Tag: strength

Spiritual

Your Hair will Grow Again

Dr. R. A.

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Life is filled with choices being served as a dish on a platter. This results in us constantly making decisions, whether right or wrong. These decisions sometimes have a way of sapping our strength, leaving us extremely vulnerable to the attack of the enemy. Unfortunately, sometimes our choices may even lead to our ultimate demise as they have ripple effects.

As we grow older, these decisions become harder to make as we become more aware of the consequences of our choices. However, the pressure to perform or to prove that we are grown can tip the scale to the left. Therefore, supplying us with a greater degree of influence for making wrong choices. As everyone wants to be their own superhero and advertise their independence.

This is not unique to our dispensation. As a matter of fact, it was quite prevalent in the days of old as depicted in the Bible with stories about the patriarchs. Some of these choices made by these patriarchs were good and showed great rewards. Whereas, some decisions were wrong and proved to be very costly.  Regardless, however, because of their desire to serve and please God, He had a way of working things out in their favor.

In the book of Judges, we learn of a man named Samson who although was chosen by God and dedicated to Him from birth seemed to be prone to doing only that which was wrong because of the lust of his eyes, lust of his flesh and the pride of life. He placed a downpayment on temporary pleasure with his future power which was extremely dangerous and costly. The consequences of his choice left him blind, head shaved and imprisoned by his enemies. This left him in a position of shame, ridicule, bondage, pain and loss.  From the perspective of his enemy, all hopes were lost for him. As a matter of fact, he may have believed for a moment that there was no hope left and this would be his destiny. However, somewhere in the pitch darkness his eyes and heart got fixed on God, and he began to pray.  The change of perspective and his spiritual disposition resulted in his hair starting to grow again. His strength was regained with every strand sprout until his strength was matchless.  He then was able to destroy his enemies, essentially taking back everything that the enemy had stolen from him.

Maybe like Samson, you feel despondent, and your life is filled with despair because of the decisions that you have made. Maybe like him, you are experiencing ridicule, shame, pain, broken heart, sickness, insecurity, drug addiction, promiscuity, loss (financially, emotionally, physically, etc.). Maybe you feel like all is lost and there is no reason to continue to live. However, I say to you that your hair can grow again. Regardless, of what you have done if you fix your eyes on God, your hair will begin to grow again. This is not the end although it seems like the end. How do I know this? Because things always work out in the end. The fact that your heart is beating is proof that there is still hope for tomorrow. Therefore, if it has not worked out it only means that it is not the end. God can make a way out of no way. He can turn every crooked path straight and every Red Sea into dry ground.

It does not matter how deep you have fallen. You could be beneath the deepest depth of the sea, God can still reach you if you are willing to be pulled up. It does not matter how sick you are. The only thing that matters is if you are willing to be made whole.  You may want to disqualify yourself because of the numerous times that you have fallen, but remember that a just man falls seven times but gets back up. All you need to do is be willing to get back up. God has a future plan for you that is filled with good and not evil to give you and expected end.

Prayer: God, please let Your light shine in the deep dark areas of our heart. Let failures, weakness, insecurities, hopelessness, etc. be exposed so that Your people can regain strength. Let our hair begin to grow again. Open the prison cells that we have locked ourselves in because of bad choices that we have made and set us free to fulfill our purpose which is to worship You. Clothe us in Your righteousness as we ask for Your forgiveness. Help our eyes to affixed to You from this day forward. Amen.

4.27.17 Dr. R.A.

Spiritual

Keys to Inner Strength

Dr. R. A.

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16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Eph 3:16

As humans, we have a need for certainty as it produces a sense of security within our psyche. However, no matter how young or old we are, life teaches us that unpredictability and uncertainty are the components of its backbone. There are no guarantees in life and the only thing that we can be certain of is change. As such, knowing that life goes on is key to our development and success. This is important because we often think that we are about to die in our dilemma. But, as time rolls on it proves that life really does go on.

I know that when we encounter situations that break us and shatters the core of our being it ‘s hard to process the concept of life going on. It is even more difficult when we defined what was lost as the reason for our existence, as without that person , thing, etc. we grapple with the knowledge of who we really are. I have had many of those core-shattering experiences that forced me to examine who I am and to whom I belong. It is those moments, however, that I believe brings us back to our center – realigning us,  as life has a way of getting us off balance. In one of life’s teachable moments, I was told a story of a king who had asked a jeweler to give him a gift that would make him happy if he was sad, and sad if he was happy. This request weighed heavily on the jeweler as without producing this he would loose his life. For days he went sleepless until he prayed and asked God for a revelation as to what he should give the king. With God’s instructions, he made a ring for the king. Upon delivery, the king looked at it with a puzzled look, but when he read the inscription he understood clearly and knew it was the perfect gift. The inscriptions read “This too shall pass.” When I heard the story, it pierced me through like a very sharp two-edged dagger, because of the profundity of its  truth. I shared this because it is one of the keys to the developmental process of inner strength. Knowing that there will always be experiences reflecting the terrain of mountains and valleys. Your circumstances will change whether good or bad.

I also know that society and life teachs us to be guarded. However, if we are honest, we know that beneath our hard exterior that we sometimes portray is a soft interior filled with various vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities that if exposed gets damaged easily, resulting in us locking our true selves behind invisible bars of steel. I also know that the only way for healing to take place if for the wound to be exposed to a physician who can administer the necessary drug, ointment, bandage or surgery, etc. Therefore, the final and most important key to developing inner strength is looking to God. We look to Him through prayer. The Apostle Paul stated, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.” God is the one who has an unlimited supply of whatever we could possibly have need of. If it is love that we need- the songwriter said: “His love has no limits.” If is is grace that we need it is also said: “His grace has no measure.”If we have need of power, it is also said: “His power has no boundary.” God is capable of empowering us with inner strength and supplying all of our needs. When we expose our vulnerabilities to God, He will administer the right care according to the need.

A brief recap of the Keys to Inner Strength:

  1. Look to God – Pray and expose your vulnerabilities
  2. Know “THIS too shall PASS” – circumstances will change
  3. Life goes on – you will not die in your dilemma

 

12/7/16  Dr. R.A.