Relationship

The enemy does not want us to have relationship. It's what he forever forfeited when he went against God. he's certainly jealous of us and our place in Christ's heart and wants to wound us in those places of our heart. What God has revealed to me is that He is all about relationship. We can look at the Godhead and see how divinely and perfectly unified the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are("Let us make man in our image"). We can look at God's creation of his world in Genesis and then his forming of Adam. Then He went further to give in "relationship" Eve to Adam. We know that God the Father, gave us(the elect) to His Son Jesus, as His children. Jesus on this earth and in eternity was and is all about doing the will of His Father. And Christianity is all about a personal relationship with God, made possible through and restored by God's son Jesus shedding His blood for the remission of our sins.
We all in form or another, have families. Families we're born into, families we're adopted into. There's "in-laws" and some friends have become each other's family. There's relationship everywhere in God's kingdom. Look at the moon pulling on the ocean's tide. How the adult penguin carries the baby penguin on the top of their feet while trekking for endless miles for food and habitation. The sun rises when God tells it to. The earth's waters go no further than the water's edge b/c that's where their creator has commanded them to stay. Every molecule, atom and piece of matter is under Christ's authority & power("The earth's is the Lord's and the fullness thereof").
So our magnificent Lord is a God of relationship. In thinking on the awesomeness of this, I think about our earthly relations. They can be wonderful and fulfilling! But there are other times when they're painful. And even with that pain, God can and will call us back into relationship with the person whose hurt and/or disappointed us. I know, b/c He's done it in my life many, many times. Christ has taught me about relationship. With Him and with His creation. He is still teaching me. It is an ongoing process. We must even treat his creatures(animals)right. The enemy is all about tearing us to shreds and having us at each other's throats. Families are killing families. Parents against children and vice-versa. The Lord already said in His word that this would happen. It hurts my heart to see it and witness it. I can't imagine how it must grief God's heart. Believe it or not, we even have to be in covenant with God to pray for and bless our enemies! That is relationship as well.
I must admit that I get tired and weary with relationship at times. I have to have one with myself, with others and with God. IT TAKES WORK. It takes going back to God again and again and asking for courage and strength. Asking for His ideas on how to reach someone or how to see and treat someone through His eyes. There have been people in my life that I've wanted to cut off but God would not let me. He's so so passionate about relationship! And it is all about seeing that other person through His eyes. We even must see ourself through Christ's eyes. We are called to have a healthy relationship with ourselves. We are called to love and treat ourselves well. We wouldn't even be God's children, if He didn't discipline us!! A Father disciplines, corrects His children. And I'm sure there's been people that have come across my path or are in my life that have gotten tired of me and have wanted to cut me out of their lives as well....I'm not exempt.
It's work ya'll. So pray about it. Keep going to God about that difficult person in your life. Be sure to ask God for wisdom. Of course there are people in our lives that should no way in any form or fashion, be in our lives. That abusive, dangerous person. There are people we must walk away from, b/c they're poison to us...and we might be poison to someone else. So again, ask for God's wisdom. He's the greatest teacher ever! He will teach you how to be a better friend, a better family member, a better you. Psalm 139(my favorite scripture), talks about how no matter how hard we tried, we could never take ourselves out of relationship with God. "If we make our bed in hell, He's be there"!!!!! He keeps coming towards us and wooing us, even when we're being nasty and ungrateful to Him. Don't think that our Lord doesn't have feelings. The bible says that the Holy Spirit can be "grieved". Jesus wept for and about us many times and He still does. Let us be mindful and take care not to grieve the Spirit of the Living God. I am talking to myself as well.
Let us not try and change anyone. That doesn't work and it's impossible b/c only Christ can change a heart. He "reads" hearts. He can change natures...not us! Take it from me..you will be spinning your wheels and be wasting your energy. It is not God's will. We have to allow Him to do what He does. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach, guide, help and reveal to us. That is what Christ left Him on earth for. He is our comforter and He is the One that draws us. My momma shared this with me today from the message in church today. We must get out of the way, and allow the Holy Spirit to work. Help us Lord!!
This blog could go on forever, b/c it's what God gave me to share and I feel passionate about it. I am going through this right now with about one or two difficult people in my life. I know we are all at different places, levels and lessons in our lives. But the lesson and experience of relationship is for us all. Christ wants to heal our relationships. He wants to unite and reunite families that have been blown apart. He wants to restore the backslider back to Him. The Bible says "He is married to the backslider"!! Is that relationship or what!!!!
Oh I love Him! and I thank God or using me to bring all of this forth. Even as I was writing, the Spirit of God was revealing things to me. Thank you for your heart and your eyes in sharing this blog with me.
Father God, please wash and forgive me of my sins. I just want to thank you for writing through me and ministering to me in the process. Help us in our relationships oh God. Open our eyes to the things we need to work on. Let us be faithful and devoted to You as our Husband, Daddy and Master. Show us how to have healthy relationship with You. And then filter that through our earthly ones, in the name of Jesus. Help us to keep this before You in prayer and to even seek wise, spiritual earhly counsel, if need be. Let us even be mindful and aware of this, that's on your heart. Help us to treat ourselves well and give us your eternal eyes Oh God. Heal broken families and confuse and snuff out the enemies plans to destroy relationship. I lift You up and praise your name, for You perfect EVERYTHING that concerns us....hallelujah to the Lamb of God!!! It is in your name Jesus, that I ask all of these things. Be ye glorified in our relationships and be pleased. I love you Father and I thank You for hearing my cry. May I always bring it before your throne. Spirit speak and spread it like wildfire across the world for change, uplifting and divine healing..for your Kingdom...in the name of Jesus I pray. amen.
luv in Christ,
Jaz

sleep

okay so sleep is important right? I mean it's essential that we close our eyes into dreamworld for at least 5 hours, right? okay. So why then did I only get 1 hour of it last night?????????!!!!
These past 2 nights I've been doing some marathon poetry. Spoken word cafe's until 1 or 2 in the a.m. Normally, that's cool...but not when you must rise before the sun at 4:30am for work the next day. What was I thinking? you ask...well..i wasn't. I figured I'd catch some shuteye on the train or in the Reflection room at my job(which is supposed to be used for prayer!) or that I could hack it. I'm a soldier, shux this body can take a licking and keep on ticking. NOT. By 8a.m. when I was just a halfhour into my shift, I was already falling asleep at the desk. As the seconds crawled by, I wondered how in the heck I was EVER gonna make it to 1 minute, let alone 8 hours. I did scold myself..about 50 million times and asked for God's forgiveness. My body is, after all, HIS home. Christ's temple is my body and I must take care of it.
I actually used to do marathon poetry all of the time. I'm a night person anyways and there's just something real appealing to me about the artist burning those midnight candles and throwing caution to the wind and delving headfirst into his or her art. But..God teaches us to use wisdom. Let's say it together now...W-I-S-D-O-M. Nothing of the aforementioned says "wisdom". Aight so I got off track and it'll take me the weekend to recover. I'm still on this blog, writing..still with only one hour of sleep. What do I think I'm gonna get a medal for this or something??!! NOT.
So now that I've spilled and kicked myself enough ...I gots to retire to that dreamland that has alluded me. Or should I say I have alluded it.
peace and sweet,blessed dreams.
love u Lord

my childhood friends are dying

Today another childhood friend was buried. I keep picturing the faces and hearing the cries. The sniffs and coughs and backs bent over from grief. My childhood friend was so young..she was my age..exactly my age. When I heard about it, my mind couldn't absorb it. When I saw her in the casket, she didn't look herself. She suffered, for a long time. It breaks my heart that I don't know whether or not she made peace with Christ. I can't say if she's in the Lord's bosom or not. I can only hope. I looked around while sitting there at different faces and wondered whether or not they were saved. I wondered how in the world they would make it through this pain, if they didn't have Jesus? I thank God for His mercy in saving me when I was 7 years old and keeping me serving and living for Him. My eyes are only open, because Jesus opened them. My name is only written in the Lamb's book of life b/c the Holy Spirit drew me to Him and caused me to confess and believe on the Messiah. I wanted so desperately to reach into the hearts of those rejecting Christ and changing them. But only the Lord can do that. I wanted them to know that life is not promised and folks are leaving this earth younger and younger. The enemy don't care nothing about age. My sister reminded me that when we were young, we would always tell our friends on the block about Jesus. I can't quite remember that. Even though God saved me, I hadn't yet understood about a "personal" relationship. But I knew I loved Jesus. I'm glad she reminded me of that, cause I hoped that I had told my friend about the Lord.

I hadn't seen alot of them in years. It was so good to get reaccquainted and give warm hugs to the people I grew up with. I held onto one hand while saying good-bye and with a burning in my heart, I said "Please keep Jesus in your heart". Walking away, I felt as if I should've said more. I will pray that the Word spoken at the funeral will arrest every unsurrendered heart and that God's Spirit will give the increase. I noticed how when the preacher got up, that folks started moving around and going outside and stuff like that. The enemy did not want them to hear the Gospel. I prayed that Christ's Spirit would follow them wherever they were going and work on their heart.

My childhood friends are dying. The Lord is soon to return. It is time to get right with Jesus and start living for the One we were made for. I'm a mixture of feelings and I pray that everytime I think about today, I will cry out on my knees for the unsaved. For the youth who sat and slid down in their chairs-uninterested in the Word of God. For the ones who will go on in spiritual blindess..back to their lives..never changed. GOD HAVE MERCY AND SAVE BY YOUR SPIRIT!! Lord Jesus, watch over your Word and let it not return back void to You. Bring some more flock into your kingdom, for your Glory Lord! Comfort the hurting and save the lost, in the name of Jesus. Thank you for saving me.

I luv u Lord

To love Him is to spend time with Him

How can I say I love Christ but not spend any time with Him? How can I not run to and long for His love letter to me..the Bible?
Right now I'm blogging and it's 7:25pm. Today I've not spend any personal time in my prayer closet with the Lord. I've done other things, I've even wasted time doing nothing. But no time for Him. This is a constant struggle for me, which I'm sure it is for many Christians. And God has even brought me victory in the struggle on many levels, but I still am not where I should be.
I could give many excuses. Like, I'm not feeling well physically today or I've been groggy from the medicine that I took as a result of not feeling well or "there's always time for that". The next second is not even promised. Yet, I sit here writing.
I wonder what God thinks when His children do this. And the worse thing is , is that WE miss out. I've admitted to my Lord that it's sometimes hard to talk to someone who is not physically there. He knows this. I won't beat myself up (the enemy already does a great job of that). I will repent and get off this computer and go into my Father's bosom to kiss His face and curl up in His presence. I don't think I'll ever get why He wants a personal relationship with ME. So unfaithful I am sometimes. But praise be to God for His mercyand unabashed love and consistent devotion to ME. Where would I be without Him?? I shudder to think...
Forgive me Lord and thank You for ALWAYS knocking at the door of my heart. May I mature more in this area and I praise you for perfecting all things that concern me..including this.
Be well world,
love Jaz

my poetry belongs to Christ

Good evening,
So I haven't written a poem as of late and it's got that ole' fear rising again that the muse is gone. Of course it's not though. I just don't like it when I don't write for awhile. I have been going through so much as of late, and I'm wondering if that's what it is. But on the other hand, some of my best poetry have come out of the storms in my life. I've just gotta wait to be inspired again. Alot of times, mostly everytime when I read others' poetry..it sparks creation and I go on writing for days. But this gift is on loan to me from Christ and it really belongs to Him! Help me God not to stress over this and to just keep myself available and open to your precious Spirit.
I love u

sun and rain of it all

Lately I haven't felt like writing..or maybe I've just been preoccupied(Animal Planet Channel!)..or there's just not enough time.
So the cold has moved into my chest now. My poor throat! and I'm still walking 'round the house singing. Singers must sing! Although I'm gonna need my voice for a performance in 2 days, God willing. I'll try and keep in my low register.
So, I've been a bit down lately. Things are going bust @the job(like never before)and once again, I'm being called on to trust Christ at a higher level. When I say I really don't know what's going to happen..it's an understatement. But I thank God HE knows! He's the author and finisher of me! So I'm fearful & trying to trust all at the same time, which makes me feel a bit batty! to say the least.
Today I went into the reflection room @my job and just praised God with my dance & praise music. I must not let my feelings or circumstances dictate whether or not I'm gonna praise Him. I will bless the Lord at ALL times...ALL times...ALL TIMES!
Pray for me, as I will pray for you.
There is nothing going on w/my recording my music & that has me down as well. I will keep performng, praying and going forward in Christ. and that's what I can do.
thx for listening

peace

Jaz published in a poetry collection!

Hello friends,All praises to the Lord!..I've been published in The Scars Publications 2006 collection book "Distinguished Writings". Paperback is $17.75 & Hardcover is $32.95..and if you're thrifty like me(lol), you can do a printer download for $6.33. To place an order, go to this link:http://scars.tv/2006collection-books/distinguished.htm(on the website, I'm number 49 from the bottom up under "Down in the Dirt"contributors). Thanks for your love, prayers & support!peace & blessings,Jaz

sore throats and cherry halls

So it's been bout 15 days since we last spoke?! wow..that can't happen again!!
hey world, I've been under the weather in my Father's bosom and am just now coming around. It's been soar throats & cherry-flavored halls for me. Seems like my appetite is returning(wahoo!!) and just getting some much needed rest. Got many good things to report to you. Just recently got accepted into two poetry magazines(one in London and one in New York!)..so praise God for that!! Thanks for all of your prayers and rest assured I am praying for you. Aiight lemme get some more rest and I'll update/chat soon(1-2 days..tops).
peace and blessings

p.s. mama told me to gurgle with warm salt water..it's working!