The New Guy

If love makes me feel this way, I DON'T WANT IT!!!
Constantly reaching for something I can't have and you,
reaching at your convenience.
I'd rather reach for Jesus.
At least I know He'll be more than welcome to have me.
Invite me into His universe and love me unconditionally.

Because loving you is confusing and it puts me in a bad head space.
I don't even know if that's a word but tonight it is.
I know you said that you would change but your actions aren't showing it.
What you need to know is that I've counseled with God about all the emotions.
And He simply asked me, "Do you feel it?"

"Do you know that every time you call your man, he'll pick up the phone?
Or will he glance and the screen, silence it, because he wants to be left alone.
When you bring up issues that bother you, will he listen?
Or will he blow it off and dismiss you?

So this is what I want you to do. Block him out for a while and make him non-existent.
Make ME your priority and I'll show him what he's missing.
Let him see how happy you are with me because I'm grooming you for purpose.
He'll be upset for a while but that's because he's jealous.
He's jealous of what I'm doing to you. Holding you up and loving you.
Shaping you and transforming you. Taking you out of the world and elevating you to another dimension.
Making you understand all of your worth.

You're mine now and I'm preparing you for something greater.
Not a man, a platform, but something far greater.
I chose you and now, he'll just have to admire you from afar.
And the next time he calls, SILENCE IT.
If he wants to know more about 'The New Guy'
make him aware I can be found in The Holy Bible."

Vulnerable Soul

I want to love again
But I'm afraid to unmask my pain
I want to be held again
So I'm asking you to break this chain
My pride can get in the way sometimes
And I forget to put my ego aside
I even wonder if you still love me sometimes

Because I've messed up every opportunity You've thrown my way
You've handed me life lines and passed by with tugboats
but I could never stay afloat.
Drowning in all my sins
knowing all along I shackled myself to what I knew I couldn't let go of.
Can you hear me? Do you see me?

My arms are above water and I'm reaching. Hoping you can save me.
I'm desperate for you and I can barely catch my breath.
I'm screaming for you and I hear you scream back,
"You have the keys to unlock you SHACKLES!!!"

So I look in my left hand and nothing is there.
I look in my right hand and you said, "They're a pair!!!"
"Hold them together and talk to me. Tell me how much you need me in your life.
Tell me that I'm the only one for you. Tell me that you'll stop sleeping with these fools.
Only then will I be able to save you. Tell me that you'll stop waiting by the phone to hear
those unfulfilled promises. Tell me that you're waiting for me to move on your behalf.
I know you're vulnerable because I'm vulnerable too. Do you know how long I've waited
to be your GROOM? I know your heart is broken, I allowed that to happen. I want to be
the man that will make you whole again. I want to be the man you can have late night conversations with.
I want to be the man that wraps My arms around you and shape you for purpose. Oh okay, I hear you now.
I hear you praying and crying aloud. i was prepared for this moment. I've been waiting for this moment.
Here I am. Give me your hand, give me your heart, give me your VULNERABLE SOUL."

Authentically Yours,

Ariel Marie

Everything That's Good To You Ain't Good For You

"My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word. Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me and teach me your law."-Psalms 119: 28-29

     I know the headline is incorrect grammar, but truth be told, I just needed to get your attention for a few minutes. In my previous post I made you aware that my father comes up with the best colloquialisms for his parishioners to use on their daily Christian journey and my title for this blog stems from him. 

     There are times in our lives where we experience the worst of the worst. Anything that we can think of that is horrible and can happen to us, has or will happen. Life is not fair. We're not given the privilege to pick out our lives, however, we've been chosen to live the best life that we've been given. Yet, when we're going through these tough times, we find something to help us cope with our situation. Whether it be alcohol, sex, drugs, we need something to help us deal with a situation that is out of our control. Does it make it right? Will the situation disappear? Will it help bring you to the next level? No. Just because those things are good to you, doesn't mean it's good for you.

     The alcohol may wash away the negative thoughts but the problem will still be there. The sex may hold you for about a week but God will keep you when you're crying in the middle of the night. The weed may cloud out the depression, but His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses. The problem is we don't want to feel the pain. We just want God to bless us and keep it moving. God is not a PROSTITUTE!!! We can't call Him whenever we feel as though we need Him. That's not how God works. He just wants you to trust Him and believe in Him. The question is, how do I walk away from what I consider good?

1.) Ask for His Strength When You Walk Away

Easier said than done right? Yeah, I know. Just walk away? Ignore the married man's phone call in the middle of the night? Don't meet up with the crew and get high? Stay at home this weekend and stay sober? In the verse above (verse 28) David asked The Lord to strengthen him according to His word. He didn't ask for strength by women, liquor or drugs. He asked for the word. He knew what the world had to offer couldn't amount to the strength he was asking God for. He needed DIVINE STRENGTH to get off the road he was on so he could live out his DIVINE PURPOSE.

2.) Allow God to Keep You

One thing that I've come to realize about God, He will always give you a way out when you've placed yourself in a sinful situation. It wasn't a mistake when your tire blew out on your way to your 'boo-thang's house. You were probably ovulating and didn't even know it, but God knew that you weren't ready for a child. It was no mistake when you lost your job because of poor life decisions. God needed to get you to a low place so you could solely depend on Him. Verse 29 opens with, "keep me from deceitful ways." David knew that he couldn't fight the world by himself. He needed God to keep him covered and protected. David needed God to provide a way of escape by keeping him when everything was going wrong in his life.

3.) Acknowledge God's Grace and His Laws

God will not bless a mess!!! Let's just get that straight. GOD WILL NOT BLESS A MESS!!!! I know the drug dealer has rims on his latest Benz, being a stripper is the new come up and the street pharmacist gets paid more than your regular 9-5. But you are the exception. What God has for you is more than what you can imagine. But you have to get rid of what you consider good and get with His GRACE. David knew he couldn't stand by himself. David needed God's grace and his laws so he could stay in the will of God. David knew he wouldn't always get his journey with God right. He knew he would make mistakes and fall. But he humbled himself and asked God for help. 

     It's not by mistake you're reading this. And you're not alone in your walk. Sometimes when I talk to God I tell Him, "I feel like I'm blind with nothing to guide me." But the Lord put me together real quick. He made me aware I feel this way because I haven't asked Him or allowed Him to guide me. I thought I could handle it on my own because I know that Ariel can take care of Ariel. But I was getting in the way of my own blessings. My pride was my protection and I believed that it was good to me. However, I learned that just because my pride was good to me, DOESN'T MEAN IT WAS GOOD FOR ME. My pride had to die in order for my PURPOSE to live. Walk with God blindfolded. Trust Him to bring you out. Allow God to change and rearrange your life. God will not fail.

Authentically Yours,

Ariel Marie

When Your Flesh Fights Your Faith

"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." -Ephesians 6:12 KJV

This IS NOT another post about spiritual warfare. I'm not about to go into some prophetic flow, speak in tongues or tell you 'what thus said The Lord of Hosts.' It would sound nice, I would sound pretty connected to The Big G-O-D. But, that's not how I was able and still able to maintain my faith in tough situations.

Have you ever had a dream but you were fearful of how you would reach it? Did you ever have a vision for something and reality set in so you decided to put it on hold for a year (or two)? Have you ever felt incompetent of carrying the gift God gave you? If your answer is yes, Honey, I'm right there with you.

Daily, I pray for God to remove the fear that I have so I can walk boldly in my gift. My flesh tries to weaken me every chance it gets. Discouraging me from writing on my blog, writing songs, even recording some of the material that I write. Some of you may be battling with your flesh right now. And as you read this post, I want you to be encouraged. I want you to gain the confidence that you need so you can hold your head high and know that after reading this you can start putting your flesh in check.

1.) Sometimes the ENEMY is the INNER ME (Pastor Albert Moses Jr.)
   
     In case you didn't know, my father is a pastor and has been for a little over a decade. From time to time he comes up with the best colloquialisms for his sermons on Sunday. This particular one stuck with me and for a good reason. Sometimes WE GET IN OUR OWN WAY!!! Yes, you!!! Sometimes we have to take a look in the mirror and check the person staring back at us. Personally speaking, my mouth is my worst enemy. It's okay, I'll say ouch for you. OUCH!!!
     I have this alter ego (Bonquiqui) she only arises depending on how you speak and respond to me in certain situations. Now remember, I did say, I'M A WORK IN PROGRESS!!! However, I have to fight her everyday with the Word of God. James 1:8 clearly says, "A double minded man is UNSTABLE in ALL his ways." And the last time I checked, I'm too cute to be unstable. KEEP YOURSELF IN CHECK!!!

2.) Get you some GODfidence
    
     Do you know what kind of God you have living inside of you? Do you know what kind gift He has placed inside of you? The same God that created Adam, gave the promise to Abraham, delivered Daniel, covered David, converted Rehab, CAN AND WILL DO THE EXACT SAME FOR YOU!!! Maybe this will explain it better. Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
     Now if that didn't fire you up, maybe my version will. God is God. If he promised you something, you have to believe that it will come to pass. He's not like us, fickle and frail, inconsistent and constantly changing our minds. He reigns supreme and He sits high. God is on YOUR SIDE!!! He wants to see you win, but He also wants your trust.

DO NOT GIVE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF BATTLE, YOU JUST MIGHT LOSE THE WAR!!! Continue to pursue even when the promise seems so far away. Your flesh wants you to stay where you are but God has a more for you. More than you can ever imagine. Keep building your brand, let the haters talk (I call haters SILENT CHEERLEADERS-I'll break that down in the next blog) keep dancing, writing, singing, playing sports, whatever God has gifted you to do, DO IT & THRIVE!!! Let your flesh know who's in charge and who has dominion inside of you. Continue to pursue your purpose by fighting your FLESH with your FAITH!!!

Authentically Yours,

Ariel Marie

Free Yourself

The main purpose of this blog is to be able to show my scars so we can heal together. We all have a weakness that we suffer from, mine is FORGIVENESS. Yes, I hold grudges. Yes, I'm Petty with a Passion. Yes, I'm a Sinner SAVED by HIS GRACE. But one thing I've always had trouble with, is sharing His grace with people who have done me wrong. Yes, I know His grace is sufficient but the human side of me didn't want my enemies to experience His grace. But forgiveness has nothing to do with our flesh, its a spiritual battle. Forgiveness is for YOU!!!

Yes, forgiving someone is for your own FREEDOM.

Matthew 6:14-15 says "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others for their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

In other words, you hold  up your own blessings when you hold on to the pain. God can't bless you with something new if you continue to hoard your hurt. I know, easier said than done. But once you start seeing others being blessed and you're stuck in the same place, you find yourself becoming angry with God and you begin to question Him.

"Why are you blessing my enemies when you know they did me wrong?"

His response, "Because they released their issue and their situation to me. When will you?"

You can't expect God's greatest blessings if you continue to hold on to the situation that keeps you stagnant. You have to go beyond your flesh and free yourself. I can only tell you from my past experiences. I'm the type of person where if you burn me, I burn the bridge and I will act like you never existed. Yes, I know its wrong but I am a work in progress.

I've lived by the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me again, you'll end up looking like a fool." LOL. (AGAIN, I'm a WORK IN PROGRESS). However, once I started seeing people who I considered 'my enemies' being blessed, with every fiber in my being, I would cringe. I was jealous. I was hurt. But most of all, I was angry. I wanted God to punish them for what they did to me. But I had to understand, God doesn't work that way.

I had to understand my blessing was connected to forgiving. Until, I was able to look past my flesh, remove the scales from my eyes and look into the situation with my spiritual binoculars, my blessings were going to remain 'on hold.'

It may be difficult to forgive the man that raped you, it might be painful to forgive the woman you considered your "bestie for life" how she stabbed you in your back, it may seem impossible to forgive family members that gave up on you. But your blessing is connected in forgiving your enemies.

Whether you've been burned, burned bridges, or set a fire and walked away. Holding on to the pain won't do you any good. You have to FREE YOURSELF so God can FREE YOUR BLESSINGS.

Authentically Yours,

Ariel Marie

Peace in the Valley

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalms 23:4 KJV

Life has a way of sending one through so many different changes. In life we experience high, pivotal, life-changing moments that will alter our lives for the better. However, there are times where we are sent into deep, valley experiences that can either break us or shape us into our God-given purpose.

I believe David wrote this particular scripture in this passage to inform us that even in our darkest moments God is with us. Valley experiences are necessary. This is the time where our faith meets our purpose. Will we break? Will we overcome? One awesome thing about God is his confidence to give us "free will." He gives us the freedom to either go through the valley or to find a shortcut.

Can I tell you the shortcut is not as beautiful as the journey? See, when you take shortcuts you miss the beauty of everything and sometimes you're left in a place you shouldn't even be in. Let me break it down this way. Some of us have taken shortcuts in relationships, jobs, family, friendships, "get rich quick" schemes and all of this has been done WITHOUT consulting God. We take the shortcut because we're fearful of the process.

I can only speak for myself in this situation. I've taken shortcuts MANY, MANY times. Because going through a valley just looked too hard. But I've come to realize the more shortcuts you take, you'll find yourself right in the place you were trying to avoid, a valley. As a millennial I've grown up in the 'microwave generation' where we want things done right away and expect the results to be perfect. But God doesn't work that way. Our timing and God's timing are two different things. What seems like weeks and months to us are only milliseconds and minutes to The Most High. God wants things done in decency and in order. His perfection takes time.

A great example is a story in The Bible in the book of Jeremiah chapter 18. God instructs Jeremiah to go the potter's house and there he will "reveal His words to him." When Jeremiah arrived at the potter's house he saw the potter working at the wheel. However, the jar the potter was making was 'flawed' and he made it into something else and then it was PERFECT. God is the potter, we are the clay, He's constantly at the wheel shaping and reshaping us into what He has destined us to be. There is no shortcut in the process. But there is beauty and peace in the valley.

Can I tell you the valley is a great place to be? This is the place where you are between defeat and victory. The valley is quiet, but that's perfect because that's time for you to be comforted by God's peace. This is not a time to grow weary or to break down. This is a time to be comforted and know that God is right beside you. The valley is just a journey, take your time to enjoy the scenic route. Learn from the wrong turns, dust yourself off from a few slips and falls because you won't be in the valley for long.

Don't be discouraged for following Christ. Sometimes he leads us into the valley to test us. Remember the teacher is ALWAYS silent during the test. It doesn't mean He's not present. It just means He's observing how we'll handle the process. Whether, you're dealing with depression, heartbreak, sin, death, be comforted in knowing that God sees you and He's comforting you. Enjoy the bittersweet journey, God is shaping, reshaping your PURPOSE.

Authentically Yours,

Ariel Marie

Ariel Marie Ministering "Holy Spirit" in Beaumont, TX at Praise Church