Jesus Christ gave us the Eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded for all posterity in the Gospel of Matthew, the first Book of the New Testament of the Bible. While the Beatitudes of Jesus provide a way of life that promises salvation, they also bring peace in the midst of our trials and tribulations on this earth. An early contemplation on the Beatitudes came from St. Gregory of Nyssa, a mystic who lived in Cappadocia in Asia Minor around 380 AD. He described the Beatitudes this way: 

“Beatitude is a possession of all things held to be good,
from which nothing is absent that a good desire may want.
Perhaps the meaning of beatitude may become clearer to us
if it is compared with its opposite.
Now the opposite of beatitude is misery.
Misery means being afflicted unwillingly with painful sufferings.”

The teachings of Jesus of Nazareth were simple but unique and innovative at the time of his life on earth. The Ten Commandments, given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the Old Testament Book of Exodus, related a series of “Thou shalt not” phrases, evils one must avoid in daily life on earth.
In contrast, the message of Jesus is one of humility, charity, and brotherly love. He teaches transformation of the inner person. Jesus presents the Beatitudes in a positive sense, virtues in life which will ultimately lead to reward. Love becomes the motivation for the Christian. All of the Beatitudes have an eschatological meaning, that is, they promise us salvation – not in this world, but in the next. The Beatitudes initiate one of the main themes of Matthew’s Gospel that the Kingdom so long awaited in the Old Testament is not of this world, but of the next, the Kingdom of Heaven. While the Beatitudes of Jesus provide a way of life that promises salvation, they also bring peace in the midst of our trials and tribulations on this earth. “Poor in spirit” means to be humble. Humility is the realization that all your gifts and blessings come from the grace of God. Humility brings an openness and an inner peace, allowing one to do the will of God. It is pride, the opposite of humility, that brings misery. If we are humble and appreciate that all of our gifts and blessings come from God, we grow in love and gratitude for Jesus Christ our Savior. But this can only produce mourning and regret over our own sins and the sins of this world, for we have hurt the one who has been so good to us. One also mourns for the suffering of others. A person that is meek is one that exhibits self-control. Jesus was “meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). Justice and righteousness in the New Covenant indicate the fulfillment of God’s will in your heart and soul. It is not mere observance of the law (Matthew 5:20), but rather an expression of brotherly love (I John 3:10). “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Mercy is the loving disposition towards those who suffer distress. Love, compassion, and forgiveness towards a family member or neighbor will bring peace in your relationships. Moses (Exodus 33:20), John 1:18, and Paul (I Timothy 6:16) all say that no one can see God here on earth. God is hidden. But Jesus says the pure of heart shall see God! To be pure of heart means to be free of all selfish intentions and self-seeking desires. What a beautiful goal! How many times have any of us performed an act perfectly free of any personal gain? Such an act is pure love. An act of pure and selfless giving brings happiness to all. Jesus gives us peace – “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). Peace is also a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Peacemakers not only live peaceful lives but also try to bring peace and friendship to others, and to preserve peace between God and man. Jesus said many times that those who follow Him will be persecuted. “If they persecute me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20-21). But the Lord promised those that suffer for his sake will be rewarded with the Kingdom of Heaven!

Thank you for the Beatitudes Jesus. Read the eight Beatitudes in today’s “FOOD FOR THE SOUL” Much love..

I am one who does not like indecisiveness. However, I have learned that every situation should not get an immediate reaction. We may be too close to the situation to make the best decision. We may need time to get our thoughts and feelings together. We may need time to seek some advise. The situation may even need time to change. One thing for sure, nothing stays the same. Some situations require patience, not an immediate response. We must pray for patience before losing our control in trying situations. Patience is necessary in so many situations, little things such as waiting in line at the store, the slow driver in front of you, dealing with family or co-workers, and life changing decisions like should I marry or change jobs. It is really important that we don’t make rash decisions when we are angry. Remember anger is not the sin, it’s what you do with your anger that matters. This is a good example of when you do not want to react in the circumstances! This is when we should pray for patience. Whether it’s a petty annoyance or something more serious, we are counseled by scripture to show patience, so that we might better bear with wisdom both the good and bad things that happen to us. I struggle with patience. I have made many bad decisions based on what I was going through or feeling at the moment, and later regretted them. If I had only been patient and waited a little longer, thought about it some more, and definitely prayed about it, I believe I would have had better and positive outcomes. One of my son’s poems is called “ASAP”(always stop and pray). It is better to ASAP and then wait patiently for God’s answer. There are some people who have the patience of Job. I am not one of them. But I have come a long ways, thanks to God and the painful lessons of being impatient. The word patience is found 34 times in the King James version, interestingly enough all in the New Testament. Longsuffering which also mean patient is found 17 times, 4 of them in the Old Testament. Patience is one of the fruits of the spirit. I turn to God constantly in prayer asking for his help with patience. I am getting better at it. God takes his time developing us. It is a process. Read today’s scriptures in “FOOD FOR THE SOUL” the Bible has a lot to say about patience. Much Love…

I have learned that prayer does not change some things, not because God does not care but because He has a purpose for the pain, there is a reason for the madness. We may not understand it, we don’t have to. We just have to trust His process and survive the storm. Now that we can pray for and know that not only will He give us strength to survive but we will come out stronger and better. When we pray, we should make our request known to God, (not just in the big things but all of the small details, as well) but we should be prepared and accepting that the way God chooses to respond is His right and privilege. He is not our puppet to boss about as we please; or our servant to do our bidding. It is the other way around and the sooner we recognize and adjust accordingly, the less heartache we will bring upon ourselves in this life.  Even though we ask, God will not always give us insight into what is happening to us. He may not give us His perspective to view the difficulties of our plight. Scripture says we are to walk by faith and not by sight and that we are to simply trust and obey. Sometimes I do believe our Father God will withhold things from us with the purpose of growing our faith, trust and obedience. As I look over my life there were things I prayed for and God was right on time. There were things I did not pray for, and the blessings kept flowing. Thank you God! Then there were the storms, the worst just in 2016. After I realized I had done all I could, I cried and prayed to God. Nothing. (First lesson, I should have went to him first, could have saved myself a lot of tears and pain). I cried and prayed some more. Nothing. I was praying for God to stop the storm. And things kept getting worse. Finally I said, “Ok God, I am not a bad person, I try to do what is good and right. Why have you forgotten about me, don’t you see I can’t take anymore?”  “Please help me Lord because I am about to lose my mind.”  “I need you to help me through this.” “I cannot do this by myself.” And wow, there He was, comforting me, strengthening me, giving me a peace even though the storm was still raging. Do you get it? Once I stopped asking God to remove something that I now understand was there to take me to another level, and started praying for Him to help me get through it, things changed. Not the situation, but the way I was handling the situation. We know that prayer can change things, but sometimes prayer changes us and then we change things. God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not always a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature. With God’s help I passed the test. How do I know? Because I am here. Stronger, better and wiser. Wiser because the next time a storm comes, and it will, I will know it’s one of two things; God is preparing me for His purpose or the devil is trying to block something big God has for me! Either way, don’t you agree that is enough for us to hang in there and know we can get through all things through God who strengthens us? Much Love….

 Before I had a personal relationship with Jesus, I would hold in feelings of sorrow over painful events because the emotions were so overwhelming that I chose not to face them. I thought the best thing to do was to bury my emotions and get on with the practical duties of living. I dodged the pain because I was afraid of despair. Then a good friend of mine died and I could not bury my emotions, I was devastated. If you have lost a loved one to death, you know that it is a painful experience. I did not want to hear he was in a better place. My friend was gone. How could God take someone so good? I remember one night walking the floor and talking to God. I was angry. I wanted answers. I cried and I let God know exactly how I felt. I did not get answers then, but I did feel better afterwards and at the time I thought it was because I had given God a “piece of my mind”. I know now I felt better because God had given me something, comfort. After coming to know the Lord and the truth of His Word, I know that when we feel pure sorrow it does not mean we have lost faith. God does not get mad when we ask questions. Look at Job, not only did God not punish him, he blessed him double. Sorrow is an emotion, not a sin. As I said, before I knew Jesus I would hold my pain of loss in because I was afraid of despair, without the Lord, there is only despair. Despair means no hope. In 2 Cor. 4:8, the Apostle Paul writes, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.” He never claimed he was not sad, only that he was not despairing, not losing hope. There is nothing wrong with pure sorrow over the pain of suffering or loss. Sorrow must be allowed to take its course. Sorrow is inevitable; but unlike despair, there is hope. Because there is always comfort, in time, and the grace to go on. I know God is good and everything good comes from Him. I also know that He is in control, and nothing surprises Him. When bad things happen, I still have questions. Why does God allow bad things to happen? I don’t know. What I do know is I rather trust God and have Him with me than live in this cruel world without Him. I know I could not bear it. Nothing in life can prepare us for the death of a loved one. Whether death results from a sudden accident, a sustained illness, whether they slip away peacefully while sleeping, or a terrible horrific tragedy, it will always catch us off-guard. Death is so deeply personal and so final; nothing can emotionally prepare us for its arrival. With every death, there is a loss, and with every loss, there will be grief. No one likes to think or talk about death. I’m at a place where the thought of death does not scare me anymore, because I know Jesus dying defeated death. I have eternal life. However, I still grieve when I suffer loss. This is heavy on my mind because a sister of mine is dealing with sorrow and grief. My heart aches for her. She too has questions. She is not sure what to believe or who to trust, even God. Her feelings are real and to simply dismiss them and say take it to God or God does not make mistakes, is not enough for her right now. I understand. I say to her take one day at a time, and if need be one breathe at a time; I pray to God that he comforts her and give her peace. Everyone grieves differently, and no one can set a time limit on another person’s grief. If anyone is grieving right now, please read the scriptures in “FOOD FOR THE SOUL” I pray that God’s Words will comfort you. Much Love…

Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when ten men who had leprosy met him. Leprosy attacks the nerves in the cooler parts of the body, particularly those that relate to the hands feet and face. The result is a loss of sensation in these areas, and a person is at much greater risk of injury as they cannot feel pain. The lepers stood at a distance and called out to Jesus to help them. When he saw them, he said, “Go, and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked him. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Ten lepers healed and only one came back to thank Jesus, the others were to happy with the physical blessing they received. But the one man who came back to thank Jesus received an additional healing. He was made whole, which means a deeper commitment to God, a more constant awareness of the indwelling Christ. How awesome is that! All because he came back and thanked God! How often do God answer our prayers and we go about our happy business? Yes, we might say thank you, but do we do as the leper, praise and thank him without ceasing? I want to be like the leper and take another step beyond healing. I want to be made whole! When our hearts are thankful, we position ourselves for even greater blessings. When we thank God for blessings, we also need to get closer to Him and grow in our devotion. Let “the things of this world” dim a bit more. And hear God say “You are made whole.” We need to thank God every moment of every day for everything! Much Love…

As believers in Christ we belong together. We might not always get along or understand one another; however the Holy Spirit continues to bridge the gaps between people. Jesus said the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. On the day of Pentecost, though the people were from different cultures and spoke different languages, the Holy Spirits arrival made them a new community, the church. We are one body, unified by the death and resurrection of Jesus. When the spirit of God lives in us, we have the strength to be kind when others are irritable or mean to us. We can be patient with a good attitude when things are not going the way we planned. We can speak works of encouragement to someone who needs it. God can use us because we are strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in our inner man. It is God’s will that we touch others who need God’s love. His light should shine through us. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can reach out in compassion and bring hope to hurting people. God encourages his people to be kind to one another, even enemies. Read today’s scriptures in “Food for the Soul” and keep them in your heart. Please let us be kind to one another, it’s free. Much Love…

We have so much to be thankful for; 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” and Ephesians 5:20 says “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” Today while my mother and her sisters are traveling to a women’s fellowship retreat, I want to pray for traveling mercy. I also want to take this opportunity to share a poem that God put on my heart thanking all woman in Christ! No matter where you are in your relationship with Christ, know that He loves you and has prepared you for greatness in the kingdom of God, here on earth and in Heaven, Amen!

A Woman’s Hymn

Woman thou art a beloved matriarch and an honorable queen of faith.
God created me divinely unique, regardless of my size or shape.
Therefore I pray you are never made to feel uninspired or insecure.
Because our heart is full of virtue and our devotion is naturally pure.
I receive with joy the worth God has given me, so I will not hide my reflection.
Strength and courage are my spiritual weapons against any sexist message.

I meditate daily in the word of God for it is medicine to my health.
I understand that it’s through Christ that I have obtained this wealth.
My essence is nourished with beautiful wisdom from the Holy Spirit.
As a daughter of the Lord, a bride of Emmanuel and mother of all living.
I stand confident it His word, Joshua 24:15 is embedded in my mental.
So I will not allow any one to disrespect me or defile my holy temple.

I am who I am, determined to be taken seriously, regardless of the color of my skin.
Don’t falsely label me because my gender and identity is different from that of a man.
Body and soul, I too I am fearfully and marvelously made by the work of the Lord.
I am more than my most observable body parts; my womanhood need not be ignored.
Oh, how it hurts me, that people desire my services at a discounted rate or totally free.
I am not against charity, but my gifts and talents shouldn’t be overlooked & undervalued.

My success is defined by my spiritual work, I am not in competition with anyone else.
Prejudice aside, I purposely intend on letting my integrity speak for itself.
I trust God to provide me with the knowledge, resources and the directions I should take.
My mind stays focused on Him & His word so I don’t get lost somewhere along the way!
In knowing a woman’s worth, I highly value what God has bestowed upon me.
It is for that very reason I can be confident in Him and embrace my life with humility.

Please don’t feel intimidated by my intelligence or my strong certainty in my femininity.
I am the makings of a wife, but I’m also blessed with the quality of independency.
God shaped me, He created me to be a help meet, to walk in love with my husband.
We grow together without fear, being considerate and supportive we shall stand!
My womb, fruitful or barren adds to my personality of being a nurturer & a provider.
A mother, entrepreneur, professional, homemaker, moral opportunist & survivor!

My motherly instincts are fine-tuned, I accept this blessing of motherhood with grace.
A lifetime commitment to my children keeps me strengthened even on my worst of days.
I am completely & totally loyal to show forth love, responsibility & selflessness.
The gift that keeps on giving, being a mother is truly one of life’s greatest experiences.
I’ve learned to communicate & organize to better balance my business & family lifestyle.
Neglect no one, love each one and celebrate every day that you have with your child.

As a Daughter of the Kingdom, I want to represent my God, let my light shine with peace.
Holding fast to my integrity and standing strong in my faith, my sexuality is complete.
My relationship with God remains intimate as I am being led by the Holy Spirit.
I accept the role of a role model, awaiting the opportunity to inspire all who hear this.
The perfection I seek, is that which God has predestined & called into existence to be.
So, I cannot boast in myself, but best believe I walk & speak boldly through His authority!

I will not compromise my faith and my beliefs.
I will not compromise my faith and my beliefs, had to put that on repeat!
Worldly prosperity cannot liberate me, I am free because God’s standards are holy.
So, money and fame, can’t control me; dishonesty and failure, can’t control me.
I am royalty, a queen with a righteous crown that God Himself has placed upon my head.
I am every woman who reads this and sees herself in these 703 words that I have said!

Inspired by God written by Vizhun aka Clifton Johnson

~ Dedicated To All Women ~

The first time I was hospitalized I kept thinking this too shall pass. I had not been sick or admitted in a hospital since my son was born. The second time I said “ok, I’ve been running to specialist after specialist now you all better fix me so I can go back to work!” Fast forward to the third time. I was a hot mess! Not only was I not fixed, I was told I could not go back to work! By this time I had another problem. Depression. I never thought it would happen to me. Sad, yes, mad, yes, but depressed to the point where I felt I just couldn’t take anymore, no. It got to the point where I dreaded facing the next day. I just thought I was stronger than that. There are many different types of depression. Depression often co-exists with other mental or physical illnesses. I’m no stranger to depression and mental illnesses. It has shown its ugly head in my family. For years in the black community, no one wanted to talk about depression. It was the family secret. Times have changed but sometimes there is a stigma still. Believe me when I say it can happen to anyone. Sometimes life can throw balls at you so fast and hard, you are unable to duck. So you isolate yourself and give up or give in to all those negative emotions. It. Can. Break. You. I thank God everyday that although I was bent, it did not break me. Although I was shattered, I did not break. I thought it made me weak to fall apart, but what it did was make me see how strong I really am. How strong I really am through Jesus Christ. No one wants to appear weak. Most of the time it is our pride at work. Weakness carries a great potential for strength, but pride can lead to destruction and defeat. The scriptures say so.You know how you have a savings account with extra money in the bank? God is our extra strength when we run out. I probably would not have been so depressed if I had withdrawn my strength from him in the first place. But that’s ok, God being God, when I did realize that I could not handle it in my own strength, he let me make my withdrawal and gave me interest. The interest was lessons learned. We should go to God first instead of trying to handle things ourselves, no matter how or what it is. Small issues become big issues. Our human minds can’t take but so much! On the other hand there is nothing to hard for God. We can conquer anything when he lives within us! Please, if you know someone who is suffering from depression, let them know you are there for them. I volunteer for a crisis hotline. There are support groups. They may just need someone to listen. We can always introduce or remind them about our friend Jesus who is able and willing to give us what we need. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of how good God is. I know I did. I also suggest educating yourself so you will know what you should or should not do. Every situation is different, just know depression is real. Much Love…

Different societies measure success in different ways. Many people measure success through wealth. You have really arrived if you are rich and famous! The way God defines success is so much different from the way the world does. Success as God sees it is something that is achieved that is of infinite, eternal value in this life and in the life to come. I believe success only can be defined according to individual purpose and divine directions. Another person cannot know you well enough to discern whether you are successful, only God who created us can do that. We cannot evaluate ourselves in the light of another’s calling. We are successful when we fulfill God’s purpose for us. We each have to dig for our own gold. That is our assignment. We have to develop what God has given us. Everyone can’t handle the success. They can’t handle notoriety, they don’t like criticism and they crumble under pressure. These things come with success. You must ask yourself are you willing to pay the price to get the blessing. Most people are in love with the image of success, but have not really thought about the total picture, the reality of possessing the blessing.  Success looks good on someone else and we think; I want that, I can do that. We don’t know the struggle that person had to get where they are. Isn’t it wonderful that God doesn’t give us everything we ask for at the time we ask for it? It’s not that he wants to hold anything good from us; He knows we are not ready. Unanswered prayers does not always mean no, sometimes it means not yet. God will prepare us for the purpose he has for us. He knows we need the inner ability to withstand the struggle that accompanies success. Most successful people are usually passionate people. They have tunnel vision, only focused on that one thing. And when that passionate focus is for a divine purpose, they will be successful! There are some people who will never be satisfied sitting on the bench while others play the game. They feel compelled and driven to unlock their predestined purpose. They are willing to pay the price to play. And there are those who are content sitting on the bench. But if God wants to use them, he will take them out of their comfort zone, mold and prepare them for his purpose. God is the best teacher when we let him have control. Don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Stay focused on your purpose and keep digging for your own gold! Much Love…