You Filthy Prostitute!!!

By the title of this blog, you probably are thinking, who is he talking about? Who has offended him? Why such a degrading blog title? Well, the title explains who we are. WE are all prostitutes? We are nasty, filthy beings that do not deserve to be accepted for who we are. There should not have been a price paid for our redemption, but there was and we should be thankful. Let's take out a moment to define what a prostitute is and see if we fit the definition. A prostitute is one who gives their body away for the return of money or personal gain.

A few days ago, I had to give a speech in class on a topic of my choice. I began to pray to God and ask him what should I speak about. As I began to think on God's grace and love for us, I was reminded of the song that was sang often when I was a child, "He looked beyond my faults and saw my need." As I thought about that song, God took me to the book of Hosea. For those of you that do not know, I have a great infatuation with the Minor Prophets of the Bible, Hosea just happens to be my favorite. I love the story of Hosea because he was called to live a prophetic life by being commanded by God to go out and marry a prostitute (harlot/whore) named Gomer. The greatest challenge that Hosea had to face was to go out and get his wife each time she left home and committed adultery against her husband. After she became unattractive to people (the men), Hosea was laughed at for paying for his wife and returning her back to their home.

Now, I bet you are saying what does this have to do with me and you calling me a prostitute? Well, you and I are prostitutes. Each and every day we go out and play the part of Gomer. We do whatever it takes to make it in life and forget about the reason why we live. We forget about who we are committed to and who we said yes to. We have become prostitutes and have sold ourselves to the "finer" things in life. Now, there is a positive to our prostitutional acts. that positive is no matter how far or how deep we have sunken into the "finer" things or how many times we have given in to the "finer" things, there is a Hosea out there that has willingly paid a price for our salvation. That Hosea, of course, is Jesus Christ. He paid the ultimate price for us. No matter how filthy we are, Jesus will come back every time and remind us that we are redeemed and we do not have to sell ourselves for the "finer" things in life because we are the "finer" things (people) and when man looks down on us, God looks UPON us, recognizes our faults, but looks beyond our faults and sees ALL of our needs. You do not have to live a life of prostitution and give yourself away, but sell out to the one who matters most because when everyone else looks down on you, He, like the prophet Hosea, sees the BEST IN YOU!!!! Live the Good Life and watch God manifest His glory upon your life!

God Bless You!

The Common Guy

You've Got Questions, He Has ANSWERS!!!!

I am sure you have seen or heard the Radio Shack motto, "You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers" which is a very exciting motto because it says that they are very knowledgeable about their product and can give you answers to anything that you may have a question about when it comes to technology. Well, I know a man that has answers to all of your questions that you may have about your life and your destiny. I was introduced to Him when I was a child and He has answered every question that I have had and His name is JESUS!!! I am so glad to know Him!

In 2009, I had a question that I needed answered. In fact, it was such a pressing question that it took some serious seeking to get my answer. The question that I had was, "God, what's the next move for my life? I know that South Carolina is not my home, but I need answers because I just graduated from college, I have no job and ESPN has just let me down. Father, I need answers." I left the conversation in God's hands and went to prayer on a Wednesday night and God used my God-mother, Belindra Broome to speak to me and through her I found my answer. God spoke through her and said it was time for me to go back to school. I kept asking questions and He kept giving answers. I received my answer and committed to moving to Orlando as I was instructed. Once I moved to Orlando to attend Asbury Theological Seminary, my next question was "Lord, will you show me where should I go to church? I need to be somewhere where I can grow." Well, two years ago, my God-brother, Tarrio Broome, showed me a youtube clip of Prophet Todd Hall and said, "Bro, check this dude out, he is a beast in the word." I checked it out and never thought about the video again. Two years later came, I was back in South Carolina and God woke me up at 3am and led me to youtube to look up Prophet Todd Hall. I sat up for hours and watched about 12 videos and the final video led me to Shabach Christian Church. I have been there ever since and I thank God for being connected. Prophet/Bishop Dr. Todd Hall and Pastor Sonya Mixon have embraced me greatly and I continue to see God's great manifestation in my life.

I bet you are wondering what I am talking about. Well, if I would have not sought after the face of God and asked him questions, I would not receive answers. I know you may be going through and it seems like all hell is breaking loose, but that is God trying to get your attention to let you know that He wants you to ask Him about the next move of your life. We spend so much time asking friends and family their opinions that we find ourselves more confused then ever before, but I beg you today, PLEASE consider Christ for your answers. Why? Because He knows the Plans for your life. YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS, ASK GOD because HE HAS THE ANSWERS! Be Uncommon again and ask what you will and it shall be given unto you. (Matthew 7:7)

If you are looking for answers, pray this prayer with me, "Lord, I come to you asking you to forgive me for my sins. I ask that you forgive me for not seeking after your face first. Please help me! I realize that I cannot make it without your gracious hand of mercy upon my life. You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and I worship you for who you are. Father, please help me! This next move of my life needs to be directed by you and you only. I cannot make it without you. I need you to turn things in my life around so that I may follow you and you only. Change my mind and my heart to do your will! I pray this prayer in your Son, Jesus' name. AMEN!" Now that you have prayed this prayer, I ask that you take out some time in the next seven days to seek after God because He has great things for you and you have to spend time with Him through prayer and reading of His word, to get ANSWERS!

God Bless You!

The Common Guy

God's Hands On YOU!

You may have heard the song from Gospel Artist Marvin Sapp, "He Has His Hands On You." This song speaks so much to me, not because of the song itself, but it is a manifestation of something my great father, the late great, Bobby Lee Belton, Sr used to say to me. Growing up I would feel left out by the people around me. I felt as though no one cared about me and struggled with a great deal of low self-esteem. The one thing that kept me grounded would be the conversations I would have with my family. My father would speak so much more sometimes than the others in my family. After we would speak for hours and hours, Daddy would conclude by looking at me, pointing in my face and say, "God's got his hands on you boy." There was no greater feeling than hearing those words from my father and watching God manifest himself in my life. As I grew older, I became more confident in myself, knowing that God had greater for me and there was a call on my life. When I went off to college, I began to meet some of the greatest people of my life. To see and hear so many people refer to me as a "cool person" made me feel so much better about myself because I still dealt with that low self esteem issue. Well, the more and more I became confident in myself, people would find themselves comfortable around me. I watched God elevate me from one level to another. I bet you are saying, "What does this have to do with me?" Well, it has a lot to do with you. I use my story to get the message across to you and I want you to know that no matter what your struggle is, God's got his hands on you! Be confident in knowing that He has a hedge of protection around you and you may be struggling today, but your struggle today will give you victory tomorrow. As I went through my college years, I found God putting me in the right place for my good. I would come to know some of the greatest friends of my life. God will put the right people in your life for the right seasons of your life. So embrace your journey because God has HIS hands on YOU!!!

You Are No Better Than The Next Man.....

"I am no better than the next man, just trying to better the next man." -Bobby L. Belton, Jr.

Have you ever looked down on someone that did not have as much as you or that did not look like you? Have you ever disrespected someone for the way they came across to you?
Have you ever been asked the question, "Who do you think you are?"

I am sure that a yes is the answer to each of the three questions above and if you have not been asked these questions then you are truly a special person, but what I want you to do is take a moment and reflect on these questions really quick because if you have not been asked these questions then it is because you have not verbally proclaimed these observatives to anyone publicly. We all have looked down on someone for the way they appear, but if you notice the third question is probably the most important question, "Who do you think you are?" or if you want me to be inclusive, "Who do we think we are?" No one is perfect my beloved, so our job and call in life is to accept those around us as Christ has accepted us for we are no better than the next person, but it is our job to pick him/her up and carry them to safety. Our society is dying each and everyday to the crucial realities of suicide and depression all because of how people view us. Please, I beg you, do not allow another person to be affected by the negativity around us. Please, I beg you, let us do our job and pick them up and carry them back to redemption because if you be real with yourself and I become real with myself WE will recognize that there are some things in our past that we are ashamed to allow people to know. There are many things that we do not want to let out, so let's recognize together that God is a God that forgives, heals and casts all of our sins into the sea of forgetfulness. He loves us for who we really are whether it be that alcoholic, drug addict, fornicator, masturbator, pornography addict or prostitute. God looks beyond where we were and looks to where we are going. Therefore, I beg you, to realize today that WE all struggle together, so WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE? Please join me in saying, "WE ARE NO BETTER THAN THE NEXT MAN, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO BETTER THE NEXT MAN!" Why? Because I AM MY BROTHERS/SISTERS KEEPER!

LET US LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE!!

God Bless

The Common Guy

Your Call to be UNCOMMON!!!!

1 Peter 2:9 declares "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light..."

Many people do not recognize that they are called to be different. They desire to fit in with the crowd and do whatever they see the next person do, whether that be in fashion, sports, or watching reality television. Everyone wants to fit in so badly that they are willing to match another person's attempt to reach their level of greatness. The mistake that is made in this attempt is the desire to match. If you begin to match what a person does to make it in life without going through what they went through, you become a counterfeit. A counterfeit, no matter how you define it, is not a good thing. So, what should you do? Well, you should be UNCOMMON. How do we define the word uncommon? Being uncommon is being your own person. When you were a child I am sure you heard your parents say to you, "You can only be you. It does not matter what people think about you. You have to do what is best for you." Well, our parents ignited the uncommon mentality, but because we were uncomfortable in our own skin, we became comfortable trying to fit in.  Well, it is time to change your mind and do what you feel, be UNCOMMON. You were in the darkness of being common, but guess what? You are called to be UNCOMMON. As the scripture above states, you are a PECULIAR people. What does peculiar mean? Let's Keep it simple, to be different. It is our call from God to be different. Please do not be afraid! Being UNCOMMON (Peculiar) looks good on YOU!!! Wear the colors that YOU like! Think the way that YOU like to think! Be the person that YOU want to be! Why? IT IS YOUR CALL TO BE UNCOMMON!

Be Uncommon!

God Bless You!

-The Common Guy