ClydeStyle

Category: God

  • Scariest phrase: The past is of no consequence

    Do you ever think what it would be like to live without consequences? I mean, of course, there are always consequences, but we have a history of weighing the consequences and making the decision based on what we can handle or how much we have to pay.

    Former heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, loved cars and loved to drive fast. One time, on a back road, he is caught speeding by an officer. The officer charged him $25 for the speeding ticket, which was huge back then. Johnson gave the officer $50, and the officer said he did not have change. Johnson said it was ok because he has to drive back this way.

    Clearly, he weighed the consequences and accepted his fate, which led him to pay in advance.

    Everyone seems to do that with concrete things, but what about abstract?

    If I say something to hurt my wife’s feelings and I can tell that I did based on her actions, I could just apologize, or I can simply trust that she will get over it and move on.

    If my 5 year old grandbaby gets caught playing with the electrical outlet and I slap her hands and yell at her until she cries, I could feel justified in what I did because she could have seriously gotten hurt. But I see that my actions were more than just disciplinary in nature, as her ego is bruised. Do I attempt to recover her or stand as the authority?

    What if I’m the boss over 40 employees at work and I create a hostile work environment? Or, I create racial tensions by paying my white employees 37 percent more than minorities? What if I decide to make all my supervisors white? What if I never lay off anyone white? Or how about I just treat everyone badly because I can? What if I allow my bias to lead me? What if I am demeaning to women in the workplace?

    The past has no consequences, which is one of the greatest lies ever told. Offenders must recompense their victims. But before that happens, there has to be an acknowledgment of the wrongdoing. You can’t curse your wife, and then the next time you see her, you just start talking sweet to her without acknowledging your past mistakes.

    When we don’t acknowledge our wrongdoing, we lower the victims self-esteem. God takes that personal.

    Let me be clear: There are always consequences! Whether you get them immediately or later, now or in the future, today or in the afterlife, consequences are coming! Make amends today before it’s too late.

  • Attacks on freedom for all people sour July 4th celebrations

    America has made great strides in its  history in an attempt to live up to its constitution. No one can argue that things are better than they were 100 years ago.

    But did this change come from a new revelation that the only God who created the universe made all men equal and that the past treatment of minorities was sinful and would greatly hinder eternal life in heaven? Nope. It doesn’t seem like God has ever stopped the sinful flesh at anything it decides to do.

    So then, white people were free from immediate eternal punishment and could still rob, cheat, and steal from minorities. They could still allow racist systems that would impede the process of minorities moving forward, and they could continue to allow police and other forces to discriminate and incarcerate minorities without real due process.

    And they have.

    What has been a constant with white people is that when you lay their actions before (a tactic mastered by the civil rights movement), then it would guilt enough of them to do the right thing.

    The problem with this is that they do the right thing for the wrong reason. And that leads to resentment.

    Then comes Donald Trump. In his first term in office, he attempted to resend as much civil and human rights as whites would allow. Now, of course, you’re thinking white people wouldn’t allow America to go backward, would it?

    There are too many non-racist folks in Congress to let that happen, right? Well, I looked up exactly how many things he did to destroy civil and human rights, and I wanted to list them all here. I didn’t because there were too many. On average, it looked like at least 70 things each year he was in office.

    I couldn’t believe it myself because you would think that if the democrats knew this, they would have run on a platform that shared it with the rest of us. Could it be that they were resentful, too?

    This link will take you to the list of things he tried https://civilrights.org/trump-rollbacks/

    All of them didn’t succeed, but with this gigantic list, you can really tell that the powers that be are not for minorities. He is already on pace to surpass this list in his second term.

    And now, with Independence Day fast approaching, who really wants to celebrate it?

  • Do you know God as your father in heaven?

    In the Old Testament, Israel never knew God the creator as their father in heaven. In fact, nobody did until Jesus came on the scene, and when teaching his disciples to pray, he was the first to call God our father in heaven (Luke 11:1-6).

    Knowing God as our father in heaven means that we understand him as a loving, caring, interpersonal God who is the head of a larger family.

    Through trust, understanding, and intimacy, we as his children have our needs and wants provided by a loving God.

    Our God loves us unconditionally, and seeing the undone condition we are in with the inability to save ourselves, he came near to make us whole. We were not given a set of rules and regulations or a system that was against us like Moses’ law. Instead, we were given grace and mercy, and reconciliation was afforded us.

    Now, the way that we know our father in heaven should imitate the relationship we have with our children. They will learn everything they need to know about God in their younger years by how their earthly father has sustained them.

    We just celebrated Father’s Day yesterday, and many dads were celebrated for being a dad. But the hope is that each man who has fathered a child has reassured that child the same unconditional love, care, and nurturing that comes from our father in heaven.

  • Peace and war is a crossroad for Christians

    One of the great principle concepts in Christianity is the notion of dealing with kindness, those who would oppose you.

    Why would someone do that, you ask? Well, the biggest benefit is spiritual, and if that matters to you, then keep reading. If it doesn’t, then I apologize for posting content that you’re not interested in and check back next week.

    But this week, I want to bring an understanding to the concept of heaping coals of fire on someone’s head. Paul wrote this in Romans 12, but it is an actual quote from Proverbs 25:21-22 and the end principle is that God will reward you!

    But don’t get too excited about the reward because it’s not like a dollar amount or some secret blessing that no one else gets. But the reward is a state God puts you in. This state is where every child of God should want to be. Can you imagine what it’s like to reach a stage of complete peace with God. All alien sinners are at war with God, whether they know it or not. You become the opposite of that when God gives you peace.

    Now, what do you get peace in exchange for? Great question. God observes you dealing with a person who has become your foe. The text translates this word as enemy. In the Greek, this word for enemy represents all scenarios/kinds of enemies. The one used in our Romans passage would be your foe, and that is someone who may have even been your close friend before, and something happened. More than likely, this person is/was a Christian that has allowed trouble to overtake them.

    This means that they once had a relationship with God. They may even think they still do. See, the problem is that uncontrolled anger is so blinding. A brother or sister in Christ can do something to you and cause you to be on the verge of hating them for what they did. We do this unaware of how it ruins our relationship with God.

    When this happens, we are to essentially cause remorse to happen in their heart. That is what heaping coals of fire on their head means. This action should strike a chord in their heart when  they are treating you like an enemy and you are treating them like a friend…still.

    As they go through trouble, you become the helping hand that heals their pain. God has promised to make us “peace buddies” with him when we do this.

    At some point in our Christian walk you will be faced with challenges. Are you ready to arrive at this crossroad? Are you ready to have your love for God tested? Get ready! It’s coming! And for some reading this now, it is already here!

  • New book release may be my best work yet

    Yesterday was very significant in my life. I had a special project on my to-do list for 2023, and it came to pass on Nov. 24.

    I, with 15 of my fellow clergymen, published a new book entitled “Essence of the Creator: Understanding the Godhead,” and we are quite excited about it.

    This latest offering expresses our passion when discussing God the Father; God the Son; and God the Holy Spirit to gain a simple yet functional understanding that will draw you closer to the creator.

    These authors are great men. I can speak to their love of God and desire to lead people closer to Him. We have more than 150 years of biblical studies on this project and writers between the ages of 27 to 77.

    This book is available for purchase on my website as well as on Amazon and Kindle. There will be an audio book coming soon.

    There are more projects coming in 2024, but I just had to share the excitement about this new project! Thank you for your support!

  • Life with a twist…

    What if we were all born with severe handicaps? I mean, literally, each person born was blind, mute, and lame and as you grew older, you had to prove to God that you were worthy of being healed.

    Sounds crazy, right? To think that you could earn such things from the Almight God is absurd given that he never worked that way. But it does place a unique value on your right to live, doesn’t it?

    It seems people here have such a sense of entitlement and walk around like they own the planet. We don’t take care of it, but expect it to function normally despite our abuse. We allow dysfunction in such an unhealthy way. What makes it unhealthy is that we are not ignorant of the dysfunction. Instead, we allow it.

    Injustice is another allowance. We allow it until it happens to us. Things are unfair on purpose, and greed is way out of control. So, it would be interesting if we had a scenario of proving our worth. The handicaps would make us accountable to our abilities. I would have to be worthy of sight. Simply put, if all I’m going to be with sight is greedy, then I’m not worthy. If all I would do with my voice is cause mischief, teardown people, talk hate, and be rude, then I am not worthy of a voice.

    And then if I gain these items, at any time I could lose them again in folly. I thought of all this because I wanted to see if there was a scenario that would make the world a better place. The thought was that losing these precious things would bring our attention to our wrongdoing and would rehabilitate us. I thought this would be the proper motivation and would deter evildoers.

    Well, this year, in February, three Sudanese men were sentenced to hand amputation for stealing. This was the first time in almost a decade that the country’s courts handed down such a sentence. They do the same thing in Somalia and other countries, yet stealing still takes place.

    It would seem that God giving us intellect was for the purpose of giving him glory as a faithful creator. Instead, we have squandered our gift, and we’re set on a course to destroy ourselves.

  • Vengeance doesn’t belong to us

    Humans are capable of great fits of rage. When anger is kindled there is a loss of level thinking, blood runs high and irrational behavior follows. Some of the dirtiest deeds in the world have come from human anger.

    Biblically we were told that vengeance did not belong to us. It was a property of the Almighty! The creator of the universe promised that he would repay. I wonder is that because he knew that we were not equipped to deal with anger?

    When a person gets anger the worst of that person can be seen. They feel the need to be vindictive by any means necessary. People who are more vengeful tend to be those who are motivated by power, by authority and by the desire for status. They basically don’t want to lose face. A person described as vindictive is usually someone who holds a grudge and who always tries to get back at people who they think have wronged them in some way.

    Vindictive people retaliate against others for any insult or perceived slight. Vindictive people do not let things go but rather must seek revenge to satisfy a burning sensation within to play God.

    Psychologically speaking, revenge is more of an emotional state that is triggered when one feels they have been attacked or wronged by another party. It runs on impulse and if not controlled it will destroy whole families and friends.

    The best way to handle your anger and prevent yourself from possible legal trouble is to examine the potential stressors in your life and decide if they are absolutely necessary. Look at the things that matter to you the most and see which areas you are most vulnerable. Some people are very sensitive about their personal life. If you are one of those people then you probably should not have pictures of your family displayed at work and double check your social media privacy settings to make sure you are in complete control over your content.

    Moreover, it would be wise to review your friendships and decide how much access to you they can have. Make sure that you separate your very close friends from mire acquaintances and have close friends who you can talk to when life gets stressful.

    Above all, work on your de-escalation skills and make sure you drink plenty of water and definitely get enough sleep. Regular exercise needs to be apart of your daily routine. Try your best to live peaceably with everyone.

  • Getting your God complex under control

    We all have this inner God complex. It’s where we get some of our best ideas, it’s where our compassion grows, it’s where forgiveness begins and it’s where our unconditional love comes from. With this complex, when things are going well, we achieve and flourish in various areas. We create, lead, influence, edify and develop ideas. When things are at their worst, we tend to lack forgiveness for ourselves.

    We being to accept blame, sometimes too much blame because in our complex we think we should have known, seen, anticipated, figured out or controlled people, places and things — and that’s impossible.

    The feeling is amplified when other people are injured by our actions. It happens. What should take place is that we should release all negativity, deal with the facts and be reflective about moving forward. Learn the lessons and forgive yourself. We need to begin to see the truth about these ill- feelings.

    God doesn’t want us punishing ourselves because something fell through the cracks or we proved that we are not perfect. I started out calling it a God complex because when something happens some of us will take full responsibility as if we were God and could control everything.

    Nobody is perfect. Most people who dare to lead want to do their best. It doesn’t always happen like that and you need to forgive yourself. Now! And move forward a better person!

  • Too much wind for ya??

    Too much wind for ya??

    It has been a while since I expounded on God’s word so I would like to share Matt. 14:23-33.

    In this passage of scripture, Jesus was with a multitude and once he sent them away he went up on the mountain to pray alone. By the time he had finished it was getting late and the ship where his disciples were was in the midst of the sea being tossed around about by the waves and the wind.

    Jesus comes toward them walking on the sea (yes, he was actually walking on the sea as if there was a makeshift walkway) and his disciples saw him and were afraid as they thought he was a ghost. The savior calls out to them to let them know it was him.

    Astonished, Peter was the brave soul to take it a step forward when he asked for proof that it was in fact Jesus. His proof was that Jesus would allow for him to walk on water and meet him. The creator granted Peter’s request and here is where we get the meat for this story.

    Verse 30 says that the wind was boisterous. That means it was loud and forceful, but this is something the text says Peter saw, not heard. Peter first saw Jesus walking on water and he was afraid. He also “saw” the wind boisterous and was afraid.

    Which do you think scared him the most?

    The assumption here is that when he saw Jesus and realized that it truly was him, he wanted to do what Jesus was doing. And he actually did walk on water.

    But the wind’s actions were accompanied by force and it stood in opposition of what Peter wanted to do, Peter backed down because he felt he was no match for the wind. He knew that the force of the wind was far greater than he was. When he began to sink he cried for Jesus to save him and immediately the text says He did but asked Peter why did he doubt.

    The lesson: The wind represents everything that is against us here from trials and tribulations to sin. Jesus is still Jesus in this lesson and Peter represents us. Jesus did not save Peter because they were good friends. In fact, any of the disciples could have done what Peter did. Peter just happened to be the one bold enough to ask. The assumption is that if you asked the question, the answer should have produced faith. In other words, Peter said Lord if it is you, then let me come to you. By the fact that Peter was able to come meant that it was in fact Jesus and now your faith will be made perfect in your work (walking on water).

    Am I going too fast?

    Faith without works is dead. Peter’s question was answered and he began through the work to demonstrate his faith, but the wind (trial) was too much. And even though Peter did nothing to earn his salvation, Jesus saved him anyhow. Why? Because he is God and that’s the business he is in.

    Dear reader, do you believe that God will save you? Have you come to him in obedience to his will and allowed your faith to grow through your works?

    Or is there just too much wind???

  • Failed expectations

    Failed expectations

    There are people in this world that imitate animals. You have the Alpha Male who figures the Lion. Gentle giant men have the image of the grizzly bear and then there are the people who love to act like snakes, rats or chameleons. These are the people who have no problem betraying others. There is no level of consciousness that is disturbed by their distrust.

    Betrayal comes from expectations that are not met. It’s the breaking on trust and the vengeance from misunderstanding.

    In Greek Mythology Jason was with Medea and they had kids together and everything. All of a sudden he decides to leave her with the kids stating that they were not married anyway. Jason was off to marry a local king’s daughter. To pay him back Medea kills the kids.

    Benedict Arnold fought side by side with George Washington and had his trust. He was considered a trusted soldier and friend to Washington until he defected to the British in 1780. Arnold went down in history as a symbol of betrayal.

    The question this blog asks is how does it feel to betray someone? How does it feel in your heart? How does it feel just before the betrayal is realized? How do you live with yourself? What kind of person do you have to be to overcome the negative feelings of betrayal? What will your conscious allow?

    It’s clear that your spirit has to settle into being a rat or a snake, but is there any coming back from that? Mr. Arnold would probably tell you no, there is no coming back. The anger towards those that betray always seems to be met with death — whether that be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. Hopefully, we can avoid this concept and realize the opposite is greater. Let loyalty ring!