Tag Archives: christianity

You Have Nothing to Prove

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“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” This. Because so many of us are in bondage to people. We dress, we work, we act, we do for others. What will so and so think, how many likes can I get, can I get promoted for this? It’s easy to let perception, influence, recognition run us.

Naturally we want to please our family, friends, baes, boos, bosses, fans, people in general, but reality is we’ll never be good enough for everyone. We can’t please or find favor with everyone. But God. The one who matters will be well pleased with us if we trust in and follow Him over man. Sounds easy, but it’s not. Actually think about it, how often do you make decisions based on what someone will think of you vs what you really want to do or feel led to do? From the little day to day things to the “bigger” life things… be honest 🙂

Let’s talk about this “proving ourselves” thing a little bit more. It’s such a part of our culture that it seems to be a natural, normal thing. Truth is we should only be concerned with what God thinks of us, “well done my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21) And please don’t take this out of context… I’m not saying to neglect responsibility or don’t do things that are expected of us. I’m talking about our tendency to put people before God. Something I believe comes from a desire within to prove ourselves. At some point in life, a seed was planted that we aren’t good enough or that we don’t and never will measure up. Maybe it was something someone directly or indirectly said to us, a teacher, family, friends, society, circumstance or our own selves… missed expectations? Maybe it was something we’ve just internalized over time making us feel lesser than. It could be anything that’s led us to this point of believing we have to do whatever it takes to make it, to prove ourselves.

Why is thinking this way faulty? Because f r e e d o m. When we’re living to please others over God, we lack freedom and we’re bound to man. Freedom starts with an inner contentment with who we are in Christ. It means to desire what God has for you first and foremost, the willingness and ability to allow God to be in control of your life versus being influenced or controlled by our desire to be accepted by man over God. We can’t be free AND be subject to man. Isaiah 2:22 says, “stop trusting in mere humans who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” 

Putting God first makes everything easy. Really. The challenge is that we often times are not putting God first. The demands of the world are too much and they aren’t for us to carry. The world enslaves us, causes us to live in bondage rather than freedom. We can easily get consumed with pleasing people, robbing ourselves of the joy that life should give us. When you’re feeling super pressured to deliver, as many of us do all the time, remember, the only one that really matters is God.

As a Christian, you aren’t meant to fit in with the world, doing the things the world does in the world’s way. Your life shouldn’t look like anyone else’s life. And as long as your life does or you fit in with the world doing worldly things, you’ll be unhappy, unfulfilled even because God has so much more for you. So, if you feel like a loner, or like no one gets you or that you don’t fit in, that’s awesome. It’s time to ask God where it is that He wants to take you. There’s a reason He’s unsettled you. Cheers to walking in a freedom that only God could give. I promise you, you’ll be happier than ever 🙂

As long as we’re living for him and trusting Him and letting Him be God in our lives, God will be well pleased with us. Keep things in order, God first for real, and everything else will be alright.

With love always,

Carin

The One New Year Resolution Everyone Should Make

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We are fourteen days into the new year! People always joke that most people don’t make it through January without breaking their resolutions. I was thinking about this and thought of one resolution that would make it easier on us, and one that I believe will help us accomplish every goal we’ve set for ourselves. If you have only one resolution or commitment this year, make it to be closer to God. This means to spend intentional time with God daily in prayer and in His word and to seek him in everything. Honestly, if we’re doing this, everything else that we want to happen, will happen. It may not look how we want it to look or happen when we want it to happen, but if God is leading, we’ll be at peace. He will give us strength, discipline, self control and everything else we need to do that which is set before us. God wants to do life with us! 

If you wrote a list of resolutions for this year, did you seek God about them? If you didn’t write a list, take a minute to think about some thing(s) you want to give up or things you want to start doing differently or just something new in general. It takes forty days to form a habit. The Israelites were in the wilderness for forty years. Moses was with God forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai. After fasting forty days and nights, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. What’s the theme here? Do you ever notice recurring themes in your life? Understand what is required of you to see it change.

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Exodus 34:28

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him… But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:1-3

And the LORD’S anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of the LORD, was consumed. Numbers 32:13

These are amazing examples for us. There’s something about the “wilderness” (i.e. a barrenness in your life), God’s word, prayer and fasting. God’s word needs to be put into action. Maybe fasting is something else you want to try this year. Giving up something to focus your attention on prayer… maybe it’s food or drink (check out the Daniel Fast, Daniel 1:10, 10:2-3), sexual intimacy (for the unmarried folks), social media or something else you desire greatly. Make a sacrifice and commit that time to God to really seek him and see how your life will change.

The easiest way to “success” is to seek God. Put and keep God first and He will take care of everything else for you. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (see vs 25-31) shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33.

Two weeks in, to a year of growth and blessings, happy new year y’all!

❤ Carin

Your Heart Lies

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“Go with your gut.” We hear this often, and I can’t say I disagree with it. If I feel like something is right, I do it. If I have peace about something, I do it. Should we stop trusting our hearts though?

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). This verse says it all, we actually don’t know our hearts. Think about how much we trust ourselves to make the right decisions, to say the right thing, to do the right thing. We sincerely try to do what’s right, but sometimes it’s just not in us. How often do we fail? We think we’re trusting God, but we’re really trusting ourselves. In Romans 7:15-16, Paul says that he doesn’t understand what he he does, for what he wills to do, he doesn’t practice, but what he hates, he does.

How do we trust ourselves if, by nature, our hearts are wicked? These next verses explain it perfectly. Just like there is bad, there is good, just like we have deceitful hearts, we can have pure hearts… God wants to give you a clean heart.

He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered (Proverbs 28:26).

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

It’s about transformation, walking wisely with a renewed heart of flesh. Walking wisely means understanding what the will of the Lord is, giving thanks for all things, submitting to one another in the fear of God (see Ephesians 5:15-21). I hope we can all get to a point where we know we are trusting God in us, not ourselves. Only then can we make right decisions, from the little to the big things, how to spend the day, career, relationships, etc.

God wants to lead you in the right way, is your heart open to Him?

❤ Carin

Inside the Artist Studio | Q&A with Jamel Robinson

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“I believe that God has given me purpose and put a calling on my life to create so everything I do has His purpose for me painted on it. Literally.  So in order for me to create with purpose, all I have to do is pick up my tools and get to work.”

Jamel Robinson

Jamel Robinson. A little back story so y’all know how cool he is. Our first convo was about his grill (the mouthpiece not a food grill). We were both chillin at the Soho House, started talking about grills, art and a bunch of other stuff. (Everyone always thinks I’m playing, but I really want one. I’ve been saying I am getting one for way too long… coming soon :D)

Back to why you’re reading this, Jamel! He is a seasoned poet turned artist with an awesome perspective on art and life in general. Born and raised in Harlem. He creates in Harlem, but he’s all around the city. Some of your favorite celebrities collect his art. Check out my q&a with him below!

What made you transition from poetry to art?

Jamel: I am a poet turned self-taught painter. After years of writing and performing, a friend asked me to paint a poem on a canvas and be a part of a group exhibition that he was curating. That’s what officially got me into painting back in November of 2011. A month later, after getting word that someone close to me had passed away, I went back to the art supply store I had gone to for supplies, came home and began a journey that I’ve been on every day since, finding and developing the “visual language” that I now use to express myself.

What influences your style?

Jamel: One of my favorite Basquiat quotes is “you’ve got to realize that influence is not influence. It’s simply someone’s idea going through my new mind.”

Being an artist can be really tough since everyone is a critic of your work and you’re pretty much at the mercy of public opinion. How do you stay confident and motivated?

Jamel: I think I’ve gotten as far as I have by being fearless. I try not to think about what anyone else is thinking about my work. Also, in order for me to show something publicly, it has to meet my approval and since I don’t put anyone’s opinion above my own, once I think it’s good, it’s good enough for everyone else. I was the same way when I used to write; you wouldn’t read or hear a poem unless it met my approval. Any thoughts to the contrary that come up, I acknowledge and dismiss.

How does faith play a role in your artistry?

Jamel: Because I’m fortunate enough to make a living off of my artwork, I constantly have to have faith that God will provide for me as long as I show up and do my part, which is simply to create and then show my work to the world however I can. God has always taken care of the rest. But even before that, when it’s just me and the canvas or a piece of paper or wood – or whatever I’m expressing myself on, I have to have faith that God is working through me and that I’ll make something that people can connect to in some way.

What has been the biggest challenge of your career and how did you overcome it?

Jamel: The biggest challenge for me is always not to give up, not to give in and not to let go. Not to give up on this dream I never had yet find myself living, not to give in to the fears that are constantly calling for attention and not to let go of everything I’ve built so far along this journey or what God has planned for me if I just stick with it.

How do you find time to keep God first on a daily basis?

Jamel: I start my day with prayer, reading the Bible, SOAPing, which is a style of writing on the Bible, meditating and making art. These are all exercises in gratitude. If I can be grateful, I can put God first and hopefully keep him first in all of my affairs.

Creating with purpose can also mean standing out, which is not always easy, especially for young people. Do you have any words of wisdom for your fellow young folk on not compromising their beliefs and staying true to God throughout their careers and life?

Jamel: I think that if you put God first, before your wants and the world’s desires, everything else will fall into place. You can’t think about what you’ll lose if you don’t conform to the world, you have to have faith in what you’ll gain from honoring God. When you feel pressure to bend in the opposite direction of your faith, break away into the arms of God and know that you’ll be carried and cared for.

What’s next for you?

Jamel: I’m currently developing a one act play and, as usual, thinking about where and when to have my next solo exhibitions (I have three that are just about ready to show), but there are a few other things you’ll just have to keep up with me on Instagram or get on my mailing list to get wind of.

Y’all heard him 🙂 Check him out on Instagram @jrcreativeink or follow his Tumblr to keep up with his work and how he’s creating with purpose. Looking forward to the one act play Jamel!

❤ Carin

3 Reasons the Bible is Not Outdated

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We think that things are so different now than they were in the “Bible days” that there’s no way God could have meant what He said then for now. Society has definitely evolved; but, people are still people doing human things and making human errors, and sin is still sin. The Bible talks about God’s word being everlasting. If we truly believe in God, then shouldn’t we take this as truth also?

Three reasons (scriptures) why the Bible is not outdated (notice the absolute terms used in these scriptures):

1. God’s word is for eternity. 1 Peter 1:23-25 says the word of God liveth and abideth forever, the word of the Lord endureth forever.

2. God doesn’t change, people change. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). “For I the Lord do not change…” (Malachi 3:6)

3. God doesn’t lie. God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?(Numbers 23:19) And, as Psalm 33:11 puts it, “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” 

God relates to everything we have done, are doing and will do. He knew where we, as a people, were heading before we got there and He created His word to stand firm through our changes. Because the unpopular thing has become popular doesn’t make it right or because the relevant is no longer relevant (to the masses), that doesn’t actually make it irrelevant. Sometimes we like to justify our actions because… who wants to be told they are living a lie? Saying the Bible is outdated is like a pass to justify certain things we know are sin, but don’t want to acknowledge because then, that makes us wrong in our ways.

There is plenty of scripture that is not understood, misunderstood, misinterpreted and has been taken out of context. This doesn’t mean we should decry the Bible. Tough truth y’all, it’s time to go deeper. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

❤