was spotless. New curtains, furnitures rearranged and the aroma of cooking and baking filled the air. While all us kids were outside playing after some time we would be called in to have our bath and tidy up for dinner. Dinner was amazing, my aunt cooked a lot of food but my favorite was macaroni pie and chicken. Family, friends and our neighbors all will drop by bringing food and drinks. Everyone lived so close it was easy to walk over to our house. After dinner all the kids would go outside and be given a lite up sparkler. Nothing could of prepare us for the surprise we had for desert as we all went inside after the sparklers went out. Even though we had all kinds of baked goods the highlight of our Christmas was getting to eat apples and grapes, what most people take for granted was a joy for us. While other children at Christmas look forward to opening up presents we looked forward to  eating grapes, apples and sparklers.

I learned at an early age that Christmas was about family and friends getting together having dinner and going to church. Church was the one of the first things to be at concerning Christmas and for me it was Sunday school where I learned the true meaning of Christmas. One of the first time in my life I could remember getting my first Christmas present was at a church we were invited to. They had so much presents and everyone in the church got something and you were called up to chose your own gift on a table, not Christmas tree. And I could also remember how much I loved the idea of getting a present for the first time everything was decorated so beautifully wrapped in boxes my curiosity peaked to find out what is in them . All I understood is the presents was symbolic to the gifts brought to Mary and Joseph at Jesus birth in the manger, especially by the Three wise men.

When it came to getting the gifts the children when up first to chose and was always first because after all it’s about baby Jesus. And I never forgot when it was my turn to chose. I looked for the biggest present because I thought maybe there would be so much more things in it after witnessing someone else opened up a small box with two gifts inside. I learned my lesson on greed that day for sure. The gift wasn’t toys but things your family could use like a Bible, books and pen, towels, soaps etc. So I choose the biggest present ever and it’s so vivid in my mind today. I couldn’t wait to go home and opened it up with my family. My sister went after me and picked up an envelop instead which I didn’t pay any attention to on the table my goal was the biggest gift there was. Topical kid, lol. Got home everyone just as curious as I was to open up the gift, that was so big I couldn’t even carry it myself. When my aunt began to open it up it was layers and layers of wrapping and boxes, and finally at the end four rolls of toilet paper, everyone burst out in laughter. Yes, that was definitely not what I had expected. My siblings and cousin were on the floor holding their tummies, crying in laughter. My aunt held back hers and smiled and said, don’t bother with them this is very good. You see back in those days we had a outhouse (toilet) and back in those days to have toilet paper was a luxury. Everyone got great gifts nothing like I did especially my sister who chosed the envelop she got money, five or ten dollars and that was like winning the lottery jackpot five or ten dollars was a lot of money back then. I could still hear the laughter of everyone in my head and still today I myself can’t help but laugh, when back then I felt I wanted to cry.

I never learnt about Santa Claus and Christmas trees until I moved to Canada. Living with another aunt and uncle Christmas was not about cleaning house and church as much as it was about believing in Santa and having that tree up decorated beautifully with so much gifts beneath it. It was magical your imagination of this Santa Claus bring you presents, having to be good and not naughty. Waiting to get a glimpse of him coming down the chimney putting out the milk and cookies. It was all about toys lots and lots of toys anything you can imagine, but there was nothing like getting my very first doll that looked just like me. Waking up to hot warm home made oatmeal that tasted like cookie my uncle made with raisins. Quaker oats couldn’t touch his oatmeal recipe, “it the bomb” as my kids would say. No matter what friends and family always got together to eat, laugh and create wonderful memories. I could never remember thanks be to God back then ever having a bad or sad Christmas.

Moving to Canada definitely change my prospective on the meaning of Christmas. Then going to school we had Christmas parties before the holidays with gift exchange. And at an early age I realized that if you’re given a gift some how you feel obliged to return the favor. And the gift giving thing went on overload in me. I remember it was my step mother who introduced being a Santa Claus to me and also made me her elf at an early age, going shopping with her to make sure everyone and I mean everyone of my siblings, dad, even neighbors and some friends we would give gifts. And I was hooked on the gift giving thing cause I saw how happy it made everyone and how stressful it felt when you forgot some who had given you one. Living with my dad and stepmother there was no friends, family or neighbors, church or the extra cleaning of the house, it was just us alone as a family for Christmas. It wasn’t the same, but we had gifts and got everyone exactly what they would asked for. My stepmother taught us to bake special cakes and bread and cook for our family for Christmas and it was so much fun, but just us and we would eat dinner after. One of the first Christmas spent with my stepmother and father she maxed out the credit cards which after all the fun was done and the reality of the festive season was over. I recalled if being the first time I knew their was no Santa Claus. I heard my dad yelling at my stepmother for spending all the money on Christmas gifts, his exact words, “you like playing Santa Claus!” my heart was broken. I was devastated for her, because I was with her doing all the shopping till the stores closed and it felt so good helping making others happy. I was so caught up myself it didn’t hit me, where is this Santa Claus and why isn’t he the one to bring the presents? My out look on the meaning of Christmas surely changed from then on.

Christmas to me was wonderful season and feeling, because I am a giver and I love to give. I would always try to make sure I never left anyone out. When began to have a family of my own I wanted my children to experience Christmas like I did when I first came to Canada, with the Christmas tree, Santa Claus and presents, lots of them. That was short lived when one day a friend of the family who grew up with myself and siblings like a sister to whom I was Godmother to one of her two children. And I would never forget this as long as I live. I was playing Santa Claus as usual and so proud of myself when I bought her kids gifts, lots and lots of gifts because I do believe Christmas is about and for the little children, especially the giving of presents. My girlfriend kindly walked up to me as I placed the last gift on the floor of her living room and said, “Joey let this be the first and last time sis, cause Christmas is not about gifts; material things. You being here to eat with us is more than anything you can give materially, please don’t be angry.” I didn’t know how to respond other than, “okay, I am sorry.” She smiled at me and replied, “there’s nothing to be sorry about you didn’t do anything wrong. I just learned something so important about this season they celebrated the birth of Christ and everyone is going about it wrong. People, business people especially is making the birth of our Lord and savior a money making business which has no significance to the reason Christ birth is so important. They don’t even mention him, instead there is Santa Claus this imaginary being. I was just as devastated as when I found out my stepmother was the only Stanta Claus and there was no other.

The true meaning of Christmas has been the presence of love ones through out my life. But what my girlfriend had to say took away all my misconceptions of gifts being one of the most integral part of it. We can’t have the celebration of Christmas without understanding it’s meaning. According to the Bible it’s about love, sacrifice, deliverance, redemption and servitude to the will of God. There is no written scripture to justify the way the world celebrates the birth of Christ with gifts. Many people don’t go to church or even know what Christmas is truly all about, but look forward to the holidays and all the perks that goes with it like parties, dinners and gifts. I love that it is the spirit of giving, but so many people give because of feeling obligated especially to someone who has give them. Half the time unless it money people are regifting to others what they had gotten and had no use for. I love the idea of people donating money and food to banks and collecting toys for the less fortunate children. But I realize there are those who capitalized on one of our most holy day. Once again man and our freedom to chose, so we chose to do things our way the only way we know how.

Thank God for His way not being like ours. I could just imagine instead of God giving his son to the world just giving another tree to eat of or material things, could be anything He is God who can do all things especially the impossible to cleanse us from our sins. But instead it was his presence that made all the difference. Nothing could of replaced presence. Look how far humanity came. Sin was supose to destroy us, but now through Him we have grace. We are able to do mighty things through him now all because of His presence.