Lure

I often get all sorts of mail, one mail in particular always opens like this. You've been selected for one of these gifts, £150, £500, and up to £10,000 cash, but there is a catch, register to receive our credit. Card or make a minimum purchase of £100 from us and be on our mailing list, some of these mails are from companies I know others are not. The catch phrase  headline is always the award, while the conditions stay hidden. 
Sometimes you'll be told you've won an amount, but to collect your price you have to call a premium  number which will cost a lot of money. So nothing is as free as it seems there is always a catch. 
This got me thinking, why is the catch hidden? Why isn't that the main thing since what you've got to do is what guarantees the price?
Well they know most people will be attracted by the lure of an award.

Same with our adversary the devil, he often package his price in the lure of good things. He never tells you there's a bitter price to pay when you fall for his tricks, his sole aim is to get us first, then when we are deeply in his grip, we find it difficult to get out. 
What are you being tempted with today? Look critically at what you've yielded to and if you have fallen for his dirty tricks, come out you don't have to stay there. 
Are you in the grip of sexual addiction, achololism, food, work, excessive spending or other lure? Ask God to help you get out of it's grip. 
And be on alert for the tempting offers draped in attractive prices. If it's too good to be true it probably is. 

Lose Your Grip

As I watched the capture of Gaddafi, the question which came to mind was why didn't he quit? Why don't they all quit, these dictators of decades. What is is about the position that makes them hang on even to dead.
Power? They already have,
fame, they have, wealth, they have. My opinion is, they lack security. Despite the power, wealth, fame, etc, they cling on because that's their identity. It's what empowers them. Strip that and they are empty. This is why they stay on even till death.
They all had the choice of leaving honorably having ruled for so long, but no they choose to died the death of a criminal.
Lesson learnt. What are you clinging on to? You refused to let go despite all the signs and pressure to lose your hold.
Are you hanging on in the Belive that you will come out victorious? Are you certain of victory? Why don't you take a look at the issue again, is it worth dying the death of a fool?
If you've given the issue your very best and the pressure is on to quit, do so honorably. Leave while the ovation is loudest.
Find a worthy cause to give your effort to if you feel you will lose your ID by relinquishing control.

Are you hanging on to a relationship which is dead from all indications in the hope that it will get better? Pray about it, examine it again and decide on a course of action, let go.
Are you in a career which is going no where, and drowning under the pressure to hang on? Throw in the towel and leave.
We could be hanging on to failed dreams, worthless ideas, friendship, empty promises. Whatever it maybe, take a bow and leave.
Seek to do things better and achieve greater success as you prayerfully make your decision to move on and reinvent your goals, dreams ambitions.
Take hold of faith as you purposefully move on.
See a new dawn beckons and fly away as you envision brighter days, years and life ahead.
Shake loose the dust of the past and embrace the scent of success in the present.

Reaching Out

I reach out when I am wrong and when I am in the right: I do this for several reasons one of which is to maintain a relationship, if I think the relationship is worth maintaining. The other is to keep the peace. I read some where that it takes a mature soul to extend a hand of truce even when they are right.

I have often wondered why people insist on destroying a good relationship because they feel they’ve been wrongly done by. Even if you are in the right and someone has wronged you, if the relationship is one that was previously healthy, you can reach out even if you think you are the one who has been wronged.

I think a lot of the problem we face today in our world can be resolved if people are willing to say I am sorry, I was wrong, or just simply apologise just to make amends and keep a friend or a make a friend out of a foe. (no, we don’t want to be though fools, we have to get even, show them who we are).

But no, we insist on our own, we want apologise and the worse thing is that even when we get an apology we just can’t be bothered because we often have made up our minds as to how we want the relationships.

I can happily say I have good friends in my life and regardless of who is wrong or right I have decided to always extend a hand of reconciliation if there is a disagreement. Sadly some of those I call friends have bit off my hand by ignoring my hand of peace, either by refusing to acknowledge it or say point blank that they’ll rather not continue the relationship.. I admire the second group of people because they are bold enough to speak their mind, (/Sadly no one actually fall into this group, most fall into the first category).

Do you fall in the first category, I huge you be bold and speak your mind. If you want to end a relationship say so, directly, not in riddles, but I’ll rather you reach out and give a hand of hope, love, and reconciliation no matter what.. Especially if you feel the relationship is worth it.
Now, you may have some good reasons to want to opt out, do so, but not with malice. Who knows where you may be in years to come. If you end a friendship so easily then it didn’t mean anything to you in the first place, regardless of our reasons. Ending a relationship should be like breaking up a marriage, difficult and with so much pain. Yes people go through divorce, but I don’t think it is an easy decision, no matter the reason for doing so.

What happened to turning the other cheek if you are slapped? Being a peacemaker, being merciful, being meek…….

If we truly seek peace and pursue it, half the world's problem will be resolve.

So straight from my heart is this peace encouraging you to
Reach out whenever, wherever, however,
Take a turn of love when all else fails,
Walk the path which leads to peace

Reach out even when you are right and when you are wrong
Spun your heart to the object of your affection and be all that’s noble
Be decent in thought for within lies eternal joy, peace and life

In moments of pain reach out,
As a flower bloom, and gloom fills the glove,
Be the glow that puts light back on

Reach out to a child in need, a friend who stays away
A hurting mother
A wronged sister
An absent father
An unforgiving brother
A Stray husband
When everything fails draw strength from one who reached out to you when you where still in sin and died for you.
Reach out for in extending your hand, you may ignite hope in one who is tasty for hope and desperate for love. Reach out.