Look First for the Kingdom of God!

As many of you know I love Church and today's message was a Calling to get our lives straight in the presence of the Lord and to seek to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. That when you are baptized by the Holy Spirit, God gives you power and authority to overcome your difficulties. How we become protected and that protection keeps us from harms way. I always knew how important it is to remain under the protection of the almighty, but it took me looking at  a face from the past to realize how grateful I am to be in the presence of the Lord. Let me tell you a bit about myself, and why I am such a Jesus Freak like my friend from work calls me. See I have every reason to be grateful, I grew up in a very dysfunctional family. My parents like a many other parents in our neighborhood were ignorant and didn't know Jesus. So we went thru a lot of problems. Mostly cause by Alcohol and Domestic Violence. Maybe at a latter time I will elaborate on his, but for this entry I will jut state that. 

Well my brother and I grew in a household filled with problems, but we were not the only ones, many of our friends had the same issues. Even though our parents tried their best, it wasn't enough. They worked and paid bills and provided material things we needed. But they never provided the emotional and the guidance that every child need to grow up and become complete adults. Thru our teenage years we relied on our friends and on activities to get us by. Going home was the last thing on our minds. My brother had this friend who like clock work would come every morning to pick him up before school so they could walk to school.  We used to make fun of them, because it was so funny they had a group of friends who dressed up like rockabilly's. Like if they belonged in 1950 instead. Anyways we all grew up and my brother and him even had their kids in the same year. My nephew and his friends son are only 10 days apart. Well today we saw him once again , and sadness came over me, my brother said he found him living under neath a bridge and well homeless, jobless and today they are celebrating his sons 9th birthday and he is not welcome. Instead he is over at my parents house helping my brother with his truck and spending time with my nephew. He looks at my nephews with a smile and I m pretty sure he imagines his son. He keeps saying how much my nephew looks like my brother. 

They knew each other since  the 7th grade so he knows how much D resembles my brother. Any ways, I felt so much pain in my heart to see how he has wasted his life, how one decision can alter ones future. I remember him all full of life and clean, that was one thing these boys were, they were super clean, they would take for ever to comb their hair and made sure their clothes were spotless. But something happened and now he lives under a bridge. Now he is 1/4 the person he was, he doesn't even remember things such  as how many days apart the kids are in their birthday. Memory loss can be attributed to lack of proper nutrition, I offered him lunch and he replied "No I can't eat this early my stomach will hurt" So I replied but its late its way past lunch time.  I feel so bad for him and I pray that God uses my brother to minister to him and to help him. He said I need to go to a church and I also need to look for a Job, I pray that God uses my brother to help his friend find his way back to the grace of the Lord. And If there is anything that we can do to help him, I  wont hesitate to do so. Give a man a fish and he eats tonight... but teach a man to fish and he eats every day. Lord use us as your instrument to help those in need find their way back home.

I know we are not supposed to tell our left hand what the right one does and I also know that when we do something to help someone we shouldn't announce it, but I am choosing to share this  with you , not because I want you to know what we are doing or plan on doing, But so that if you ever encounter a similar situation, where you can make a difference in a persons life.. Jump at the opportunity and show the love you have for your brother or sister. But most importantly I took this lesson to heart and it only made me want to get closer to GOD, not because I fear him or because fear ending up in a bad situation, But because  I want to help someone just like I was helped. Because God is in Heaven and sometimes he needs a hand or two here  on earth to help others find their way home. I want to be that person, I want to be the one who he uses to shine the light on the darkness and help even if its one person find their way back home. 

Why?  You may ask,  because both my brother and I were once lost and Jesus showed us Mercy. Today I have a college degree and a job, 15 years ago I was a tormented teenager who had depression  and lived in a house full of torment and despair and wanted so desperately to die. Today even though I let the difficulties of life take the best of me, I am in a far better place than before and I realized that I have a purpose and I want to live not for myself , but to help others.

Father I pray in the Name of Jesus and I ask you to send Legions of Angels with swords of Fire to minister and rescue V and others similar to him from a life in the streets and joblessness. I pray that you turn that sad empty glance in his eyes into light and that you use him as a testament of your greatness. I also ask you in the name of your son Jesus to please use us to help those who are suffering and  who are in need of your grace. We are not  perfect and we all fall short from grace, but you are a loving father and never give up on us. I know that it would be better for us to look for you out of Love, but some wait and look for you out of sorrow, either way you show us grace and you rescue and give life. So Please Lord give Life back to V and all those in the world who like him are in despair and give them a second chance.

xoxox Liz