.....::::: CAN YOUR IMPACT BE FELT? :::::.....

To impact is the means of having a strong effect on someone. It also means to hit something or someone with great force.

So, to have an impact on someone would signify having a strong influence on someone; one so strong that it changes their way of thinking or their life as a whole.

Before Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, Rosa Parks, Harriott Tuddman, Oprah, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X just to name a few, there were other influential people before our time, there was Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Joseph, David, Peter, Paul and the greatest of all influential men; Jesus Christ.

What did Jesus do though?

Yeah, He was the Messiah. He was the one for whom the Jews had waited to deliver them from Roman oppression. Yet, tragically, they didn't recognize Him when He came because His kingship was not what they expected. During His time on earth, Jesus Christ healed the sick. He fed multitudes. He gave legs to the crippled. He granted sight to the blind. He opened the ears of the deaf. He showed genuine love for prostitutes, tax collectors and those who society, even today, shuns. He touched the untouchable. He loved the unlovable. He forgave the unforgivable. Even today, just the name of Jesus Christ saves the otherwise unsavable!

Yeah…that’s right! I said it! 2000 plus years later, this guy's name still impacts today's generation, whether some believe it or not and even if some like it or not. Jesus Christ is the most famous person in history.

A friend of mine said this to me once:

"Do not look to be famous ONLY in the church. Because if you are or if that is your goal, then you haven't accomplished anything."

Til this day, that means so much to me. But why? Jesus was famous. That much we can agree on but if you pay attention to everything He did, His ministry, Jesus was famous in the synagogues but He was even more famous on the outside of the four walls of what we call the church in today’s society.

Can YOUR impact be felt?

Ask yourself that question. Can your impact be felt? What are you doing to better those around you? To push them to do good. Are you doing so or are you doing the opposite? Are you a positive example for those who come before and even after you? Are you lazy?

Can YOUR impact be felt?

Do people know you? If not, do not use humility as a means to justify your stagnation. How are you impacting your community and other communities as well?

Does your church have an impact?

Do not take this the wrong way, I am not blasting anyone’s church or their church’s vision. When I mean impact, I mean is your congregation known just amongst other congregations or does your church impact the whole neighborhood? Can its presence be felt? Do people want to come visit and even make your church their place of worship? If not, there is something wrong. It is nice that every Sunday, one or two people come and accept to become a member of your church but does the neighborhood where your church resides, is it being changed because of the very presence of your church?! We have done nothing until our presence is felt.

I have been given the privilege to read my fair share of books in my 23 years of age and one book that truly impacted me was "Jesus: Pure And Simple" by Wayne Cordeiro. For those who know me, I talk about this book a lot and can get really excited. Anyway, the quote that really stood out to me was:

"You can not judge a church by the number of people on the inside, but by the number of people still on the outside."

What that basically means is if your church is impactful, if your church is truly doing and fulfilling its purpose as the house of God (that should reach out and help those in need, as well as be a place of worship), those on the outside should want to come to Jesus. That means the less fortunate, the widows, the orphans, the sexually abused etc. These people should not feel like they have to find a solution in a bar, a strip club or a crack house. Is your churches impact felt?!

This is actually a testimony. Last night, while I was at work, the door bell rang so I went to open it. When I pressed the button that unlocks the door, a friend of mine walks in. We used to attend the same high school together. We knew who the other was, we had a few friends in common and we had a mutual respect for one another. Basically, he walks into the store, greets me and begins to shop in the store. As I waited, I did some of my daily tasks. When he was ready, he came to the cash register so that he can pay for what he decided to buy: jalepeno beef jerky and a relaxant drink. (He ended up buying two but that's another story.) As he took his money out to pay, I asked him what has he been up to and what he does for a living? I am an observant person (sometimes it rubs certain people the wrong way but hey, I can't help it). I would see him in the city bus or subway station in a suit and tie. But I never personally asked him why. Until last night that is. He then began to tell me about how after a few career experiments and job failures, he is now a part of a marketing firm that helps build and train others to become entrepreneurs. I was impressed! I couldn't believe it! But what he said to me next was what really got my attention. He then said that one of the main things that drove him to that point was something that I said to him years back. He also told me that he pays attention and sees all my posts on social media (Facebook to be precise). The positive message from the Bible and just the love in general helps him. God made an impact through me and it helped him.

If I recall, I told him to be positive and that he should chase his dreams but never to let his entourage distance him from that dream; that if his entourage was on the verge of making him do so, it had to go.

Hearing him say that really messed me up. All I could do is smile. Not because I said that to him but because I knew that this was God telling me something. Earlier thay day, I was asking myself if my impact or the impact that I wish to have, can be felt in this generation or at least amongst those in my community. A few hours later, this happened. I was so grateful because God's impact through me, helped impact another. We are all vessels for God's grace. We have to be a blessing for those around us. And it sure did feel good to be. We then proceeded to talk about God, recommended books and then he left. Once he left, I went into the employee bathroom and as I thanked God, I cried. Yeah...

All that to say, you never know who you can impact when you think no one is paying attention. You do not need to be super famous so that God can impact others through you though! Look at Jesus, He was a carpenter, born in a manger, in a not so rich family. He didn't wear a shirt that said I am the Messiah! He was the Word made flesh and came as a normal guy and changed the world in an extraordinary way! God uses normal people for His incredible will!

So my question to you is this: Can your impact be felt? And what are you doing to make it so? How will you make an impact? How will you leave your mark? Forgive me for asking...

(Special thanks to you Ted for inspiring me for this post. I told you that God brought you to the store tonight for a reason. God bless you and much love and abundant blessings to you!)

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY :::::.....

Have you ever been in court or at least watched a t.v show where the setting is a courtroom and the bailiff (police officer) asks that the person who is about to speak, to place their hand on the Holy Bible and he then proceeds to say this:

“Do you solemnly swear that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

Yeah…I know…for those who watch Law & Order or Criminal Minds, this is right up your alley. But how does this apply to us?

A while back, I blogged about how our testimonies can change a life. It’s true! But for some reason, some of us are afraid to share our past experiences…

We are afraid that we will get judged or the person listening will not take into consideration what it is that we are saying because at the end of the day, we are no different then them. We are ashamed because our lives don’t always match what we know God has done in our lives.

But we have misunderstood what testimony is. Testimony is evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something. What that means is that it has to be something true and something that we know. And what do we know better than anyone else? Where we have been and came from. We are to testify to others what God has done in our lives.

But how though?

If we want others to take what we have to say seriously concerning Jesus Christ, we have to show them that our lives reflect His reality. We must do good. We have to talk the talk and walk the walk!

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:10)

Throughout the Bible, Jesus did many miracles and the people He healed or spoke to often ran and told others through testimony. Regardless of what their previous state was, they were unashamed and ran to tell others of what Christ had done!

Speaking of one of Christ’s many miracles, let us look at Paul. Before his personal meeting with Jesus Christ, Paul hated the Christian faith and persecuted Christians without mercy. I have spoken about Him previously in a few of these posts but I can not guarantee that this is the last time you will hear his name in one of these post!

In 1 Timothy 1:15-16, Paul was not interested in creating an image of anything. He was using himself as an example. He was never reluctant to share his past because he knew that by God’s grace, his past failures would serve to bring others to the light. But in this verse, he lowered his guard (transparency) to communicate the Gospel. That is a very important step! People will not always believe that the Gospel is important if it is not a crucial part of your life.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.” - 1 Timothy 1:15

To make a long story short, people think that God will never forgive and accept them because of their pasts. But when you think that way, think of Paul’s past. He literally went against Jesus’ teachings and had many of Jesus’ followers killed before helping shape the history of Christianity. At times we hesitate to share our past struggles with others because we think that they will judge us or will say that we are no different from them. But in reality, we aren’t. And that is what is amazing with God’s grace! It is available to anyone and everyone! We are no better than anyone else but we do have something in common: there is a God that is willing to forgive us regardless of our sins. All we have to do is repent and seek out Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the word to save sinners, and no sinner is beyond His saving power. Regardless of your background, your ethnicity, your mistakes, your past choices, your past luggage, your infidelities…REGARDLESS…share your testimony! The world needs Christians who are not afraid to live their faith and share their testimony! In Matthew 28:19, Jesus commands us to go into the world and preach the Gospel but we can only do that when we realize the power and importance of our testimonies. Don’t be afraid to let others know from where Christ reached to save you and all that He has done for you! God does not waste our time; He will use our past and present so we may serve Him with our future. Like a friend of mine would say: "The past is the past!!!" Spread for Christ!

We would love to hear from your testimonies! Contact us via spread4christ@gmail.com and send us your testimonies! Tell us what Jesus Christ has done for you! Stay blessed!

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: LIVE LIKE JESUS CHRIST :::::.....

Some of us see Jesus as what He truly is; God, the human representation of God on earth and even their personal Savior. But what if I told you that this God was at the same time a Man but a humble one at that? He was willing to give up His rights in order to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should adopt a servant-like attitude, serving out of love for God and others. But my question is when did it become about US? We often turn a blind eye to our very own selfishness, pride, or evil by claiming they are our "rights". For example, some think they can cheat on a test because they deserve to pass, or spend all their money because they worked hard for it. Or even worse, get an abortion because they have the right to control their own body. FALSE! If we say we are disciples of Jesus Christ, we must also say we want to live like Him! Are you selfishly clinging to your rights, or are you willing to serve? You have the choice: approach life expecting to be served or look for opportunities to serve others. Please let that sink in....

Philippians 2:3-7 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)