Take My Hand Inspirations

Tuesday 14 December 2021

114: You Are Who You Worship

The Art of Love

"Consuming Glory" by Linda Harris-lorio

There is no argument that any one believes in nothing. What or who we believe in forms our attitude, stimulates our desires, moves us into action. There a spectrum of belief systems cascading human sociology which affect the cultural aspect of how we live as individuals within a group. In other words, as any person thinks in his heart (believes) so is he (Proverbs 7a). Where does our thinking come from? It comes from inside as we view the world outside. We construct what we believe in either by adopting the experiences of those who came before us, or by our own personal experiences (good or bad), or a combination (or rejection) of both.

The spectrum of human belief systems is wide ranging from self-aggrandizement to complete and humble submission to the Most High God.

To believe in yourself can take on two starkly different forms. On the one hand, there is a healthy faith to have in one’s natural talents, or abilities. This is what makes you special, or unique, among humans. God asked for skilled craftsmen to design His tabernacle in the wilderness. Inside Hebrew boy Daniel and his friends was a spirit of excellence.

Inside of you is a talent or ability, which, when made excellent, can benefit the whole world. So, it is imperative that each of us has a belief in making our talents or abilities into something excellent. Most of the world’s greatest singers have trained their voices into vocal perfection. And a scientist of every generation has “discovered” something awesome in our environment to help cure diseases. The architect designs fabulous buildings, while the chef makes food into an unforgettable palatable fine dining experience.

On the other, and opposite, hand, some create a belief system of self-indulgence which is what can be labelled licentious, or an incredible appetite to feed the flesh while puffing up the ego, with comments like, “I ….., and I ……, and I …..” You know such people. They are so self-centered, they are blind to anyone who cannot satisfy whatever they thirst for. Their belief system has made self into a god. It is easy for the selfish to say, “There is no God” because they have become their own god.

In the middle of the spectrum of beliefs is a group of people who belief there is a Supreme Being, but are confused as to how he (or she) operates in their own lives, so they transfer that confusion into acts of good works believing that their reward will be given to them by this god they so desperately try to appease. There is no harm in doing good. The danger lies inside the reasons for why you do what you do—is it to seek favour from man? Or is it to “buy” points with a god you don’t know? Some carve these gods with hands to keep reminding themselves of who they believe in. Can such carved idols understand the workings of human psyche or physiology so as to be able to solve problems with an abundant peaceful ending?

Who do you believe in, dear? If you think in your heart that God does not exist, then you are feeding off selfish tendencies. Your worship is to self, and the ending to that worship is isolation which fosters lack of true love in your life. Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own (1 Corinthians 13 :4b – 6a). A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire ; He rages against all wise judgment (Proverbs 18 :1).

If you think in your heart that there does exist a Supreme Being, but not that One in the Judeo Torah-Christian Bible, then you are disconnected from the Source that gave you life, and are chasing after a god who can neither sympathize (know who you are) or empathize (feel what you feel) with the nature of your humanity. You become an object worshipping another object with no objective, no purpose—always unsure if you are satisfying the “wants” of what you believe that object or god desires by pouring this, praying that many times, sacrificing blood, cutting, tattooing, prostituting, chanting, (etcetera) for it. Your worship is to an object so far away from you, there is no personal relationship, and as such, you are empty—an empty vessel wanting to be filled up with true love.

What an amazing and fantastic journey one travels when connected to the Source of Life and Who is Love! You are who you worship. When you decide to worship the Most Supreme Being and accept Him into your heart, you become like Him. You rejoice in the truth, hope all things [good], endure all things, and never stop being in love (1 Corinthians 13:6b-8a). This God was made flesh and dwelt among us frail humans. He gave us power over all evil and a sound mind not be confused with who He really is. He does not demand objects from us. He is holy, therefore our love for Him, compels us to be holy so that we can see Him face to face and embrace Him as Lord and Friend. He hears our cries and answers our prayers. He is our healer, our provider, our protector, our comforter. As we are made in His image, we become more and more like Him as we walk with Him every day of our lives.

This God is Jesus Christ. A belief system is man-made. It can change when it expires. Who is in your heart? Do you feel isolated and empty? Do you thirst for true love? It can only be found when you Come to Me, all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry [by worshipping self or beings you call gods]. I will give you rest. Accept My teachings. Learn from Me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get rest for your souls. Yes, the teaching that I ask you to accept is easy. The load I give you to carry is light (Matthew 11:28-30, ERV).

Will you come and never stop being in Love? This is your Merry Christmas!

© 2021 by Patience Osei-Anyamesem. All rights reserved. Published by The Light In Me Enterprise. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Take My Hand Inspirations

Tuesday 30 November 2021

113: Love Lifted Me

The Art of Love

"The Moment of Love" by Leonid Afremov

Great thinkers think BIG. There is nothing small about you. Created in the image of God, you are a masterpiece—a work of the Master Planner, Master Builder, Creator of all the Universe and everything in it. It’s time to stop thinking small about yourself and explore the many wonders going on inside of you which make you unique from any other person you know.

Jake is strong, full of energy, pleasing to look at. Joshua is a little shorter, shy, and has trouble with picturing himself handsome in any way imaginable. What’s going on inside Joshua is that he is looking at his outward appearance (like everybody does, right?) and comparing himself with Jake. What he and others can’t see is that what’s going on inside of Joshua is absolutely equal with what’s going on inside of Jake.

Yes, all humanity is created equal, that is, with the same amount of love from our Father. Concepts, or institutionalized ideas of ‘inequality’ are man-made, with some so far-fetched as to be rooted in devilish constructs. Where did the ideas of the African slave trade or the Jewish holocaust come from? The repercussions, or consequences, of these and other acts of terror still shock the psyche system of today’s generation rendering them confused with identifying who they are, what’s their purpose in life, and how to find pure love in a world where love is swallowed by hatred.

Today is the time to stop looking outward for love, and to focus inward until you tap into your special Source of Love.

"In God's Hands" (female) by Lester Kern

"In God's Hands" (male) by Lester Kern

Made in the image of God, you are given special talents which must be developed over time with schooling, apprenticeship or training, and experiences to apply that talent. Jake is an outstanding painter. Given a palette and brushes with oil paints, his canvasses come alive in impressionism, cubism, and all out Jake-style imagery. He also is a super athlete. Joshua is a writer and a master at mathematics. His free verse poetry can pour out tears from a reader or eject crazy laughter from his blank verse and rhymes. His ability to calculate is so phenomenal, he’s helped lead his high school to many victories in inter-schools’ mathematics competitions.

This is what’s going on inside of every one born of a woman. In our last conversation, we discussed how love is patient. Love allows you to explore and identify who the real you is. It takes only you and your Creator to figure that out. A parent or loved one or friend can guide you to bring out that special gift in you, but only you know for sure. That gift, or talent, is God’s love poured into you to give you purpose for life. He wants that you use your life to make this world a place where His love is shared among everyone.

Self-destruction was not part of the plan of your Creator, dearly beloved. Changing any part of your outside will never ever change what’s inside of you. Cutting, mutilating, piercing, suctioning, injecting, lightening, or darkening can never destroy or alter the image of God in you. Drowning out your thoughts, or perceptions, about who you really are in any kind of addictions will not kill what’s inside of you, either. The image of God is not a physical body you can manipulate on your own. What you are made of is very good.

"Thank God" by Fred Mathews

So, why not submit to what is good and wonderful and unique and special in you? Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to the Father who created that light in you (Read Matthew 5:15 -16). Stop trying to conform to what everyone else is doing; and love yourself enough to connect with the only Source of Love who can lead you to a future blessed with power, peace, and prosperity.

Love is patient and kind. Our last conversation described love as patient, being able to get through both the good and tough times with singleness of purpose. Kindness usually refers to how we treat others, but in this “talk”, we’ll interpret kindness as accepting the uniqueness of the image of God in you and loving it up enough to flow outside of you for the benefit of others.

Allow Love to lift you up into greatness. Allow love to remove the shackles of conforming to standards of worldly beauty and success and re-direct yourself onto a path of true beauty and sustainable success—a life full of hope and joy while living in your godly vision. Aren’t you ready for a change in the right direction? If you are, join us in our next conversation.

In the meantime, continue with your journal writing by listing the talents or gifts you “see” inside of yourself. Write about what would actually make you happy if you had opportunities to use that gift or those special talents. Remember, it’s not about how many talents, or gifts you can identify. It’s about finding that part of you that brings out the most joy when you are using or applying it for something good.

Take My Hand Inspirations

Tuesday 16 November 2021

112: What is Self-Love?

The Art of Love-2

Self-love is a quiet gentle spirit that whispers, “You are beautiful. You are special and so precious.” As a creation of God in His image, we were made very good. Hold on to what God says about you: Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good (Genesis 1:31a).

What we focus on becomes our reality. What are you looking at, and, more importantly, what’s looking back at you? Mirroring the cult of worldly fashion and following that idol can lead to a series of wrong choices from the way you colour or style your hair to the attire you wear. Reflecting the cult of worldly behavior and following that idol of selfish desires can lead to a series of wrong choices involving how you use your body in a fleshly thirst to “drink in” everything from fornication to drug and injections to “make this bigger” or castration to “make this go away.”

Words We Never Said by Muhammed Salaam

Our Creator God is an omnipresent source of love so pure and without any strings attached, completely unconditional; and He wants to share His love inside of you. Why reject this kind of love, agape? His love letter to us is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a beginning with “Love is patient and kind.”

You must be patient with yourself. Being patient with yourself means to acknowledge the strengths or gifts or talents you have in you which make you unique from anyone else. Each of us is special in his or her own way—that’s the way God planned it. He did that so that we can learn to “love our neighbor as we love ourselves” in order that we share our uniqueness in ways that glorify His perfect design for our lives. When he contributes his gift of music and she shares her gift of digital multimedia development, the outcome is a fantastic multi-platinum hit—millions of copies of a collection of songs glorifying the Lord sold all round the globe.

Patience means the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious; tolerance, understanding, determination, staying power with singleness of purpose. Life will not always go the way you want it, and you may “see” yourself at times struggling with the choice to either conform with what the world forces you to “see” or to “see” what your Creator wants you “envision” yourself to be.

At the Crossroads by Lester Kern

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

(James 1:4).

Self-love starts with humility, the fruit of patience, which is an emptying of every thought that goes against what God says about you, and allowing Him to fill you with the image of who you really are—intelligent, gifted, splendid, outstanding, creative, and purpose-driven unto excellence. All this was put in you the moment you received His breath of life. You were made in the image of God. Therefore, you possess His qualities.

Picture That by Frank Morrison

Do let anyone or anything take that affirmation, that knowledge, away from you.

Ready for the application of self-love?

1. Get into a quiet place with a journal or a small notebook, pencil and pen.

2. With pencil, list what you don’t like about yourself (your weaknesses). Examine that list for a moment.

3. Ask yourself, “Why do I hate this about myself?” Take time to hear yourself. This is called introspection, taking time to listen to what’s

going on inside of you.

4. With pen, number 1 to 100 and list all your strengths or good qualities by starting each sentence with, “I am . . . .” For example I am giving.

You must complete the 100.

5. After reviewing your 100 special qualities or strengths, take your pencil and ask God to help you remove every negative thought you have about yourself and to transform your weaknesses into strengths. These are lies; and must be erased right now. Go on, erase them all.

You may be asking yourself, “How do I ask God for anything? I don’t know how to talk to God.” Jesus is God. He is your best friend. Talk to Him as you would a best friend. But first, in your humility, ask Him to come into your heart as Lord of your life and Savior from everything attacking your soul or peace of mind. Let Him fill you with His love and wisdom, the capacity to understand who you are and to love yourself patiently one day at a time. To love yourself completely, you must first love the One who created you.

I Surrender All by Lester Kern

Please, after reading this blog, if you have any questions or comments, send them to me. Let’s talk.

To support works of Art by Black artists, visit www.blackartdepot.com.

Take My Hand Inspirations

111: What’s Playing On Your Mind?

The Art of Love-1

Back in the day, groups of teens “partied” round the D.J. as he scratched the vinyl to quicken the shaking hips and body twisting in incredible styles called “break” dancing. Why “break” dancing? This kind of dancing “broke” the formalized ideal of what dancing was supposed to be setting new standards of the art form.

"Break Dance" by Carta da Parati

As time went on, hip-hop sounds found themselves bounding off cassette tapes blasted from a “boom box”. Eventually techno-pop reached the era of the compact disc where more music could be stored for hours of sensual pleasure. And today, we’re engrossed in the digital era from podcasts even up into the “cloud” where the raps of wordsmiths can be downloaded all around the world at the single touch of a button.

Yes, technology progressed from scratching vinyl to downloading, but what’s playing on the minds of adolescents (people between 10 and 24) has remained the same. There is a culture of security and a cult of insecurity floating over the minds of young people.

Culture is a way a group of people act and speak based on what they collectively think and has been developed over a long period of time.

"Indivisible" by Larry Poncho Brown

Cult is a thing or idea that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society often forming into a deep veneration wherein an object or person is ‘worshipped’ and can change within a short time.

The culture of security releases the real “picture” of you. The cult of insecurity snaps a false “picture” of what others tell you how you should be. Young minds often make the move toward being accepted by peers, often rejecting the encouraging voice of parents and elders, and begin defining themselves by the norms of “what’s hot” or “what’s cool” or “what’s in” or “what’s out”. What’s what?

The beauty of innocence and loving who you are as a child regrettably gets thrown away at adolescence in the thirst for being accepted among peer groups who compare themselves, never realizing that even the best sports player or the most gorgeous girl both struggle with their own bouts of defining who they are. Everyone idolizes the “hot jock” and the “pretty beauty queen” forgetting that inside each and every one of us, there is a superstar and a beauty that makes you uniquely special.

What do you allow to play on your mind, young one? In this series, The Art of Love, we will delve deep down into defining who you are and lift you up into the clouds of self-love. The journey won’t be easy, but you’ll love the ending.

Step One is you’ve got to make a choice to take that step. This step requires you to throw away the images in your head about “What is beauty?” or “What makes a real man?” and put a pause on all the stereotypes vibrating on the strings of your mind. Let’s get to the heart of the matter. Loving yourself means “you being you” (especially when no one praises you) because the joy of self-expression is more than enough to make you live on a ‘high.’

"Hahahaha" by Isaac Opoku Badu

Self-love is the restoration of something you lost. That something is self-worth. Do you feel worthy of having what’s good in life? Or do you feel you’re not good enough to have kindness, love, encouragement, and fond attention from others who want nothing from you, but really appreciate who you are—just as you are, flaws and all?

Well, since you were made so special by the hands of a loving Father, should you allow human negativity to pull down your sense of self-worth to the bottom with belittling thoughts of “I am not good enough”? Please, dear ones, do not confuse narcissism with loving yourself. Narcissism is a disorder of the soul in which a person has an inflated sense of self-importance. Doctors who study the functions of the mind by observing behavior (psychologists) conclude that there is no cure narcissism; that it’s chronic and can last for years or be lifelong.

As affirmed in the previous blog series, Growing Sexually Mature, the spiritual warfare afflicting the souls (and mindset) of young people is waging in the spiritual realm, against the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). There is a cure for lack of self-esteem or low self-esteem (which is the root cause of narcissism). You just have to go to the Person who holds it.

Loving yourself also requires inner courage, conviction, and fearlessness to piece yourself together as “picture of perfection”. We get these superstar powers from the likeness of our Father who created us in His image. You are not alone. There are adults who have not yet mastered loving themselves because they didn’t take this journey, and, as a result, have passed on their insecurity to your generation. Therefore, this journey toward loving yourself completely while living in a world so full of hatred, is for all of us who suffer from a sense of “I am not worthy.”

You are worthy. You are important. You are not a mistake. Your life is not a mistake.

The Art of Love opposes the Art of War in varying critical ways, but both do have some traits in common: self-discipline, time, and application. This week, your assignment is to meditate on the word, “love”. Write down what this word means to you and honestly answer this question: “What is love?”

Paintings retrieved from "Black Art" Search engine.

Take My Hand Inspirations

Friday 15 October 2021

110: Below the Belt

Growing Sexually Mature - 10

Life is spiritual—there are forces of good and evil battling for the current lives and the afterlives of mankind. And the most powerful weapon to overcome the dark force is the light of love, yet so few of us master the Art of Love. Many spend millions of minutes on perfecting the martial arts—including karate, taekwondo, judo—for the goal of training the body as a weapon of self-defense.

If those same minutes were spent on perfecting the heart to master the art of love, would there be a need to use the martial arts for defensive skills? What the physical world views as wisdom is opposite in the spiritual realm. Why is it easier to hate, than to love? Hatred is an emotion which soothes the flesh, the carnal part of us. Love, however, takes a lot of effort because it requires you to forgive offences and to reject self-defensiveness. Therefore, Love is an offensive tool against hatred.

Love requires death of the body and life of the soul part of us; and this is a mystery. The human who is perfected in the Art of Love has mastery and dominion over the force of evil because our Creator, the living God is Love.

The souls of those who run far away from God can never deny His existence even though they display their hatred for the Word, Will, and Way of our Creator in the most blazing storms or acts of disobedience to the brink of their own self-destruction. The war is real. But there is only one way to win—by STRIKING BACK BELOW THE BELT.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-6). For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood [carnality], but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness . . . (Ephesians 6:12).

Whether you are aware of it or not, young teen, there is a battle going on in the invisible world for your life on earth and for your life after natural death (excluding suicide). If you do not master the Art of Love, then the wiles, the bullets or power, of the evil force will control your life. In war, there are weapons. The mightiest weapon is Love; and love is guarded by another weapon of war called Truth (Ephesians 6:14a). Truth is worn at the center of your body like a belt. As martial artists strive to obtain the highest ranking belt called the “black belt”, you, the adolescent who seeks to live a life of honour, must strive to obtain proper usage of the Belt of Truth.

Truth has several definitions, but as a weapon used against the force of evil, Truth is what balances your whole being. Like a fulcrum that balances weights on its left side and right side, once you learn how to use Truth as a balance, you will be able to stand against demonic warfare whose goal is to knock you down and totally out. Truth is powered by Love. The Truth is: You are special—there is no one like you. You are infinity loved by God who knew you even before you were born. You were made in His awesome image and born on earth in a body uniquely male or female.

This Truth is your truth and can never change. Lies are weapons to torment your soul—what you believe in your heart starts from your mind and concludes in what you do with your body. You are made beautiful. You are God’s creation, therefore perfect. Physical imperfections never change the perfection of your being, your soul, that which makes you like no other human on earth.

Dear adolescent, there is no mistake in you. The Belt of Truth is wrapped around your waist, right above what makes you male or female. Yes, all your genitalia are protected because they are located Below the Belt. That’s where the evil one targets his weapons of lies—hitting below the belt. And to overcome being swept away by the lies, you must blast those evil weapons, not with self-hatred, not with hatred for a society that champions for your greatest good with codes of moral conduct, but with Love for yourself firming rooted in the Truth of who you really are.

Today, take a long look in the mirror at your natural self. You were born a girl. Your pure femininity is your power, is your expression of self-love. You were born a boy. Your pure masculinity is your strength, is your expression of self-love. There is no need to change that for a lie that God has made a mistake in creating you male because you think you “feel” female, or vice versa, a female willing to self-mutilate to become male. Who do you allow to define attributes of femaleness or maleness? Our Creator God is Love, and when you actually stop and listen to what He has to say, you will learn the Truth about being male or female.

Young man and young woman, below the belt lies your most precious attribute, your sexuality, which is meant to reproduce more people in your physical likeness and in God’s image, a loving mixture of flesh and spirit with a unique, one-of-a-kind soul. The hatred generated by the evil one is crushed by loving who you truly, truthfully, are. To master self-love may take a lifetime, or it may take a split second after the stronghold of lies is destroyed. Each of our life’s experiences is different. How do you master self-love?

We will walk together on this journey in the next blog series. For now, growing sexuality mature means taking off the mask that was created by lies and looking at life in a way that achieves acceptance of who you are from the very beginning—male or female. Sexual maturity is taking care of your genitalia by keeping it pure. Our loving Father is a God of a second chance. Once you decide to quit any acts which degrade the precious value of your genitalia, you can start over again to walk in purity. Abstain from anything or anyone which can defile you. Sexual maturity means taking time to think about all the consequences of any action you may take in using your genital parts and refraining from destructive habits. Do not stop growing, keep growing.

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is [on earth] and of that which is to come [after natural death] (1 Timothy 4:8).

Loving yourself is part of perfecting the Art of Love. This Art, like martial arts, takes time and proper training, and requires the Belt of Truth so that you will be able to stand up when lies try to knock you down and strip your dignity. You are not alone. By deciding to throw away hatred and to prepare for this training in the Art of Love, understand that you are already a winner!

Take My Hand Inspirations