Life Lessons Archives – Page 9 of 12

Scripture Faith Inspire Life Lessons People

Self-Freedom

By JM PerezApril 15, 20132 min read537 views

Self-Freedom, Breaking Free from Bondage, Mind Healing, Seeking the path to Serenity, call it whatever you want as long as it means being at peace with ourselves and our surrounding.

“I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.” – Harriet Tubman

We are all slaves of the mind and each one of us in our way is still struggling to break free (often without realizing it). We struggle with honesty, patience, understanding, gratitude, pride, shame, envy, bitterness, gossip, revenge, acceptance, communication, broken promises, forgetfulness, forgiveness, deceits, betrayal, illnesses, letting go, we compete for love, for perishable things as well as nurturing other bad habits just to name a few. Our lack of knowledge is the main cause for us missing on opportunities and being rewarded for what is rightly ours.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. – Hosea 4:6 (NKJV)

When you stay true to yourself, live in accordance with and act in obedience with the Word of God, you change not only the way people view you, but you change people as well. Once you believe and come to terms with the fact that the Word of God is precise, clear, true and that everything you learn and relate back with the World can be found in Scriptures, then and only then will you achieve self-freedom and break free from bondage.

Stand your grounds, guard your heart and thoughts, do not let anyone fool or use you and do not willingly put yourself in a compromising situation. Know and understand the God you serve and trust that His Words, which are alive and active will prevail and free you from the hands of your oppressors.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

My heart goes out to the Boston Marathon bombing victims. I pray that the souls of the departed rest peacefully in the Almighty’s arms and wish a painless and swift recovery to the injured.

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By JM Perez

Scripture Personal Quest Inspire Life Lessons

Identifying and Dealing with a ‘Bad Seed’

By JM PerezApril 11, 20134 min read859 views

“To understand the phenomenon of a bad seed is to recognize that we could be someone else’s bad seed.” – Joan Ambu

There’s an old Elm Tree across from our Home which releases white seeds by the hundred during Spring and unfortunately for us, those seeds land in our yard. I often gather them into piles using an outdoor broom and I either use a dustpan or my garden vacuum to collect the seeds before disposing of them. At the end of the day I still have a few more hundred lying around my property. As long as they are non-existent in the area I want, I let the others be. There’s no way I can possibly get rid of them all as their light shape makes it easy for the wind to move them from one location to another. All it takes for those seeds to germinate is a little bit of water as they seem to thrive in any type of soil (I know because I have spent countless hours pulling the seedlings).

The same scenario applies to Weeds. How do you feel about those weeds growing on your property? If you are like me, I bet you don’t like them (at least not all of them). Year after year you weed, you use chemicals and do everything you can think about to get rid of them yet, they keep coming in the numbers. After a while you realize that it’s not about preventing the weeds from growing or your method of weeding which is questionable. It’s about understanding how those seeds end up on your property and how to prevent them from spreading too much since it’s impossible to completely eradicate them.

Dealing with Weeds	Dealing with People
» Know your geographic area » Learn about the different types of weeds (to recognize those growing on your property) » Figure out the weeds you can live with and those you don’t want » Find ways to control them (fencing, chemicals, hand weeding, etc) » If you don’t mind the weeds, then just let them be.	→ Be aware of your surroundings → Learn more about the people around you → Figure out those who are true to you and those you don’t need around you → Find ways to maintain peace with everyone → If you don’t care, simply allow bad energy to free-float around you.

Bad seeds are everywhere and chances are, we are a bad seed in someone else’s life.

Some Characteristics of Bad Seeds:

Answer to no one
Is their way or nothing at all
Are resentful
Have nothing positive to say about others

Play tough and ‘seem’ to have no remorse
Erratic behavior when overtaken by guilt
Play the victim when hell breaks loose
Hope to be forgiven yet withhold forgiveness

The truth about bad seeds is that they can be found everywhere and they are here to stay, just like every other living thing. Their various sizes often make them hard to see and by the time we spot them, they have spread, using their roots to seek out nutrients from other plants, subsequently draining them in the process. Weeds fight for survival, for that last drop of water (not caring about the other plants around them). How does this relate to people? Most of us have become an attention seeking species with a dangerous taste of perfection, which unfortunately, is not of this World. Our quest for self-worth and self-acceptance often cause us to put others down, give ourselves too much credit just to feel superior in comparison (which is self-destructive).

How to Break Free from becoming a bad seed:

Be grateful
Live your best life
Love, respect yourself and know your limits
Identify your personal issues
Seek peaceful ways to overcome your weaknesses
Recognize that all lives have value
Be accountable for your own actions

Respect others regardless
They are many solutions to a problem
Practice humility, acceptance
Release judgment and remove prejudice
Find strength and joy in small things
Practice the Golden Rule
Forgive others

We often withhold forgiveness as a mean of punishment (“If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” ― John 20:23 (NIV)) and often because somewhere in our twisted minds we think we are better than the other person. Withholding forgiveness is simply fatal to our spiritual growth and the pleasure we get from it is just temporary. In the end we are the ones with a heavy load in our heart and on our mind: unable to find peace, happiness, to think straight, to love ourselves and unable to receive the graces of God (“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” ― Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV)).

Forgiving someone is your gift to yourself to be released from bondage, to start healing and experience joy.

“How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy.”― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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By JM Perez

Inspire Life Lessons People

The 3 Basic Types of Friends

By JM PerezMarch 15, 20133 min read1.8K views

An adaptation of TD Jakes
By A Beacon of Hope Red Moon

The Wise One once said:
“There are 3 people you need to be aware of and beware of…. The 3 C’s” *

Confidant: These people are for, “YOU” they are with “YOU”. They are the ones who are responsible for leading you to your destiny. They will challenge you, confront you, rejoice with you weep with you…They will be there through it all good or bad, they will mentor you to reach your full potential. These people are far and few between. If you have found one…or one has found you, you are so very fortunate. Remember, become who you want in your life. You will know if you have a real confidant when you share exciting news, they will rejoice with you, they will weep with you when you are in pain, but also they will help you get going again. If you don’t feel genuine excitement and true emotion, beware, they are one of the other 2 below.

Constituents: These people are ”For” what you are “For”. As long as you are for what they are for, they will walk with you, work with you, be there for what you are for. You must know this, become aware of this, because if they meet somebody else, that will further their agenda(s) they will leave you and be with somebody else to further their agenda. You must be careful not to mistake your constituents for your confidants. This can happen quite easily when you are down and out. You can truly believe you have a confidant when you were in fact too blind to see, because your emotions were unstable and human needs irrationally took over. If you can at least recognize you are in a vulnerable state, take it easy on what you choose to disclose. When you tell these people your dream they are the types that will leave you to go and carry out your dream.

Comrades: These people are “Against” what you are “Against”. They will be there for the battle, right by your side, these people are like scaffolding. They will team up with you to help fight. They will only be with you to fight what you are against, but when the battle is over they will leave…. but like scaffolding that is erected around the building when it is removed, the building, the strong new structure still remains. That represents the strength you have gained; a new phase in your life’s path that you now feel more certain about. These people have come into your life to complete a purpose. If you tell these people your dream, they will not support you, because they were never for YOU to begin with.

*Image Source: InspirationalThinkTank .com.*

Expect the constituents and the comrades to desert you after a while, because they were never for “you” anyway. Just beware who you do share your dream with. Trust lies embedded in this process. Trusting your analysis, intuition and not wishing on the hope that he or she might change. See it as it is and not any worse. Then you too can make for a more peaceful life.

Do not waste another minute beating yourself up when you feel disappointed or someone falls out of your life. Stop and think about what you just read and take control of your life and don’t take it personally how some of these types of people behave. You will have the wisdom now to know and understand the difference. Whatever the reason or season these types show up in your life, be sure now to make the most out of it. You will almost be able to predict when their time is done. We need all types in this world, but a more certain, more stable and confident you is what the world needs most.

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By JM Perez

Scripture Faith Inspire Life Lessons

Scripture: Romans 12:9-21

By JM PerezMarch 13, 20132 min read1.6K views

Have you ever stumbled upon something, a piece of writing that warmed up your heart? Have you ever read something so simple yet so powerful with a huge impact behind it? I enjoy good reads and I love finding wonderful scriptures to share with Family, Friends, Acquaintances and everyone else in between.

In the absence of my usual posting, I am sharing a scripture on Genuine Love towards one another from the Book of Romans in the New Testament, written by the Apostle Paul.

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:9-21 (NKJV)

If you want an in-depth explanation of this scripture, visit RayStedman.org.

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By JM Perez

Cutting Cords Strength of The Small Inspire Life Lessons People

Lifestyle Choices

By JM PerezFebruary 18, 20133 min read545 views

I have been feeling like an embryo in my Mother’s womb; able to hear people’s conversations, to feel their pain, but unable to help out. There is a contagious virus going around robbing individuals of their sight, blinding them with a lie, stripping them of their most priceless possession they will come to own and placing uncertainty on their mind.
Some people, when faced with tragedy, meltdown, deception, disappointments, betrayal (you name it) are too quick to point the finger at others, too quick to give up and get out rather than stand tough and work things out.

Due to the amount of pain I am witnessing around me, I’ve been thinking about Lifestyle choices and couldn’t help but wonder if they sometimes cause us more damage than good? We are always so obsessed with focusing on material things or looking for something (supposedly bigger and/or better) that we are never really able to enjoy what we have, that we are never really in touch with ourselves. This can often be seen in relationships and such choices make a huge difference between Happiness and despair, between love and heartache.

“Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin.” ― Leviticus 19:17 (NLT)

We are all victims of the bad economy. So many of us have lost our homes, our jobs and in extreme cases, our self-esteem. Are these reasons valid enough to take them a step further by pointing fingers, threatening and ending a relationship? Is the loss of a loved one more important than the well-being of the living? Is the pain so unbearable that we believe inflicting it on others might give us some closure or help us heal faster? How does one treat a sibling wrongly, turning family members against a sibling and then play the victim?

How do we go from loving someone one minute to hating them the next?
Cutting Cords is sometimes necessary to end an unloving relationship and take time to heal. For instance, when a couple’s needs become incompatible or when they stop having the same vision. If it ever comes down to that, the best approach is to Part in Love, ending the relationship with Love and Respect for one another.

We are a Society who have come to believe that silence is the ultimate treatment for those who don’t see things our way. In other words, we think that withholding communication to others is as effective as punishing them. Hatred for someone or something is a weakness as it doesn’t make us think straight. When we are consumed by anger and consciously decide not to let go, we are actually inflicting more pain unto ourselves. Lingering on robs us of so much and leaves us empty. We attract so much negative energy, our heart darkens, we become deaf to the voice of reason and we are unable to receive the healing grace of God.

“Love is not a dead sentence and should never be used as a weapon of destruction.” ― Joan Ambu

Our daily decisions can either help us move forward and excel in life or hold us back. The choice is always ours. Too often we change/rearrange things when ideally we should be supportive, patient, understanding and loving while things fall into place on their own. Our Lifestyle choices reflect our values, determine our future and can either empower us to do great things or drive us to lose what is most important.