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