Precise...Live From Sour Apple

Thanks to Derek and Angela from Lapnation Everything Under the Sun for allowing me to be a part of this segment. My Question of the day was...How do you Keep The Faith?

A Favor For My Favor

WOW!!! A few days ago I experienced something that just left me saying WOW!!!

Let me get right to it. I created a group called "Gods Vision" on the Illinois State Black Colleagues Association site. One of the group members had a powerful experience. She has high blood pressure and has been on medication for some time now. She has been praying and working out, she made a trip to her doctor and he informed her that what ever she had been doing (praying and working out) has improved her health and he can remove her from some of the medication she is on. God is Great!!!

I was inspired by her experience and made a decision to stop smoking. I believe that when I take one step towards God he will take two steps towards me. I go to an event that same night and have a few drinks and I'm buzzing and usually when that happens I want a cigarrette. I am on my way home basically struggling with a decision. Should I buy a pack of cigarettes or should I just go home.

I rationalize that I will go to this gas station that has these butter cookies I like and buy my final pack of cigarettes. So I get to the gas station and grab two packages of cookies and ask for a pack of cigarettes. I hand the cashier my card and he swipes it..as he is doing that I place the cookies in my pocket and wait to sign my receipt. The cashier yells out that my card did not work and I say.."Lets try debit"...I punch in my code and it still comes back rejected. At this point I'm wondering what is going on.

I go home and try to check my balance online and I cant. I call customer service to hear my balance. As I am listening to the automated service I get even more frustrated because right when it says "Your balance is"...it drops the call...so I never hear the number. So finally I call to speak to a live person. Finally somebody picks up and the first thing I ask is if there is something wrong with their system.

He immediately says yes and is confused because it has never happened before. He apologizes for the inconvenience and asks that I got to a ATM to see if my card is working. He holds the line I make it to an ATM and it works.

Now here is the amazing part...The entire system shut down at the same moment I was trying to purchase my cigarettes. Now I know some of you are like "yeah right"...seriously I knew something like that would happen...but I did not believe it enough. I believe even more now.

I mean lets think about this....an entire system where people access their money was shut down for at least 20 minutes....

I took a step towards God when I said I would stop smoking...and he did a favor for my favor when he shut the system down....God Is Great!!!

WOW!!!!

Mark 10:27 (New International Version) 27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Stay Focused, Positive and Productive

Precise

Where is your Spirit?

1 Corinthians 2:12 (New King James Version)

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

Those of you that know me know that I have been working to get my spirit aligned properly. I've read many books and I have spoken to many people. What I have found is that in all my investigation, reading and seeking counsel, I am always led back to the bible.

In previous posts I speak about vibrations and finding the right words to keep your vibration on a high level so that you can experience your true happiness. I've tried everything, sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't...at least not the way I wanted it to.

Lately I have been reading the bible and internalizing the scripture to act as a shield against any negativity...and it works..the only thing is that the closer I work to become one with the spirit the more obstacles are thrown in my way.

Just a few days ago I was close to loosing my mind. I mean that in every sense of the word. It was a day filled with despair, loss and desperation. I was beating myself up consistently about the horrible choices I have made, how I could have been a better person and how I wish I had the ability to go back a fix what I have broken. Whats messed up is that this is exactly the frame of thought that had me going crazy. I neglected the scripture, my daily prayer and thanking God for a few days and it showed. I was detached from my spirit..detached from the now worried about what has happened in the past and what can happen in the future.

The scripture above says...and I am paraphrasing...that we have not been given the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God...to know that things have been given to us FREELY from GOD!

This is what we have and in order to stay in his grace we have to stay in the word and embed it in our hearts...the word should be the constant chatter going on in our minds. The scripture or scriptures you choose to memorize and recite should serve as a reminder that we have been given the blessing and it is not separate from who we are. We only have to search as far as ourselves..our spirits.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New King James Version)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.



Now there are a few people out here reading this post who may be passing judgment and feel a particular way about what I am sharing and how it translates into my real life. Let me say this and be extremely clear...I am not perfect...my walk gets stronger everyday by the grace of God and even though you may hate me...I love you.


So...I'll keep highlighting my bible...keep earmarking the pages and find peace knowing that God has blessed us with his spirit and know that hard times are only temporary..a test of my paitience and faith. When the blessing comes everyone will know and recognize that what has been done could have only been accomplished by God.

God is Great.

Stay Focused, Positive and Productive

Precise