PRAISE AGAIN

It is written, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

The New Living Translation says it like this, "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again--my Savior and my God!"

Tramaine Hawkins sang a song called, "I Never Lost My Praise" and it's a deep and good song. I was once a member of a choir that had that song on the set list. It says, "I never lost my hope. I never lost my joy. I never lost my faith, but most of all, I never lost my praise." Now may I throw this out there? I feel that if some of us were really honest with ourselves, some of us have lost our hope, joy, faith, and praise and still stand up on Sunday mornings and say, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and his righteousness." to get over with the church goers. I recently heard a preacher say that we have been raised to lie in church. When someone asks how we are doing, we say something like, "I'm blessed and highly favored." or say what I say, "I'm good."

When we come to church honest and desperate, I believe that's when true work can be done. One Wednesday night, it was after a long week. I was heading to Bible Study, but I almost did a U-Turn because I was so depressed. To be honest I was ready to accept driving off road. Not going to go into detail, but let's just say, I messed up things like on a major level. So I was already beating myself up about that, but I pushed my way to church. Where I'd usually show up on time for prayer which goes on at 6:30, but I showed up right at 7 because again I was contemplating on whether even going to church that night or not. Come to find out, going to church that night was the best decision I could've made. I left that night feeling refreshed and healed. That night I really felt that the church was indeed a hospital. At least for that night, I found my praise again.

I used to loathe hearing people with the microphone say, "Y'all ain't praising!" My response would be, "How can you judge how someone praises God?" How can you praise something you have no faith in? I believe the level of your praise shows the level of your faith. If your hope is not where it needs to be, and you forget who God is and what God has done for you, of course your praise is not going to be where it needs to be. When the preacher says, "Give God a praise." and you give God a patty cake clap or you give God a monotone "Hallelujah." Expecting that to be enough. I'm reminded of a song that I heard growing up that said, "You oughta be happy, you oughta be happy, you oughta be happy just to praise the Lord." The Bible talks about the saints being the bride of Christ, right? I'm not married, nor have I ever been in a relationship, but from the outside looking in, I can tell if a wife really loves the husband. I can tell when a girlfriend really loves her boyfriend. Am I allowed to say that your praise level may show your love for Jesus?

I dare you to find your praise again. I dare you to hope in  God again. I dare you to forget about yourself and concentrate on Him and worship Him. One song says, "My Praise is my weapon." A weapon only works if you use it.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

MAKE SOME NOISE

But thou art holy that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalms 22: 3

Some of us having made noise in a long time. The song writer said there is a sound that is pleasing to his ear. A sound of praises lifting into the atmosphere. Every time you lift your voice. You need to know. Jesus loves to hear the sound of praise.

God inhabits the praises of his people.. For some of us then, we’re not giving God a home to live in. Old song says because He lives in me I can face tomorrow, Because He lives in me All my fears are gone. Because I know who holds tomorrow. And I know Who holds my hand. So if He lives in you there should be some praise somewhere. There should be some noise somewhere.

There’s a song that says, "You are just a praise from a breakthough. Just a praise away from a blessing. If you’d just reach down inside from the depths of your soul and bring forth a right now praise that’s already you." The old saints would say, when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he’s done for me, my soul cries out….Thank God for…When’s the last time you thought of the goodness of Jesus and something began to bubble in your spirit that you had no choice but to open your mouth.

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O maginify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalms 34: 1-4, 8

I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. There’s a definition of sought in the Hebrew that says, “ask, request, seek, beg, demand, desire.” I imagined David just didn’t just seek the Lord like we seek people playing hide and seek. I imagine David was hollering. You know when you’re desperate the quiet stuff goes away. If you’re trapped, you’re not quietly doing nothing. You’re screaming for help. David didn’t just seek any body. He didn’t seek just a god. He sought THE God. He sought the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. He sought the Lord and the Lord heard him. When the last time your praise was so crazy you wanted to make sure the Lord heard you? When the last time you didn’t praise God cute. Pastor always says you can’t praise God cute. When are we going to start listening.

O clap your hands all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47 :1

We got the first part of clapping of the hands down pact. Just about every service you go to, somebody said, “Give the Lord a praise.” It’s usually the sound of clapping of the hands. When the last time you lifted up your voice? When’s the last time you opened your mouth to praise God, and not to gossip and talk about people. When the last time your spoke life and not death. A lot of us have been making noise, but the noise you’re making has no benefits. The bible say, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…”

Psalm 98:4 “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice and sing praise.”

Some of you want to sing but don’t want to sing praise.

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones should immediately cry out. Luke 19:40

Stop letting these Pharisees stop you from making a joyful noise to God. Don’t let anybody stop your praise.

Song writer said, “You don’t know my story. All the things that I’ve been through You can’t feel my pain. What I had to go through to get here. You’ll never understand my praise. So don’t try to figure it out. Because my worship my worship is for real.” Then it goes on and says, “I’ve been through too much not to worship him.” Old song says, “When the praises go up, blessings come down.” I think your praise should identify how bad you want it. Your praise, I feel, should match your desperation. 

How desperate are you? 

Stay Saved, 

Daniel Richerson

GRATEFULNESS BRINGS BENEFITS

So the other day my sister treated to see the faith based film War Room, which is a brilliant movie, and as we were leaving my sister said something that stuck with me. She said, "I'm just waiting on a thank you." As soon as she said that it hit me that maybe we haven't received our "you're welcome" from God cause he hasn't received a thank you. For example, you ever do something for people and never receive one thank you? You usually stop doing stuff for them because of their what? Ungratefulness.

Being grateful is not only polite, it has it's benefits. Old saying in the church say, when the praises go up, the blessing's come down. The problem with some of us is that we want the benefits but none of the work.  Kevin Hart put it like this, "Everybody wants to be famous, but nobody wants to be the work in." I want to be an author one day. I hope to one day learn to play other instruments besides the drums. But I can't expect to get on a piano one day and automatically know the scales and the keys to put a singer in without any prior work. It has been said that some are just naturally gifted when it comes to pianos, but can't expect that for everybody.

Now I believe, my opinion, that God won't stop blessing because you didn't say thank you. I believe that's where grace and mercy comes in. They're not a excuse to sin or not say thank you, but it gives you chance after chance to say thank you. Shawn Bigby put it like this, "Lord I want to say thank you / I need to say thank you/ I gotta say thank you for always being there." Saying thank you should not be a forced thing. My sister shouldn't have had to ask me for a thank you. God shouldn't have to beg you to praise him. It's amazing that in Psalm 150 it's written, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Yet you seem to have to beg people to praise. A lot of us are so ungrateful it's no wonder we're going through what we're going through.

Ungratefulness can ruin relationships and future relationships. Cause you being ungrateful can travel like a plague and other people will hear about it and not do any favors for you. Imagine if God treated us like that. Imagine if because of our ungratefulness to God, He decided to cut us off. Imagine if because of our ungratefulness he never sent his son to die for our sins. Just imagine. How many of you are glad that God is not like man?

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson

USE WHAT YOU GOT

It's been a long time. Little over a month. With a lap top that doesn't work and a desktop that went out on me, it was hard to post anything, but let me take this time thank you all for sticking around. Thanks for reading my stuff. Got a wrestling blog posted, and got my ipod on shuffle. So with that being said...cue Prodigal Son ~ Tye Tribbett. Before I go into this blog, I've heard Tye Tribbett's new album and I'm going to say it's his best album yet. Just awesome. I also listened Isaac Carree's new album, and I liked it also. I'm an R Kelly fan so that Clean This House remix is the cut as far as I'm concerned. But anyway--let's do this.

You can tell somebody what their doing is wrong. You can even tell them the consequences of the actions, but to be honest, it sometimes is not going to do anything. Some people got to be experienced to finally get it. Like you can tell thief about how wrong stealing is and it'll go in one ear and out the other. But when that jail cell closes, not all the time, but usually the realization kicks in. A prime example is the late great Sammy Davis Jr. Just imagine if he would've left the cigarettes alone. He'd still be alive today and killing it, possibly. But he just couldn't stop smoking even when he told people he stopped, he'd sneak off and get a puff in. Don't wait until it's too late to get the realization. I know I got realizations in my life and thank God I'm still alive to get stuff straight.

Some of the bad habits you can't seem to break, I say if at all possible, change your habits, or seek help. Don't wait until the consequences of that habit start to happen to realize, "Hmm, I my need to stop this." Believe me on that. An old song has become one of my favorites. I encourage anybody going through to YouTube Wave It Away by John P Kee. The song basically says give it to Jesus because he can bare them. Matthew 11:28-30 reads like this, "Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light." Now that was Jesus speaking.

A popular song in the church now is Break Every Chain by Tasha Cobbs. It's an awesome worship song. I'm willing to bet it's a song sung out of key and tune at churches around the world. That's when you know you got a hit folks. Anyway the song says, "There is power in the name of Jesus. To break every chain." We love that song. We "go in" on the song. Yet we don't use the power. An old congregational song says, "There is power. Power. Wonder working power in the blood of the lamb." We don't call on Jesus nor do we plead the blood of Jesus anymore. That may sound old school but the blood still works. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big supporter of new school. But some stuff we shouldn't stop doing as believers. Calling on Jesus and pleading the blood is right up there. We are a generation that loves singing and quoting but doesn't like applying.

We're wondering why chains aren't being broken. We wondering why we're still bound. Seeking God might help. 2 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 wicket ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." #Boom! Let me bring this in the mix though. Acts 16:25-26 "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God, and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were open, and every one's bands were loosed." Is your praise being heard? Maybe that's part of the problem.

Now the seed has been planted or watered. I pray that God provides the sunlight to provide the growth. I learned that I can't force anyone to do anything. I learned that what goes on in your personal life is just that. Personal. It's none of my business. All I'm supposed to do is speak truth. and the Bible says in John that the truth shall make you free. The decision is yours. Believe me that this blog is just for me as it is hopefully for some of you reading this.

Stay Saved,

Daniel Richerson
@Big_Dusty on Twitter and Instagram
BigDusty on Facebook
 

BLOG FOR THE DEPRESSED AND STRESSED

Cue That Ain’t Nothin by Fred Hammond. Double negatives…nothing negative about the song though. BLOG!

Some of us are just waiting for that release that Donald Lawrence talking about. Stressed and worn out because of the job, family, and/or church. Proverbs 16:3, “Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” I’ve been saying this for years on podcasts and on these blogs. Let Go and Let God. The holla you feel like doing. That dance you feel in your feet. Let go. That might be your release right there. I don’t know about your church but when I go to church my pastor always tells us to praise like we lost our minds and we give God a clap. And a quiet, “Hallelujah.” Yeah, that’s losing your mind. We are all going through something. So we have no right to judge your praise. I have no right to judge your praise. If I ever truly let go I probably wouldn’t be in half the pickles I put myself in. Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  When you hear folks say Give it to Jesus, it’s more than a good saying. It’s a command to help you get out of that depression and to relieve that stress. I heard Marvin Sapp say one time that Praise is a stress reliever. We continue to give God what we call praise and wonder why we’re still stressed and depressed. Let Go and let God.

1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.” If nobody else cares, God does. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a time where the Saints of the most high God be so stressed out and depressed. What if we tried to cast our care upon Jesus? What if we tried to praise God like we lost our minds? Song says, “Have you tried, Jesus? He’s all right.” You try drugs, late night YouTube videos, alcohol, or whatever else you think lightens up the pressure of the world, yet we put Jesus last. Why? Try Jesus first some time. You may be surprised. He just may work.

Don’t be ashamed to be saved. Don’t be ashamed to be a church boy or church girl. Don’t be ashamed to be a Jesus fan. If you’re like me, you’re around dirty talk all day. And you feel like I can’t live saved around this. I can’t live right around that. I can’t stay saved in this environment. Song says, “Though trials come on every hand, I feel like going on.” Test and trials come to make us, what? Strong. The more you hold on and stay saved, the stronger you become. If Steve Harvey can try the Word of God and have it work for him…what’s your excuse?

I may never make it as a YouTube celebrity. I may never become a bestselling author. I may never record a Grammy worthy single or album. I may never learn how to play a lead guitar or organ. I may never get married. I may never be skinny. I may never be somebody’s love interest. I may never get another comment on these blogs ever again. I may never get another pat on the back. I just know that after all the stuff I’ve done in my life, I’m still here. I just know that God cares for me. I just know that only what I do for Christ will last. I just know that I have a purpose because if there wasn’t a purpose for me, I wouldn’t be here typing this blog. I’ve been depressed and stressed over stuff that doesn’t make any sense. I’m just telling what I know. I’ve been lonely with family around me. I’m a child of God. God is the king of kings and Lord or Lords. God is ruler over everything. He said that He’ll never leave us nor forsake us. So if my dreams never become fulfilled, I got to know I’m living to please God. I’m living for that well done thy good and faithful servant. I’m living to serve.

Don’t get me wrong. I want some of those things listed above to happen in my life, but it’s not the end all be all. I don’t know if I’m right on any of this. I may be wrong. I may be out of my mind. John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:  but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” That was Jesus talking.  Somebody asked me at work what do I do on my spare time, I told her about the blogs, and she asked me about verses in the Bible about overcoming stress and depression. I didn’t know how to answer, but this gay guy that says some of the dirtiest stuff I’ve ever heard spat out some verses. I guess if God can use a donkey…either way. I guess this blog is just my response to her and to anybody else that may be going through stress and or depression.

Stay Saved,
Daniel Richerson
Twitter and Instagram @Big_Dusty
Facebook.com/bigdusty

Who got your back? (originally written 6/13/10)

So this past Thursday, I reunited with an old friend that I’ve known since the 3rd grade. This friend bought up another friend of both of ours that back in the day was my manager. To make a long story short about the manager thing, I wrote stories back then and he appointed himself to be my manager. That’s how I’m going to label him in this blog. My old manager.

Back in the day, I guess starting in like the 7th or 8th grade, my manager knew that I liked this girl. He knew that I wrote notes to girls but never gave them out. The main thing I remember my manager saying to me was, “Man, just give it to her!” Of course that didn’t happen. I remember he wrote a note for me to give to a girl, and I still didn’t do it. Sad ain’t it? I didn’t even write the note from me, and I still couldn’t give it away. Anyway, I thought about that because thinking about myself now, I really haven’t changed when it comes to that stuff. I don’t write notes anymore, but when I have the opportunity to open my mouth and say something to the opposite sex, I don’t. Can you imagine where I would be if I would’ve opened my mouth?

What am I saying? Some of the things we don’t have are due to the fact we didn’t open our mouths when we had the chance. We hear it all the time. When praises go up, blessings come down. When praises go up, healing comes down. And so forth and so on. There’s also something we hear all the time that says, “And his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” What I see there is in order for praise to be in your mouth, something has to be spoken. Don’t get me wrong, I know clapping your hands is a form of praise, but some of us live and die by the clapping of our hands and not ever opening your mouth. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.

My old manager would tell me when I didn’t have the guts to give a girl a note, “Man, just give it to her.” In other words, put some action on your faith boy. Faith without works is dead. What my manager was teaching me was that in order for the note to do the purpose it was written to do, I had let go of all fear, gain confidence and put action on it and give the note away. Some of us lost all faith because of fear. Fear of rejection. Fear of what other people think. Also because of fear, we lose confidence. Deuteronomy 31:6b says in the CEV (Contemporary English Version), “The LORD your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.” Now my manager was a big dude, and I imagine if anything would’ve happened to me while giving away the note, I’m sure he’d have my back. It doesn’t come any bigger than God. With God on your side, there’s no need to lose confidence. In Deuteronomy 31:8, again in the CEV, Moses told Joshua, “The LORD will lead you into the land. He will always be with you and help you, so don’t ever be afraid of your enemies.”

Last Sunday from when I’m currently typing this, I led a song at church called God Is. It’s based from Psalm 73:21-26. One part of the song says, “God is the joy and the strength of my life. He moves all pain, misery, and strife. He promised to keep me. Never to leave me. Never ever fall short of his word!” Nuff said.

Philippians 4:13, “Christ gives me the strength to face anything.” Of course, I didn’t know better back then. I knew the verse, but I didn’t know that we were supposed to apply that. Plus I wasn’t saved then, but either way.

Basically what I’m saying through this blog is that the things we go through in our lives are not for our health. It’s to not only draw us closer to God, but I feel that also it’s to teach us something. Yes I understand the past is behind us. When God steps in your life, your past goes away. The Bible says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” With all that said, your past is your testimony, and like I said, you didn’t go through your past for nothing. You can help people that are going through the same thing you went through.

Anyway thanks for reading. Comment, share with your friends!

Stay saved.

~Daniel Richerson