Lord, I Believe; Help My Unbelief!

I am reminded this morning, there are areas in my life where I believe without a doubt and there are other areas in my life where I say I believe, but in the back of my mind there is some doubt. Have you been there? Are you there now? Do you know what I’m talking about?

I remember years ago, someone asking me, “What is your belief system?” In other words, what do you believe in? I am a follower of Jesus Christ. There is no doubt about that. As proud as I am to say that, I have to admit, I too, doubt sometimes.

In Mark chapter 9 verses 14 – 29 there is an interesting story unfolding. Jesus has come down off a mountain with 3 of his disciples. They were met by a great multitude. Jesus was wondering what was going on. A man responded by saying, “My son has a mute spirit. I brought him to your disciples but they could do nothing about it.” Jesus responds, “O faithless generation!” Jesus was probably thinking, “These disciples man, boy I tell ya, they still don’t get it.” (See Mark 9:19)

This man knew the power Jesus had. He was seeking Him for an answer. Jesus responds in verse 23, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” I love this response. He starts off His response by saying, “If you can believe.” Meaning, you have to have some faith, you have to believe it can happen, you have to search deep down within. The man goes on to respond in verse 24, with tears in his eyes, he cries out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” How profound is that response?

Help my unbelief! There is something inside of all of us that tells us not to believe. Something that tells us, no, this cannot happen. There is no way possible. Jesus is calling us to believe; if you can. Imagine if you can. How would life begin to look for you, if you can start believing in yourself? How would love start looking for you if you can start believing in it again? How would relationships start looking for you if you can get over a hurting past?

“If you can believe; all things are possible for him who believes.” What are you believing this morning?

This morning I stand with God and His promises. I stand with Mark 9:23 “If you believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Let me say this: If God has called you to do something, no matter how hard it is or may be, He will make a way for you to make it happen. Trust in His word. Know that it is going to take some faith. Know that you CAN believe. Verses 25-27, Jesus commands the spirit to come out and for the son to arise.

Whatever you are doubting in this morning, cry out to God, give it to Him, believe in Him and watch how He speaks to your situations, circumstances and life!

If You Can! – You Can!

God Brings Order to Chaos

I often think about how chaotic my life seems to be. Notice I said seems… I don’t know about you, but for me, mentally I tend to go through mental shifts. (No, I don’t think I’m crazy but hear me out) Sometimes I fall into a rhythm of just getting by or doing enough to make it seem like I am doing something of importance, when deep down inside I know I can do better. Some weeks and days are just better than other ones. The weeks and days that aren’t good, I tell you just aren’t good. I don’t like to be too hard on myself. Every time I do, I tend to add extra stress.

As a former basketball player, I was notorious for beating myself up when a game didn’t go my way or I had a bad practice. When it came to life, I carried that same approach. Whenever I made a bad decision, fell short at something and messed up I would hang my head low. I would be negative and feel like everything was my fault.

I am in a season in life now, where I am not as hard on myself for not meeting my standards, for not sticking to my goals and plans. I am not too sure if this is a good thing… I want to continue to push myself to be the best but I also want to leave room to not be so hard on myself that it causes me to stress out. Have you ever been there? Are you hard on yourself?

The definition of chaos is: A condition or place of great disorder or confusion. Notice the definition says, “a condition or place.” This goes back to the first paragraph when I talked about the chaos being mental. When my life seems to be chaotic, it always starts in my mind. Why is that? What I have learned is; what I dwell on, what I think about the most, is usually what I do or I am tempted to do. I’m all for breaking bad habits and creating new ones but at the same time it is so much easier said than done right? How can we as people, who tend to allow our lives, and our minds be in disarray, get out of this chaotic state of mind?

There’s a story of a young man who had graduated college and was hired on to work at the college he graduated from. All seemed to be going great in his life. He was making good money, his living was being provided for by the college, his meals were provided and so was his transportation. It seemed like nothing could go wrong in his life. Until one day, he was on a business trip for his job. He was stuck in a situation and he decided to take matters into his own hands. He would make a decision that would cost him everything. He would go on to lose his job, his living arrangements, and would be left to move on to nothing.

The young man regretful of the decision he had made realized life wasn’t as pleasant as it had once seemed. For the next two years he would go on to struggle. Feeling down and out, depressed, he was giving up on hope. His life had become chaotic. Having a relationship with God, he decided to turn to Him in the midst of all of His problems. (As most tend to do when life gets hard) He prayed an earnest prayer. Cried out with all of his heart and repented for all the wrong he had done. In return, God listened and spoke to the young man. God told the young man He would get his life in order, but first he had to live in obedience.

Putting into practice what God said, the young man would slowly start to see life changing for the better. 3 years later after losing his job, the young man is now living out his dreams. The young man realized, in the midst of chaos, God is already there waiting to hear from us. He also learned that it may take a few years to get to the place you dream of getting to but with much hard work, dedication and faithfulness, you can get there if you stay faithful to the course!

Key take away: When life seems to be at it’s worst, when it seems like nothing is going right, when it seems like the situation is never going to change, when it seems like life cannot get any better, this is when God brings His order. The all sufficient, powerful King, who has the touch to turn everything around in a matter of a heartbeat, is right there where you need Him to be. Your heart may be hardened because of the chaos that’s been going on in your life but I know for sure, you are right where you are suppose to be. Yes, it may have been your decisions that got you where you are or it may not have been. Whatever the case is, order is prevalent and God is ready to have His way in your life. Question is, are you ready?

Key Point: Most chaos in our lives is caused by our decision making. It is caused by our state of mind. It is caused by allowing an enemy or an oppressor if you will, sneak his way into our lives.

Key Scripture: Ephesians 4:18-24 “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

God bless you. I love you and praying for you. Hang in there and do not give up. I know life isn’t always easy. The struggle defines our character. So let the struggle define how strong you are! You can make it!

Be Encouraged

 

 

Hey, I pray all is well in this new year. If your year has got off to a rocky start, it's okay. I think sometimes we put too much pressure going into a new year. We miss a workout, we forget we are on a diet, or we don't follow through with some goals and then we just go back to our same routine we were doing from the year before.

I want to encourage you on today to face whatever discouragement and doubt you are facing. I know today in the Christian world there are those Christians who aren't really Christians. If you know what I mean. They are the ones going through the motion. Wanting change but really don't want change because they aren't doing anything to change.

I ran across this article: "Christians Won't Understand My Doubt" - http://convergemagazine.com/breaking-church-10452/ and I want you to read this story. I believe many of us face doubt, we lose hope and pick up self hatred when life is not going our way or God is not answering our prayers on our time. Even if you haven't felt this way, I am sure you know others who have or are.

It's time to pray and allow God to help us figure out why we disconnect, go on roller coaster rides in our faith and fight the same battles over and over. I don't know about you but God didn't save me just to barely make it by. Granted we are going to have seasons where they are harder then others but even then, He said is burden is light. I stand on His word and promises. My prayer for you, is for you to start doing the same. Change, growth and breakthrough is here!

I would love to hear back from you. How is life going? How is your walk with God? How can I be praying for you? What questions do you have about your faith?

Feel free to respond whenever you get the chance. Love you. Hang in there and stay encouraged! This is your year to change your life around for the best!

                             

                                              Jeremiah 29:11-13
^"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."

Lord, Renew My Mind

There is a war going on. This war is within your own mind. All of your thoughts and attention is directed towards this war. Lack of sleep, no peace, discomfort, anger, attitudes, no passion and no happiness can be found. There is a war going on. This war is keeping you down, making you feel low, wondering who you really are and turning you into someone you never thought you would be come. Battle after battle this war is getting the best of you.

You ever find yourself wondering why you give up so easily? Why you think the negative thoughts you think? Why you keep falling and giving into the same thing over and over? You may find yourself in a weakened condition today. This weakened condition has started right in your own mind.

We face a real enemy; a powerful force that is not seen. Often we focus our attention on the things that are seen and tangible but the Bible lets you and I know there is something real warring against us that cannot be seen. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12

My friend, we are at war here. There are principalities or in other words powerful forces doing whatever they can to prevent you from moving forward. There is a darkness of this age doing whatever it can to turn you into someone you are not. There is a sense of realness here that you and I need to face. If your mind is at disarray on today and confused, trust me when I say this: The enemy is at work in your mind.

You may be thinking, well brother J Scott, what are we to do?

Romans 12:2 makes it plain what we are to do. “Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good, acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Be transformed. Allow yourself and your mind to be in the transformation process. My friend, it seems as though we have a hard time with being open and willing to go through the transformation process. If I were to ask you if you desire to be better and change, I am sure your answer would be, “yes, I do want to change and I want to do better for myself.” The fact of the matter is this: The moment or moments you begin to be challenged in your transformation process are the very moments you begin to turn back and give up.

To desire to have a renewed mind has to become your mentality. When something becomes your mentality, that very thing becomes embedded in you. It becomes who you are daily. You do not give up once faced with a challenge, instead you press through. I am letting you know now, being renewed is not an easy process. It hurts. It is uncomfortable. The reason is, whenever something is being remade, there has to be some reshaping, some breaking, some scraping and some restructuring.

Wherever you are on today, know that you are going through some type of process. The process you want to be in is the process of renewal. The power of God is looking and wanting to take control of your mind to renew it.

“The race is not given to the swift nor the battle to the strong but to the one that endures.” – Ecclesiastes 9:11

It is time to operate in God’s power. It is time for a renewal in your mind. It is time to overcome the enemy who has been at war against your mind. Remember you fight against the un-seens of this world. God’s word has power to rebuke. Your words have power to speak life. The person that you have been lately is not you. It is time for you to get on track and become the person God desires for you to be.

Joshua “Scotty” Samarco’s Life Story

I’m from a family of 7. Two brothers, two sisters, and a Mom and Dad. Big family for the small households that we stayed in. We grew up in poverty. Food stamps, welfare, getting clothes and food from the Salvation Army. I remember year after year not having Christmas like the rest of the kids in the neighborhood and the kids from school. Having to lie to everyone about what I didn’t get and telling them that I will get it when income tax came for my Mom, but around that time is when she would catch up to all of her late bills. So, we would be happy just to get a pair of shoes or an outfit.

Life for the Samarco’s hasn’t been the easiest, that I do know. One Christmas I remember receiving one gift. These Christians from a church bought my family and I all some gifts. For some reason I receive a red wings hoody and that was it. But I was grateful for the gift until I went with my Mom over her friends house. One of the kids there stole my hoody. Here I was, the only gift I receive for Christmas, now stolen. Oh, was I ever heart broken. I cried at night for days.

Don’t let me get started with school shopping for the new school year. Ha! That was a joke right. All the parents would go out and splurge on their kids when we would always hope for our Mom to hit the lotto to get us something. We would cherish what we had in the summer and keep our shoes clean the best we could, or we would borrow clothes and shoes from our friends in the neighborhood. I use to feel so dirty wearing the same shoes and clothes from the past school year into the new school year. I never got my hopes up because eventually when the time did come around to get clothes, I would take the $100 my Mom would give my brothers and sisters and I and make it stretch. I would come out of TJ Maxx or Marshalls with about 6 items feeling like I was on top of the world and people at school wouldn’t be ready for me.

In our household there was two to three people in a bed room. Girls in one room, the boys in the other. Man, were we happy when we moved into a house with a basement and 4 rooms. We didn’t know how to act. Everything went down in the basement. The basement was like a magical theatre. I mean we really didn’t know how to act! From making houses, to wrestling matches, basketball games, video games, hide and seek, dancing, screaming, fighting, you name it we did it in the basement. We were some bad and active kids. We made the best out of that basement, even though we fought like everyday. I guess that was our way of showing love. We didn’t know any better but we probably fought more than any regular family. You would probably think we hated each other.

Another thing that was tough for us was food. When they cut our family off food stamps we were struggling from check to check to buy food. It’s hard to keep a fridge stacked with food when you have 7 people in a house hold and on welfare and all these bills to pay. I use to hate not having any food. Making bologna and egg sandwiches, toast with butter and syrup, noodles, corn flakes with tons of sugar to make it taste like frosted flakes, beans and hot dogs. We had to make it work with what we had and we survived off of them.

Being a Samarco you have to be tough. I saw my Mother work her butt off for years and years providing for her family. Me, waking up in the middle of the night to hear her crying because of how tired she is, or how depress she was to work 2 weeks straight, plus double shifts to see her check evaporate on the same day; Having to pay all the bills and thinking about how we as a family were going to eat. She use to always make it work some how. I remember she use to wake me out of my bed on plenty of nights to a meal. I don’t know how she did it but when it was time to eat, we did. She made sure we ate on every holiday. She always found a way to cook for us around those times. She would go down to the Salvation Army or to a church if she had to, just so we can try and be a normal family. We might not had meals every night but we did have meals around the holidays.

My Mom is my motivation because if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t have made it this far. She is the strongest person I know. She could have been gave up providing for us but she continues to have an unconditional love that is not seen in many on this earth.

What saved me from a lot of trouble growing up and brought joy into my life is the game of basketball. People don’t know how much or how far a ball can take you. From my Dad putting the ball in my hands, to me receiving a full scholarship to play basketball in college.

At first, basketball started off fun and games but then it became my life. If it wasn’t for the game of basketball I wouldn’t have been overlooked for being poor. I look back and reflect on how people looked at me differently because I could shoot a basketball into a hoop. People weren’t quick to judge, well maybe your skills but not me as a person. The fact I can play basketball well, people gave me money, bought me things, such as shoes and clothes, and even food when I needed it.

 I didn’t start being known and popular until I got to high school and started showing what I could do. I remember being cut from a few AAU teams and looking back now out of all the people that made the teams over me I made it the farthest in my basketball career. I realize not making those teams made me stronger and made me work harder to become better. Once I realize I could go to school for free from playing the game of basketball I knew it was time to get serious.

Earning a scholarship to college to play basketball didn’t happen overnight. In high school I was not heavily recruited. I receive some letters from schools but they were all NAIA and Division 3 schools.  I received one Division 1 letter my senior year. They had let me know they were interested in me and that was the only time I heard from them.

After my senior year I was not offered not one scholarship. I ended up going to school about a hour away from home. My tuition was covered by grants and loans. At the college I redshirted. I practice with the team every day but did not travel nor play in games. Sitting out my freshman year was a great decision for me. It allowed me to work hard on my weaknesses, adapt to the collegiate level style of play and learn the ins and out of college.

After one year at the University a good friend of mine and my assistant coach from high school got a job at a junior college close to my hometown. When he got the job he gave me a call and offered me a full scholarship to come and play. Prior to the season at the new school I worked extremely hard to elevate my game to the next level. Playing at a junior college, a player can only play there a maximum of two years since it is a community college. I knew I had a lot of improvements to make if I planned on transferring to another college.

The biggest blessing came when I received a call from Perry Watson from the University of Detroit. He offered me a Division 1 scholarship. I would have never thought in a million years I would play Division 1 basketball. Hard work, determination, sacrifice and the desire to become the best basketball player I could be opened a major door for me.

After playing a year at the University of Detroit I ended up transferring to Pikeville College. A college in Pikeville, Kentucky. I went on to becoming an All American and achieving goals I set for myself. While living in Pikeville, it became a place where I both lost my identity and also came into my identity. What I mean is this. I became the person I always wanted to be on the basketball court but I also became the person I did not want to be for God.

God placed a calling on my life at a young age. For many years I ran from the calling out of fear. I didn’t know what to do with the call God had placed on my life. I didn’t know who to talk to so I kept it to myself and fought against it. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do. I brought a lot of headaches, heartaches and heart breaks upon myself.

Living in Pikeville made me realize God was in control and He was not done with me regarding the call He placed on my life. The most important aspect of my life is that I am able to serve the Creator of the universe and live a life for Him. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it had not been for God’s grace and mercy upon my life. I didn’t always understand this way of thinking.

Around the age of 6 my Dad began taking my family and I to church. We began attending a Baptist church along with a few of my aunts and uncles on my Dad’s side of the family. About a year or so after we began attending there we all got baptized besides my Mom. I remember being in the front row before the whole church responding to the preacher man’s questions about Jesus. I didn’t truly understand what we were doing but I knew it was a good thing. I thought that’s what people did to join the church. This experience was my first personal encounter with God.

My second encounter with God came around the age of 12 at a Vacation Bible School. One of my friends from the neighborhood invited me out. I had no intentions on going until he said on the last day of VBS they were going to give away a bike. That captured me. I didn’t have a bike at the time so I thought of my chances to win to be high. Little did I know God had different plans for me.

The minister there had all the kids engaged daily. After going home the first night, I told myself I have to go back the next day. Thursday came. At the end of the night, the minister asked all of the youth to come around the altar. He began to speak on who Jesus was, why God sent Him to the earth and the power He holds. He said Jesus wants to give us that same power. He told us to draw a door around our hearts. He told us to ask for forgiveness; ask for God to forgive us for all of our sins and to ask God to enter into our hearts. Then he taught on repentance and led us to repent. He then told us to shut the door, lock it and throw away the key.

The minister then begin to talk about this great power and gift called the Holy Spirit. He explained what it was and that we can receive it too. He then talked about the gift of speaking in tongues, that once you receive the Holy Spirit that if it is God’s will something new will be birthed in you. He sounded out how it would sound and said he was going to come around and lay hands on us and once he laid hands on us we will receive this gift if it is God’s will for us.

If you could imagine a 11 year old boy excited and nervous all at the same time because I truly didn't know what was going on but I believed God so I stayed in line and waited for him to come to me. I remember as he started to come down the line. I started to hear different voices and sounds to utter throughout the room. He continued to come down the line and my heart continued to beat faster. My friend who invited me was to the left of me so once the minister got to him and I heard him begin to speak I now knew it was my time to receive what God had for me.

He got to me and told me to close my eyes. He laid his hands on me and instantly a fire stirred up in me and something overtook me and I began to speak in a new dialect. I remember trying to stop it and speak in english but I couldn't. After this encounter and leaving from this wonderful experience on this day I truly knew that Jesus was powerful. Even though I didn't win the bike, I had received the best gift anyone could ever ask for. I had Jesus power living inside of me!

After this experience and venturing off to high school is where this gift/power that I had living within me died down. The church I grew up in never spoke about the gift of tongues and the power of the Holy Spirit. The people that I ran into didn't believe it to be true. So for many years I though that maybe I indulged in something crazy. I knew what was birthed and I knew how real the experience was but I didn't know what to truly think of it because I didn't have proper understanding.

During high school is where life and the enemy got the best of me. I began to smoke weed everyday, drink alcohol, fornicate, lie, cuss, disobey my parents, skip school and etc.. I was far off from living a life for God. Around the age of 16 is where life got the hardest for me. I knew the life that I was living wasn't right. I grew up and went to church every Sunday. I knew the teachings of God and He was requiring Holiness so every time I would sin there was a conviction some where letting me know this isn't the way God wants me to live. Going into my senior year I remember crying out to God all of the time, asking Him to help me or to send someone my way to lead me to Him.

My senior year of high school came. I was a varsity basketball player and we had received a new assistant basketball coach. One of our first conversations we had was about God, the gifts of tongues, the Holy Spirit and his church. I couldn't believe that I ran into someone that had spoke in tongues. I knew this had to be God drawing me to Him and grabbing my attention.

Senior year, I continued to wrestle and fight God. I didn’t want to let go of the life I was living. I was 17 and I felt I would be missing out on life if I walked away from the way I was living. I continued to drink, fornicate, smoke and live a life of sin. God continued to beat on my door. It got to the point where I said enough is enough. I was tired of crying and I was definitely tired of running!

After the basketball season on March 8th, 2005 I gave my life, my everything over to God and totally surrendered! Everything that I was searching for in the world I knew that I had now found that in Jesus. All of my sins were washed away. I felt peace, joy, and happiness. I knew the decision I made was the right thing to do because I was tired of letting the devil win and get the best of me. God had been drawing me since I was 6 years old and finally I gave up fighting.

It's been over 8 years now that I have been walking this walk with God. It hasn't been the easiest walk but by God's grace He has kept me. Going into the year 2012 God placed a burden on my heart for God’s people and ministry. I began to pray, to fast, to read His word daily and search Him for the direction He was leading me in. In the first few months in 2012 I found myself praying for others more than I ever have. I found myself witnessing to people with boldness and not caring who was around. Something had changed in me. I came alive for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the midst of this new beginning I was faced with some tough trials and tribulations. Playing in my third year of basketball professionally I was faced with walking away from the team. I couldn’t understand why things were not working out for me on the team. For the first time in my life I found myself not receiving any playing time. I know this may not sound like a big deal but for a person who is use to having the “green light” this was a big deal. After spending time one night in my prayer closet God revealed to me that my walk with Him was now bigger than basketball. He had called me to be an example of Him, to be a witness for Him and to share the Gospel.

I continued to pray for the burden for God’s people and ministry. In March, by God’s divine path I bumped into a Pastor. We set a meeting to hear each other’s story. I shared my life story and testimony and he shared his. He shared his vision for the church he was leading and the story of the church. We both knew that the meeting was a “God moment.” He offered me an internship at the church he was leading. The church is called Overflow Church and it is located in Benton Harbor, MI.

I began my internship May 1, 2012. Since starting my internship I have seen the move of God in a number of different ways. January 1, 2013 I joined on staff at Overflow as the Young Adult Director. I went to Honduras on a mission trip for the first time as well as preach my first sermon for the first time.These are just tidbits of the works God has done and is doing.

I serve on the discipleship team, prayer ministry, preaching/teaching team and youth ministry. I lead a young adult ministry called Untitled Lounge. I am in seminary at Wesley Seminary pursuing the Master’s of Divinity degree. I will be complete in 2016. I am an Adjunct Instructor at Lake Michigan Community College as well as a Life Coach.

Since joining Overflow, God has allowed me to grow in tremendous ways. I still have so much room to grow. In fact, I will never stop growing and it excites me to know I am going to grow and learn to be the best I can be for Him. I am blessed to say ministry is a beautiful thing. I never knew how God would open the door to ministry but He did. It took for me to learn the hard way but through all of the hardships they were all lessons to help me grow and see Him in new ways.

God is great. He is faithful. He is worthy of every praise I could ever offer! My life is devoted to serving Him, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God.

Forget It!

One of the hardest things in life is to forget. Well, dealing with past hurts, pains and memories that is. Sometimes it's easy to forget scheduled meetings, people's names, what work to do and people to call back. But I am not talking about those things. I am talking about things we have been carrying near and dear to our hearts. I want to bring up a scripture by our dear brother Paul. In Philippians 3:13 Paul says this: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead."

Notice Paul says, "forgetting." The "ing" at the end of "forget" tells me that the forgetting is in process. It's not saying I forgot all at once. Paul is saying, "look, there are some things from my past that I am not well pleased with. There are some decisions that were made that I am not proud of. There are some things, which are in the process of being let go." The process of forgetting is a patient process. One in which many do not like to go through.

What I have realize is this. There are some things from our past that tend to carry along with us for way too long. There are some things from our past always trying to sneak back up on us and if we allow it to, it will. Many times we tell ourselves, "I am over this, or that doesn't bother me anymore," but the moment something comes up from the past we respond in the same manner we use to respond.

In the action of moving forward one must take their eyes off of what's behind. How can one see what's ahead by looking at what's behind? It is nearly impossible. Eventually you will have to look ahead to see where you are going and I believe this is what Paul is getting at as he finishes the rest of the scripture in verse 13. He goes on to say, "and reaching forward to those things which are ahead."

If you know like I know reaching towards anything requires effort. My friend, it is going to take some effort for you to move ahead and let go of what's behind. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible and a very impacting scripture is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17. It says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." 

When you became new in Christ, ALL of those old things passed away. In other words they died! There is a new you! Christ has forgiven you. Now it's time for you to do your part and make sure those things continue to stay dead. Your life is now new. As you continue to grow closer to Christ, you will continue to grow farther away from what's in your past. The end result is to have a renewed heart, mind and spirit, which will lead to forgetting all that's behind just like Christ does with our past. 

My dear friend in Christ, be encouraged. God is not done with you. He loves you and he is developing your character. We are all a work in progress. Keep on holding on. God's got you! 

James 1: 2-4 - "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

"I Sin Too"

We as Christians and as people have become so caught up in the fad of perfection that we act like we do nothing wrong in our lives. We want to show others this perfect persona of us when there is no way possible to be perfect.

Why do we put on fronts for others? Why do we hide that we struggle and hurt? Why do we act like we do not sin?

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

A lot of Christians believe if they show others that they sin, unbelievers will not convert to Christ. They think if unbelievers see they are weak then the unbeliever will believe that there is no chance of changing their life around.

Christians do not want to be labeled as hypocrites and back sliders so they hide their faults. 

We have to understand, even though we live for Christ we still will slip up. If there were no mistakes in the world or if you never made any mistakes then how would you learn?

We cannot be afraid to show others we are weak in certain areas. We cannot be afraid of others judging us because we slip up. People have no right to judge. God is the only person that can judge us.

We have to let go of this perfect image we try to portray. 

Think about this, a person that always tries to be perfect, says they’re perfect; when they make a mistake, think about all of the negative pushback they will encounter from others. Even though others shouldn’t be this way and say negative things, you have to be prepared to hear it because of the way you were portraying your life to be.

It is better to show others you are weak in certain areas and need improvement than act like you are strong and complete. There is nothing wrong with admitting you slip up and make mistakes. The key is correcting the mistake and not doing it again.

We all sin but that does not mean we have to continue in sin. 

We will make mistakes but that does not mean we have to live in fear of making a mistake. We can live a life for God.
It’s a fight to live a life for God but it is the right fight to fight.

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

God didn’t say it will always be easy. Once you turn your life to God, He gives you power (Acts 1:8) and puts a determination in your heart to live for Him. What’s worth having is worth fighting for and you have to be willing to fight for God to get to heaven.

He knows that it’s impossible to be sinless and perfect. He just wants us to sin less.
 
God wants to see you giving your all and living life the best you can. So my friend keep pushing and getting better everyday!

God bless,
J Scott

J Scott Sermon - "Love Never Ends!"

                                            Preaching at Untitled Lounge on Good Friday!

Abusing Grace

Romans 6:1-2 “ What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!”

Grace is a gift from God. We do not deserve grace. For some reason God grants us grace and extends His love towards us. Grace is unmerited favor. Having favor from God is a blessing. Think about the favor extended towards you from a person who is an authoritive figure in your life. I am sure there are times where you know you do not deserve something or may have not earned a reward but yet someone grants you. This is how grace works.

Paul the writer of Hebrews brings to our attention potentially continuing in sin now that we have received the grace of God. This is something we should not do. We should not willingly continue in sin after we have been reconciled to God. How many of us have accepted the personal invite to live for God and still continued doing certain things we knew we shouldn’t be doing? I believe all are guilty of this at some point. Once you know something is wrong and you chose to give in and do it, this is taking advantage of grace.

I do not know where you are at in your faith walk with God but for me I am in a place of recognizing I need to do better in this area of handling God’s grace. My problem I am having is this; knowing God’s grace has been extended to me, I consciously make a decision at times based off the simple fact I am in the will of God. In other words, I know God is on my side, and He will forgive me at some point, so in the end I will be good. What a terrible way to think.

Where do we go from here? – Let’s go to prayer!

Father, first I want to praise and thank you for extended grace towards me. You didn’t have to grant it but God, because of your love for me, you knew that I needed it. Father, I want to apologize and seek forgiveness for abusing your grace. I have been taking advantage of you and I recognize this is not who I want to be. Through the Holy Spirit, I know right from wrong, so my cry on today is to change the way I operate in your grace. From this moment forward I want make my wrongs right. I want to let my past wrongs go and I want to move forward with a renewed mind to do what’s right. So Father, I thank you for keeping me. I am grateful to be apart of your Kingdom. Into your arms I commit my spirit to do what is right in Your sight. Have your way with me Lord!

In Jesus Name,

Amen!

Pressing Place

Philippians 3:13-14 - “One thing I do brethern; I forget those things which are behind, and look forward to those things which are ahead. I PRESS toward the mark for the prize of the High calling in Christ Jesus.”

There are certain times in life where we find ourselves in some rough places. For days, weeks, months and even years we hide, fake and put aside what is going on inside of us. It seems the longer we hide what’s going on internally; externally we become numb to who we really are. The external persona gives us a role to play whenever we are out in society amongst peers. We become vocally systematic in our responses. Our gestures become mastered so others cannot see what is truly going on inside of us. We hide the brokenness, the pain and hurt so well.

There is what I like to call, a “pressing place.” A pressing place is a place where you are being so suppress you cannot hide and hold in what’s going on internally. A pressing place presses against your pain and it forces you to say enough is enough. Too many times in our lives we run from our pressing place.

In order to overcome we must go through. In order to go through we must release. In order to release we must confront. In order to confront, we must be real. In order to be real, we must be transparent.

Someone once said, “Don’t fake it until you make it, faith it until you make it.” In our pressing place we have to find faith. In Matthew chapter 17 verse 20 the text says, “If you can have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to that mountain, move, and the mountain will move!” Faith, no matter the size, small or great can move the mountains in your life. In case you haven’t heard, small faith can get you to the right place!

I don’t know what your pressing place is today but I pray whatever it is that it forces you to let go of all of the things hurting on the inside of you. You do not have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. You don’t have to put a fake smile with your face. You can be real and transparent about what is going on with you. In order to grow you must let go!

My friend, my prayer for you today is... God will suppress you in your pressing place to get you to release the brokenness of your soul so that He can make you whole!

God bless you,

J Scott Samarco

This Love Is It..

Each breath, each moment, every touch, every thought of it you come to mind. Is it true that there is a love that lives inside but is express on the outside. This type of emotion cannot be held back. This cord, this strand, this connection is never meant to be broken. It is self less.. It surpasses all of what eyes have seen. It sings sweet melodies to your ears. It floats your soul pass the moon. A limitation is unheard of. Pages can be filled for days about every characteristic of what this love is.

So effortlessly, so gracefully, so peacefully and always happily it lives on. It pours out. It goes for long walks. Every sun rise there sits two with long talks. Throughout the day, memories, pictures created with no words on them but they speak for themselves. There is no way such a thing as this can be captivated. At times when there is nothing to say it still speaks. In the breathless times the warmth of it calms. Thinking about it alone makes ones stomach confirm that there's something special.

Healing, singing, moving.. There is no way one can keep still. The music plays love cords. The hands write love notes. The table gets set, the candles are being lit, the stove is steaming. Nothing is rushed because each scene is like for ever. Never wanting to sleep unless the dream is about it. The bond that's been created strengthens. Never remembering what a broken heart ever felt like. This love pumps. The blood always remain warm. Holding each other to each arm becomes numb. Not wanting to move a spot.

This love is it.

Truth Telling

No child left behind. The people are trying to integrate but don't know how so we see another form of how to segregate. The great lost hope. The clear specimens are throwing out, pushing away, while the blurry pray for a different day. This nation was never built off of love. It's been a get out of my way, I'm taking whatever I want attitude ever since the Europeans crossed the latitudes. So why keep trying?? The government was built off of lying. So much pain, so much wrong. Is it worth it? To try and create a new song.. How can something be for all people when all people wants to be amongst their same people?? Contradictive suicides, parallel with wrong actions on both sides, I call that a double homicide.

The blind leading the blind so they keep on building. The foundation is the people. It's the stories! But its the high tower people covering up what needs to be heard. Hate conquering hate over and over. It is no longer a cycling mess but a pyramid chest. The heart beat of the triangle is the evil of the spirit of power. Nothing really matters. We are still under control. Being washed away by the World Wide Web better know as WW3. These intellects have every piece of your information, all of your photos, genealogy, family history, know your every move but yet we still think its cool websites.

We are such a dumbed down generation! Foolish and blind to what is going on. Our minds are so closed that we cant open the curtains to see if it is night or day. We have given away our identity, put away the Holy Trinity and simply said, "It's all about me!!" Money, pleasure, cars, homes and success should all be laid to rest. The wealthiest person is the humblest person that cannot be defined by the world's standards. The platform is left wide open. There is a stage that only a few people will be on. Only the wise and the humble that have taken off the blinders will be able to change the world. From house, to community, to state, to nation, to world, to reaching every boy and girl. There is so much skin to peel off. So many layers to scratch.

God of the Universe the people are so off from what you've started. You once destroyed us because our ignorance. One can only imagine what's in store for making the same mistake as the ones before. But wait.. There lies a knocking at the door.. The door knob turns.. It opens.. The question is.. "What will it take for you to see that YOU need to do better??

Here's My God Letter

"Miss Proverbs 31"

Miss Proverbs 31.. you are the only one! You're my missing rib. I know with you I'll have more life. Breath easy.. Proverbs 31, please believe me.. I notice the dirt you been through. I see the scars. This is why you shine so bright. Miss Proverbs.. you are my light! You precious jewel you.. your ex he was a fool. Now I know why I didn't workout with anyone. It was you God said.. "My son here comes the one!" Im not going to lie Miss Proverbs I was getting restless. Can you believe I even stopped praying for you. Ha.. what a fool I was. You want to know something Miss Proverbs. You will be proud of me. I took time to truly work on myself. I read love books, worked on my communication and most importantly got my relationship with God back the way its suppose to be! Miss Proverbs I knew I had to get myself right for you or God would of been like "Nope, son you're still not ready!" So you see Miss Proverbs I cut the randoms off, I stopped the random dating. I knew I wasn't going to marry them so I had to come to a realization and cut off false hope. Plus it was getting me into too much trouble. Kissing, cuddling spending time.. yeah I did all of that and it got me no where. This season before you came I dedicated it to my "Future Wife!" Miss Proverbs.. I put my all in and God said.. "Son because you have kept the course, obeyed, sacrifice and dedicated yourself to me, I shall reward you! Now treat my daughter right or I'll be coming back for her!" I said "God.. do you know how hard I worked for her!!!"

It's Time to Change!!

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Change starts with you. It starts with the changing of your mind. You are what you think. What you think on a day to day basis is usually what you act upon. If you are always thinking about desires of the world then it is more than likely you will give in to the desires of the world.

People always think that you cannot change your mind, but this I know to be a lie. As a Christian makes their transition to walking with the Lord they must change the way they think. This is the key element to being saved and remaining saved. The enemy, our adversary is always going after our mind because he knows if he gets control of our mind then he has control over us. He is is going to try his hardest to push us towards evil and sin instead of good.


My dear friend that I love so much. I pray for you all of the time. I do not want to see you keep going down the same road. You can come out of the sinful lifestyle. I know you are tired of false happiness. The club, sex, drinking, smoking is not true happiness. That is temporary pleasure; a temporary moment. Its time for you to get an eternal mindset. We are temporary here on this earth and we must realize this. We are God's divine children so its time to stop being so caught up in this world. Its time for change my friend.. Its time!!

The joy that God can give you the world cannot. This is a known fact. No longer will you be waking up stress, waking up worrying, waking up thinking how are you going to make it through the day. You will wake up with praise on your lips and joy in your heart. Its time for you to kick the negativity out of your life. Its been wearing and tearing on you for way too long. Its time for you to be built back up and walk with the Lord!!

If you truly want to change then you will put forth the effort. One of the problems that you have is you do not fear the Lord. If you feared the Lord you would not be sinning out of control. I ask you this question.. If you were to die today, do you honestly think you would go to Heaven? By the way you live, by the way you talk and by your actions, do you honestly believe you should live in Heaven for eternity???

I am praying for you my friend!! Know just because you prayed a prayer and God into your life does not mean you are going to Heaven. <- This is a key step but it takes more than this. You have to live and walk up right before the Lord!

2 Corinthians 5:17
 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Listen to my prayer.. It'll bless you!!

The Power of Prayer

Listen to God leading me in prayer. I promise you it will bless you! Amen!

Why Are You Not Living A Saved Lifestyle!!??

Take a second to yourself and ask yourself, "Why am I not living a life for God?" If you are truly living a life for God then ask yourself, "What can I do to win souls to God."

My friend it seems as though we have fallen short. We have taking a step back. We have allowed circumstances, test, trials, people, jobs, money, sex, drinking, smoking, partying to play a huge factor in our walk with God. We have put God aside and let things that are of the world take over our lives. How much longer will we continue to walk in sin when we know we belong to God? How much longer will we keep making excuses why we are not living a life for God? You know the excuse I am too young and I just want to have fun has run out! It is time to take up your cross and let your sinful ways go!

The number one distraction in our lives is *PLEASURE* Not even real pleasure but temporary pleasure. Do you not know that the pleasures of the world are temporary? Think about it.. When you go to smoke, you always go back for more. When you go to drink, you always go back for more. When you have sex, you always want some more. Why is this you may ask? These are temporary satisfying moments. They run out so you keep going back. They are tricks of the adversary. The devil tells you to do what you want, have as much fun as you can, sleep with whoever you want as many times as you want but where is this getting you in life.. No where!

Whenever sin takes place it bringeth forth death. This doesn’t have to be an actual death but it can be something bad. Lets look into this.. Say you have sex with someone and you two do not use a condom or say the condom breaks, then she gets pregnant. The day and age we live in now, what's become most common is the use of abortion(which is the killing of an unborn child). If sex had never taking place there would be no abortion. Who knows what you have possibly killed before it was born. We have become a slave unto sin and our sinful lifestyle is winning the battle over our spiritual lifestyle.

It is time to stop looking for a temporary fix. It is time to stop trying to take matters into your own hands. I tell you now from experience. If God is not in it then it is not going to work. For all of you that is unequally yoked, meaning one is saved and the other isn't, it is time to come up out of that relationship. It is not healthy and in the end it will lead to destruction. Even though its hard to let go of because deep feelings are involved it is the right thing to do. You have to trust God. He will not steer you wrong and He will find you another!

Our lives shouldn’t just consist of what can I do for pleasure and fun. Every weekend, looking for a club/party to roam, what to drink, who can I sleep with. This is not what our lives should be. There is a different lifestyle to live. You may say I am not ready, well I ask you this, when will you ever be ready? Do not wait for something bad to happen to turn your life to God. If you could get yourself ready for the change then you wouldn’t need God. Let God change you! He has ALL the power to give you the change and joy that you are looking for. You will not find the joy and happiness that God can give you in the streets.

Take time to seriously reflect on your life after reading this message and ask yourself, "What is holding me back from living a saved lifestyle?" See what needs/who needs to be let go of to walk on one accord with God. My friend it is time to go to higher grounds with God. God is waiting for you to knock so He can open the door. Will you come!?

2nd Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Next Chapter

Here I am again.. New path, another chapter approaching, almost time to flip the page. I thought I was use to this but this time it feels a little different. Feels like I flat lined.. I was on the incline. Climbing life’s ladder but with one bad decision, I don’t even matter.. Every time I think about the decision, it makes me “madder”.. Ey, it was meant to happen this way. Hmm, that’s what they tell you to believe. I feel like the decisions that we don’t make are sometimes the decisions that we should have made. It’s a confusing concept but if you think about it, makes perfect sense. Should of, would of, could of its all written in the book now. See, when you had the chance you didn’t, now that you want to you can’t. That’s life!

What to do now.. Looking in life’s mirror.. All I see is myself and my wealth.. Preparing for this next chapter, I have to go chase after! To be successful and chase a dream you must first wake up. You have to see the reality.. Can’t stay sleep and chase your dream. No time to be a sleeper. This is the moment that you have to appreciate the most; the day to day struggle, the sweat and tears, pushing pass your deepest fears. This is your time to figure out if you really love what you’re chasing after. This is what I keep telling myself but am I listening!?

Thinking I need to switch it up but the love will not let me go.. This is all I know so how can I just let it go!? In life there comes a time where you must embrace change. I always ponder on why life cannot go the way I want it to. I believe this is what we know to be a fantasy. Lord knows my life is far from that. Writing the lines on the last page but before I turn, there’s a question that sits on my heart. Should I fight or should I let it burn!?

The true reflection of my life is this.. Whenever I take matters into my own hands and stop letting God be the driver is when not so good outcomes occur. The moments when I sin and do not repent and keep repeating the sins that I know I shouldn’t be doing is when not so good outcomes occur. The moments when I keep holding on to the past and not living for the present is when not so good outcomes occur. God wants us to truly live for Him and make our decisions through Him.

When you are called and anointed by God you cannot live life like everyone else. Yes, a person living however they want to may look like they are having the time of their life, happy, but trust me they are missing something. If God is not the head of our lives then we will always be missing something. Once we accept Christ in our life, we must change and live a life for God. Yes, the Christian journey is a struggle and a fight. There will be many temptations that we must overcome but what we must understand is, fighting for Christ is the best fight one can fight. We have to live through God and for God; this is the only way our lives will flourish..

*Flips the page!*

God bless

A Way of Thought

Im thinking about the saved lifestyle. Im thinking about the saved walk. Im thinking about a saved woman. Im thinking about what it takes to be what it is God is calling me to be. Saved.. the meaning that's become demoralize in a new world generation that's on a new high. High off pleasure. They say whatever is flesh pleasing, I'll take that. Hmmm on another note don't let me get started with what folks doing up in the church house. Now that's a different story. But I'm still thinking about what it is to live saved. See I was once there. In front of the church with my hands held high. Proud to show everyone I was redeemed. But as proud as I was, I was talked about. People saying, oh congrats, I am happy for you one day and then the next day asking me if I want to party, drink, smoke and then the next day after that telling me I am brain washed.

They didn't know I was addicted to pleasure. They wasn't there when I inhaled it to my brain, gargled the hot water to take away the pain, felt what I felt; the skin that's softer than cotton. They wasn't there! This addiction that once controlled me. Oh... my Savior that found me. How could I not tell about Your greatness!?

I'm still thinking about being saved. Am I a great representation!? They say they will know them by their fruits. Am I a tree planted by the riverside or am I a tree surrounded by dry land!? Who's listening!? I still want to be saved...

So ya see, we're all searching. Looking for that one. Looking for some fun. Playing with fire and hoping to not get burned. Trying to do as much as we can before His return. A loss hope is the case that is at hand and the ultimate judge has the final say. So, how can you tell a person they are wrong for what they believe? How can you tell a person they aren't living right if you don't know their story? Why do we push people away, cut them with our words and judge?

All I been looking for is a push of encouragement but instead the ones close to me don't care if I slip back into the old me. Heck I think that's what they want. Crazy isn't it!? I turned my lifestyle around just to see the people around me frown!? Naw that can't be right..

Im not sure which hurts worse. Feeling like the world is accepting me or Christians rejecting me. Holding on to the side of the fence. All I need is a hand but people afraid to reach out, afraid to speak up. Sometimes yo brother need those sharp words to be cut up! If you love me then speak to me with the ultimate care and let me know by your actions that you are here. I seen people come and go, from the front pew to the back pew and right out the door. Stop them before its too late. All they need is a helping hand.. im just trying to be saved man...

"Farewell Pikeville.. On to the Next Chapter in Life"

For 20 years of my life, I had never heard of Pikeville. In fact, the first time I heard of it, I said to myself, "What the heck is a Pike(S)ville? Where is that even at?" In the summer of 2008, I was faced with a roadblock. Not knowing where to go to play basketball and finish my education I got on knees and put it in God's hands. In a matter of time I started to hear from different coaches. One of the first coaches and schools I talk to was Happy at Georgetown. Haa Can you imagine me at Georgetown instead of Pikeville? That’s a joke right. Anyhow I got in contact with another guy, and he happen to be Kelly Wells. I can tell from the first conversation that this guy was different. It was something about our conversations that instilled hope that this could be a good fit for me. On top of that Coach Wells and asst coach at the time Coach Riley drove 7 long hours up to good ol Michigan to watch me play in a summer league game. The day they were there I played good in my game and afterwards I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. Since I didn’t know what to do, Coach Wells ended up staying an extra night. He said he wasn’t leaving until he got me. I prayed real hard that night to God and the next morning I woke up and knew what I wanted to do. We all sat down in my house with my Mom and I ended up signing the papers to play for Pikeville. The excitement was all over Coach Wells face. I believe he may have done a Michael Jordan fist pump. Haa I knew that I had made the right decision without even ever checking out the campus or city of Pikeville. (crazy right) :P



Coming down to Pikeville in 2008 it was a different change for me. Surrounded by mountains, having terrible cell phone service, 4 restaurants to eat at and no mall in town I was a little shell shock. I thought to myself, how am I going to survive here two years. As time went on and I begin to meet more people the more comfortable I became. One thing I noticed about the campus and city of Pikeville everyone was so generous and nice. That’s a big change coming from up north. After time, Pikeville became my home away from home.



One of the main reasons I came to Pikeville was to play basketball. In my junior season I went on to being 2nd team All American and 1st team all conference with many other accolades. That season for me was remarkable. Coming from a Division 1 and leaving there on a bad note, I had something to prove. I believe I proved everything bit of what I needed to and then some. Going into my senior year of ball I tore 3 ligaments in my ankle. This really prevented me from playing at the level that I was once at. Not being able to play how I wanted I went into a semi depression. Many people didn’t know because I stayed positive on the outside but all along on the inside I was hurting. Somehow through all of the pain I manage to get through and leave my all on the floor but most importantly basketball landed me a college degree, so you know that made Momma proud! : )



Right before graduation I was offered a job opportunity to work at the college to be an Admissions Counselor. Wanting to continue my basketball career overseas but still plagued by injuries I felt like this could be a good opportunity for me. A job fresh out of college is hard to find these days. I prayed about it for about a month straight, talked it over with friends and family and a month and a half after graduation I was back on the hill. Another great thing with working at the college, I was able to play semi-pro basketball for the East Kentucky Energy in town so not only did I have a great job, I was also playing the game I love. Being an Admissions Counselor taught me a great deal of lessons. It brought into my life new responsibilities, decision making, learning how to be more precise, and definitely a great deal of patience. God opened a door way with this job and I have met some great students and people in one year. I am forever thankful for my co workers and the relationship(s) we built. This job done a lot for me and I am forever grateful for the experience. :)



It saddens me that my time in Pikeville has come to an end. I am very connected to this place. I've had some great times here and some bad times. I came here at the age of 20 and now 23, I have matured a lot. I know God led me here for a reason. I pray as I leave this place that the way I lived showed a representation of Christ. I know I could have been a better witness for God but I did the best I could. I always wanted to be a positive factor for everyone and I tried. One thing about me is I will life coach you and give you advice no matter if I know you or not or what time of the day or night. Funny thing is when I first got here and people begin to know about me, I use to hear, "hey that’s the Christian boy." That makes me smile because I always want to live a life for Christ and show others that they can too!



I have many great memories here and I will forever cherish them. Pikeville, you have been good to me and I am thankful for all of the people that I have connected to during my time here. It has been a real good pleasure being here. I ask that everyone stay in contact. I'm only a click away, search engine away on facebook. Don’t be afraid to write on my wall or say hello. I will miss you all!!!!!!



p.s. I will no longer have the 606 # so if you text or call I will not get it. God bless you and I wish you all nothing but much success in life!



Love,

Joshua "scotty" Samarco