Cedric Dukes's Blog, page 9
July 7, 2018
July 3, 2018
Get Help
With the victory being won, you don’t have to struggle anymore. God has graced us with the presence of someone who will walk with you every day and anytime you need him. He is comforter, counselor, confidant can be trusted with the upmost secrets. This someone speaks on your behalf. I am talking about is the Holy Spirit. He is not some spooky imagined person in your mind. He is not there to control your life. The Holy Spirit is there to guide you along your path way. He receives direct communication from God and gives to you. Ephesians 1:13 says we were sealed after we heard the truth of salvation. Jesus promised the disciples a comforter to replace his missing presence in John 14:16-17, And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and He will be in you.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He is the one that Jesus said that I need too leave so the Helper will come. Jesus knew in order to impact you that He needed to go to the cross. Jesus knew that once He went to the cross that everyone would be impacted. The Holy Spirit was there from the beginning of the world in Genesis 1:26 when he said let us make man in our image. God wanted man (includes females) to be empowered with his Spirit. He put his characteristics in us. God put his image into us and commanded us to be fruitful, multiply, replenish and fill the earth while subduing see Genesis 1:27-28).
June 15, 2018
Fathers and Daughters
Fathers, your relationship with your daughter grows stronger through life experiences. Daughters desire protection from a father. They want comfort only a father can give them. Fathers, our responsibility is to be there with them to provide love and protection. If we want them to grow up and meet the right husband, we must show them what that looks like. If we want them to have the best, we must show them what to look for. If we want them not to be the object that media and music portrays, then we must ensure we are there to address that. We must be there to distinguish right from wrong, love from lust, inward beauty from physical beauty.
Fathers, treat your daughters with respect. There will be times when you will not know what is going on. Hang in there. Listen to them vent. Listen to their heart, not their voice. Sometimes daughters have to talk it through as opposed to sons who may keep their emotions inside. Listen without judging. It may be hard to do, but you can do it. The next time – she will open up to you more.
Finally, fathers, it is our responsibility to nurture our daughters into the women whom God made them to be. Show them your love. In our daughters’ search of finding a husband, they will not fall to the wrong man because they have seen and experienced the love of their father
Fathers and Sons
Fathers, teach your son how to become a man. Praise him when he’s right and correct him when he’s wrong. A son’s view of manhood is distorted when the father is not present. Fathers, teach your son to respect his mother and other women. Don’t allow him to treat her wrong. Teach him that his mother cares for him deeply, which starts with you. Fathers, teach your son the value of work. Start your sons young understanding how to handle finances. Work is good for his mind, body, and soul. It helps with self-esteem. Work will allow a man to master his responsibilities and put life’s priorities into perspective. Fathers, establish a connection with them, finding out what they like; finding out why they act a certain way. A son will respect a loving, strong man when he gets older. Set the priority now.
Man the Father
W.E.B. Dubois says a child learns from what you are more than what you teach. Children are like sponges. They see their father as a role model laying a foundation. Being a father is a special calling from God. Men, you are building a lifetime of values with your child. You may not see it now, but as you get older and if you continue to build values, you’ll reap the benefits. Proverbs 22:6 says we should train up a child in the way that he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Fathers, values start with us as we pour them into our children. They learn from our successes and failures. Regardless of our position in life, they need to see who we are. We must teach our children to be productive, teach them to be courteous, and teach them to love one another, and to become a difference maker.
Fathers, it is a necessity to plant seeds of value within your child. The seed has to be watered every time you get a chance with your love, presence, and Godly correction. We must look at our children as an investment that will bring the world a return. This investment will reach to future generations. This is how a nation changes! We can change the destiny and influence of our children by being there every day and loving them. We are teachers helping and guiding them to their destiny in life. A father must understand that not only his actions but his words will mold a child’s life. Our words will help determine their worth.
June 3, 2018
Let Go of It
It’s hard to let go of something that you had for a long time. It becomes your baby as you nurture and care for it. But I am hearing the Lord tell me to let it go so I can give you more. So now I have to make a honest decision to let go some of those things that made me what I am to what I need to become. It’s a hard but necessary decision that causes growth. So I cannot make any more decisions out of fear.
