William Lynch: 300 years+
•Who does she think she is? She’s not pretty just because she has long hair.
•You are pretty to be a dark skin woman.
•I’m not dating anymore dark skin women because I don’t want to have any more dark skin children.
•I don’t like my hair it’s so nappy I need a relaxer, my hair is like Africa.
•Give me a red bone any day and I will take care.
•You are blacker than me.
•These old head don’t know anything; they don’t understand what we are going through.
•Shut up old woman and mind your business.
These are all things that I have heard said to myself personally, I’ve over heard someone say or read somewhere that it was said.
“Talking about good and bad hair; Whether you’re dark or you’re fair; “ (Lyrics from a song in School Dayz a movie that showed the issues between dark skin and light skin “black” folk)
“Cuz they made us hate ourselves and love their wealth, that’s why shorty hollering where the ballers at” (All Falls Down, Kanye West)
“Now -- Lauryn is only human
Don't think I haven't been through the same predicament
Let it sit inside your head like a million women in Philly been
It's silly when girls sell their souls because it's in
Look at what you be in, hair weaves like Europeans
Fake nails up out Koreans” (That Thing, Lauryn Hill)
What does all of this have to do with William Lynch? Riding the train Tuesday morning I was speaking to a good friend about Trayvon Martin. She then spoke of a movie ‘Animal’ that she watched and how they mentioned William Lynch. That sparked her to google William Lynch to learn more about him. That conversation sparked this blog. I’ve heard about William Lynch but never took the time to learn more information about him.
So…..William’s Lynch bright idea: “violent method of handling unruly slaves – lynching, though the term is not used – is inefficient and counterproductive. Instead, he suggests that they adopt his method, which consists of exploiting differences such as age and skin color in order to pit slaves against each other. This method, he assures his hosts, will "...control the slaves for at least 300 years."
We must, must, MUST, as a people learn to support one another, love one another and look beyond skin color, age and respect one another. We lack regard for each other, many of us have a me and mine mentality and it stops there. Hearing about violence, crime, or injustice to another of our own causes us to shake our heads and say that is a shame. The fact of the matter is, we were bred to hate ourselves and hate each other.
“….exploiting differences such as age and skin color in order to pit slaves against each other….” William Lynch
Exploit differences such as age and skin color. Age, Americans in general have no respect and regard for the elderly. Our way of taking care of our ancestors, forefathers is to usually put them in a nursing home or elderly facility and rarely visit or check on them. It’s as if they are in a mini prison old and washed up, of no use or value so we cast them away. We being Americans, in most other cultures elderly are respected and revered especially Asian cultures. We as African Americans have lost our culture many, many years ago, that doesn’t mean that it is too late to find it, reclaim it and stop adopting to values and customs that go against Yahweh and our own inner voices that tell us right from wrong. We as a people for the most part have accepted Western culture as our own. Partly because our culture, history and heritage was stolen from us, however, as the saying goes when we know better we should do better.
Skin color, skin color is something visible that we see that can’t be dismissed. Growing up, I told my mom I was black, she was brown, and my sister was white because that is what I saw. A recent episode of the TI and Tiny Show, their son King thought he was white. Now his maternal grandmother is white but his maternal grandfather and his father are black. TI made it perfectly clear to King that he is black and will one day be a black man. So color is something that some children think about simply because there is an array of skin tones and races that are seen on television, in schools, and just being out in the world, but….
Why is there still a belief that light skin makes one pretty, when referring to women, and dark skin women are ugly? I have heard too many times “you are pretty to be dark”. I have asked numerous men that told me that, what in the hell is that supposed to mean? Is that supposed to be a compliment? I don’t know how to take that when it comes to other dark skin women. Beauty is definitely only skin deep. Now what is attractive to one may not be attractive to another and that is ok but to say that dark skin women generally aren’t attractive is a bit much. Every time I take offense to it and let the man know that it is offensive.
I think about how L’Oreal has lightened Beyonce’s skin tone on their campaigns, I think about the lack of representation of African American women period in high fashion and the modeling industry, the lack of representation of us on main stream television and media in general. We are conditioned to hate ourselves. Even our hair texture, we all want and desire for the most part “straight, good hair”. Who the heck said that straight hair is good hair? Last time I checked Caucasians have to wash their hair every day or it will begin to stink and look bad. How the heck is that “good hair” and what constitutes “bad hair” anything with a little “nap?” The words that we use to describe ourselves and others is counterproductive to our own personal growth and upliftment.
My people we have to do better. Growing up, the only reason I wanted a relaxer is because I wanted to get a wrap hair style. I never looked at my hair as being bad. My mom used to straighten my hair and I will never forget I went to the beauty salon and told my beautician not to straighten it. My hair is naturally curly, when you wash it, it curls. So to most, I have “good hair”, again whatever that means. I walked home, my mom looked at me and said what in the world am I supposed to do with that. It wasn’t until college that I began wearing my hair in its natural state again. While I still get my hair straightened from time to time its simply because I desire a different look, not because nap, curl, kink or whatever it is bothers me. Not because I feel like I need to look like what I see in mainstream media. I can truly say I love everything about me just the way I was created. My feet could be a little smaller but anyway…
Not only have I been told I’m pretty to be a dark skin woman, the next question is usually is that your real hair? Once I confirm it is, the next question I’m asked is what are you mixed with? This ticks me off. WE ARE ALL MIXED WITH SOMETHING, BETTER YET, LIFE WAS CREATED IN AFRICA SO ALL RACES ARE A REPRESENTATION OF US IN SOME WAY.
Again, I am asked those questions because of the perception of our people that if you have “good hair”, are lighter skinned or have any qualities that resemble the Caucasian race you must be mixed. As if it is impossible for someone of African descent to be lighter or darker skin, have light eyes or “good hair.”
My own son learned about race relations by watching Everybody Hates Chris. He used to say things like white people get everything, or why is that white person on our block they shouldn’t live over here. I corrected him gently and we speak about different colors and races and more importantly, we were ALL created in the image and the likeness of Yahweh. Your skin color, hair, fake nails, arched brows, fake lashes, booty injections, and skin lightening creams are not going to get you any closer to heaven. More importantly if you don’t love yourself from the inside out, none of those outside factors matter.
Looks like we have William Lynch and others from slave days to thank for all of this foolery but the question is how do we rise above it? I was raised and told that I was beautiful and to love my dark skin and I 100% do. Unfortunately, there were people raised to hate their dark skin. Any one darker than a brown paper bag is simply too dark. Oh and make sure you relax your hair or get a weave to “fit in” with the rest of society. How do we reach those who want to bleach or lighten their skin to fit in, those that want to straighten their hair to fit in, those who despise the color of their because they’ve been called darkie, little Africa, black as he!!? How do we teach our children to love themselves just the way Yahweh made them?
Imagine how the world would be if we look at people through the eyes of our hearts to theirs down to their very souls! More importantly how can we as “African Americans” overcome the many stigmas placed on us through society? One great way, are you ready for this……..THROW AWAY YOUR TELEVISION! We are under and misrepresented on TV to a point that if you don’t truly know who you are the TV will define you as just about nothing. Not only that television were not named idiot boxes for no reason and they also use programming as a form of mind control but that is an entirely different subject.
Next, educate ourselves and our children, buy books and teach them about a wealth of things starting with African and other brown nations that exist and our people that have had an impact on our history outside of Malcolm, Martin, and Rosa and also about those in their own family. Our children’s role models should live in their home and or be related to them!!!!!!
There are bigger issues in the world then to be concerned with who’s lightest or darkest, who’s hair is the longest, whether or not to respect someone based on age. However, because these things were engrained in our forefathers and unknowingly passed down and sometimes knowingly and have in many ways become generational curses, we are still bond by a slave mentality.
I will end with a song by Nas, ‘Black Zombies’ (these lyrics do contain profanity):
"Black Zombie"
Uhh
[Nas]
Yo, you believe when they say we ain't shit, we can't grow?
All we are is dope dealers, and gangstas and hoes?
And you believe when they be tellin you lie, all on the media?
They make the world look crazy to keep you inside?
Why you listen when the teachers at school
know you a young single parent out strugglin, they think you a fool
Give your kids bad grades and put 'em in dumber classes
Killin shorty future, I wonder how do we last it
Underground in they casket? Ancestors turnin
I'm learnin somethin every day, there is no Lazareth
Words like God is Greek or Latin
So if you study Egypt, you'll see the truth written by the masters
My niggaz is chillin, gettin high, relaxin
Envisionin, ownin shit, yo it can happen
What do we own? Not enough land, not enough homes
Not enough banks, to give a brother a loan
What do we own? The skin on our backs, we run and we ask
for reperations, then they hit us with tax
And insurance if we live to be old, what about now?
So stop bein controlled, we black zombies
[Chorus: (sung)]
Walkin talkin dead, though we think we're livin (black zombies)
We just copy-cat, followin the system (black zombies)
Walkin talkin dead, though we think we're livin (black zombies)
We just copy-cat, followin the system (black zombies)
[Nas]
Aiyyo we trapped in our own brain, fuck behind bars
We've already gone insane
They've already gave up, cut our own heads offs
Stab our own backs and dream too much
without fulfillin reality; too greedy and
can't have one or two chains, we need three of dem
Can't have one or two guns without squeezin 'em
on our own people and, fuck black leaders
cause whites ain't got none leadin them, the rhythm is cosmic
Nas is divinity, the deity's prophetless
All get down and get up
Victims walkin 'round with Down's Syndrome, all stuck
Faintin, shoutin, catchin Holy Ghost in church
Scared to do it for ourselves 'less we see somebody doin it first
We begged, we prayed, petitioned and demostrated
Just to make another generation - black zombies
[Chorus]
[Nas]
You scared to be yourself, cause you in a trance
Feel free, hear the music and dance
If you cared what they think, why wear what they wear, just for you
Dumb niggaz with long beards like they Arabs or Jews
or from Israel, (?)bish'meal Allah, el-rachman, el-Rahim (?)
Islam's a beautiful thing
And Christian and Rastafari, helps us to bring
peace against the darkness, which is unGodly
So what's the black man's true religion, who should we follow?
Use your own intuition, you are tommorrow
[roaring] .. that's the sound of the beast
I'm a Columbia record slave, so get paid
Control your own destiny, you are a genius
Don't let it happen to you like it did to me, I was a black zombie
[Chorus]
[Nas]
Wake up! Black zombies in a spell for more than fo'-hundred years
Ghetto niggaz won't have it no mo', can I get a witness?
Why listen to somebody else tell you how to do it
when you can do it yourself; it's all in you, do it, do it
Do it niggaz..
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
http://epiphanyessentials.blogspot.com
A blog created to E-nspire, E-ncourage, E-ngage, E-nform, and E-mpower!
Monday, March 26, 2012
WOMEN DON'T NEED MEN!
WOMEN DON’T NEED A MAN!
As I am going through the process of purchasing a home for my son and I, the thought came across my mind, what do I need a man for? If I am buying property, working, taking care of myself and son, managing my finances and bills, what do I need a man for?
I need a man because the way that I am currently living is not Yahweh’s design for my life. I am all for the progressive woman as I am educated, I work, I take care of myself 99.9% of the time I rarely need anyone for anything. However, again that is not Yahweh’s design.
Yahweh created us after he placed everything in the world that we needed and that includes man. Woman was created because it is not right for man to be alone, to be a helpmate for the man. Yes we have other purposes however; we have to go back to the original reason that we were created. However somewhere down the line we were removed from our created purpose. To a large extent I blame modern Western culture, which I touched on a bit in my blog from Friday.
I blame modern Western culture, as it in many ways teaches a woman to go out become educated, get a career, then think about a man and starting a family. Western culture has many women thinking that if they make more than the man, they (woman) run the household. Western culture just simply has some women thinking they are not going to submit to or obey any man although that is what the Good Book says.
When anything is used outside of its original purpose that takes away from the creation itself. The family is the cornerstone of society; it is the cornerstone of our faith. Yahweh instructed Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. Let’s be clear I am prochoice and an advocate for birth control. Nevertheless, the way Yahweh designed is for the home to look like this:
1.Yahweh
2.Jesus
3.Man
4.Woman
5.Children
Unmarried women should be under the protection of their father until they are married. Simply put women should be under the protection of a man who is under the protection of Yahweh. If there father happens to pass away then an uncle, grandfather and so on should fill in the gap and protect that woman. Yes, I 100% believe this is what Yahweh’s intent was for women. I believe in the nuclear family although I am a single mother, I believe in what the nuclear family represents and how it is vital for the building of Yahweh’s kingdom.
However again, somewhere in Western culture and in the move for women’s rights I think things got a little too far out of hand. Do I necessarily believe everyone’s goal in life should be to get married and have children, no? I do however recognize that more women are having babies than women that get married and there is a problem there.
A male mentioned how the welfare system has created a cushion for women to be able to have babies out of wedlock and depend on the system and not need a man in the home to help them because the government is providing for them. I had never thought about that but his point makes a lot of sense. I think of women with 4 or 5 children, not all are on welfare or receiving public assistance, but for those that are, they are living off a system and often times the man they are laying up with at the moment is living off of the system too.
I have heard men speak of loving to date women on Section 8 with food stamps because as a man they don’t have to do anything for the woman except maybe get their hair and nails done and buy them some shoes.
So when we look at the current state of the African American community, all of these things play a factor but I think one of the biggest issues is women feeling like they don’t need a man either because their father was not in the home or simply because they are a new age progressive independent woman. There are benefits and drawbacks to being an independent woman and its ok to be independent but it is important to remember that we need interdependency between a man and a woman for the sake of the family, our community, and the Kingdom of Yahweh.
Truth is there are a lot of men that feel like they don’t need a woman. Especially when you have new age women that don’t cook, clean, can’t sew a button or a hem, barely want to wash a dish, or do anything domestic because they don’t know how or don’t want to.
So this blog on not needing a man was simply sparked by a thought that entered my mind this morning and is in no way an all-encompassing synopsis of what is wrong with the African American community but as I said Friday, we have lost our culture and we need to find it.
I would love to hear your thoughts?
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
As I am going through the process of purchasing a home for my son and I, the thought came across my mind, what do I need a man for? If I am buying property, working, taking care of myself and son, managing my finances and bills, what do I need a man for?
I need a man because the way that I am currently living is not Yahweh’s design for my life. I am all for the progressive woman as I am educated, I work, I take care of myself 99.9% of the time I rarely need anyone for anything. However, again that is not Yahweh’s design.
Yahweh created us after he placed everything in the world that we needed and that includes man. Woman was created because it is not right for man to be alone, to be a helpmate for the man. Yes we have other purposes however; we have to go back to the original reason that we were created. However somewhere down the line we were removed from our created purpose. To a large extent I blame modern Western culture, which I touched on a bit in my blog from Friday.
I blame modern Western culture, as it in many ways teaches a woman to go out become educated, get a career, then think about a man and starting a family. Western culture has many women thinking that if they make more than the man, they (woman) run the household. Western culture just simply has some women thinking they are not going to submit to or obey any man although that is what the Good Book says.
When anything is used outside of its original purpose that takes away from the creation itself. The family is the cornerstone of society; it is the cornerstone of our faith. Yahweh instructed Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. Let’s be clear I am prochoice and an advocate for birth control. Nevertheless, the way Yahweh designed is for the home to look like this:
1.Yahweh
2.Jesus
3.Man
4.Woman
5.Children
Unmarried women should be under the protection of their father until they are married. Simply put women should be under the protection of a man who is under the protection of Yahweh. If there father happens to pass away then an uncle, grandfather and so on should fill in the gap and protect that woman. Yes, I 100% believe this is what Yahweh’s intent was for women. I believe in the nuclear family although I am a single mother, I believe in what the nuclear family represents and how it is vital for the building of Yahweh’s kingdom.
However again, somewhere in Western culture and in the move for women’s rights I think things got a little too far out of hand. Do I necessarily believe everyone’s goal in life should be to get married and have children, no? I do however recognize that more women are having babies than women that get married and there is a problem there.
A male mentioned how the welfare system has created a cushion for women to be able to have babies out of wedlock and depend on the system and not need a man in the home to help them because the government is providing for them. I had never thought about that but his point makes a lot of sense. I think of women with 4 or 5 children, not all are on welfare or receiving public assistance, but for those that are, they are living off a system and often times the man they are laying up with at the moment is living off of the system too.
I have heard men speak of loving to date women on Section 8 with food stamps because as a man they don’t have to do anything for the woman except maybe get their hair and nails done and buy them some shoes.
So when we look at the current state of the African American community, all of these things play a factor but I think one of the biggest issues is women feeling like they don’t need a man either because their father was not in the home or simply because they are a new age progressive independent woman. There are benefits and drawbacks to being an independent woman and its ok to be independent but it is important to remember that we need interdependency between a man and a woman for the sake of the family, our community, and the Kingdom of Yahweh.
Truth is there are a lot of men that feel like they don’t need a woman. Especially when you have new age women that don’t cook, clean, can’t sew a button or a hem, barely want to wash a dish, or do anything domestic because they don’t know how or don’t want to.
So this blog on not needing a man was simply sparked by a thought that entered my mind this morning and is in no way an all-encompassing synopsis of what is wrong with the African American community but as I said Friday, we have lost our culture and we need to find it.
I would love to hear your thoughts?
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Thursday, March 22, 2012
TRAYVON MARTIN: HE COULD BE ANY OF OUR SONS
I know people who have been tweeting and updating their FaceBook statuses about Trayvon Martin. However I just took the time yesterday to actually read about what happened. My heart is heavy and I am saddened by the fact that a 17 year old boy was shot down while walking home from the store because someone in the neighborhood watch thought he looked suspicious. As a mother raising a child that will become a black man I have to stay in faith and prayed up for my child because the world that we live in has some sick, twisted people that have no regard for all life. I have to continue to declare Yahweh's hedge of protection over my son and send him out covered in the blood for Yahweh's protection is the only protection I know to lean on.
Trayvon Martin's killer is not in jail right now under the guise that he acted in self-defense. Supposedly the only witnesses to the crime are Trayvon and the shooter. So what does that mean? Right now that means that his killer is at home living life as normal as if he did not kill an innocent teenage boy. Now whether or not the killer has trouble sleeping at night, we may never know but he still has the ability to see, touch, smell, feel, and hear his family.
Have we as a community become so immune to the killings of our young or our people in general that we don’t stand up and come together to speak against injustices like this. I know that the color of change is working on helping the family, they are the same group that was helping with the Troy Davis case.
What saddens me the most is that there seems to be no regard for the life of black people especially black men. As if nothing has changed since slavery. Sure many of us walk around happy go lucky and free but if something happens to one of us, we should all feel the effects of it. Again that age old question what is that we do. Sign the petition, write a letter, support a cause that you feel is worthy. Do your best to stay informed, do something.
I’m glad that the FBI is now involved in the case, I simply pray that justice prevails for Trayvon Martin and that his killer receives a punishment fitting for his crime. In my opinion this was out right murder, this was in no way a justified killing. The police clearly told the killer to stay in his vehicle, they were on the way, he chose to do otherwise then wants to cry self-defense. If he felt that threatened he should have stayed in his car!
Here are some links:
http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-florida-teen-neighborhood-watch-20120319,0,7016674.story?track=rss
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/19/trayvon-martins-murder-was-the-motive-self-defense-or-racism/
What are your thoughts?
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
I know people who have been tweeting and updating their FaceBook statuses about Trayvon Martin. However I just took the time yesterday to actually read about what happened. My heart is heavy and I am saddened by the fact that a 17 year old boy was shot down while walking home from the store because someone in the neighborhood watch thought he looked suspicious. As a mother raising a child that will become a black man I have to stay in faith and prayed up for my child because the world that we live in has some sick, twisted people that have no regard for all life. I have to continue to declare Yahweh's hedge of protection over my son and send him out covered in the blood for Yahweh's protection is the only protection I know to lean on.
Trayvon Martin's killer is not in jail right now under the guise that he acted in self-defense. Supposedly the only witnesses to the crime are Trayvon and the shooter. So what does that mean? Right now that means that his killer is at home living life as normal as if he did not kill an innocent teenage boy. Now whether or not the killer has trouble sleeping at night, we may never know but he still has the ability to see, touch, smell, feel, and hear his family.
Have we as a community become so immune to the killings of our young or our people in general that we don’t stand up and come together to speak against injustices like this. I know that the color of change is working on helping the family, they are the same group that was helping with the Troy Davis case.
What saddens me the most is that there seems to be no regard for the life of black people especially black men. As if nothing has changed since slavery. Sure many of us walk around happy go lucky and free but if something happens to one of us, we should all feel the effects of it. Again that age old question what is that we do. Sign the petition, write a letter, support a cause that you feel is worthy. Do your best to stay informed, do something.
I’m glad that the FBI is now involved in the case, I simply pray that justice prevails for Trayvon Martin and that his killer receives a punishment fitting for his crime. In my opinion this was out right murder, this was in no way a justified killing. The police clearly told the killer to stay in his vehicle, they were on the way, he chose to do otherwise then wants to cry self-defense. If he felt that threatened he should have stayed in his car!
Here are some links:
http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-florida-teen-neighborhood-watch-20120319,0,7016674.story?track=rss
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/03/19/trayvon-martins-murder-was-the-motive-self-defense-or-racism/
What are your thoughts?
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
SPEAK VISION
Speak Vision!
Joel Osteen blessed my soul on Sunday speaking about Vision. Vision is defined as the state of being able to see. The question is what do we see? When you see a small child playing and using their imagination is that all you see or do you see a future inventor, sculptor or painter or do you simply see a child active at play? When you encounter a student that only gets D’s and F’s on their report card do you see someone without a future? Or do you see someone that has the possibility of becoming the next Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Malcolm X? Then what do you say based on what you see?
Now remember scripture tells us to call those things that be not as though they were. Scripture also tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is important that we speak vision into others that we come in contact with when we can. As Joel said sometimes we see things in people that they do not yet see in themselves.
He spoke of how his wife used to tell him well before his father’s passing that he would be a great pastor and a great speaker. At the time he thought his wife was out of her mind but she had vision and she spoke it into his life.
Joel also told a great story about an experiment done in a high school. The principal called 3 teachers in and told them they were the top teachers in the school and that the school was selecting the top students for them to teach advance level classes too. Once the semester was over, all the students had performed well in their classes, meeting and even exceeding the expectations placed on them. Shortly thereafter, the principal called the teachers in and told them it was an experiment, they didn’t have the top students in the school, the students had been randomly selected. The teachers began to pat themselves on the back, then the principal told them they weren’t the top teachers either, they’d been randomly selected as well. The lesson: People rise to the level of your expectation so set the bar as high as you can.
It’s amazing at what words can do to people. Words become planted in people’s hearts and take root. So why you think you are speaking truth based on what is, remember you should be speaking Yahweh’s truth declaring all is well. I think of the parents that say my child isn’t good at this or that, my child can’t do this or that and they say it in front of the child and to other people. Then they feel safe in saying see I knew it, no you said it, that was the vision you spoke, that was the prophecy you said over your child and that what is what continued to be fulfilled.
I remember a message by Joel where a parent had a wayward child but when she received a phone call asking about her child, she said all is well, my child is blessed and prospering. Now some may say the mother was lying but what the mother was doing was speaking into existence what she knew as in store for her child. See faith is in the right now. Faith is not later. We receive things in faith immediately all we wait on is the manifestation and in the meantime we believe.
It is time for us to see the vision and speak vision over our lives, our children, our family, our communities, friends, neighborhoods, city, state, nation, and the world. No matter how you feel about someone and their actions, speak vision. Speak Yahweh’s best into their lives, pray for them, uplift them, stand in the gap for them. Do it because you should and do it because someone somewhere did it for you.
Our challenge for this week, month, year and our lives: Think before we speak, only speak words of Faith and Life, believe in what we speak, do unto others as we would have them to do unto us.
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Joel Osteen blessed my soul on Sunday speaking about Vision. Vision is defined as the state of being able to see. The question is what do we see? When you see a small child playing and using their imagination is that all you see or do you see a future inventor, sculptor or painter or do you simply see a child active at play? When you encounter a student that only gets D’s and F’s on their report card do you see someone without a future? Or do you see someone that has the possibility of becoming the next Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Malcolm X? Then what do you say based on what you see?
Now remember scripture tells us to call those things that be not as though they were. Scripture also tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is important that we speak vision into others that we come in contact with when we can. As Joel said sometimes we see things in people that they do not yet see in themselves.
He spoke of how his wife used to tell him well before his father’s passing that he would be a great pastor and a great speaker. At the time he thought his wife was out of her mind but she had vision and she spoke it into his life.
Joel also told a great story about an experiment done in a high school. The principal called 3 teachers in and told them they were the top teachers in the school and that the school was selecting the top students for them to teach advance level classes too. Once the semester was over, all the students had performed well in their classes, meeting and even exceeding the expectations placed on them. Shortly thereafter, the principal called the teachers in and told them it was an experiment, they didn’t have the top students in the school, the students had been randomly selected. The teachers began to pat themselves on the back, then the principal told them they weren’t the top teachers either, they’d been randomly selected as well. The lesson: People rise to the level of your expectation so set the bar as high as you can.
It’s amazing at what words can do to people. Words become planted in people’s hearts and take root. So why you think you are speaking truth based on what is, remember you should be speaking Yahweh’s truth declaring all is well. I think of the parents that say my child isn’t good at this or that, my child can’t do this or that and they say it in front of the child and to other people. Then they feel safe in saying see I knew it, no you said it, that was the vision you spoke, that was the prophecy you said over your child and that what is what continued to be fulfilled.
I remember a message by Joel where a parent had a wayward child but when she received a phone call asking about her child, she said all is well, my child is blessed and prospering. Now some may say the mother was lying but what the mother was doing was speaking into existence what she knew as in store for her child. See faith is in the right now. Faith is not later. We receive things in faith immediately all we wait on is the manifestation and in the meantime we believe.
It is time for us to see the vision and speak vision over our lives, our children, our family, our communities, friends, neighborhoods, city, state, nation, and the world. No matter how you feel about someone and their actions, speak vision. Speak Yahweh’s best into their lives, pray for them, uplift them, stand in the gap for them. Do it because you should and do it because someone somewhere did it for you.
Our challenge for this week, month, year and our lives: Think before we speak, only speak words of Faith and Life, believe in what we speak, do unto others as we would have them to do unto us.
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
ARE YOU ABOUT THAT LIFE?
Here in Chicago that is a slang term that is used, I guess it means are you down, is this truly what you are about. Unfortunately, Chicago has a not so good reputation when it comes to violence especially once the snow melts and the temperature rise. One year either 2011 or 2010 the 1stwarm day 36 people were shot, 36! Over the weekend when I woke up to my tweets I read that 18 people had been shot in Chicago overnight, 18! Disturbing to many was the fact that a 6 year old girl was murdered on her first porch.
I saw many tweets about stop the violence and how the stop snitching or no snitching code on the street is stupid and for someone to come forth and identify the murderers of the innocent girl. This morning however, I read in the Red Eye that the girl was sitting on her porch with her mother, younger sister, and a male. Ok so who is the male? What is his relation to the family? Why is it we don’t have more details about said male? Then I read that the family was gang affiliated.
See initially I thought this was a random drive by shooting and an innocent little girl lost her life. This is where the are you about that life part comes in. So many people are out here living the street life, claiming to be “about that life” but aren’t ready to face the consequences that come with the life. Many of these people about that life fail to realize that they are not the only ones affected by their choices.
That goes for each and every one of us. Yes we are grown and we have the right to decide but our decisions can have an effect on our family, friends, loved ones, coworkers, those around us. Everything that we do, EVERYTHING has an impact on someone else other than ourselves. Be it in the immediate or in the long run. But, back to being about that life:
Nowadays it seems there is more violence in Chicago but that could just be because more is reported on the news. As violence has been a part of this city for quite sometime. It’s crazy many of the people out here in gangs, doing dirt, shooting, robbing and beating people up aren’t even leaving their neighborhoods. What does that mean? It means they aren’t hard to find, someone probably knows their entire family and has no problem letting bullets at will when they choose even if on their front porch steps with children, mothers, grandmothers and so forth present.
Does this make it right? Absolutely not but I believe the good book says if you live by the sword you die by the sword. It also says that “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those wholoveMe and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6) So even the sins of a father can effect his children’s children down to the fourth generations.
Be mindful whom you hang around and associate with for their blessings as well as their curses can affect your life. Its like that old saying goes guilty by association. Your mere association with certain people and groups, coupled with being in the wrong place at the wrong time can prove to be deadly or detrimental. We have to choose wisely.
Now I understand sometimes you are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and completely an innocent bystander that has been caught up in senseless violence. However, if you are ok with and affiliated with those that are about that life, don’t cry victim or foul when their demons show up at your door looking for you.
Sadly most of these kids nowadays in gangs are misled, under educated, lack guidance and strong foundations and they aren’t truly about that life either. However, in many respects they don’t know what to do or they’ve gotten involved and now feel there is no way out. As people what can we do, start at home teaching our children how to think for themselves and make good decisions. We do that by being examples then we reach out and mentor someone else in our community, place of worship, a shelter.
For it is not enough to talk about it or blog about it we have to do something again starting in our own homes but then reaching out to someone else in some kind of way. Even if your choice is to pray, do that, if your choice is to praise, do that. For the prayers of the righteous availeth much and praise confuses the enemy. Whatever your choice, do something!
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
I saw many tweets about stop the violence and how the stop snitching or no snitching code on the street is stupid and for someone to come forth and identify the murderers of the innocent girl. This morning however, I read in the Red Eye that the girl was sitting on her porch with her mother, younger sister, and a male. Ok so who is the male? What is his relation to the family? Why is it we don’t have more details about said male? Then I read that the family was gang affiliated.
See initially I thought this was a random drive by shooting and an innocent little girl lost her life. This is where the are you about that life part comes in. So many people are out here living the street life, claiming to be “about that life” but aren’t ready to face the consequences that come with the life. Many of these people about that life fail to realize that they are not the only ones affected by their choices.
That goes for each and every one of us. Yes we are grown and we have the right to decide but our decisions can have an effect on our family, friends, loved ones, coworkers, those around us. Everything that we do, EVERYTHING has an impact on someone else other than ourselves. Be it in the immediate or in the long run. But, back to being about that life:
Nowadays it seems there is more violence in Chicago but that could just be because more is reported on the news. As violence has been a part of this city for quite sometime. It’s crazy many of the people out here in gangs, doing dirt, shooting, robbing and beating people up aren’t even leaving their neighborhoods. What does that mean? It means they aren’t hard to find, someone probably knows their entire family and has no problem letting bullets at will when they choose even if on their front porch steps with children, mothers, grandmothers and so forth present.
Does this make it right? Absolutely not but I believe the good book says if you live by the sword you die by the sword. It also says that “For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those wholoveMe and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:4-6) So even the sins of a father can effect his children’s children down to the fourth generations.
Be mindful whom you hang around and associate with for their blessings as well as their curses can affect your life. Its like that old saying goes guilty by association. Your mere association with certain people and groups, coupled with being in the wrong place at the wrong time can prove to be deadly or detrimental. We have to choose wisely.
Now I understand sometimes you are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and completely an innocent bystander that has been caught up in senseless violence. However, if you are ok with and affiliated with those that are about that life, don’t cry victim or foul when their demons show up at your door looking for you.
Sadly most of these kids nowadays in gangs are misled, under educated, lack guidance and strong foundations and they aren’t truly about that life either. However, in many respects they don’t know what to do or they’ve gotten involved and now feel there is no way out. As people what can we do, start at home teaching our children how to think for themselves and make good decisions. We do that by being examples then we reach out and mentor someone else in our community, place of worship, a shelter.
For it is not enough to talk about it or blog about it we have to do something again starting in our own homes but then reaching out to someone else in some kind of way. Even if your choice is to pray, do that, if your choice is to praise, do that. For the prayers of the righteous availeth much and praise confuses the enemy. Whatever your choice, do something!
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Monday, March 19, 2012
FEAR IS FAITH IN THE ENEMY!
FEAR IS FAITH IN THE ENEMY
Fear is paralyzing! It is paralyzing because it keeps people from doing things that we need and want to do. However, fear is faith in the enemy. As many of us have heard fear stands for, false evidence appearing real. Let me repeat this for those who didn’t catch that FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL! Watching Bill Winston, he discussed 4 main fears:
• Death
• Uncertainty
• Change
• Poverty
Although scripture tells us Yahweh did not give us a spirit of fear, we somehow believe that our fears are valid or normal. If one feels that faith in the devils is normal then continue to fear because that is what it is.
Death, why is that so many people are afraid of death. The biggest answer is because death is unknown (uncertainty) to us we don’t know what to expect in death. However, if you are a faith believer you should believe that when you die you are going to heaven, purgatory, or you will live in paradise (whatever your faith/beliefs says). So why the fear and how does it manifest? I had a huge fear of motorcycles. My thought was I need full protection while on the road. Well I was watching Bill Winston again and he threw the fear of motorcycles in the same boat with a fear of flying, in a nutshell the real fear is death.
When I think about it, what is there to fear about motorcycles. One thing is me falling off and scraping myself or badly damaging my cranium however, that brings in another fear, uncertainty. That is the same fear those who are afraid of flying experience. They don’t want to get on a plane because of plane crashes, you can’t just decide to get off you have to wait until the plane lands, what if the plane lands in water, what if this or what if that. All things that point to uncertainty and the fear that you may get on the plane alive but leave on a stretcher dead.
How did these fears manifest? I knew someone personally who was in a bad motorcycle accident and I hear about deaths due to motorcycles all the time. People hear about plane crashes on the news. I had a cousin who lived in Atlanta that was afraid to come to Chicago because when she saw news about the city it was usually about some sort of violent crime that had taken place. Our parents, media, and things we see in our everyday lives place fears in us. Sometimes this fear is created out of “love” but really fear isn’t a good thing unless it is the fear you have for Yahweh, and that is a reverent fear.
How do we conquer these fears? Well for me, my cousin came over one day on his motorcycle and I told him to take me around the block. I hopped on, squeezed him tightly, but I am still here to tell the story! You conquer your fears by facing them. If you are afraid of flying book a flight no more than an hour or 2 to start with say a prayer, get on the plane and keep it moving. Whatever it is you are afraid of doing, put it on the top of your priority list and just do it!
Let me be clear fear is a learned behavior. I have read stories of people that have never stepped foot on a plane, heck there are people who have never truly left their neighborhoods. It is saddening because you miss out on so much of your own city, state, country and the world for fear of death, uncertainty, and change.
Change, I think about the lyrics to a song, “everything must change, nothing stays the same.” Our children grow up and leave our homes, we grow older, jobs change, friends change, family members move to different cities and states, our weight fluctuates etc. Change is inevitable and a necessary part of life for growth yet so many fear it and resist it at all cost. Some parents don’t want their children to leave the state they live in to attend a college or university. Other parents are all for it. Some people don’t want to leave the state they live in for fear of starting over and not knowing anyone where they move to. I always think to myself, what is the worst that will happen?
I have heard people say that when some know they are dying or on their death bed, they rarely regret the things that they did more so than the things they didn’t do. The last thing you want to do is die with regrets because fear kept you paralyzed and unable to do something you wanted to do.
Poverty, even those that are living check to check fear poverty! More realistically the fear of poverty is a fear of not having enough. Some people fear not having enough to the point where they refuse to share because they feel if they give they will have less. However, you must give in order to receive. A lot of us don’t realize how blessed we are, we don’t realize that we are rich beyond measure and I’m not just speaking of money. As I’ve said in a previous blog Creflo Dollar calls poverty lack in any area of your life. While it is important to be wise and a good steward over your finances, too many people place emphasis on money. Yes I know the saying money makes the world go round but if you are a believer in the Most High you know that everything belongs to Him and you have full access to it, and He keeps the world going. His word says that He supplies all of our needs and that He is our shepherd and we shall not want.
So why is it that we fear? Again because it is a learned behavior that we have accepted. So how do we change it? We learn/teach ourselves a new behavior my looking fear in the face, grabbing it by the horns and facing it.
I’m sure you don’t want to end up here: “But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part'shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
Finally a few quotes to help stir you up ;-)
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." Jim Morrison
"Our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasure." Rainier Maria Rilke
"If you let it, life can become a simple pattern of staying in your comfort zone and never wandering out into the unknown to see what lies on the other side of its horizon. Today is Monday, the first day of the week; change your patterns, even slightly today, so that a new world can find you. Do ONE thing that scares you today, ONE thing that makes you a little nervous, ONE thing that you never thought you would do. If you do ONE thing every day you will have done 365 NEW THINGS in a year! Today, don't try to tackle everything, but please do ONE thing!" Jackson Kiddard
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Fear is paralyzing! It is paralyzing because it keeps people from doing things that we need and want to do. However, fear is faith in the enemy. As many of us have heard fear stands for, false evidence appearing real. Let me repeat this for those who didn’t catch that FALSE EVIDENCE APPEARING REAL! Watching Bill Winston, he discussed 4 main fears:
• Death
• Uncertainty
• Change
• Poverty
Although scripture tells us Yahweh did not give us a spirit of fear, we somehow believe that our fears are valid or normal. If one feels that faith in the devils is normal then continue to fear because that is what it is.
Death, why is that so many people are afraid of death. The biggest answer is because death is unknown (uncertainty) to us we don’t know what to expect in death. However, if you are a faith believer you should believe that when you die you are going to heaven, purgatory, or you will live in paradise (whatever your faith/beliefs says). So why the fear and how does it manifest? I had a huge fear of motorcycles. My thought was I need full protection while on the road. Well I was watching Bill Winston again and he threw the fear of motorcycles in the same boat with a fear of flying, in a nutshell the real fear is death.
When I think about it, what is there to fear about motorcycles. One thing is me falling off and scraping myself or badly damaging my cranium however, that brings in another fear, uncertainty. That is the same fear those who are afraid of flying experience. They don’t want to get on a plane because of plane crashes, you can’t just decide to get off you have to wait until the plane lands, what if the plane lands in water, what if this or what if that. All things that point to uncertainty and the fear that you may get on the plane alive but leave on a stretcher dead.
How did these fears manifest? I knew someone personally who was in a bad motorcycle accident and I hear about deaths due to motorcycles all the time. People hear about plane crashes on the news. I had a cousin who lived in Atlanta that was afraid to come to Chicago because when she saw news about the city it was usually about some sort of violent crime that had taken place. Our parents, media, and things we see in our everyday lives place fears in us. Sometimes this fear is created out of “love” but really fear isn’t a good thing unless it is the fear you have for Yahweh, and that is a reverent fear.
How do we conquer these fears? Well for me, my cousin came over one day on his motorcycle and I told him to take me around the block. I hopped on, squeezed him tightly, but I am still here to tell the story! You conquer your fears by facing them. If you are afraid of flying book a flight no more than an hour or 2 to start with say a prayer, get on the plane and keep it moving. Whatever it is you are afraid of doing, put it on the top of your priority list and just do it!
Let me be clear fear is a learned behavior. I have read stories of people that have never stepped foot on a plane, heck there are people who have never truly left their neighborhoods. It is saddening because you miss out on so much of your own city, state, country and the world for fear of death, uncertainty, and change.
Change, I think about the lyrics to a song, “everything must change, nothing stays the same.” Our children grow up and leave our homes, we grow older, jobs change, friends change, family members move to different cities and states, our weight fluctuates etc. Change is inevitable and a necessary part of life for growth yet so many fear it and resist it at all cost. Some parents don’t want their children to leave the state they live in to attend a college or university. Other parents are all for it. Some people don’t want to leave the state they live in for fear of starting over and not knowing anyone where they move to. I always think to myself, what is the worst that will happen?
I have heard people say that when some know they are dying or on their death bed, they rarely regret the things that they did more so than the things they didn’t do. The last thing you want to do is die with regrets because fear kept you paralyzed and unable to do something you wanted to do.
Poverty, even those that are living check to check fear poverty! More realistically the fear of poverty is a fear of not having enough. Some people fear not having enough to the point where they refuse to share because they feel if they give they will have less. However, you must give in order to receive. A lot of us don’t realize how blessed we are, we don’t realize that we are rich beyond measure and I’m not just speaking of money. As I’ve said in a previous blog Creflo Dollar calls poverty lack in any area of your life. While it is important to be wise and a good steward over your finances, too many people place emphasis on money. Yes I know the saying money makes the world go round but if you are a believer in the Most High you know that everything belongs to Him and you have full access to it, and He keeps the world going. His word says that He supplies all of our needs and that He is our shepherd and we shall not want.
So why is it that we fear? Again because it is a learned behavior that we have accepted. So how do we change it? We learn/teach ourselves a new behavior my looking fear in the face, grabbing it by the horns and facing it.
I’m sure you don’t want to end up here: “But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part'shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
Finally a few quotes to help stir you up ;-)
"Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free." Jim Morrison
"Our deepest fears are like dragons guarding our deepest treasure." Rainier Maria Rilke
"If you let it, life can become a simple pattern of staying in your comfort zone and never wandering out into the unknown to see what lies on the other side of its horizon. Today is Monday, the first day of the week; change your patterns, even slightly today, so that a new world can find you. Do ONE thing that scares you today, ONE thing that makes you a little nervous, ONE thing that you never thought you would do. If you do ONE thing every day you will have done 365 NEW THINGS in a year! Today, don't try to tackle everything, but please do ONE thing!" Jackson Kiddard
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
CAN YOU HAVE FAITH WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Can You Have Faith without the Holy Spirit?
This is a comment in response to my post from yesterday Faith & "Church":
"Your blog was a very good read today, question do you really believe that you can have faith speak these things as if they were, if you do not have the Holy Spirit living in you to do so?
We also know for our selves that the Holy Spirit is the "Power" and you possess the Holy Spirit by living a TOTALLY obedience life to Christ,don't get me wrong we all fall short daily! Just something to think about! Your honest opinion"
Now my initial response to this comment was NO. I generally write my blogs from the perspective of a believer in Christ to other believers. As I went through the rest of my day yesterday and even thought about this last night I was reminded of a conversation me and my mother would always have. She would say she cannot believe that people who have been good people, kind and loving to others will end up in hell because they have not accepted Christ. I also think about people like Gandhi who sacrificed, took a vow of poverty and cared about others and just gave and gave. I don't believe he was a Christian but I also cannot say he went to hell. Yes I know the Good Book says that Jesus is the way to the Father. The Good Book also says that Yahweh can show mercy on whom he chooses and that He can graft the Jews back into the tree for they are the original branches. (Romans 11:11-24)
Do I believe that there is 100% unequivocally only one way to the Most High and only one way to live right and pleasing to Him? I really can't say. Now I do believe that a person must be spiritual and accept the fact that there is something bigger than them, outside of themselves that is a driving force for them to be able to understand many things. They have to believe in a Higher Power be it Yahweh, God, Allah, Buddha etc. I do know that the only thing that separates Christianity from other religions is that Jesus died and rose from the grave. This is also what gives Christians a superior attitude to other religions (that is to say Christian’s in general not specifically individual people). In the Qur’an Jesus is accepted as a prophet, and the Qur’an says the Jews did not kill Jesus; however, the Qur’an doesn't accept or claim Jesus to be the Messiah. At the same time Muslim, Jewish, and Christianity all have Abraham in common as they are Abrahamic scriptures. I also think about Buddhism, Hinduism, and all the other religions/spiritual practices of the world and it is sad how many of these religions fight over who is right and who is wrong.
The truth is Yahweh is All Knowing, All Seeing, and All Powerful and He says that He will have mercy and compassion on whom he pleases (Romans 9:15).
What I do know is this is a touchy subject, as we have amongst Christians - Catholics, Baptist, Jehovah Witnesses, Sanctified, COGIC, Latter Day Saints, and Hebrew Israelites etc. The Muslims have - Sunnis, Sufis, Shiites, and Wahhabi. All of these sets and denominations under One God and One Faith that fight over who is right and is doing it the right way.
The most important thing for me is are people walking in love by faith, showing compassion and mercy toward one another. Is Jesus the only way to learn how to do these things? Probably not. Who is right, who's wrong, what's right and what's wrong? Who know we can't really say. We as individuals have to rely on our personal beliefs and faith and trust that we are doing the right thing and believe wholeheartedly we shall in end up paradise/heaven wherever place we feel our spirits will go once it departs our shells we call bodies.
I personally believe that we will be judged according to our beliefs based on what we've been taught and what has been placed on our hearts. I think we will be judged by our love, faith, and deeds. If there is a judgment at all.
I will leave this at that as I don't have the answers, I don't believe anyone has the answer to who's right and who's wrong. The most we can do is try our best to live right and do unto others.
Be a blessing and be a blessing,
Epiphany Essential
This is a comment in response to my post from yesterday Faith & "Church":
"Your blog was a very good read today, question do you really believe that you can have faith speak these things as if they were, if you do not have the Holy Spirit living in you to do so?
We also know for our selves that the Holy Spirit is the "Power" and you possess the Holy Spirit by living a TOTALLY obedience life to Christ,don't get me wrong we all fall short daily! Just something to think about! Your honest opinion"
Now my initial response to this comment was NO. I generally write my blogs from the perspective of a believer in Christ to other believers. As I went through the rest of my day yesterday and even thought about this last night I was reminded of a conversation me and my mother would always have. She would say she cannot believe that people who have been good people, kind and loving to others will end up in hell because they have not accepted Christ. I also think about people like Gandhi who sacrificed, took a vow of poverty and cared about others and just gave and gave. I don't believe he was a Christian but I also cannot say he went to hell. Yes I know the Good Book says that Jesus is the way to the Father. The Good Book also says that Yahweh can show mercy on whom he chooses and that He can graft the Jews back into the tree for they are the original branches. (Romans 11:11-24)
Do I believe that there is 100% unequivocally only one way to the Most High and only one way to live right and pleasing to Him? I really can't say. Now I do believe that a person must be spiritual and accept the fact that there is something bigger than them, outside of themselves that is a driving force for them to be able to understand many things. They have to believe in a Higher Power be it Yahweh, God, Allah, Buddha etc. I do know that the only thing that separates Christianity from other religions is that Jesus died and rose from the grave. This is also what gives Christians a superior attitude to other religions (that is to say Christian’s in general not specifically individual people). In the Qur’an Jesus is accepted as a prophet, and the Qur’an says the Jews did not kill Jesus; however, the Qur’an doesn't accept or claim Jesus to be the Messiah. At the same time Muslim, Jewish, and Christianity all have Abraham in common as they are Abrahamic scriptures. I also think about Buddhism, Hinduism, and all the other religions/spiritual practices of the world and it is sad how many of these religions fight over who is right and who is wrong.
The truth is Yahweh is All Knowing, All Seeing, and All Powerful and He says that He will have mercy and compassion on whom he pleases (Romans 9:15).
What I do know is this is a touchy subject, as we have amongst Christians - Catholics, Baptist, Jehovah Witnesses, Sanctified, COGIC, Latter Day Saints, and Hebrew Israelites etc. The Muslims have - Sunnis, Sufis, Shiites, and Wahhabi. All of these sets and denominations under One God and One Faith that fight over who is right and is doing it the right way.
The most important thing for me is are people walking in love by faith, showing compassion and mercy toward one another. Is Jesus the only way to learn how to do these things? Probably not. Who is right, who's wrong, what's right and what's wrong? Who know we can't really say. We as individuals have to rely on our personal beliefs and faith and trust that we are doing the right thing and believe wholeheartedly we shall in end up paradise/heaven wherever place we feel our spirits will go once it departs our shells we call bodies.
I personally believe that we will be judged according to our beliefs based on what we've been taught and what has been placed on our hearts. I think we will be judged by our love, faith, and deeds. If there is a judgment at all.
I will leave this at that as I don't have the answers, I don't believe anyone has the answer to who's right and who's wrong. The most we can do is try our best to live right and do unto others.
Be a blessing and be a blessing,
Epiphany Essential
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