The other day I bought Tye Tribbett new cd entitlied STAND OUT, and I must say, he has become one of my favorites. This cd has been a encouragement to who I am, what I want to be, and what Delta and I have been attempting to teach all of the girls in our neighborhood( our husbands as well with the boys).
To STAND OUT would be defined in the dictionary as to:
leap out: be highly noticeable
excel: distinguish oneself
Tye in his cd cover wrote this: The STAND is not a G.A. thing(that's the name of his group..Tye Tribbett & G.A.)..it's not even a CD or song...but it's a movement! A culture, a way of life!...as instructed by GOD through Paul in EPH> 6:11..2put on the whole amour of God 2 "STAND AGAINST" the waysof the devil...We're living in a time where everything is smeared and gray..nothing is solid, nothing is clear. Someone could walk down the street and it's not clear whether it's a male or female( kaiya has to ask me this all the time in our neighborhood)..people cuss and "praise God"...I mean...EVERYTHING is smeared or what the bible refers to as "luke warm"...EZK 22:6 says that we've "put no difference between the unclean and the clean"...and now the God we serve is not respected as ROmans 2:24 states,"the name of our God is blasphemed among the" SINNERS "through YOU"......in other words, we're making our GOOD God look BAD...So here we are living in a smeared world....and a time where the enemy has come in like a flood!....and now the spirit of the Lord is going 2raise up the STANDard...the STAND is the bold lifestyle that declares the way of the Lord is right, and not just right but BETTER!..... .....it's saying "YOOOOOO I'M NOT KUL WITH THAT"..... time out for letting friends cuss and drink and smoke and sleep around and NOT say anything...the STAND is not mean and nasty.... it's a challenge...it's a simple as "sup wit that yo?...u really think you HAVE 2do that or live that way?"...but before we make that statement, WE must first be living the solution ....called "living by faith"....and "walking in the spirit"...we must be LIVING proof that the way of the Lord works!!!!! .....THAT'S THE STAND..THAT'S THE MINDSET...THAT's THE LIFESTYLE..whether we stand against hip hop and RnB...or obesity 'n violence...or fornication and adultery...We're in a war...internal as well as external...but the question is WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND?...LET'S REPRESENT THE KINGDOM OF GOD... LET'S STAND OUT!!"
Those that know me know how "crunk" (excited) I was to read that. Immediately my mind was like , yes LORD!!!..I am to look different!!! We are to teach the next generation what it means to go counter cultural in the way they dress, in how they respond to male leadership, in their views on loving the home, children, money, fame, MTV, BET, VH1, clothing... We are to leave a legacy of how to think correctly to persecution ( because clearly going counter cultural they are going to feel it!!!), ministry, discipleship. The christian walk is about denying OURSELVES..WE have totally surrendered all of our rights to CHRIST once we said Yes to HIM.. Making that decision alone should cause one to stand out... May we all be challenged, yet encouraged on what it really means to be in the world BUT not of the world...May we all STAND OUT for the sake of others finding joy in our creator and LORD Jesus Christ
MY Favorite STAND OUT verses:
Philippians 2:14-30
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light
Jeremiah 10:2-5
This is what the LORD says:
"Do not learn the ways of the nations
or be terrified by signs in the sky,
though the nations are terrified by them.
For the customs of the peoples are worthless;
they cut a tree out of the forest,
and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel.
They adorn it with silver and gold;
they fasten it with hammer and nails
so it will not totter.
Like a scarecrow in a melon patch,
their idols cannot speak;
they must be carried
because they cannot walk.
Do not fear them;
they can do no harm
nor can they do any good."
Hope you all have a great weekend!