Just Do It!

What is your "It"?

Where do I begin? may be on your mind. Start with what you can do right now? What tools do you have in hand right now. I know people who are waiting for the financial resources before they produce a music cd, when there are royalty free beats online that can be used to create demo cds. I know people who have books sitting on their computer hard drive, just waiting to be released. Songs written that are ready to be produced. Life stories that are waiting to be told. With the million of books in stores, millions of songs on the market, and the various shows on television and internet, you may ask, how in the world will I stand out. The big world can seem overwhelming and if you're not careful, you can feel intimidated and choose to run back into hiding. The encouraging thing we must realize is that everyone and I do mean everyone had to start somewhere. Small beginnings is how many of us start. Some people are born more privileged than others, but that does not in any way negate the need to  push forward in spite of your beginning circumstances.

Ok, I did it! Now what? Don't just do it once! Keep doing it.

The true test is endurance.

Just do it when it seems no one cares. Just do it when it seems no one is watching. Just do it when it seems no one is listening. Take a deep breath and start the business, take the risk, write and release the book, make the appointment, go on the cast call, produce the song, submit the pilot. Just do it and then keep on doing it. This could be your big moment. So what are you waiting for. Many times the longer we wait to move, the sooner we begin to come up with every reason why it just won't work. We think ourselves out of doing anything. We talk ourselves right out of it. Thinking, nah I'll just wait for a better time. When the truth is, the conditions may never be right. You can spend your entire life waiting and waiting on everything to be in its proper place before making your move, and you'll end up never doing anything worthwhile

I'm not interested in all the fluff or blowing your head up. I'm not trying to give you a quick boost that can later fade away. I desire to impart courage in you. A tenacity and grit that no matter the outcome you will strive forward with everything in you. Whenever people get around me, I find that they always begin talking about their dreams and goals. I don't know why this happens but I'm thankful that people feel comfortable enough to share such valuable information with me.  

If you ever find yourself in a place where you are not living life but rather life is living you, it's time to make some adjustments.

Stir Up the Gift!

If being all that God wants you to be is truly your destination, it's going to take some stirring. Stirred up people got what I call "grit" about them. They are passionate, pit bulls, who refuse to stay defeated. Stirred up people are energetic and enthusiastic about life and it's opportunities. So how bad do you really want what's deep down in your heart? How bad do you really want to see your dreams become realized? It's going to take you stirring up the gift on the inside of you. Our gifts must be treated as precious. God gave each us gifts to use for His glory and His glory alone. Value your gift. It truly is God's venue that He uses to reach the world. My gift is encouraging people. Exhortation. Nothing makes me feel better than watching God miraculously cause someone to go from being fearful and insecure to a confident and higher-than-life attitude, because they now realize how much God really does loves them and is for them. It's truly a gift that I value with all of my heart. You also have a gift. There's a reason why Paul told Timothy to stir up the gift himself. No one can stir you up like you can. No one can fan your flame like you can. A million people can tell you, "You can do it!", but still there's nothing like when you hear your own voice say, "I can do this!" You are your best cheerleader. So let's stir up the gift within us!!! You stir it up by not neglecting it, but instead choosing to work it and use it. You stir it up in your prayer time alone with God as His compassionate nature rubs off on you and causes you to no longer hold back what's in you to give others. So stir it up, Love, because this world need what's in YOU! (2Timothy 1:6)

You're In the HOUSE!

I recall a message my Dad, Pastor Ernest Johnson, preached a while ago, entitled "The Orphan Mentality". In it he talked about how we have to see ourselves as the Kingdom citizens we are and lose the mindset that tells us that we don't belong, that we're not really God's favored, or that we don't deserve God's best. That sermon stuck with me and God has really shown me that a lot of us are still behaving like visitors in His House and strangers in His land versus actual citizens in the household of God. We walk around with our head down, not expecting too much, scared to dream, with shaking knees, when God's will from the time of our spiritual ancestors to now has always been greatness. I remember when I studied abroad in France for a month I felt like a stranger in their land. I was a foreigner and I felt like one. I stayed with a French family for a weekend and woke up to eat breakfast with them and remember seeing their customs. They drank wine in the morning, ate bread and cheese and although they were very friendly and tried to make us feel comfortable, I still felt like a stranger.

Well the moment you received Jesus in your heart, you were made a Kingdom citizen! In Ephesians 2:19 we read, "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." The Apostle Paul even reminds us, "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:12,13) We have to shake ourselves of the mentality that says, "oh no I don't want to be great. I just want to let my little light shine and make it in." No, our spiritual ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and King David, Esther, and Ruth all experienced God making them great, fulfilling their dreams, and blessing everything they put their hands to. We should want more out of life! We are not lower class citizens! If you are a child of God, you belong! We're in His house and He is our King, our Shield and our exceeding great reward! He takes care of those who are in His house! He provides for those who are in His house! He protects those who are in His house! He blesses those who are in His house!

We are truly a royal priesthood and a chosen generation, a peculiar nation called of God! His chosen people who were created to do great things! So rejoice and be glad because you're in the HOUSEHOLD OF GOD!

What Happened to My Beautiful Roses?

Have you ever thought to yourself, "There must be life outside of a relationship with God. There has to be a way I can do my thing without living for Him like that." You may have thought, "What's the big deal?" So we look and search for any amount of success achieved outside of a relationship with God, and we get excited over even the smallest glimpse of accomplishment. One day we all will realize that the words of Jesus are true in John 15:5 where He said, "Without Me you can do nothing." I think in some way we think Jesus was kidding. We tell ourselves, "surely that's not the case. Look I've accomplished this or did that and I don't even know God like that." What we don't understand is that our life is like a rose. Connected to God, we're full of life and blossoming. Connected to Him, we are vibrant and experience His grace and goodness, but what happens to the rose when it's cut from the vine? If you've ever received roses from someone, you admire their beauty and quickly place them in a vase. The first day you pass by the vase and you blush and smile because the roses are so very beautiful. Then comes the second day, you pass by them and the roses still look beautiful. Then the third day, you start to see signs of discoloration and the water begins to look dirty and so you empty the water and pour in clean water, and you stand back and smile once again, admiring your beautiful roses. Then after a few more days, you clearly see the roses are no longer as vibrant, and you say, "my lovely roses are dying!" But I'm here to tell you those roses died the minute they were cut from the vine! If you're not connected to God, you're not dying, you're dead already. You just don't see the color change, the dirty water, the withering and drying effect in your life yet. It's overtime, that we experience the hopelessness, and condemnation, and torturing thoughts, and darkness that we have apart from a growing relationship with God. 

Things may appear to be going well for you, but I tell you "success" apart from God is short-lived. There's no life apart from Him. None. I've seen in my personal life the Kesha with God and the Kesha apart from God, and they are two completely different people. In Him I'm brave, confident, and loving and wanting to give everything I have to make someone else's life better. Apart from Him I may seem like a good person, but inwardly I'm insecure, fearful, selfish, depressed and miserable. He has been my life. I need Him and I understand without Him I can't produce anything worth something. I've seen the Kesha apart from God, and I like Kesha in Christ much better. She's much more fun to know and more of a blessing in people's lives. So I encourage you to connect with God and see your relationship with Him as a vital connection that you can never part from for as long as you live. Grow in your relationship with Him and let Him make you successful and a blessing to others. He loves you so very much and wants you to get and stay connected!