I'm Still Here

You are the beautiful song sung by the angels above.  You are God’s greatest creation.  Your smile is an extension of His grace and your words are an extension of his power!  When you realize the power that God has embedded within your spirit, you will open the doors of opportunity wide enough for yourself and others. You are a leader not because of who follows you, but who you follow.  Follow Jesus example, and everything that you do will shine!

Good day to you all!  I know that you are in the middle of a situation, but do not fear.  God has worked it out for you.  He has spoken to the storm on your behalf so peace is on the way!

I may be poor, black, and made to be ugly. But dear God, I'm here! I'm here! Celie “The Color Purple

The Color Purple is one of my favorite movies.  I remember going to see it in the theater in 1985, and I think at that point in my life, I had never seen a movie cover as many controversial topics that this movie did.  The one thing that stuck out to me as I watched the movie for the first time was how Mister did everything that he could to keep Celie down.  He abused her mentally, and physically.  He wouldn’t even let her check the mail.  He separated her from the only family that she had when he kicked her sister Nettie out of his house. One of the most inspirational moments in the film is when Celie finally stands up to Mister, after all of the years of abuse, and fear, and she tells him in essence that no matter what you may think about me, and after everything that you have done to me, I am still here.  Everything that he had done to break her spirit up to that point in the movie had not worked.  She made a declaration before God and in front of the one who would seek to hold her down, that she was still here!

Dear Reader, take a moment to look around and find your Mister. You may be held back by Mr. Fear.  You may be being abused by Mr. Self Esteem.  Mr. Depression may be working in conjunction with Mr. Dream Killer to keep you in the house of despair.  Dear Reader, you are the best you that there will ever be.  Once you realize that God is in control of your life and your situation you can stand up to Mister.  You have been abused long enough. Good news was coming your way, but you couldn’t even check the mail.  See, what Mister does is separate you from everything that you love, and everything that loves you.  Mister can kick your sister out of the house, but there is one thing that he cannot do.  Mister cannot keep you away from your Father.  I want to encourage you today to stand up to whatever or whoever is holding you down.  Dear Reader I had to tell the enemy, “I may not be the best looking, or the smartest. I may not have the degree’s that someone else has, and I may not drive the fanciest car. I may not be from a big city, and I may not have a lot of money, but Dear God, I’m STILL HERE!”  I had to let the enemy know that you cannot get rid of me that easy. It may seem like you have been held down for the longest time, but Galatians 6:9 tells us: And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  Tell Mister that in spite of what he may see on the outside, God has planted, joy, grace, and power deep on the inside. Dear Reader claim your power! Don’t give up on you! Claim your power today!  Let Mister know that you may not be Shug Avery. You may not be the picture that the world wants to paint. You may not be what people want you to be, but Dear God, YOU ARE STILL HERE!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed