PUSH TO PRAY

The Man – (Aloe Blacc)


THE STORY:

I remember sitting on my couch that night thinking about the man that I was becoming…but I couldn’t concentrate because my phone wouldn’t stop ringing in the next room. I had thrown it against the wall in my bedroom hoping to break it but I could still hear the calls and text messages every few minutes as I sat on my couch…I just kept hoping the battery to die so I wouldn’t have to hear it anymore. Whatever those people wanted on the other end of that phone I wasn’t going to help them…I wasn’t going to help anybody else again…I sat back down on my couch and started to think about what I was turning into and about how I got myself so caught up in this trouble…how could I have let this happen?

[(Thinking back…) I had always told myself that I would just say no whenever my turn came around…I didn’t even know if that day would come but I used to say if it did there was no way that “I” would ever do it, or anything like it. I thought this could never happen to me…It had all started around eight years ago one night in a second floor bathroom in downtown Oxford, MS. I remember I was out with a good friend of mine bar hopping together on the Oxford Square and we decided to stop somewhere to get some dinner. I remember we met the manager at the time and he told us to come upstairs after to show us around the building. But just when I thought we were on our way out to go somewhere else he tells us to come into the bathroom with him…(I honestly wasn’t sure what was going on) I thought maybe he had to tell us something but as soon as we all go in he locks the door behind us, empties out a white powder-like substance onto the bathroom counter top (I knew exactly what it was, but the truth is I had only seen it once before this night)…and before I knew it a rolled up twenty dollar bill is put in my hand and then I heard the words “you gotta try this...” And just like that my turn came around…]

What started in that bathroom that night quickly turned into a habit…and over time I wasn’t just using it…I was helping distribute it… I tell this part of my journey because I believe in second chances and I want my testimony to help anyone who may be in this situation. I grew up in a good home, blessed with a great family, made straight A’s my whole life, earned 2 college degrees, but I had made this one mistake one night that affected me and everyone around me and the choices I made for about 4 years. I had developed such a relationship with my dealer at the time that he was mainly using me and a handful of other people to help move it around town…sadly it made me feel like I was in control of something in a way. I felt like I was “the man.” I knew it was dangerous…but I just didn’t think about that…but deep down I always knew I was wrong, that this wasn’t the person I wanted to become and over time the feeling of control started to go away. You see there is a big difference in feeling good and being happy, most people think that if you can feel good then you will be happy…well I was never happy because I was constantly chasing that feeling… The night that I threw my phone against the wall was one of the moments when I started to hit rock bottom… I was losing good friends, I couldn’t keep a relationship together with any girl that I dated because I was trying to hide this secret life, I was losing touch with my family, and I knew if I didn’t stop…if I didn’t find a way to stop then something bad was going to happen soon…so I decided to do something I had not done in years. And I just prayed. Had no words at first… But I prayed for two things: 1) I prayed to God to just help me… and for forgive me for all the people I had hurt and 2) I prayed that other people would pray for me. I knew it was a selfish prayer to God, who I had not spoken to in so long, and to ask for His help and then to ask for other people to pray for me. I thought it was a shot in the dark from the way I had been living, but I had nowhere else to turn…but later that night after I prayed I remember powering up my phone and throughout all the missed calls and texts from people “wanting” something there was a text message saying “I’m praying for you.”

THE QUESTION:

So what kind of man or woman are you? What kind of man or woman do you want to be? And what are you pushing? Be honest…are you living a life right now that is helpful to others? I know I wasn’t for a long time, I was hurting a lot of people…What can we do when we get so far off track and have nowhere else to turn? Where can we turn? This is such a short life here…our turn will come around, so how can we make a difference for other people?

THE ANSWER:

“I believe every lie that I ever told, paid for every heart that I ever stole…Somewhere I heard that life is a test, I been through the worst but I still give my best. God made my mold different from the rest, then he broke that mold so I know I’m blessed.”

Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III, known as Aloe Blacc, is an American soul artist, vocalist, songwriter, actor, record producer, businessman and musician. The Man, from his third studio album Lift Your Spirit, has been his most successful single of his career as a solo artist. The song’s chorus is built upon a replay of the line “You can tell everybody” from Elton John’s 1971 single “Your Song.” You may recognize some of its success from the marketing campaign of Beats by Dre, which featured professional athletes Colin Kaepernick, Richard Sherman, Kevin Garnett, and Cesc Fabregas. The commercials had a message for the underdogs. Underneath the replay chorus lines, the verses actually have a powerful uplifting message of how to achieve greatness. It’s about being honest about yourself and humbly owning up to your mistakes to become the better man you need to be. When asked about this song and his music, Blacc says, “Well it’s the same story I keep telling in all my songs. The story of hoping for a better moment…I always try to lift people’s spirits, I want to create positive change…because that’s what matters when you can make a difference in this world.

Psalm 50:15 | Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

I called on God and I believed he answered me…even if it was in a text message…I think sometimes God takes us on a journey…and it will never be more than we can handle because if we have God in our life He doesn’t just leave us. We may lose sight and get off track but he’s there to place us back on track. In my journey I felt morally defeated…I knew I was making the wrong choices but I still trusted and prayed that God would get me through this journey…I think everyone in life knows right from wrong when they see it…it’s kind of like when you see an Ambulance…no matter who we are we always pulls over to the side of the road to let that Ambulance pass…because it’s the right thing to do…I started to look at God like that Ambulance…when God takes us on our journey, we need to PRAY and just ask God for help and when He comes to our rescue and passes us by we just need to stop, pull over, and let Him heal us. It’s always the right thing to do.

I thought I was the man but I wasn’t a man at all…I wasn’t even myself. Aloe Blacc sings out “I believe every lie that I ever told, paid for every heart that I ever stole” …I was right there believing every lie I told…I was selling a lie…I was pushing a bad drug but now I just want to push love. For the first time in my blog I want to share with you and walk you through how to accept God in your life right now…and maybe you already have God in your life and you have somehow got off track like I did and desperately want to renew that relationship. Maybe this is your turn coming around… what do you want to do? Be honest with yourself about what type of man or woman you want to be in life. God wants you to know that you are loved by Him, He wants to forgive you and forget everything about your past, and He wants to make you a new creation.

  • If you honestly want to accept God into your heart: Know first that God has a plan for you no matter who you are or what you have done, that our sin is what separates us from Him, if you truly believe he sent his son Jesus here to die for our sins to offer us eternal life, offer us a personal relationship with him, and you want follow Him in your daily life then pray this prayer (and look nobody says you have to be perfect…the Christian life isn’t a contest…it’s not a reputation party…I mess up ALL THE TIME! But it’s about your personal relationship with God, that you are forgiven, and that you will have everlasting life):

“God I believe you sent your son Jesus to die on the cross to rescue me from sin and death and to restore me to the Father. I choose now to turn from my sins, my self-centeredness, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose you. I give myself to you. I receive your forgiveness and ask you to be my Savior and Lord. Come take my heart, fill me with your love and life, and help me to become a person who is truly loving—a person like you. Restore me, Jesus. Live in me. Love through me. Thank you, God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

  • If you sincerely want to renew or rededicate your life to God and his will for you then pray this prayer:

“God I rededicate my life to You. I commit my heart, my mind, my words, my actions, everything I have, and everything that I am to you. I purposely draw close to you and I thank you that you draw close to me. I ask that you forgive me and that I let go and forgive anyone that has sinned against me. Give me your love and guidance…Thank you for this new fresh start with you… In Jesus Name, Amen.”

If you did either one of the above then be excited!! Share this with somebody!!! Through the power of prayer and love from others, God worked a miracle in me and delivered me from my secret life…He can deliver you too…any trials you may be going through in your life please know God is there when you need Him because He’s the man…And you can tell everybody = LOVE. Nothing is impossible…

1 Corinthians 10:13

13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Watch, listen, and share what happens when you decide to live the next 10 days in love.

(Listen below to The Man by Aloe Blacc)

(Feature post photo by Alyssa Kaye Graham)

If you are just joining Ten Days In Love and missed any previous posts click the links below:

#1 – MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION

#2 – WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

#3 – 1 MILLIMETER

#4 – IRON MAN

#5 – ANGEL TOWN USA

#6 – TIME TO GIVE UP

#7 – POPULATION: 2

#8 – THE WALKING DEAD

#9 – HIGHWAY 9 LIVES

4 Comments

  1. Alison Schmelzer March 31, 2016 at 9:42 am

    Proud of you for boldly sharing the Gospel and the unconditional love of Christ. Your life (and mine too) is such a beautiful picture of how God rescues us and showers us with grace, love and forgiveness. Then the peace that the Holy Spirit brings to our hearts changes us from a life filled with darkness to a life filled with joy and hope. Thankful for you! God never gives up on His children!!!

  2. Adrian Dickey March 31, 2016 at 10:06 am

    I love you Alison, so thankful that you are my sister! I always look up to you so much. God never gives up…He really does rescue us. Thank you!!

  3. Carey Palmquist March 31, 2016 at 1:10 pm

    Adrian, another inspiring message that invites,us to look at our own life and choose goodness and kindness as part of our personal Healthcare plan. God is good, and we all have stories to prove it. Thank you for sharing yours. It’s brave, bold and very inspiring.

    • Adrian Dickey March 31, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Thank you Carey!! I am really thankful for the way you always encourage and inspire me as well. God is so good!

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