music monday// somebody like me

i would be the first to admit that i have the tendency to be judgmental. sometimes i get into the ditch of judging before i realize what i'm actually doing, thanks to Holy Spirit convicting me. so this is not me trying to be all miss perfect and holiest of holy. this is me calling out my sin and challenging myself and you to be more mindful of how we react towards people who are neck deep, drenched into the bog of sin.

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we must be the bigger person and let the love of Jesus inside of us move us into action by helping folks to come into repentance. the gathering of Christians should be the last place where people struggling with sin should feel judged and condemned. the church is where spiritually sick people go for healing so why do we sometimes condemn people with our sharp looks and gossip/slander? we only drive people who need Jesus away when we wrap ourselves with such attitude.

Jesus has called me to be a friend to sinners and help them get to know Him personally. however, i must remember that bad company corrupts good character. so where do i draw the line? i believe i can build a healthy friendship with those who don't really know Jesus and help them see Truth but make sure they are not the ones influencing me to go astray from Jesus. i must remember that the people i surround myself with consistently, my close friends should be people passionately chasing after Jesus as i am. but this also does not mean i ignore people God places in my path to influence and show His love to.

God is the only One with the right to condemn/judge a sinner, not me or you. but it doesn't mean i should look on unconcerned when i see someone going down with sin. the Word teaches me to correct [not condemn] people in love. the way i call out the sin in others, the tone i use matters. if we correct in a judgmental, harsh, condemning manner how can the person in sin be willing to change for Jesus? they're likely to rather become angry, bitter and feel unloved and walk farther and farther away from people who are supposed to be radiating with the love of Jesus and go seek comfort in their sins/wrong company. and the viscous cycle continues until someone like me decides to be brave and really reach out to the 'unlovable' and be the hands and feet of Jesus to them.

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how would you feel and where would you be if Jesus held your sins against you and decided not to come and die to take away your sins? you and i would be doomed if He didn't love us enough to forever cleanse us from our sins.

this song convicts me so much! see how the little boy was ready to reach out to the old drunken man? oh, how Jesus is so right about how we need to be like children to enter into the kingdom of Heaven!

somebody like me ~ jason crabb

the congregation parted like the red sea when that old drunk stumbled in down

the aisle and took a seat right in the middle of amazing grace.

he could feel the judgement they were passing,

thought to himself 'aint that just how some folks acting.'

he'd rather be on the street than in this place and with tears on his face

you'd think somebody would put their arm around him

you'd think somebody would hit a knee, pull him in, say a prayer,

that's what i'm talking 'bout right there.

you'd think somebody would practice what they're preaching.

well, i wonder who that somebody could be.

prob'ly somebody like me.

well, he's got problems nobody wants a part of.

when he got up and slipped out nobody stood up.

they don't wanna make a scene so they let him walk outta there without a prayer

you'd think somebody would do something different

you'd think somebody would go against the grain,

be the one to run him down, bring him back and turn him around.

you'd think somebody would wanna make a difference.

well, i wonder who that somebody could be.

prob'ly somebody like me.

oh, can i get a witness? somebody, somebody. oooh yeah.

you'd think somebody would put their arm around him

you'd think somebody would hit a knee, pull him in, say a prayer,

yeah, ooh

you'd think somebody would put their arm around him

you'd think somebody would hit a knee, pull him in, say a prayer,

that's what i'm talking 'bout right there.

you'd think somebody would want to make a difference

well, i wonder who that somebody could be.

prob'ly somebody like me.

"and if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? do not even pagans do that?" matthew 5:47

"'a new command I give you: love one another. as I have loved you, so you must love one another. by this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.' " john 13:34-35

"while Jesus was having dinner at matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. when pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, 'why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?' on hearing this, Jesus said, 'it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill. but go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." for I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.' " matthew 9:10-13

"do to others as you would have them do to you. if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? even sinners love those who love them. and if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? even sinners do that." luke 6:31-33

"instead, speaking the Truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ." ephesians 4:15

"do not judge, and you will not be judged. do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. forgive, and you will be forgiven." luke 6:37

"if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. if we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us." 1 john 1:8-10

"then i acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. i said, 'i will confess my transgressions to the Lord.' and You forgave the guilt of my sin.' " psalm 32:5

"whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. for whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." 1 john 4:20

"when they kept on questioning Him, He [Jesus] straightened up and said to them, 'let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her' [adulteress.] again He stooped down and wrote on ground. at this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'woman, where are they? has no one condemned you?' 'no one, Sir,' she said. 'then neither do i condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'go now and leave your life of sin.' john 8: 7-11

let's ask Jesus to help us carry Him to people who are broken and need the Hope tucked within us, to learn how to love people who are lost and at the same time to have the wisdom to know how to properly relate with them so we don't end up being influenced to go astray from Him.

xoxo, gen delali.

music monday// slow fade

so, today's tuesday, but we'll still have our music 'monday.' connection crisis is to blame.

anyhow, this song, it speaks so much truth to me. heard it way back but i can't seem to have enough of it. it holds timeless truth.

slow fade ~ casting crowns

be careful little eyes what you see, 

it's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings

be careful little feet where you go, 

for it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

it's a slow fade when you give yourself away,

it's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

thoughts invade, choices are made,

a price will be paid when you give yourself away

people never crumble in a day, it's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

be careful little ears what you hear 

when flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near

be careful little lips what you say 

for empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

the journey from your mind to your hands is shorter than you're thinking.

be careful if you thin you stand, you just might be sinking.

it's a slow fade when you give yourself away,

it's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

thoughts invade, choices are made,

a price will be paid when you give yourself away

people never crumble in a day, daddies never crumble in a day,

families never crumble in a day.

oh, be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little eyes what you see,

for the Father up above is looking down in love

oh, be careful little eyes what you see.

"how can a young person stay on the path of purity? by living according to Your Word. i have hidden Your Word in my heart that i might not sin against You." proverbs 119:9,11

"Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." psalm 119:105

"above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." proverbs 4:23

"we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 corinthians 10:5

"My[Jesus] prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. they are not of the world, even as I am not of it. sanctify them by the truth; Your word is Truth." john 17:15-17

"do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will." romans 12:2

"so, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. and God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. but when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." 1 corinthians 10:12-13

let's be mindful of the things we feed our minds-worldly movies/tv shows we watch, music we listen to, books/blogs we read, websites we visit. let's be mindful of the people we constantly surround ourselves with, both in person and the virtual world-our social media. let's do away with all that does not glorify our heavenly Father. in all you do, ask yourself: does this make me get to know the heart of Jesus better?

our thoughts are a great deal influenced by what we feed our minds, and our thoughts influence our actions. so let's guard our hearts and minds with the Word from the excessive garbage of the world. let's ask Holy Spirit to give us the power to resist temptation and walk in the Light of Jesus. 

xoxo, gen delali.

music monday// more beautiful you

hi, you! yes you! i want to let you know, you are a treasure, a beautiful work of art by the Creator of the universe. you are treasured and valued. dig into the Word and know what God, the most important being ever says about you. some people may not acknowledge this truth about you, but that's ok. cos what's important is that you know. and you believe it.

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 please, do not cheapen yourself for someone's attention. the right people meant to stay in your life will not make you beg for their affections. God made you for sooo much more than what this world lets you on. stay close to Jesus and let His Word wash over you with it's powerful, world-altering Truth. you were made for an important purpose, a special, specific purpose that you need to focus on. i hope you seek the Lord and allow Him to lead you in your purpose. let Jesus be the sun your world orbits around.

this song holds so much truth with each sentence, you just gotta soak it in.

more beautiful you~ jonny diaz

little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine, says she wants to look that way

but her hair isn't straight, her body isn't fake and she always felt overweight.

well, little girl fourteen i wish that you could see that beauty is within your heart

and you were made with such care, your skin, your body and your hair are perfect just the way they are

there could never be a more beautiful you

don't buy the lies, disguises and hoops they make you jump through

you were made to fill a purpose that only you could do

so there could never be a more beautiful you.

little girl twenty-one, the things that you've already done, anything to get ahead

and you say you've got a man, but he's got another plan, only wants what you will do instead.

well, little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come,

you starve yourself to play the part, but i cam promise you

there's a man whose love is true and he'll treat you like the jewel you are.

so turn around, you're not too far to back away,

be who you are to change your path, go another way

it's not too late, you can be saved.

if you feel depressed with past regrets, the shameful nights hope to forget

can disappear, they can all be washed away

by the One who's strong, can right your wrongs

can rid your fears, dry all your tears

and change the way you look at this big world.

He will take your dark distorted view and with His light, He will show you truth

and again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl.

"for You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. i praise You because i am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, i know that full well." psalm 139:13-14

"your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." 1 peter 3:3-4

"keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' so we say with confidence, 'the Lord is my helper; i will not be afraid. what can mere mortals do to me?' " hebrews 13:5-6

"since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life." isaiah 43:4

"for the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-control." 2 timothy 1:7

"since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of othe Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. that means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. we have far more interesting things to do with our lives. each of us is an original." galatians 5:25 (MSG)

pretty is as pretty does. you are pretty because of the sweet, godly person you are inwardly. you are beautiful in your own unique, original way. please, do not compare. do not compete. you are beautiful. :)

xoxo. gen delali.

music monday// in the light

ok, moment of truth, i am a sinner. i am not perfect and i won't pretend to be. i'm under a standard of grace, not perfection. as long as i'm in this physical body, my spirit and the carnal part of me will continue to fight to have control over me. i'm thankful for grace, truly. so because of grace[undeserved favor], i choose to intentionally walk with Jesus and not live in an unbroken pattern of sin. 

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confession. sometimes the sin nature in me takes over. and that's because i begin to focus on me, myself, leaving my heart unguarded for the enemy to throw parties in my heart of hearts. i can be really judgmental deep down, criticizing people in the chambers of my mind. and my excuse is that well, Jesus didn't say i can't acknowledge the faults of others, what He did say is that i shouldn't go fixing others when i have my own unresolved flaws. although this is true, i wonder why i'm so quick to see the flaws in others rather than the lovely in them. hm, Jesus is still working on this with me.

and when it comes to forgiveness, it can be such a struggle for me. i'm this super sensitive person who can sense the state of emotions and wrong vibes from people, but then again, i sometimes tend to read too much in between the lines. oh, and anger, i'm getting better with not letting the sun go down on it. and the love your enemies bit? urm, let's just say, not an easy one for me. more grace is needed here.

also, i'm realizing the sensitive bit of me makes me tend to withdraw from people more than i should. so i end being like an onion, all wrapped up in layers, sometimes with unnecessary walls around me. why? cause i do not want to get hurt. i do not want people to know my insecurities. and that leads me to being real picky of who i choose to hang around with. and i know all the layers and brick of walls i put around me may keep out pain, but it will keep out love too. 

it's like i would want to be sure you're not going to hurt me before i open up to you. but there's no guarantee for this, right?  and i know it's wise to be intentional in choosing godly close friends, but it doesn't mean i can't be friendly to others outside my circle of friends. oh, but how i like to only be with 'my kind of people', my kindred spirits who get me. 

and other times i don't even want to be with my kindred spirits. i just want to be with me and Jesus. i crave lotsss of 'me time'. 'me time' is good, but i know, oh, i know, my crave for it can be a lil too much. i know unlike extroverts, i recharge on 'me-time' but i have to watch it so it doesn't over exceed and turn into a selfish habit. but with the help of my sweet Jesus, the self is making room for the Spirit and i'm learning to be more like Jesus, my Light. 

this song really convicts me of the selfish me hiding, lurking in the corners of my being. i hope it convicts you too in the areas you struggle with.

in the light ~ anthem lights and jamie grace

i keep trying to find a life on my own apart from You

i am the king of excuses, i've got one for every selfish thing i do.

what's going on inside me? i despise my own behavior.

this only serves to confirm my suspicions

that i'm still a man in need of a Savior.

i wanna be in the light as You are in the light

i wanna shine like the stars in the heavens.

oh, Lord be my light and be my salvation

all i want is to be in the light

all i want is to be in the light.

the disease of self runs through my blood

it's a cancer fatal to me soul

every attempt on my behalf has failed to bring this sickness under control

honesty becomes me (there's nothing left to lose)

the secrets that did run me (in Your presence are diffused)

pride has no position (and riches have no worth)

the fame that once did cover me (has been sentenced to this earth)

"when Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, 'I am the light of the world. whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' " john 8:12

"i do not understand what i do. for what i want to do i do not do, but what i hate i do. and if i do what i do not want to do, i agree that the law is good. as it is no longer i myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. for i know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. for i have the desire to do what is good, but i cannot carry it out. for i do not do the good i want to do, but the evil i do not want to do- this i keep on doing. now if i do what i do not want to do, it is no longer i who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." romans 7:15-20

"if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. if we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word is not in us." 1 john 1:8-10

"so I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. for the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. they are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." galatians 5:16-17

"put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. because of these, the wrath of God is coming. you used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. but now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." colossians 3:5-8

"I[Jesus] am the vine, you are the branches. if you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." john 15:5

"do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." matthew 6:19-21

"no one can serve two masters. either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. you cannot serve both God and money." matthew 6:24

"but seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." matthew 6:33

what are the things you struggle with? how is Jesus changing your heart?

xoxo, gen delali.