Trouble Is Good

I know some of you may be wondering why I named today's blog, Trouble Is Good. Well, it is. I can't say nothing for nobody else but this year by far has been one of the most troublesome years of my entire life. 1990 was bad because my mom went through a great deal of medical issues. The same year, we moved to a hick town where people made fun of me all the time. Late 2000, the year my grandfather died and I almost lost my right mind. 2004, growing in God and seeing a lot of what Pastor C (Pastor Claudette) had to go through took care of the flock. Late 2005 and most of 2006, a period when my beautiful wife Dionn went through a bad depression after her birth mother died (and she never got to talk to her since she was a teenager). Enter 2012, a year I thought would be a utopia but for most of the year, I experienced mental, spiritual, physical, financial, career, family, and psychological torment. When one thing came, 5 other things came. Things got to the point when I just had to put the mask on so people wouldn't be too concerned about me. This is one of those years when I've felt the loneliest even when you've got a lot of people you can lean on. Entering this year, my faith was in things and people but now my faith has grown more in God. There's a verse in Psalms by David where it says some trust in horses, some in chariots, but some choose to trust in God. This is has been one of the hardest tests I've had to take and I believe in His eyes I'm passing. I may not be a straight A student but I'm not barely making it either. I've learned one valuable lesson, my friends, Trouble is good. A lot of us hate trouble because its inconvenient. We always want things and people to work for us 100%. But that's not how life is designed for us on earth, matter of fact, this was never God's intention. His original intent for us was to be in a close relationship with Him but we allowed our selfishness to keep that goal from being accomplished. So He allows trouble to enter into our lives that we may find our way towards Him. Some of us do and some of us don't. This is a fact of life. But one thing I can say is that I'm making the decision for follow after Him because He holds the key to my true purpose in life. Therefore, I know to attain this prize, I've got to go through trouble. When I worship with the Shiloh band, it's war time because unseen enemies don't want people to be free in Christ. When I'm going through financial troubles, not only should I cut back on wants, it's just time to restructure my spending habits and learn to put my money in better investments. When I'm going through regrets in the mind, I've got to pull those thoughts down before I go back into doing things I've got no business doing. Troubles come to test us, refine us, and strengthen us for the next phase in our lives. If troubles never come, we never get stronger. We have no testimony. We have no compassion for others who go through the same things or worse. Trouble is good because its importance is to get us to be thankful to God for life. What's the need of a superhero if there's no super-villian? What's the need for sports if there aren't any opposing teams? So it is with life. Troubles are needed. Trouble is good. If we would just stop the complaining, the bickering, and blaming God, we would learn the valuable joys of trouble's treasures. Diamonds can't shine without pressure. Gold can't be refined without heat. Muscles can't grow without tension. Champions aren't champions unless they face difficult opponents. Think about it. Think about it real hard. Stop blaming everyone, everything, and God about our troubles. Let them come to help mold our character. Stop trying to make straight what God has made crooked. Trouble is good. If He went through, then who are to think we won't go through troubles too?

Til next time, dgwo

Reference:
Romans 8:28-39

Why God Created Hip-Hop/Rap

I know today's blog is different from the norm but it's a topic that's been in my thoughts for a while. If we would take a look around, we will see that the music industry and our culture in general is ran by three art forms, pop, R&B, blues, country, and hip-hop. The most popular, especially in urban culture is hip-hop. This art form has made great lengths in reaching the entire globe since the mid-80s, which was the golden age of rap music. Throughout recent years though, this art form has declined morally and spiritually. However, the glitz, glamor, fame, and supposed wealth has increased. Many rap artists are experiencing much success on the Billboard charts and people of every state know their name. But one thing no one wants to discuss is how far this art form is pulling many people from God. God's true intent for man is for us to have a relationship with Him and to honor Him. One of the best ways we can honor Him is create lyrics and melodies dedicated to Him. But just with every art form, including a lot of gospel music right now, God is getting nothing from His creation. With hip-hop, which has been around way longer than the late 1960s-mid 1970s (Grandmaster Cash, Kool Herc, etc.), this art form is a needed tool for God right now. Why did God create rap/hip-hop? Some people including famous American preachers question if God created hip-hop. Well my friends, God did create rap/hip-hop just like every other art form of music. In the Book of James, this writer talks about how every good and perfect gift comes from God, who is the Father of lights. Paul mentions how God made creation, that everything and everyone consists by Him, and how He is reconciling all back to Him (saying He is the center of it all). Hip-hop is one of those good and perfect gifts given to men to reach other men; drawing them back to the Father of lights. Some people argue that Satan created hip-hop. Hmmm....I disagree. Jesus refers to Satan as the father of lies, meaning, his main job is to pervert everything God creates through the sinful nature of mankind. Anything not submitted to God, from preaching, to finances, to politics is going to be subject to Satan anyhow. My friends, God created hip-hop to being Humself glory, just like everything else. This was his original intent until we allowed sin to run rampant. How can you day this, David? I remember when I was around 7 or 8 years old, Bobby Jones had this rap group come up and do thee thing. I can't remember one thing they said but I knew it was different from what was going down at that time. These people were saved and showed their enthusiasm for God. But what did the church do? They shunned. To this day, many churches in America call hip-hop Satan's work. But I beg to defer. God has raised up modern day Jeremiah's, Ezekiel's, Elijah's, Deborah's, and John the Baptists to turn the hearts of a messed up generation back to God. God had equipped them with His word and empowered them by His Spirit to
Speak truth. They are doing what 99.9% of rappers in the industry aren't doing, that's blessing the name of Jesus in a dark world. These are the repairers of the breach. To te church, if you think you're going to reach the younger generation just throughout the arts of choirs and yelling preaching, you're sadly mistaken. The youth need something that reaches them, something that speaks ther language. Hip-hop right now is their language. Wemust pray for those Christian rappers that God will open doors to reach them. Like Lecrae said, the youth arent going to sit down to listen to some screaming preachers. My friends,  hip-hop is just like every other tool or hook or gift. It's to be used to reel the sheep into the Shepherd's flock. Now, I know this blog is long and some of you super spirituals and dudes in the industry may not agree with these words. But I only say what God inspires me to say. To those in the industry reconsider, God didn't give you the gift of rap to talk about money cars and broads. He gave you that gift to give Him honor, to teach the youth to get their education, and expound on the Word of God. Some of you know this and youre being a hardhead (ask
Eshon Burgundy, he tell you). To the church, God is using this art form as a tool for mass evangelism and should have been accepted over 20 years ago. For this cause, we're back logged millions and millions of youth to reach for God. Support Christian hip-hop; to be honest it's the only true form of this genre. Before I close this out, let me quote these words from Ezekiel:
"...son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words into them.
For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech, and a hard language, but to the house of Israel(the lost and found)." - Ezekiel 3:4-5

Till next time, dgwo

Refrences:
Ezekiel 3:1-7
Colossians 1:16-22

Be Honest With Your Predilections

Some of you may look at this word predilections and are saying, what the? But, I'll break it down for you. It means a favoritism, a liking, a fondness, a proclivity, an appetite. No matter who we are, we've all got them. We all have a knack for something that feels good to us. Truth be told, we have a liking for so many things, we don't care what harm they may bring us. It's like that one song from the old school, "if loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right." That seems to be the lingo (the language, lifestyle) for many of us today. We don't care who we hurt, we don't think first before we act, and the list goes on. A lot of us don't admit we're struggling with things until they rise to the surface. Whether it's us being fed up with our spouse, frustrated about our job, unforgiveness towards an enemy, or dealing with pornography, we all deal with our predilections. The only thing that keeps us from dealing with them is our pride, which is the veil of our ego blinding us from the truth about us. Sometimes, we let the praises of men keep us from dealing with these predilections and we never get free from them. We just a bunch of human chains from the rooter to the tooter. Now that's a "holy pig feet" shame. I see it all the time, especially within myself. We love to play the part of the mask; saving face in front of everybody else around. We're the go to people when others need advice. We're the people who others know we'll get certain tasks done. Deep inside, past all of our awards, accomplishments, talents, and fame, there's something abominable crawling inside of us. It's that predilection. That one predilection leading us to keep sleeping with married men. It's those predilections of rappers selling their souls to gain fame in the music industry, becoming an industry puppet. It's those predilections that has many of us sexually abusing a minor that a part of our family or a kid of a neighborhood. It's those predilections that some pastors have using the word of God to fill up their own fantasy world of luxury and fame. It's those predilections that religious leaders use to start wars to see how much influence they have over another person's mind. I could go on but I think you guys get the picture now. Unchecked predilections lead to death of ourselves and others. David said it right, that we are all born in sin and shaped in iniquity. The life we live outside of Jesus Christ is going to allow predilections to have free reign in our lives. The goes for the lady who wears the longest dress in the church in COGIC to the hardest thug running the streets of Viz Valley, California. My friends, we've got to come to grips our the innate issues we are dealing with inside of us. It's better to expose and deal with them now before they destroy everything later. I know for a fact. Pornography, hatred, bitterness, unforgiveness, and regrets are my predilections. But through the power of God's word and His Spirit, I overcome them. This doesn't mean that everyday I wake up they're not knocking at my front door. Actually, they're knocking on my door everyday but I don't let them come in. My prayer for us is that we get real with ourselves and that we allow Jesus to come into lives to help us with our issues. Remember this, we can try Allah, Buddha, New Age Theories, Meditation, weed, and sex all we want to. They all have one thing in common, they are temporary highs to get us from dealing with our issues head on. Jesus is the only force that drives us to places where we have to meet face-to-face with our issues and overcome them. Jesus said it best, that the only way we're going to have power over our predilections is through His word. Think about it as you throughout your day. Don't take my word for it. Study it.

Til next time, dgwo

Reference:
Psalms 51:5
Matthew 4:4