I am the Cowardly Lion

I am the cowardly lion in search of courage.

Day in and day out, I try to convince everyone, including myself, I am not him, but it's not true. You know who I'm talking about~ the creature from L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz from the year 1939 played by Bert Lahr, who desperately wanted just one thing. . . courage!

I'm afraid . . . terrified, utterly petrified, of SO many things~ fear of failure, fear of success, fear I won't be good enough, fear I'm already not good enough, fear I am good enough, fear I'll never reach my potential, fear I'll never be able to outrun my past, fear, fear, fear.

The No. 1 fear I have? I'm scared to completely surrender to Jesus . . . all areas of my life, every decision, to protect the good deposit He has given me 2nd Timothy 1:14 every single day, every single hour, every single minute!

That's the BIGGEST fear and the biggest way I'm a COWARD on a daily basis.

'All right, I'll go in there for Dorothy. Wicked witch or no wicked witch, guards or no guards, I'll tear them apart! I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there. There's only one thing I want you fellows to do.'

'What's that?,' the Tin Man (Jack Haley) replied.

'Talk me out of it!'

Can you relate? I KNOW I can. I want to be COURAGEOUS with every single beat of my heart and every cell of my body, but there are times I'm not!

While I think the quote I just shared with you is funny, and that I can relate, the truth is, I often times don't need anyone to 'talk me out of it,' I do it myself!!

Sometimes consciously, and other times not, I do.

I want to read the Bible . . . talked out of it. I want to pray. . . talked out of it. I want to go see my family. . . talked out of it. I want to go to the nursing home. . . talked out of it. I want to give to church/to the poor/to causes. . . talked out of it. I want to write. . . talked out of it. I want to lift weights. . . talked out of it.

I want to offer an encouraging word. . . talked out of it. I want to be less selfish. . . talked out of it. I want to be more productive. . . talked out of it! I want to not care what other people think (and largely I really don't), but talked out of it.

I want to be successful. . . bam, pow, boom . . . you guessed it~ TALKED OUT OF IT!

While it's true, past failures, poor decisions and our guilt, talk us out of doing these things, it's important to know the biggest one/entity who talks us out of doing ANYTHING of God is satan.

Look at 1st Peter 5:8 'Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour!'

Satans objectives are to confuse you, divide you (sometimes against yourself and other times against others) LIE to you and kill you!!

All of those things I talk myself out of, because I'm the cowardly lion, are things that reflect the glory of God, show Jesus' love and benefit me/others~ the LAST thing the devil wants is for you to grow, is for you to be happy, to have joy, to be content, to be unselfish, to work hard (be diligent), to show love!

The reality is Ephesians 6:12, which says we are clearly, every single day of our earthly lives, in a battle. 'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.'

The GREAT news is 1st John 4:4 'My dear/little children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one (satan) who is in the world!'

and James 4:7 'Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you!'

While it is TRUE Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit who occupies your heart, is GREATER, for this to be true, we must do what Hebrews 12:1&2 implore us to do.

'Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.'

And let us not forget 2nd Corinthians 10:5 'We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and hold every thought and make it obedient to Christ.'

I encourage all of us to live out 2nd Timothy 1:7 in our daily lives, 'For God did not give us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, love & self-discipline.'

See Almighty God is our Wizard of Oz~ He can and will give this cowardly ol' lion courage, but I must follow the yellow brick road (Matthew 7:14~'but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it') in order to reach Him!

The Reason I Write

Why do I write?

It's a pointed question that requires a direct and sincere answer.

In short, there are many reasons I write and I'll do my best to share

them with you in a candid manner.

While it would be real easy to say the primary reasons behind my

writing are to get published, provide a better livelihood for myself &

family and have a 'bigger' name . . . none of those things push me as much

as the reasons I'm about to share.

I just want to please God, the Gifter, and glorify Him. I long to hear the words,

'Well done, my good and faithful servant!' (Matthew 25:21). See, I know this is

a gift/talent and like all gifts and talents, it's primary purpose is to glorify the

One who gave them to us!

One of my life verses is 2nd Cor. 4:7, which says 'we are just jars of clay, so that

everyone will see the unsurpassable glory belongs to God NOT to us!' My writing,

like my very life, should never be about me . . . only that I'm a good steward of

what He's given me!

If we use our gifts and talents to glorify only ourselves, we have taken a good thing

& used it in a self-centered manner . . . thus, betraying the Gifter and relfecting our

lack of gratitude.

Will the Lord allow us to do that if we so choose? Absolutely, He will, but in doing

so you will not only cheat Him, but you will cheat yourself out of the blessings He

wants to give you through your gifts and talents. Where He wants to give you peace,

you will find discontentment. . . in doing so, missing out on the life more abundantly

(John 10:10).

Luke 12:48 'To whom much is given, much is required.'

Another reason I write is to encourage you~ to let you know, no matter what you're

facing, there are people who have also experienced pain, been heartbroken and struggled

with the trials and tribulations, and personal storms, this life brings!

God made me a leader . . . He made me an encourager~ it's just who I am. I'm not bragging

when I say that because I'm sure there are so many times I've been disobedient, plenty of kind words I left unspoken, many smiles that never spread across my lips and tons of words left unwritten, cheating the would-be receiver of those words out of life, out of hope, out of a message written in Heaven but never delivered on earth.

I firmly believe a couple of things~ if my writing touches just one person . . . it's been worthwhile. If my smile, uplifts one person or if my words encourage just one, they

have served their God-given purpose.

I think of John 15: 1-17, we are to show love to our neighbors, bearing much fruit and in

doing so showing Whom we belong to that we we are His disciples.

Here are a few verses I believe you'll find meaningful.

John 15:5 'I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear

much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'

John 15:11-12 'I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy be made complete. Love each other as I have loved you.'

John 15:16 'You did not choose me, I chose you and appointed you, so that you might go and bear fruit~ fruit that will last.

Our words are SO powerful-- they have either the power to build up or tear down, to breathe life or to be instruments of destruction. (Proverbs 18:21).

It's my hope my words breathe life into your life, let you know you're not alone in the boat and to give you the courage to face another day and take that step you desperately need to take!

The final reason I write is to be a messenger~ to allow God to write through me. . . not because I'm 'special,' but because He will speak through anyone who makes themselves available. It's not about ability . . . it's about availability!

There is NO greater honor or privilege than to deliver a message from the very lips of God. I look at writing as simply holding God's pen or of actually being God's pen~ just an instrument designed/created to give Him the glory and tell everyone how much He loves them . . . hear that?!? He LOVES you!!

No matter what you've done, no matter what you've said, no matter the places you never should've been or even the fact you stayed longer than you wanted to stay, JESUS loves you!!

(John 3:16 & 17)

You are not TOO dirty, you are not insufficient, you are fearfully & wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and at your very birth God Himself danced . . . He celebrated! You are made in His image! He loves you!!

Whoever you picture yourself as being as a child~ an image of innocence, of purity and the belief everything is good & when you were completely carefree . . . let me tell you a secret! You still ARE him/her~ the devil just wants you to feel like you've lost your innocence and that it's TOO late for you . . . it's not!

2nd Corinthians 5:17 'Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he becomes a new creation; the old is gone!' and Isaiah 1:18 'Come now let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool!'

That's GREAT news! The best news you have ever heard or read!!

These are the reasons I write. If I am blessed enough, through working hard, to get published and to accomplish the dreams I have with my pen, that will be fantastic, but I just want to hear the words well done my good and faithful servant. He could've chosen anyone to give this talent to and for reasons, only He knows, He chose me . . . I just want to show him I'm grateful He did.

Sure, everyone loves to hear 'thatta boy,' everyone craves acceptance, everyone loves to be validated and have someone tell them they're proud of you, but hearing Him say, 'Well done!' is the GREATEST 'thatta boy' and sweetest words we will EVER hear!

Afterall, It's the reason I write.

Never Take Your Eyes off the Target!

We've heard it all our lives, 'Keep your eyes on the target.'

Growing up playing basketball I heard it. Heard it again playing football when my coaches would tell me to keep my eyes on the ball carrier's jersey . . . 'His feet can deceive you, but his number won't.'

The church service had just ended. Some members, of the congregation, were going home to enjoy football, some just to relax, others heading off to lunch or to enjoy a day outdoors.

On this particular day, my barber (Jason) was the person I wanted to catch before he hit the exit. I didn't have anything specific to say to him, it had just been awhile since we'd talked, as if my shaggy hair and scruffy beard could attest.

I had my eyes on him, and his wife, as I made my way across the church. I maneuvered my way through the people similar to Ray Rice finding his running lanes (only not as fast because that would just be weird) *laughs*

Anytime I'm wading through a bunch of people, I am reminded of Luke 8:40-48. You must be focused and determined, using perseverance along the way to successfully reach your destination.

I was getting close when I did exactly opposite of what I've always been trained to do~ I took my eyes off the target.

Before I knew it, my friends I wanted to talk to were gone. I stood there kind of befuddled and slightly disappointed. It was right in my midst, then bam, without warning the opportunity was lost, failing to reach my goal.

Then God spoke, sounding more like a coach, in a loving but pulling no punches sort of way.
'Don't take your eyes off the target son.'

Wow, it still blows my mind He calls me son!

He wasn't talking about this incident, He used this as a teaching moment to impart the wisdom, and importance, of not taking my eyes off Him. Because when you do, you don't arrive at your intended destination, don't reach your goal, but more than missing any sort of blessing, you lose intimacy with Christ when you take your eyes off Jesus and your life becomes self-centered and discontent.

No, you won't always end up depressed, caught up in addiction or treating people badly, although all of those are definitely possible results, but you will begin to focus more on the circumstance than knowing Who (God) is in control.

Many think Jesus is the only man to walk on water. That's not the case. Don't believe me? Check out Matthew 14: 29 & 30 . . . Peter did. Well, he did for a few, yet I imagine unbelievably rewarding, moments.

Peter was not concerned with how much it was raining, the thunder, the lightning or even his own fear, his eyes were simply riveted on Jesus!

No, keeping your eyes on Jesus will not make the personal 'storms' in your life disappear, but keeping your eyes on Him WILL change your perspective.

In doing so, we will focus on the Author, Finisher and Perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) not our burdens, place in life or current adversity.

We too often turn molehills into mountains when our God is BIG enough, fully capable and more than able no matter what, or who, we are facing!

But once we take our eyes off Him, our mind and hearts, remember Jeremiah 17:9, (and satan) begin to make us believe otherwise.

In your journey of realizing dreams, be obedient, work hard, remain humble and never, ever take your eyes off the target!

In the anecdote I shared, I missed out on conversation, but if you lose intimacy in your spiritual walk/relationship, the stakes are higher with the consequences being much worse.

We can do ALL things in Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:13), but like I always say, and I know from personal experience, with Jesus anything is possible (Mark 9:23) and without Him, from a sinful standpoint (opposite end of the spectrum) anything is possible.

Let's make Him our target not just who we call in case of emergency . . . He is SO much more than a 911 God!

And while he will GLADLY rescue you; He desires to walk with you even more.

Let Me Help

It's amazing what God will teach you if you're just willing to listen with your spiritual ears and use your spiritual eyes.

There she was~ blonde hair, big blue eyes, adorable, sweet, and extremely smart. . . yet as stubborn and rambunctious as you would expect a two-year-old to be.

My little niece, Karson Faith, was determined to cut her cornbread by herself. Sure she needed help and she knew she did, but that didn't dampen her enthusiasm, determination and sheer stubbornness of doing it herself!

Only one problem~ her knife was upside down. The moment was 'harmless' as we smiled, tried to help her and laugh all at the same time, which made it even funnier.

In the midst of laughter and family fellowship, God spoke, 'That's what you do.' Then it hit me. He was RIGHT . . . imagine that! *laughs* The Creator of the Universe, the Omniscient One, who is wisdom and the source of wisdom not just the One with infinite wisdom being correct.

We try to do it on our own when our patient, though desperately wanting to help, Heavenly Father stands by and offers His assistance.

Don't believe me? Read Matthew 11:30 'For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'

In the same way, we attempted to help my niece, God tries to help us . . . not just when life becomes too tough, but BEFORE it gets that way in the first place! How profound is that?

Sure, we have the perogative to do things by ourselves, to saddle our burdens and somehow try not to fall off the horse we call life, but why would we when God, the very One who filled up the oceans, lakes, streams, rivers, placed the sun, colored the trees like a coloring book and not only hung galaxies of stars, but knows them all by name, wants to help us?

It seems foolish to me not to let him. This life, through all it's many ebbs and flows, the good, the bad and the ugly, with more ups and downs than the stock market, is too hard to do it alone. Isn't that kind of like an ant trying to carry a picnic basket?

How'd the story end? Eventually, she realized she didn't have to do it by herself and handed over the knife.

Why don't we do the same?

So the next time we witness an 'everyday' ho hum moment, keep your eyes and ears open. Remain vigilant. God may just be trying to teach you something.

I trust You~ I'm SO gratefuL

I complained about not having any shoes until I met a man with no feet. ~ Anonymous

When someone asks me how I'm doing, nine out of 10 times I'll say the same line~ although, to me, it's anything but a line.

"I'm blessed. Could be better, but could always be much worse!"

See, life is about perspective. God sees the beginning, middle & end. He sees the big picture where we tend to view life in snippets.

When our present cimcumstances are bad, adverse, difficult or just downright suck, it's easy to turn/view that snippet as the 'main attraction.'

How different would our lives be if we would view life in the scope of 'The big picture?'

What is the big picture?

I believe we aren't supposed to understand . . . we are ONLY to trust!!

Think about the people in your life, your inner circle, who you confide in the most. You do that because you TRUST them. Why is it not so with Jesus Christ? Our Savior, Best Friend & very Entity, who gives our life purpose!

Far too many times we say we trust the Lord, but when the first drop of rain, signaling a personal storm in our lives, comes our trust is in shambles or disappears altogether.

We must NOT be the ship/vessel so easily tossed about by the waves! We should, emphasis on should, trust THE ANCHOR (Jesus) no matter if there is not one ripple worth of waves, and all is calm on a not-a-cloud in the sky day, or if the waves are 50-feet on all sides, the thunder sounds like thousands of herds of buffalo, tsunami-like rain falling & lightning strikes abound.

We praise Him and thank Him when all is hunky-dory, we must do the same when the foundations of our life are shaken to the very core. When tragedy strikes!

True trust is taking someone's hand, in this case God's, and not asking where you're going, how long you will stay or if it will be a pleasant trip. . . asking nothing, knowing He is trustworthy & will NEVER take you anywhere, or allow you to go, without bringing you through it and without being right by your side, and in some cases carrying you!!

The Creator of the Universe by your side . . . wow, if that's not empowering, reassuring & encouraging, I don't know what is!

His grace will always be sufficient enough! (2 Cor. 12:9)

That is TRUE trust!

I know what it's like to SAY you trust the Lord, but when things go all to kabookie (when it hits the fan) . . . not trusting AT ALL, because you panic!

I have done that numerous times . . . too many to count.

But always remember Romans 8: 17 & 18 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of his present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

And Romans 5:3 "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance."

Struggles, adversity & tragedies are never fun, but (and it's not comforting to type) they are necessary for growth! They are what draw us into a more intimate walk and depth with our Savior-- they CAN & will strengthen your relationship with Him!!

I realize trials are never easy, and that for some reason (only God knows why) certain people have to go through more than others.

Could it be certain people have a greater calling on their lives than others? Maybe some need to be put through a more extensive refining process, need to be prepared longer? I believe both are true!

While I don't know why he allows certain people to have harder lives than others, two verses provide insight~ John 13:7 & 1 Corinthians 13:12~ They give reason to believe in Heaven, we will have many, if not all, our questions answered.

"Jesus was talking to His disciples and He said, 'You don't know why I'm doing these things, but later you will." (John 13:7)

'For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I am also known.' (1 Cor. 13:12)

The reason why trials often times crush us is because the devil causes us to doubt Romans 8:28 that simply, yet candidly, says ALL things work together for the good of those called according to His purpose!

We ask ourselves, and in some cases ask/cry out to Him, if you LOVE me so much (sarcastic tone) then why am I going through the this!?! And the devil smiles and whispers more doubt and brings more confusion into our minds and hearts until we are overwhelmed. . . yes with the circumstance, but more with the underlying questions, which are. . . is God faithful and how can this possibly work together for the good and for God's glory?!?

Once Satan has succeeded, is able, to get you more focused on questioning God's faithfulness versus praising Jesus and trusting Him no matter the circumstance, he has won the battle.

That's why in 1st Thessalonians 5:18 we are implored to "Give thanks in ALL circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

As I sat there eating a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A, it hit me like a ton of bricks. There are far GREATER people, in terms of purity, integrity, compassion and character, who will not get to eat one single morsel of food today.

Last night, in talking to two dear friends: Grayson (@Professor12) & Amy (@BigBlockChick), two believers, who don't take their blessings for granted & know what it's like to overcome adversity and the importance of relying on their faith, we have MUCH to be thankful for!

There are people who wish they could take one step for they can not talk.

Hear one word for they can not hear.

Speak one word for they can not speak.

Smell one scent for they can not smell.

Feel one thing for they do not have the sense of touch.

Maybe you walk into an empty house, I do, where as my Dad says, "You walk into empty & lonely ain't far behind."

But MANY have no home to come home to. No bed to lie their head.

Maybe you don't have the car you want, but you have a car.

Maybe you don't have the clothes you want, but at least you have clothes.

Maybe the food is 'nasty,' but at least you have food.

I'm guilty of this . . . sometimes I'm frustrated and angry when the fast food place messes up my order, but I TRY to quickly check myself through the reminder I am just blessed to be in the position to have food when many, not just in third-world countries but here in America, do not.

Try to thank the Lord for the blessings you DO have versus allowing the Devil to get you focused on what you DO NOT have!!

So many times in life, we focus on what we want instead of being thankful for what we have or instead of loving the ones, who want to be in our lives and who show they truly have our best interests at heart and love us, we have, we seek out & concern ourselves with why so & so (insert name) doesn't show us more attention, putting more futile effort into being the lone car on the two-way road we call friendship.

We shout out, Lord throw us 'a bone,' when we're figuratively surrounded by more bones than a cemetary! But without awareness & an attitude of gratitude these blessings are overlooked!

Here in the United States, we live in an instant gratification/spoiled country, where what we have is not enough and what we don't have, we want. . . and when we want it, we want it now!

We say, 'God bless America,' but like my Mom says, 'It's time for America to bless God!'

In the midst of all of it, take time, right now & often, to give thanks for what we DO HAVE. Maybe you aren't satisfied with it, but you've still been blessed with it! Some people don't have 'it.'

Let's all quit acting like damn spoiled entitled brats and give thanks~ not just on Thanksgiving~ let it be a way of life!

We have SO much and yet our level of gratitude is SO small!

And when we're faced with adversity, let us remember 1 Peter 1:7

"These trials will show that your faith is genuine. Ti is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold-- though your faith is far more precious than mere gold (or your crib/house, car, SUV, bank account, success, fame etc.). So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world."

Until that AWESOME day comes, let us be . . .

GRATEFUL!!!

It's all about Directions

All of us have God looking DOWN on us (Hebrews 12:1 & Matthew 6:4)~ not in a bad way . . . just meaning we believe Heaven is above, so therefore He looks down on our actions, watching, observing & recording.

No matter whether it's the masses, some or just a handful, we all have those who look UP to us! Celebrities/athletes aren't the only ones who are role models~ we ALL are!! We all have someone who admires us, looks up to us or at the very least watches our actions. Therefore, unless we want our sons, daughters, nieces, nephews or grandchildren to emulate our bad behavior, we need to straighten up how we act and change things we do.

So, it's important we act/do RIGHT, so our blessings don't get LEFT behind!

While it's true the ultimate test of character is how you act when no one is looking, those actions (whether good or bad) aren't the most far reaching, meaning affecting the most people. They are, however, imperative in preparing us to play the game of life!

See, it's practicing when it's just ourselves, God, the devil, our flesh & the temptation, but otherwise no one else around. . . just our computer, our phone, our TV etc. . . . it becomes the game when one or more gets involved.

If you operate in integrity, and no I am NOT claiming I always do (I fall short A LOT~ more times than I would like to admit), when you're alone, you will lay a great foundation to just carry that over when others are around . . . THE GAME!

Remember, it's like my Dad has told me numerous times, you play how you practice!

Blessings meaning us blessing the Lord, blessing others through altruistic acts (selfless) of love & empathy and finally, us getting blessed, nurturing our Spirit man (the Holy Spirit/our soul) through these acts that reaffirm our self-worth and purpose and any other blessings (Mal. 3:10) our Heavenly Father pours down on us, whether in Heaven or here on earth, as a result of being obedient in loving our brothers & sisters the way He has called us to do.

Selfless acts are tri-fold blessings~ they please God, they bless the other person by making them happy and giving them encouragement through validation & we are blessed because it meshes with that deep part in each one of us that SCREAMS, yet subtly & gently whispers, 'Life isn't about us & we are made to love!

So, it's all about directions~ DOWN, UP, RIGHT, LEFT! It's not a Nintendo code, like Super Contra haha, it's a code that has more of an impact than unlimited lives on a video game, it has the potential to give you UNLIMITED LIFE while here on earth.

Copyright John Mark Brooks
September 4, 2011

My SUICIDE

I've had enough of life, the time has come for my suicide
I thought I was chasing truth, but turns out truth lied
There is no more hope, this life has to me killed
No one can help, I'm drowninG, my fate is already sealed
Like Ol' Blue Eyes, I've always done it My Way
Leaving nothinG in my wake but a life lived in gray
So, I'm laying it down, I have run my race
HopinG I'll be met with loving arms & grace
To those who tried to help me, it's not your fault
The devil weaves his webs & sometimes we just get caught
It's not with pills, a gun, a razor-blade, a car or knife
That I will end this empty, always-chasing life
No, on my knees with the Word in my hand
That I will once & for all kill this WRETCH of a man
Arise, arise, arise CHRIST is my soul's only plea
While these chapters & verses crucify . . . . . . ME!

Copyright John Mark Brooks July 12, 2011