MySpace- Our Space- His Space!!!!!

Now brother, since I have your attention. Whatever do you mean? Is it a MySpace thing or do you find it totally useless? What? Tell me, I am all ears…
I just want to know, why you have not signed my guestbook. I will be totally honest.

I am not comfortable as a minister of Gods power to only have females on my page sending their love on a regular. I go out of my way to embrace brothers for real reasons, first I love God and women, but I aint trying to get caught up. Now, I don’t want to speak on it but I believe I will.

We owe each other when it comes to accountability. I am not on MySpace to be an internet Player, Casanova, and whore. Nor do I plan on befriending only women as networking partner’s etc- with a veil of Christianity to hide me. But I will not continue such a page unless I can connect with some men! I am not trying to enlarge my circle with women, been there done that. I am either here to minister to all or none.

Not trying to be the next gossip on MySpace, nor am I trying to be the next brother who has the next sister, to call me her big brother-yet she has some alternate motives, while I may have a weak heart to tell my flesh NO!

Hear me if you love Christ. I need you to be who you say you are, be your “Brother’s Keeper.”

This blog does not have anything to do with a darn guestbook. Prophetically I speak to you as a friend and a brother…Be careful.

Men of God…Soldiers…People of the Kingdom of God- Don’t put each other out there like that; we are designed to stand together not alone-- each man/woman on MySpace who profess to be a believer either has or will meet pressure to cross a line. I am not interested in a woman trying to make a connection with me wearing a familiar disguise of Christ; scripture says, …they have a form, but deny the power (anyone who denies the power.) It happened to me and it happens. (This can be applied by both men and women, not just men)

But if we bond like we should, then we can embrace as we ought, not as our flesh often desires.

Now if you are online looking for a wife/husband do your thing, God bless you towards that end. But if you are married, or already engaged- then you should consider yourself blessed because God just helped you with this message you are reading from a stranger. If you have that special one (I do), then there is no such thing as a “special two”- you can forget that Bro. Great things come in pairs but not more than the two of you…When the scripture talked about a threefold cord not easily broken, it was not talking about you, your partner, and your extra!

God has set me free from the things I write about and if you are not careful a new friend can be a new curse. I advise you to first keep it real, and then keep it (your life) before the Lord

I need you, you need me- 4real 4real- we need each other.

Show ya love! darrin carter

Are You Growing Up or Down?

"Don't give up..... One day I decided to quit... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God. 'God', I asked, 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit? 'His answer surprised me... 'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the Fern and the Bamboo?' 'Yes', I replied. 'When I planted the Fern and the Bamboo seeds, I took very goodcare of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The Fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the Bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the Bamboo.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the Bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the Bamboo. He said. 'In year three there was still nothing from the Bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the Bamboo seed. I would not quit.' He said. 'Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the Fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the Bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots.

Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.' He asked me. 'Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots'. 'I would not quit on the Bamboo. I will never quit on you.'

'Don't compare yourself to others.' He said. 'The Bamboo had a different
Purpose than the Fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.' 'Your time will come', God said to me. 'You will rise high' 'How high should I rise?' I asked. 'How high will the Bamboo rise?' He asked in return.'As high as it can?' I questioned. 'Yes.' He said, 'Give me glory by rising as high as you can.'

I left the forest and brought back this story. I hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. Never, Never, Never Give up. For the Christian Prayer is not an option but an opportunity. Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!

Heavens door open this morning, God asked me... My CHILD... what can I do
for you?' and I said 'Daddy please protect and bless the one reading this
message. God smiled and answered ... 'request granted ............"

Author Unknown~

The Way Things Appeared Was Good- But Actually, It Was Far From God

When we look at the appearance of something, especially, when we are influenced by a cosmetic society it is easy to overly trust our eyes. The eye is definitely what we use to make out what's before us. However, the scripture encourages its reader to not be concern with what one see, be more concern with the thing(s) we do not see. 2 Co 4:18

I realize, that we humans care a lot about what others think. Where we live, how we live, if we do, or if we don’t; all these questions find passage to how we act or better said, how we react.

These societal pressures often causes one to lie. We may do well in word, only hoping to be accepted by hottest in crowd. Sometimes, I would find myself doing acts of kindness just trying to be acknowledge as a good guy. But one day I read how one could give his life to be burned in a fire, but if that burning was not motivated by love it meant nothing. 1 Co 13:3

We do our best to avoid the appearance of evil in the negative sense, but what about those things that appear good but are actually evil? For instance, the fake smiles we greet each other with at times; the giving a person a ride to church makes some angry, yet they continue to do it; when we loan money until payday next week; all appear good, but if our heart is not correct, we have not accomplish anything for God.

Thoughts, words, and deeds are all placed above the Lord’s fire to be tested- will your works burn, or will they last?

Carter with “K”

When it All Falls Down

I am not speaking of Jericho’s wall, Lauryn Hill, or Donnie McClurkin’s “We Fall Down, but We Get Up” hit song. I am speaking of our decisions to turn our face against God. I am speaking of when we say that our plural way of doing things are more enticing than God’s singular way of delivering us from trouble.

Not long ago I called a Pastor friend and asked to borrow about $2,000.00 – I really needed this money and I was certain they understood that. The first reply I received was, “let me pray about it.” I love this person and they also loved me. I began to realize that I was in trouble for the first time when the reply was, “Let me pray.” When my friend finish praying she came back to me a few days later and said with clear voice - “Brother you are in trouble with God, and I can’t help you- If I give you this money it would be like I never gave you anything at all.”

I have not talked with my friend since that conversation (almost 2yrs ago) but I fully agreed with her then, and I still agree with her now. (Friendship is not based on frequency of communication – we are as tight as ever please believe me!) I understand that I had made a decision to induce sufferings in my life. Now I wanted help but God said not so, you will live this one out.

I remember managing a department store with senior management who was a micro manager. Each day this guy would come in the store, before he said good morning and how are you doing? He would say, “Tell me what is happening?” This man wanted a complete run down of each detail- I swear this would piss me off so much that I eventually quit the job.

Recently I started working in my area of study (social service industry/mental health and addictions) and was blessed to work very close to the Executive Vice President and the President directly. I was sitting across from the Executive VP one day while she was talking to the President on a phone call. To my surprise the Executive VP was running down so many small details of the office that I was totally shocked. Immediately, I began to notice that each day this was the routine. First a phone call would happen, then a detailed chronological order of events that were taking place in the office followed…all the way down to who made the coffee (ok I may have exaggerated, but just a bit).

I ran outside to make a personal call; I needed to get my old senior manager on the phone. When he answered I rushed him with my apology. I said this is Darrin Carter and I called you to apologize for all my stubbornness and rebellion towards you. Today I have learned that when I am correct stubbornness is tenacity, but when I am wrong rebellion is called wickedness and even is compared to witchcraft in the scripture.

When it all falls down, you and I are forced to live with our ignorance except we allow somebody to tell us something better. Kanye West has a song out, “Can’t tell Me Nothing,” and to no surprise the hook of the chorus line is, “uh -uh you can’t tell me nothing.”

Pharaoh was warned to let God’s people go, and he said no. This man caused all kinds of sufferings to hit his people, himself, and his land. God allowed his heart to be fixed so that he could not change his mind.

When Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus he could have put up a good fight, instead he lost his sight and learned something greater. Saul became Apostle Paul and the rest is history.

Moses could have seen the promise land, but he got offended after the people were too much to handle. Jehovah told Moses that he would give him a new group but Moses said no.

When it all falls down- what will be your reaction when you received what you said you wanted?


Carter with a “K”

What Work for Some - May Not Work for You

Today is a great day. This sort of opening comment automatically begs the question, what is so great about it? I am glad I asked. Today is great because I am very aware of who I am and where I am from. My statement is simple yet powerful. Who a person is and where they are from says all there is to be said about their sociology. I will attempt to make today’s devotion rather short and sweet because today it is about me; describing myself is as simple as saying my name.

When Jesus walked the streets of Galilee was he called Rabi or teacher? If so, this would be Christ being addressed by what He did for an occupation versus who He is. For instance, would you rather be called your name or your occupation? We address Doctors, Ministers of the Gospel, and judges according to their occupation- but this is not who these folks are, this is an occupation.

At times this can be very confusing as it was with David and King Saul. David had a philistine giant cursing and swearing God’s people, while it appeared that no one would shut his mouth. This infuriated David as later you will read in the scripture I attached. When there is an intruder in ones kingdom refusing to obey the laws of the king, something has to be done to stop such disrespect.

King Saul was king but inwardly he was coward underneath the boisterous Goliath. David was a shepherd by occupation. Nonetheless, David came from the line of Jesse who is directly connected to the genealogy of Christ. Therefore, the king in David blood was offended not the shepherd boy. The royal-ness in his blood was provoked by the insults of Goliath, and when it was time for the true king to stand up for the kingdom, the shepherd defended his throne.

As you will read the armor of King Saul did not fit shepherd boy David, in fact King Saul sword was heavier than Daves total body weight (ok I exaggerated). David did not use the weapon of the more noticeable King Saul because it was not meant for him. Instead, David used testimonies of victory over his past enemies which caused him victory over his present. David started reciting where he was from and gave himself confidence to defeat Goliath by identifying with who he (David) is.

Next time you think you may need a lawyer, doctor, man, or woman, reach for retrospect and pull out a testimony. If what you have in your hand is a slingshot, then find some stones and let it rip. Slingshots are fragile and may not be all that tough, but it’s not the weapon anyway, it is about who is carrying the weapon. We do this in fashion all the time, it’s not the outfit it’s who is wearing it!

Go on and use what appears to be nothing to others and take out your giant! God will be praised because you should be dead; instead you are alive holding the head of your enemy in your hands.

1 Samuel 17

David and Goliath
1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.
4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet [a] tall. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels [b] ; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. [c] His shield bearer went ahead of him.

8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." 10 Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." 11 On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was old and well advanced in years. 13 Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

17 Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah [d] of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. [e] See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance [f] from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines."

20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.

25 Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."

26 David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."

28 When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

29 "Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."

33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."

34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you."

38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
"I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"

45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.
When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath [g] and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. 54 David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.

55 As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?"
Abner replied, "As surely as you live, O king, I don't know."

56 The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is."

57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine's head.

58 "Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked him.
David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

Loss of Memory- "You Better Ask Somebody"

Dear Believer,

I personally enjoy the readings of “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. Who is Oswald? “Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was born July 24, 1874, in Aberdeen, Scotland. Converted in his teen years under the ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, he studied art and archaeology at the University of Edinburgh before answering a call from God to the Christian ministry. He then studied theology at Dunoon College. From 1906-1910 he conducted an itinerant Bible-teaching ministry in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

In 1910, Chambers married Gertrude Hobbs. They had one daughter, Kathleen.
In 1911 he founded and became principal of the Bible Training College in Clapham, London, where he lectured until the school was closed in 1915 because of World War I. In October 1915 he sailed for Zeitoun, Egypt (near Cairo), where he ministered to troops from Australia and New Zealand as a YMCA chaplain. He died there November 15, 1917, following surgery for a ruptured appendix.

Although Oswald Chambers wrote only one book, Baffled to Fight Better, more than thirty titles bear his name. With this one exception, published works were compiled by Mrs. Chambers, a court stenographer, from her verbatim shorthand notes of his messages taken during their seven years of marriage. For half a century following her husband's death she labored to give his words to the world.”
http://www.rbc.org/devotionals/my_utmost_for_his_highest/oswald_chambers_1.page

I believe in devotionals and any tool that will help one increase in the knowledge of their faith in Christ Jesus. Today during my study time I happened upon this scripture in Matthew 5:23-24 with commentary from “My Utmost for His Highest” Oswald C.

The scripture reads: If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift—Matthew 5:23-24

Although Oswald has an entirely different spend on this text, when I applied meditation to what I was reading this is what I discovered.

Have you ever wondered why God believes in forgiveness with such intensity? I often consider this- almost each day. I wonder how could He forgive me? How could He love me? How could I continually allow myself to let such love down? I think to myself that if Jehovah would ask me to mend differences with my family, rather than offer worship and make offering unto His holiness, I think forgiveness must be really important.

I am not going to provide you a list of what should happen next. My aim is to add volume to the Lord’s voice on the topic found in the writing above. I actually like this scripture and it makes me glad to anticipate the day that I recall those whom I offend. Is it not amazing that the text states, “and there remember that your brother has something against you”, at this moment leave your gift and reconcile. The point here is that in His presence all things will be revealed, it’s a matter of you and I choosing not to ignore.

When I worship the Lord I desire to be free, without weights of un-forgiveness and broken relationships. How about you?