This question was posed by a youth in San Francisco, CA.
How can I present myself physically in a way that demands respect as a Christian and still be fashionable and fabulous?
Well, I know this is something that alot of people struggle with. They want to look their best and feel good about what they see in the mirror, but the trends are short and tight. None of which demand respect as a Christian----regardless of what celebrities say. We live in a society where saying that you are a Christian comes as easy as breathing, but people don't take it as seriously. To be a Christian is to be 'Christ like' or 'of Christ'. And alot of what we see from people who claim to be Christian is not 'Christ like' and doesn't come close to being 'of Christ.' Herein lies our dilemna....people hear "I am a Christian" and they figure well if he/she is doing it then it must be okay.
Here are some general guidelines to follow:
1. If your chest is showing in any manner.....you need to not only go change but you need to either put a camisole or another shirt under it or throw it out. PERIOD!
2. If your clothes are leaving lines on your skin because they are so tight or you have to "suck it in" to get in it......baby.....you need to go up to your size. No one wants to see the imprint from your last breath.
3. Just because they made it in your size does not mean that you need to wear it. Now automatically people thought that I was referring to larger sized individuals but that is not true. There are alot of smaller sized individuals that are wearing things that look absolutely rediculous on them.
4. One way to measure your skirt and whether or not it is the right fit and the right length is to sit down. If rides up extremely far, then it is either too short or the cut of it is not right for your shape. Either way, you need to try it again.
5. It is very easy to take a trend and dress it up so that what is suppose to be covered is covered.
6. If you wouldn't wear it looking eye to eye with Christ, then don't put it on at all. The reason is because He is always present and looking at us and He is either smiling or frowning at our actions. Live as if you have to face Him daily and you will find that your decision making skills will be sharper.
I could go on all day about this and if someone has specific questions or a situation that they would like to go deeper into then please let me know. But I think that if you follow these steps then you will definitely be headed in the right direction. It is okay to look good and be a Christian, I do it every day and there are hundreds of thousands of others that do it as well. The main thing is that you don't want to be a hinderance to someone else or to yourself. In everything you do, once you make the statement that you are a Christian, people connect you to God. If you act a fool, then they associate foolishness with God. If you are always down and depressed, then they associate those things with God. If you are dressing like a hot mess, then they associate that with God as well. You are the child of a King. The bible declares that everything in the Earth and the fulness thereof belongs to God. That means everything on the Earth and everything that these items will produce ultimately belong to God. So you belong to Him, too. Represent your Father well and make Him proud. If you listen, He will guide you to being fashionable and fabulous........He created it!
Blessings and Love,
Pastor Nichica Smith
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
STRAIGHT TALK--Don't Confuse God with Disney
For those who are not familiar with the site, Straight Talk is where I answer questions that have been submitted on the site or brought up in another setting. This question was posed by someone in Oakland, CA.
How can a mother pick up her soul after being hurt from someone she loved for many years?
Although this was asked from a female perspective, anyone can relate to the feelings of hurt, abandonment, loneliness, low self esteem, and a host of other things. It is hard to give yourself to someone and create that bond of trust, when you don't know what tomorrow will hold. You don't know how long they will love you or how long you will love them. You don't know how often or how long they will make you smile, laugh, cry, or cuss. You literally go into the relationship blind, if you are honest with yourself, because you are basing everything on hope and not on solid and concrete things. We go into relationships ignoring the obvious and making excuses for things that we see but hope will go away. That is not God, that is Disney.
1. One should never give their heart and soul to another unless it is spoken by God. Other wise we lend our most precious and vulnerable parts of ourselves to the enemy for him to play and bring close to destruction. God tells us clearly that we should not cast our pearls before swine. The enemy will allow us to love hard and love long so that by the time our promise gets to us we don't want anything to do love. We get to the point of bitterness that we don't believe in love and we become so empty inside that we are like the walking dead going through the motions.
2. We don't know love until we know the love of God. Most people find a person and then they find God. That is really backwards. We must first experience the love of God in order to be able to compare what other's call love to it. The Word of God says that love is patient and it is kind. But love is not perfect-except for God's love-- and there will be some pain experienced in being in relationships because life is full of ups and downs and the enemy is constantly seeing how he can mess with our faith and ultimately our relationship with God. However, there is a difference between going through a battle with your mate and your mate being the battle. One thing that I always told God is that I don't mind going through and don't mind fighting, but I don't want to be fighting with my mate. I want us to go through the battle's together and not be each other's battle. When you experience God's love, everything else pales in comparison because you always have a smile on the inside of you and a light that is shining that can not be dimmed by situations or people. That same kind of light and smile can be shared between a man and a woman, but only when it has been ordained by God. Otherwise, it is temporary and temporary can not withstand storms and it most certainly can not withstand time (including eternity)
3. Healing is a process and it begins with confession, verbal and out loud for you and God to hear, of how you truly feel and how you are hurting. Once you admit where you are God can take you where you want to go. God will then take you through the process and He will take you one step at a time. Understand that along the way you will be tested. There will be a scent or a word or a place that will remind you of something in your past and you will find out exactly how far you have come and how far you need to go. Each person's healing process is different, so it is impossible for me to provide you with exact details. Just know that complete healing is possible and it doesn't take forever. God will not only heal you, but he will prepare you for your divine destiny. But He can only do it as fast as your faith is strong.
Remember that nothing is over until God says it is over. Hold on to your faith and hold on to God with everything you have in you. Your relationship with Him will grow to places that you never thought it would be and you will look back over it and laugh. You will laugh at the enemy because he didn't take you out when he had the chance and now you are going to live your life to the fullest and live it according to God's will and His plan for your life.
Blessings and Peace,
Pastor Nichica Smith
How can a mother pick up her soul after being hurt from someone she loved for many years?
Although this was asked from a female perspective, anyone can relate to the feelings of hurt, abandonment, loneliness, low self esteem, and a host of other things. It is hard to give yourself to someone and create that bond of trust, when you don't know what tomorrow will hold. You don't know how long they will love you or how long you will love them. You don't know how often or how long they will make you smile, laugh, cry, or cuss. You literally go into the relationship blind, if you are honest with yourself, because you are basing everything on hope and not on solid and concrete things. We go into relationships ignoring the obvious and making excuses for things that we see but hope will go away. That is not God, that is Disney.
1. One should never give their heart and soul to another unless it is spoken by God. Other wise we lend our most precious and vulnerable parts of ourselves to the enemy for him to play and bring close to destruction. God tells us clearly that we should not cast our pearls before swine. The enemy will allow us to love hard and love long so that by the time our promise gets to us we don't want anything to do love. We get to the point of bitterness that we don't believe in love and we become so empty inside that we are like the walking dead going through the motions.
2. We don't know love until we know the love of God. Most people find a person and then they find God. That is really backwards. We must first experience the love of God in order to be able to compare what other's call love to it. The Word of God says that love is patient and it is kind. But love is not perfect-except for God's love-- and there will be some pain experienced in being in relationships because life is full of ups and downs and the enemy is constantly seeing how he can mess with our faith and ultimately our relationship with God. However, there is a difference between going through a battle with your mate and your mate being the battle. One thing that I always told God is that I don't mind going through and don't mind fighting, but I don't want to be fighting with my mate. I want us to go through the battle's together and not be each other's battle. When you experience God's love, everything else pales in comparison because you always have a smile on the inside of you and a light that is shining that can not be dimmed by situations or people. That same kind of light and smile can be shared between a man and a woman, but only when it has been ordained by God. Otherwise, it is temporary and temporary can not withstand storms and it most certainly can not withstand time (including eternity)
3. Healing is a process and it begins with confession, verbal and out loud for you and God to hear, of how you truly feel and how you are hurting. Once you admit where you are God can take you where you want to go. God will then take you through the process and He will take you one step at a time. Understand that along the way you will be tested. There will be a scent or a word or a place that will remind you of something in your past and you will find out exactly how far you have come and how far you need to go. Each person's healing process is different, so it is impossible for me to provide you with exact details. Just know that complete healing is possible and it doesn't take forever. God will not only heal you, but he will prepare you for your divine destiny. But He can only do it as fast as your faith is strong.
Remember that nothing is over until God says it is over. Hold on to your faith and hold on to God with everything you have in you. Your relationship with Him will grow to places that you never thought it would be and you will look back over it and laugh. You will laugh at the enemy because he didn't take you out when he had the chance and now you are going to live your life to the fullest and live it according to God's will and His plan for your life.
Blessings and Peace,
Pastor Nichica Smith
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Alpha and Omega
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. It has been preached the world over and we immediately connect it to the creation in Genesis and the end in Revelation. However, that is not all of what God is referring to. He is the beginning and ending of literally EVERYTHING! It takes Him to start something and it takes Him to finish it. Creation is not the only thing that started with God speaking a word. Our very existence, each of us individually, came into being based on God speaking a word. He says that He knew us while we were yet in our mother's womb and He has equipped us with all we need to get through every challenge that we will face. That all started with a word from God. Alpha! And nothing can come to an end unless God says that it is to be so and He is there when it ends as He is a God that is omnipresent, which means He is in all places, at all times, all of the time. Omega!
We must also realize that trials in our life can not start until He says so. He is also the beginning of that as well, which is why His word says that He will not put more on us than we can bear. He says that His yolk is easy and His burden is light. If He was not there to start and stop it, Alpha and Omega, then we would surely be in serious trouble. Our faith rests on God being there and showing us what our next steps should be so that we do not succumb to the trial and/or temptation.
It should be a comfort to every believer that God loves them enough to be that involved in every single aspect of their lives. The start and end of your day and then everything that happens in between. Every interaction that you have and everything we do, He is there for the beginning and the end. Now, I feel the need to clarify something. God does not start our foolishness, nor is He a part of it. He gives us the choice to follow or ignore His direction. So don't try and blame Him for the craziness and foolishness, because if you really sat down and thought about it, He sent warnings. But you chose to ignore them. But to God be the glory, that He was there to be Omega and end it before it ended you. This is why it is so important to give God credit and praise for every little thing and don't credit ourselves for things that we really did not and could not do. If the Word of God is true, and I know that it is, it clearly says that it is through God that we move, breathe, and have our very being.
To God Be The Glory For Being Alpha and Omega! And a final word to the wise, let Him be just that in every area in your life so that you can have that peace that surpasses all understanding!
Blessings and Love,
Pastor Nichica Smith
We must also realize that trials in our life can not start until He says so. He is also the beginning of that as well, which is why His word says that He will not put more on us than we can bear. He says that His yolk is easy and His burden is light. If He was not there to start and stop it, Alpha and Omega, then we would surely be in serious trouble. Our faith rests on God being there and showing us what our next steps should be so that we do not succumb to the trial and/or temptation.
It should be a comfort to every believer that God loves them enough to be that involved in every single aspect of their lives. The start and end of your day and then everything that happens in between. Every interaction that you have and everything we do, He is there for the beginning and the end. Now, I feel the need to clarify something. God does not start our foolishness, nor is He a part of it. He gives us the choice to follow or ignore His direction. So don't try and blame Him for the craziness and foolishness, because if you really sat down and thought about it, He sent warnings. But you chose to ignore them. But to God be the glory, that He was there to be Omega and end it before it ended you. This is why it is so important to give God credit and praise for every little thing and don't credit ourselves for things that we really did not and could not do. If the Word of God is true, and I know that it is, it clearly says that it is through God that we move, breathe, and have our very being.
To God Be The Glory For Being Alpha and Omega! And a final word to the wise, let Him be just that in every area in your life so that you can have that peace that surpasses all understanding!
Blessings and Love,
Pastor Nichica Smith
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Stop Focusing On The Rug
We have all heard the phrase: "Pulled the rug out from under me." Sometimes in our Christian walk we feell like the rug has been pulled out from under us because we were in a place where were happy and content and then all of a sudden it seemed as if anything that could go wrong... did. Or something 'out of the blue' kind of blind sides us and we are left wondering, where did that come from? Then we spend amazing amounts of time wondering why, and how we are going to fix it, how could this happen, where did this come from, what did I do wrong, and a whole host of stuff that clouds our minds and gets us focusing on the 'rug'.
The rug represents that thing that we thought mattered, but really didn't hold that much significance or importance. We got used to the rug being there and were comfortable with its presence, but if we actually took a step back and examined it....the rug didn't really do much but collect dirt. So when God decided to remove the rug, through His perfect will, we focus on the rug. We watch it leave our presence and wonder why God decided to remove it now...as if there would have been a better time for Him to do it. Or as if He needed to consult with us prior to doing anything. We put all of our energy on the removal of the thing that did nothing but collect the dirt in our lives and cause our allergies to act up because it was also holding on to the dirt of people that we allowed into our space. We start getting upset and afraid and nervous that the rug is no longer going to be there. Blaming the removal of it on the enemy and not believing that God would do something like that?! And to quote one of my members, we are focusing so much on the rug that we don't realize that the floor under neath, that had been covered up and ignored this entire time, is Gold!
Stop focusing on the rug and bless God for what He is getting ready to do. When God does something, it most definitely has a purpose. But it is up to us to trust His judgement and open our eyes, heart's, and spirit's to what he is trying to show us and the levels that He is trying to take us to.
Blessings and love,
Pastor Nichica Smith
The rug represents that thing that we thought mattered, but really didn't hold that much significance or importance. We got used to the rug being there and were comfortable with its presence, but if we actually took a step back and examined it....the rug didn't really do much but collect dirt. So when God decided to remove the rug, through His perfect will, we focus on the rug. We watch it leave our presence and wonder why God decided to remove it now...as if there would have been a better time for Him to do it. Or as if He needed to consult with us prior to doing anything. We put all of our energy on the removal of the thing that did nothing but collect the dirt in our lives and cause our allergies to act up because it was also holding on to the dirt of people that we allowed into our space. We start getting upset and afraid and nervous that the rug is no longer going to be there. Blaming the removal of it on the enemy and not believing that God would do something like that?! And to quote one of my members, we are focusing so much on the rug that we don't realize that the floor under neath, that had been covered up and ignored this entire time, is Gold!
Stop focusing on the rug and bless God for what He is getting ready to do. When God does something, it most definitely has a purpose. But it is up to us to trust His judgement and open our eyes, heart's, and spirit's to what he is trying to show us and the levels that He is trying to take us to.
Blessings and love,
Pastor Nichica Smith
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Rental Contract or Ownership?
We are taught early on that it is better to own than to rent. We are taught that you get more in the long run if you own your home versus renting because renting is like throwing your money away and there is no real pay off. The same principle holds true in our relationship with God. The majority of the believers are operating based on a rental contract with God. Whenever they don't understand what God is telling them to do, whenever they are uncomfortable with doing what God is asking them to do, or when they just don't want to do it......they in essence are evicting God and putting their own will before His perfect will. Then once we see that we have messed up the situation or we see that it was better to do it God's way, we go through the repentance process and invite Him back in, but still under the terms of the rental agreement. Just like with any rental agreement, there are clauses that state what can and can not happen and what the land lord will and will not do. Does that sound familiar in regards to our walk with God? Yes, God I will do it but only if......; Yes, God I will go but only if....... RENTAL AGREEMENT!
As I was studying Genesis 39, it talks of the familiar story of Joseph and Potiphar. If you are not familiar with that, take the time to read it as it is not a long chapter and it will help you understand more of what I am saying. There is a consistent statement made throughout the chapter and that statement is..."The Lord was with him and everything he touched was blessed." For those who are familiar with Joseph, you know that Joseph had many up's and down's. He was favored by his father Jacob, but his brothers tried to kill him. He was sold into slavery and then set up on rape charges and placed in prison. However, in spite of all of this the bible clearly declares that "the Lord was with him" and not only that, others who did not even worship the Lord took note of it. Why? Why in spite of all of these things that happened in chapter 39, there is no record of Joseph rolling in the floor and crying out and questioning God and all of these other things that we tend to do when craziness starts happening in our lives? Because Joseph did not have a rental agreement with God, he allowed God to have full ownership of him.
The bible clearly declares that our bodies are a temple for the spirit of God. Joseph allowed the spirit of God to have a permanent home within him and not a 6, 9, or 12 month lease. That is why Joseph's blessings and victories were consistent instead of sporadic. Yes, he obviously had things, situations, and people that came his way with the hope of destroying him. But because God had ownership of him, those things could do nothing but fail! How powerful is that! Now, listen carefully and pay close attention to what I am getting ready to tell you.......you can still be blessed by having a rental agreement! What?! Yes, you can. HOWEVER... you have to determine a couple of things: 1. Do you want your blessings and victories to be consistent or sporadic 2. Any tenant in a rental agreement has the right to leave when they want and not renew their lease, so do you want to be in an eternal covenant with God? He is not a yo yo and should not be used as such. Allow God to take up permanent residency in you and watch how your life will change. Now this doesn't happen over night. It is a process and a journey because you have to allow God to remove everything and everyone that would stand in the way of you and Him. Temptation will come and come some more. Distractions will come and come some more, but you have to keep your mind centered on what your ultimate goal is. Keep in mind Joseph and if everything he touched was blessed and other people were blessed just because they were in his presence, then God can and will do the same thing for you.
If you have any questions about this or any other posting, or just questions in general, please let me know by submitting a post on this blog and I will answer them within 24 hours. I pray that this blog is helping you to grow in your walk with God and to want Him more than you ever have. The bible declares that it is through God and by God that we move, breathe, and have our very being. So I pray that your relationship with Him continues to reach new heights each and every day of your life!
Blessings and Love,
Pastor Nichica Smith
As I was studying Genesis 39, it talks of the familiar story of Joseph and Potiphar. If you are not familiar with that, take the time to read it as it is not a long chapter and it will help you understand more of what I am saying. There is a consistent statement made throughout the chapter and that statement is..."The Lord was with him and everything he touched was blessed." For those who are familiar with Joseph, you know that Joseph had many up's and down's. He was favored by his father Jacob, but his brothers tried to kill him. He was sold into slavery and then set up on rape charges and placed in prison. However, in spite of all of this the bible clearly declares that "the Lord was with him" and not only that, others who did not even worship the Lord took note of it. Why? Why in spite of all of these things that happened in chapter 39, there is no record of Joseph rolling in the floor and crying out and questioning God and all of these other things that we tend to do when craziness starts happening in our lives? Because Joseph did not have a rental agreement with God, he allowed God to have full ownership of him.
The bible clearly declares that our bodies are a temple for the spirit of God. Joseph allowed the spirit of God to have a permanent home within him and not a 6, 9, or 12 month lease. That is why Joseph's blessings and victories were consistent instead of sporadic. Yes, he obviously had things, situations, and people that came his way with the hope of destroying him. But because God had ownership of him, those things could do nothing but fail! How powerful is that! Now, listen carefully and pay close attention to what I am getting ready to tell you.......you can still be blessed by having a rental agreement! What?! Yes, you can. HOWEVER... you have to determine a couple of things: 1. Do you want your blessings and victories to be consistent or sporadic 2. Any tenant in a rental agreement has the right to leave when they want and not renew their lease, so do you want to be in an eternal covenant with God? He is not a yo yo and should not be used as such. Allow God to take up permanent residency in you and watch how your life will change. Now this doesn't happen over night. It is a process and a journey because you have to allow God to remove everything and everyone that would stand in the way of you and Him. Temptation will come and come some more. Distractions will come and come some more, but you have to keep your mind centered on what your ultimate goal is. Keep in mind Joseph and if everything he touched was blessed and other people were blessed just because they were in his presence, then God can and will do the same thing for you.
If you have any questions about this or any other posting, or just questions in general, please let me know by submitting a post on this blog and I will answer them within 24 hours. I pray that this blog is helping you to grow in your walk with God and to want Him more than you ever have. The bible declares that it is through God and by God that we move, breathe, and have our very being. So I pray that your relationship with Him continues to reach new heights each and every day of your life!
Blessings and Love,
Pastor Nichica Smith
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