Endeavoring to Keep your Sanity While Serving the Lord

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Only in Christ Jesus can your mind be stabilized

From the time I received Jesus into my life, I had no idea what I was in for. I’ve been through many storms, valleys, hills, coves, and other places that brought about pain and teachable moments. I must tell you this; on many occasions, I thought I wasn’t going to make it, from the natural stand point. Without a doubt I know what it takes to be a follower of the Lord. I also know the pains that come along with it, but I would not change a thing because the course I have taken was the one I needed to be on. What I would like to do is to take you on a little journey, as my way of showing you the reader what it’s really like to be saved and walking in the leading steps of the Holy Spirit. Also, on the other side I would like you to know the truth regarding how it truly feels from a natural point when you have been rejected from your own family and those who call themselves your friends. OK, the day I was saved I told my family and they didn’t believe me at first; but after a while they began to see another person in me. To say the least, they did not like it. You see I was the life of the party when I was in the world. I did drugs, slept around, and cursed like a sailor. I was afforded all these avenues because I was a singer, and opportunities presented themselves in that atmosphere. I could be very cold if you made me mad. Once more, this new me did not fit in with the family. However, I will say this; I did come from a dysfunctional family, but it really doesn’t matter because it was Jesus they didn’t like--not me. Listen, the moment anyone accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, the devil comes very fast to try and make you believe you are not saved but you do have a good feeling about your newly found religion. The Bible expresses this message as, “the devil comes quickly to steal what you have just received. But if you have really given your life over to the Lord, the devil can’t have his way with you.” Now I must inform you, that he will pester you on many occasions. He will also make sure that you do feel the rejection that comes along with serving the Lord. Since the devil is very good at his deception game, we must also be able to combat the whiles of the devil.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand {Ephesians 6:10-13}.

I need you to listen very clearly. This scripture is talking to the believers. It conveys the sound message that we are to be strong in the Lord and His abilities. In other words, no matter what we may be confronted with, this is our insurance policy, which reminds us that we are not facing any giant alone. The giant for me was my family rejecting the new me. I can’t put it in words how it made me feel. And I am 60 now and I still feel the pain from a natural point of view. In the Lord I am strong and that is how I survived all this time. But please don’t think for one moment that the pain is not trying to control me, because it does try from time to time. The only reason why I can stand is because I took the advice from my savior and put on the whole armor of God. As I have said, I was able to stand and withstand the devils blows.

As you have read, it is not your family that is rejecting you; it’s the evil spirit that either is influencing them, or they have become possessed by them. It’s the same way on your job, or at the business you may be the CEO of; nevertheless, people are being influenced by wicked spirits. As you should know by now, it’s even in the White House. That’s one of the high places. This shows us that without Jesus leading us, we shall meet the devil at every turn; and we will not find divine relief unless we are connected to the vine. The vine is Jesus the Christ of God. Anyone who cannot acknowledge that we are living in a corrupt, wicked world without morals is willfully blinded by that liar Lucifer. Once more I was devastated by what I considered the loss of my family. I had a bout with depression and the evil spirit that tried to take my mind, but the Lord brought me out. Listen; please don’t lie to yourself that you will never get caught in the depression illusion, because you are just lying to yourself. Listen, I am saved, sanctified, and filled with the Spirit of the Lord, but I had to fight my way out of the devil’s trap of confession. Ok, let me share this with you. At one point in my life the rejection and the loneliness were so overwhelming that my fan was talking to me. That’s right, I said my fan, and I was talking back to it. Are you getting this? I was so out of it that I could have gone crazy, but let me tell you what happened. As I was talking to the fan in my room with no heat or AC, my hands picked up the bottle of healing oil and anointed me. The next thing I knew, I was back in my right state of mind. Are you getting this? Wickedness in high places was in my broken-down trailer with no AC, attempting to destroy my mind. However, my divine insurance policy kicked in, and I did receive my relief in the form of my mind being renewed. Ok the word:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusted in thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever: for in the Lord JE-HO-VAH is everlasting strength: For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low: he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust {Isaiah 26:3-5}.

Again, although my mind was temporarily out of commission, some of my members, such as my eyes, ears, and hands did what was needed to be done to bring stability back to my vessel of honor. In 2017 my best friend, Allen Johnson passed away. We were closer than natural brothers. We were so close that my natural brother though for a moment, that we were a couple, LOL. Wow, they just could not get it. When he passed away I was numb after receiving the information that he died, and to add further injury I was not able to go to his funeral. I am still not over that yet. Now here it is 2018, and I have just buried one of my brothers about three weeks ago. Two days ago, I received a call that my last little brother has passed away. Well, I have to say what a blow. Ok, let me share this with you also. I preached my mother’s funeral, my oldest brother’s funeral, and as I have said about three weeks ago I buried my middle brother. As I have said, now I have to go bury the little brother. I am devastated to say the least. I have zero support from my own family, and that really hurts me to the core. It doesn’t matter that I am a real man of God, because they can’t see this truth. Am I mad at God because they won’t show me love, and my brothers are dead now? No way… He did not take them away, it was their own life style that did that. Nevertheless, I loved them, and I am hurting. By the way, only my oldest brother loved me. We had a real brotherly relationship. Rejection was all the other family members gave to me. Nevertheless, it’s the Lord living in me that allowed me to love them anyway. Listen, I was caught in Katrina and my family called me and said that they gathered a lot of food and water for me. They wanted to have my address or a way they could send the items to me along with a thousand dollars. Now you need to get this. The storm is over, and I have not received anything from them. Do you know how that made me feels? Do you understand the message that I got out of that thing? Well let me just tell you this. There were people all around me who did not have food or water, but the Lord made sure that I ate every day and had all the water I needed. Are you getting this? The Lord, not the family, came through in a major crisis.

Now you need to know this as well; whenever anyone in my family was sick they called me, and I prayed that the Lord would have mercy on them, and he did. When I had it, I gave them money, fixed up their apartments, and I did whatever I could to help them. Yet I never received anything from them but lies and deceit. Yet again, I must say this to you once more. Just because you are saved does not mean you won’t experience pain and discomfort. Listen; with all the rejection and loneliness that I have endured, without God I would have gone crazy. All my life I just wanted to be loved, and I am sad to say this, but I have never received it. Only through the Lord have I received love that passes all understanding. I pray that you have received this message of hope through Jesus the Christ of God.

Love covers a multitude of faults, but hatred

spreads like a killer virus.

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