Gideon? More than the Army

Over the past couple of weeks I have been taking a closer look at Gideon's story. It is one of those Bible stories that you learn in Sunday school or hear the preacher mention all the time but you never really go and take a look at it for yourself, which is a big no-no as far as the Bible is concerned. Everyone who knows about Gideon's army raise your hand. Now if you just actually did it you must look like a fool, which pleases me immensely!!! Anyway, I went and read all the way back to the first mention of Gideon and even a little after his death. So take some time to read Judges 6-8 on your own this week,hopefully today.

So Gideon's story takes place at a time where the Israelites were doing evil, which happened a lot in the Old Testament. And because of their behavior God decided to turn them over to their enemies, they sowed destruction and reaped it in return. One cool thing about this is that even though it looked like everyone was working together to kill of the believers, they couldn't prevail because of God's promise to His people. So when the people began to cry out God answered and He answered with Gideon, who was wise enough to hide food from his oppressors to feed his family. An angel calls him a mighty man of valor, and if we think about it Gideon was just a normal person who wanted food to eat yet he was regarded as brave by an angel of the Lord. What happens next? The battle? No! (Sprays with water)

Gideon doesn't test God once, but twice.  Gideon is told to destroy the alters of the idols of his father's house and he is scared. He is so scared that he waits until night to follow God's instructions but he does it and earns a new name along the way. Because he saw how God had taken care of him in that situation when Judges 6:37-40 came around he was fully prepared to save Israel if it really was the will of the Lord, but just to be sure Gideon asked for confirmation, again. Sometimes you just have to be sure, right? Make sure you do it humbly though, like Gideon.



The Bible doesn't show how Gideon got so many followers or what happened in between chapters 6 and 7 but there were so many people behind him that God couldn't use it for His glory. He had 32,000 people and had to whittle it down until God was satisfied so he sent home everyone who was afraid and everyone who drank water a certain way. By only having 300 men the Lord makes sure they cannot try and say that the victory comes from their own strength or power. Something I find interesting is that all 300 men have trumpets. But that is a story for another time. So Gideon goes down to the enemy camp, just him and a servant and everything happens just as God said it would. Gideon hears a dream being interpreted and becomes encouraged. Side Note: Just because you are afraid doesn't mean something is wrong with you, it just means you should spend more time with Him.

Gideon has an amazing plan and not only sent the enemy running but pursued them, He even sent messengers out to tell other Israelites to attack if these people came within their borders. And wouldn't you know it? Just like some of the people in our lives here comes Ephraim, saying that if someone would have told them they would have joined in the fight. But honestly. they just wanted the glory that came with the win. Would they have been there if Gideon lost? Not a chance. I can just imagine Gideon giving them some serious side eye but he kept his negative comments to himself and abates their anger through soft words. There is a difference between abating someone's anger and appeasing them, so be mindful of that.

Gideon's battle was not over though, they went after the Midianite kings too. This is when Gideon messes up. He asks for provision from a neighboring town but is refused. In his pride and anger he says that he will have victory over them as well because they denied them what he asked (and they were rude tbh). Something interesting, they do get the victory over these lands but Gideon only attacked because of his own sense of justice, he did not go to God and hear from him. Let me know what you think of that in the comments.

After Gideon returns home the people want to make him king (this is before the time of Saul, recall) but Gideon has gotten back to his old self and announces that the only one to rule Israel is the Lord. Go Gideon! However, and this is where you can shake your head, Gideon does something extremely stupid next. He takes all the gold plunder that the people had collected and builds an ephod which makes the people follow him anyway, leading to an immense swelling of the head. To conclude our story, there are 40 years of peace in the land because of Gideon but as soon as he dies things change and get even worse than they were before and a part of that is because of Gideon's own son, someone named Abimelech. If you are unfamiliar with Abimelech I suggest you do some research, this dude was straight evil.

Anyway, Gideon was more than just a man with an army, he had his ups and he surely had his downs and yet God still used him and blessed him with 71 sons, not including the daughters. Who has that many kids???? Just because you mes up doesn't mean God is upset or anything like that, it means He wants an apology and for you to return home, which is where we should all be.


Disclaimer: Everything comes from KJV!

The Song for Today:Sweet Victory by Trip Lee


Much love,
Chy

New Year

Have you ever heard that saying, "New Year, New Me"? I have, all the time and I think it is one of the most annoying things that people can say because, for the most part it isn't true. What you can say to be more realistic is "New Year, Better Me" or something like that but very few people manage to change their entire personality over the course of one year. That being said, let's move to the idea of New Years Resolutions. Why in the heck do they exist? Most people don't keep them past February anyway! If you really wanted to change you wouldn't have to do it because of a day, you would just get up and do it. I know that some people do stick to their resolutions, you see those transformative pictures everywhere of people losing weight or working out or trying to change watch they watch to better their attitude

I am all for people making the changes they deem necessary to make themselves a better person but just do it, it doesn't have to be something you broadcast all over the social media, especially when there are tons of people making a change for the better all over the planet. That isn't even why I wanted to write this post, I am just ranting.



It is the year 2017, the Obamas and Bidens have left and now we have the Trumps. And if you don't mind me inserting my own political views, the world has taken a turn for the worst. First Brexit and now this? However, God is still in control, He still has the power and as His children we still walk in the authority that He has given us, even in the darkest of hours. We should wake up each morning with that on our minds, not the fact that we have to protest some of the issues we thought were finally solved in the US. And if we want to make the world a better place then we should be the ones to do so. People always wonder "Why isn't somebody doing/saying something?" Well, guess what? You are SOMEBODY! You can do or say something, it can start off small. Maybe you want to post something on social media and ask everyone to share it. That is how viral videos happen people and our nation's, our planet's future is a lot more important than cats wearing sweaters. There is so much that you can do in this New Year and I want you to realize that sometimes the changes you make personally can change your entire circle and spread. How about we start making some ripples in the water this year, not just because it is "that time again" but because you are tired of complaining and want to do something instead.

So when someone asks you why you are so different just tell them that you're acting Brand New by Tedashii

Start looking at yourself in the mirror and saying 6 positive things every morning while you are getting ready. See how it changes the outcome of your day. Say hell to a  stranger, complement someone and ask God to give you the heavenly boldness you need to combat the works of the enemy not only in your life but in the lives of those around you. When you get into a situation before you ask others to pray for you, lay hands on yourself. Believe in that. Trust. The Bible says in Psalm 22:5 (and I am paraphrasing) that when you trust in the Lord you will not be disappointed. Chew on that, this New Year.

Intentional Friendships

"Friends! How many of us have them? Friends! Ones we can depend on. Friends! Before we go any further let's be friends!"

I know I write a lot on friendships but they are important so I shall continue to write! Feel free to post any questions, comments or social criticisms below.

"What about your friends, will they stand their ground? Will they let you down again? What about your friends, are they gonna be lowdown? Will they ever be around? Or will they turn their backs on you?"

The first quote is "Friends" by Whodini and the second is TLC's "What About Your Friends?". Most people have heard at least these parts of the songs and that is all that is really needed to understand this post. Actually, it really isn't, I just love both of those songs and they have been stuck in my head so, why not?

I was talking to a lady recently whose son had been in a horrible accident and she was telling me that at first, all of his friends were there helping and supporting him but in a matter of a couple weeks, no one was there. No calls or visits anymore, nothing. Isn't that just plain awful. But I guess that can happen. I told her that those people weren't really friends, they may be acquaintances, but you have to choose the people you call friend wisely. Not everyone you hang out with or talk to occasionally is your friend. That brief little chat got me thinking about all the people I have called friend in the past. Not all of them were real friends but I wanted to make it seem like I was well-liked so that is what I called them in different circles when the truth was I couldn't really stand most of them. Isn't that ridiculous?

It also made me wonder how many of those people really were friends that just lost communication for other reasons. I mean the young man is in college, there are sports, activities, events that his friends must participate in. Plus, because he cannot get around he has his mother staying with him in his dorm room, which is a bit awkward for those who are barely 19 and want to be on their own. There is also the possibility that he may be a jerk, but I have met with him and he seems to be a wonderful person but his constant procedures and medical needs keep him on a schedule that some may find it hard to fit into. My earlier post was about intentional music, this one is about intentional friendships. Some of you may be singing the well-known Travis Greene song in your head right now, and I am not mad at you for it, I just want to go deeper than that.



Above is a picture of Pon and Zi, two friends that I have loved since middle school. Back then, however, I was in a constant state of anxiety and I daresay depression and I used these images to remind me of broken relationships. It saddened me but made me happy because it felt like I wasn't the only one. Misery loves company, I guess. The creator of Pon and Zi has many sad images of the couple but many positive ones as well. (Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to them). I love this image because it is an example of what a real friendship is like. I was walking down the street with a friend I shall call M and we started singing at the top of our lungs, just random songs on our way home from helping out with a church event. It was late at night and people probably thought we were drunk but I didn't care and she didn't care because we were having fun together.

And I have another friend named F and whenever we get together we are a hot mess. Recently, she came to visit me and brought her boyfriend and I am sure he got to see a new side of her because we have always had this saying, "A friend is someone who will help you up when you fall. A best friend is someone who will push you down, laugh and then help you". Friends are the ones you can be your crazy, wonky, sarcastic self with. Friends will get all weird and fan-girl with you over the stuff your into even though it seems strange to others like anime and K-pop. Friends are always there when you need them. I mean, that is not totally true but they are there about 90% of the time. The only person who is always there is Jesus, but Jesus is our friend, right guys? ;)

I am such and tired of calling people friends who are really just colleagues or acquaintances that I won't get to know to well outside of whatever area I met them in. Just because someone is a friend of a friend does not make them mine and just because we got to the same church or watch the same shows does not make you my friend.

What makes a person qualified to be your friend?

Today's song is a classic: Robin Williams singing Friend Like Me

Intentional Music

Yay! This post is really all about music. Can you guys guess some of my favorite artists? No? I honestly didn't expect you to. I love music, it can change your entire mood and if you're not careful you're entire thought process. Some people who are Christian still listen to secular music and I, for one, do not have a problem with this. I still listen to some of the same music I did before I was born again. I believe that the real problem comes when you start listening to the music that held you captive in the world and think it wont effect you now that you want a relationship with God. But your are still growing in that relationship and before you start trying to play tag with the devil you need to build up your spiritual strength and make sure all your armor is on correctly. I have written about it before but the devil doesn't even try to tempt you with new stuff once you're saved, he brings those old things into remembrance. That is why we must be mindful and intentional about what we listen to. If you had a serious issue with cussing in the world and still listen to vulgar music, stop. If you had issues with lust and want to listen to the same pornographic songs, don't.

I am not saying that this is a one step process for everyone because it isn't but music impacts us more than you may think. When it first came out I listened to Lazarus by Trip lee every single day for over a month at the start of my day. it put a smile on my face and pumped me up. It prepared me with a positive attitude in which to face the day. Think about what you listen to in the morning and what you listen to at night. It doesn't always have to be Christian but it should never be something that pulls you back into wherever you were. It should be positive and uplifting. Personally, I love soul, R&B, neo-soul and showtunes. I could listen to Leela James or Gregory Porter all day. But that music still has a positive message in it, there is no profanity and if there is very very little and it is something I would not mind listening to with my grandma. Think about that next time you sit down and put headphones in your ear. Better yet, think about how God would feel if you listened to that song in His presence, because that is what you are doing.



Do you need something inspirational to listen to? Well, here is a list of my suggested artists and note that not all of them are Christian artists.

1. Leela James
2. Music Soulchild
3. Lyfe Jennings
4. Tedashii
5. Jonathan Mcreynolds
6. Gregory Porter
7. Brian Mcknight
8. Trip Lee
9. JGivens
10. John Givez
11. Canon
12. Andy Mineo
13. Shope
14. Swoope
15. Travis Greene
16. Martha Munizzi
17. Fantasia
18. Anthony Hamilton

We have to be mindful of everything we allow to be in our personal space because even though it may not seem like it at the time, it does mean something. I remember when I was young and CD's were still popular that my my dad, my brother and I were all driving somewhere and my dad had put in a Snoop Dogg CD. I fell asleep on the armrest in the back but when I woke up and the next time I heard one of those songs, I knew it by heart and I didn't even remember listening to it! We internalize everything we hear and see and that is why we have to be careful. We're meant to be in this world, not of it and if you still have the same mindsets as those in the world can you really say you are a Spiritual being? That is rhetorical but it is also something I want people to answer down below if you so choose.

The song for the day is Confetti by Shope

Get Myself To Right

"I gotta get myself together, 'cause I got someplace to go. And I'm praying when I get there I'll see everyone I know. I wanna go to Heaven."

Everybody knows Mary Mary, the dynamic sister duo backed up and supported by their family. At least everybody I know anyway. Well, this song just came to mind because it reminds me of what I need to do to get myself right. And soon. I have been pretty much alone in my grad school experience, no close friends or acquaintances, no one to hold me accountable or talk to about heavy issues except God. And I know very well that I need to be going to God with my issues and situations (both good and bad) but sometimes you need other people.

Lately, I stopped.

I stopped living the way I am used to and as a result I started getting bad, for lack of a word to describe my utter uselessness. It started affecting me physically. I felt drowsy and lazy while at the same time having all this nervous energy built up inside. Plus, I want you all to know that I am not coming from a place of victory against this thing just yet but I do understand it and I do know that I will be victorious. Now, back to your regularly scheduled broadcast. I was feeling ridiculously low and all of the old stuff I thought was dead and gone in the past started trying to come back. I started having awful nightmares and waking up in pools of sweat, started overeating (and I had trouble with binging in high school), started feeling just plain awful, procrastinating with the simplest tasks and putting off anything and everything that I didn't see as urgent. And the only thing I saw as urgent was sleep.

Well recently, I realized that maybe the reason I was feeling low down and just altogether messed up is because I had stopped living the way I am used to. I have not danced since I have been here. I have not worshipped in the morning before the start of my day, I have been slacking in bible study (I still do it but the commitment is not there as it should be) and I have not really been striving after God, even though I wrote posts about it. It is one thing to say something and another thing to live it out.

And that is where I come to in this little narrative. I had stopped living for God. Like, seriously! And the worst part is how long it took me to notice but God is still good and still moving in my life. Therefore I started thinking about what it meant to live. Just live and I looked at it from a secular and a Christian perspective.

According to dictionary.com to live is just to be alive and capable of vital functions. I don't really like this definition because it means that those who are disabled are not truly living. There were two definitions I looked up in my concordance though, The Hebrew chayah and the Greek zao. The first means to keep alive, to revive, to suffer to live, nourish up, preserve, and to be whole. Zao means to live, quicken.

So, I decided to read two passages: Psalm 119:17-24 (Gimel) and Psalm 118:17.

According to Psalm 119:17, to live is to keep God's word. And according to its counterpart the chapter before living is synonymous with declaring God's works. In Psalm 119:20 David says his soul broke for longing to live righteously. How can a soul break? I don't know but I know it's more powerful than when your heart breaks. From this I got that not only can I not make it on my own but if I am not living for the Lord then I am not living at all. And I had to stop putting off my responsibilities as a Christian. I wasn't really making God a priority, much less was He the center of my life. (And for those who don't know, when I say God I mean the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.) So instead of putting it off I have to start saying yes.

 No more silencing the King.

Well Done by Deitrick Haddon

Biblical Role Model

Hey guys,

So lately, I have been really in a slump. Not just because of the election, I feel like there's just a lot of negative stuff all compounding on my shoulders at once and for a while I didn't even have the energy to do anything. I didn't do homework, was slacking at the gym, I wasn't even cooking. I had been surviving on carrots. And now I feel like I am starting to get back in the hang of things, not because of me but because I had someone I could talk to and she helped me out a lot. That is why fellowship is so common in my posts, especially my older ones. Anyway, today I was able to get a good amount of stuff done and even though I am nowhere near close to my usual productivity level, I am slowly starting to get back in the swing of things. Yay!!!

Also, for the past few days I have been drawn to Daniel. Don't get me wrong, I have read the book of Daniel plenty of times but these last few days I feel like I have just been directed to certain sections, not even whole chapters. Examples? Daniel 9:1-19, Daniel 2:14-35, Daniel 9:20-27. If you are wondering why chapter 9 is separated it's because I read them on different days. There was a lot for me to unpack and personally I feel like there is still more I can look at in order to understand these sections of Daniel. I mean I studied them and prayed and realized that I always did love hearing about Daniel. Not because he held a powerful position or survived a lion's den but just because of his personality. A few years back the one consistent prayer that I had was that God move in my prayer life and that he make me a prayer warrior. Looking back at Daniel, especially today, I realized that is exactly what Daniel was.

Daniel is like my Biblical role model and here are the attributes I admire in him.

1. He's bold
2. He's faithful
3. He has a great prayer life
4. He's wise
5. He is slow to speak
6. He is unafraid

These are all qualities I have desired at one time or another and they are ones I still want. I don't think I should ever stop praying for these things even after I receive them because God will never give me more than what I need in that present moment. For me I get a lot of encouragement from Daniel. He is this guy who prays not just for himself but his entire people. He is not afraid of what other people will say or do to him, he is unabashedly himself and I feel that (especially in America) kids are taught not to be themselves but to be who media or who their friends want them to be. Everyone has to conform or be subject to harassment which is so uncool, right? Right. I don't need no Amens on that one. Whenever someone asked him a question he gave it serious thought and he prayed before giving a response and that is simply amazing to me. He is simply so faithful and I look up to him.

Don't get me wrong, I don't idolize him but I appreciate that God provided us with his story so that people like me could use it as a kind of blueprint for our lives. And I feel that everyone should have someone they aspire to be similar to in the Bible. Trust me, I know people are out there thinking "Jesus!" which is great, I try to be like Jesus too, but I want everyone to remember that Jesus was perfect. And although we can never be perfect in the same way He was we can better ourselves by following the lives of those in the Bible which is (in my opinion) why God allowed these stories to be passed down until today. There are lessons we can learn from every single story in the Scriptures, usually more than one and that is why I think that everyone should have someone, other than the Son of the Most High, as a role model that they can think to themselves, I am going be like this person today and be bold for the Lord by doing this or I am going to think before I speak or something along those lines. What do you think?

Plus, when you have a role model you won't fall as easy because you will have those traits in the back of your mind and you will feel convicted to do what is right. And there is also the fact that when you compare yourself to a spiritual and mature person in the faith it will keep you from wailing on yourself. There are days where I feel like Jeroboam II and then I have to reprimand myself and say, no child you are not like that at all! You are not a Jeroboam, you are a Daniel, a Ruth! It is a reminder to yourself of who you are. On that note, to remind myself of who I am, I write affirmations and repeat them throughout the day in my head or out loud depending on where I am. And they all start with "I Am" because that is how God started His affirmation. It is how He introduced Himself and therefore, since we are made in His image, it is how we must introduce ourselves. And saying it to yourself keeps it in your mind and it only takes 21 days for something to become habit which means your whole mindset can change in less than a month!

But back to spiritual role models...like I said, I am looking to Daniel for an example of how an imperfect person can have such a close relationship with God. I mean, in Daniel 9:20-22, Daniel isn't even done praying before God sends Gabriel (yes, that Gabriel)  to come and give Daniel the understanding he was asking for!! I want to be that tight with my Lord, Friend and God. You?

So who is your Biblical role model? Who do you look to when you want a blueprint for how to behave in a certain situation? I'm curious so please comment!! :D

And just as a note, don't just have role models. Be one.

The song today doesn't have anything to do with this actual post, I just like it  so here goes: No Nah by Jor'Dan Armstrong

And do you guys actually listen to the songs? I put my heart into choosing them (usually)! Much love.

Apology

I am sorry for not getting to posting lately. You guys know I try to do it once a week but Grad life has got me more tired than I originally thought it would. I am either working or in class or working on something for class. There are no amount of memes that could do it justice. But while I'm on that can we talk a bit on apologies?

There are so many memes and songs out there there is even #sorrynotsorry that has been going around for forever and a day. I have talked about forgiveness a lot in the past but I can't recall a time where I ever brought up how to act when you are the one who did wrong, which is just as important and even more so in some respects. Sorry is a lot more than just trying to appease the other person and a real apology goes a lot farther than simple lip service. Think about it. How many times have you said sorry but didn't really feel sorry or apologetic? How many times did someone say sorry to you in that same stank-face way they offended you? You know they're not sorry and yet you are supposed to accept their apology!? What? How many times have you done that to someone else?

Don't get me wrong, we all do stupid stuff but apologizing is important because in its real form an apology is supposed to wipe the slate clean of than wrong you did. When you apologize you can't be rude and sarcastic. In fact, you should never say "I'm sorry" unless you mean it. Why? Because people can almost always tell when you don't and when that person can see you are lying they start to lose trust that has been built. This can lead to a whole other set of issues that are way too detailed to go into here but if you want just comment and I can give an example or two. When you apologize there are some things to take into consideration. I know that your parents probably forced you to apologize even when you weren't sorry but did something wrong. I'm not saying that's bad because it teaches kids responsibility but as an adult you should never do that.

I usually give a little how to or something like that and it is killing me not to right a long checklist of the dos and don'ts of apology but it is not necessary. You know when when you mess up. You know when you do wrong and you know when you are genuinely sorry. So take all those things into consideration when you decide to go up and apologize to someone.

An apology should be sincere if nothing else.

When you apologize you don't have to have balloons or jump out of an airplane. I know that some people believe that the size of the apology should fit the harm done but that's not me. I think that you should come with an open heart and mind and be sincere and if they don't accept that is on them. One thing about admitting you were wrong is the fact that you admit you were wrong meaning that some damage may be done to your pride. Can you handle that? Is the relationship with that person more important than your ego? If not then you aren't ready to apologize.

I have apologized for a lot of things in my life. Sometimes I apologize for other people and sometimes I apologize for things I didn't do just to make other people feel better. That is not okay. It is not okay to do that because when something is not my fault I have no reason to take blame and responsibility for it. I can say, "Sorry you feel that way" but I am not going to let the brunt of the hurt fall on my shoulders because that is not how I operate anymore. And I have a saying, "God did not send His Son to die on the third day and rise again for _________" and in my mind I am starting to fill in that blank with "me to be sorry for living my life". If someone makes you feel as though you have to apologize for everything you do because it offends them or doesn't suit them, don't keep apologizing. Find a new friend because there is a time when giving advice becomes policing your behavior and that's not cool. Especially if that friend never apologizes or throws blame on someone else when the time comes, drop them like a hot pot of grits. They are not there for you.

An apology should come from you heart. You should apologize because you want to and because it is how you really feel not because someone thinks you should because that leaves you with hurt in your heart and I have really started thinking about self care and apologizing for no reason is not a part of self care.