Free By Design » Perceptions

(H)utty: Just Listen

Kimberly Cooley — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:09:24 +0000

Good evening. The most sound advice comes from the purest of heart, and sometimes that comes in really small sizes…kids. Pay attention and in many cases, follow suit.

Peace – Kimberly

Eddie Long

Kimberly Cooley — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:11:14 +0000

Re: Eddie Long – True or untrue…the only way God’s image can even slightly be tainted by the image of a man is if WE see that man as something greater than he really is or could ever be. Preachers aren’t doing God favors by preaching. Yes, we should respect them and serve them as the Bible instructs us to, but don’t get it twisted. Our salvation lies within Christ and through Christ only.
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Got Religion?

Kimberly Cooley — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 18:28:45 +0000

Religion is destroying us. It separates us and makes hate one another. It completely turns us away from the one thing that can save us… the love of Christ.

Religion will make you talk to God only on Sundays, act holy only in public, and give only after you’ve been given to. Religion will make a preacher live a double life Monday through Saturday and pulpit retaliate on Sunday.

Religion will make you have more faith in your parents and friends than God himself.

Religion will make you start a “ministry” but you never go outside your four walls. Religion will make you pray hard, long, and powerfully when it concerns YOUR needs.

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Sounds

Kimberly Cooley — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:48:13 +0000

Good afternoon. How do you define or determine the measure of your faith? Is it based on what you do? How you live? How you act? The company you keep? Sorry, but faith isn’t defined nor measured by any of the above. Faith is biblically defined as the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1) Faith is also defined as, “a strong belief in a supernatural power that control human destiny.” Neither definition mentions our jobs, our houses, our cars, or social statuses. But instead, both definitions deal with our inner being – our spiritual makeup.

Inner being – a side that no one truly sees for what it really is but God. A side that man can merely glimpse at in the form of an action that may or may not have been spiritually led. So, how is it that people so easily pass judgment on who you are and what your spiritual life is all about based solely on what they can see? That’s not human emotion or divine intervention. That’s what you call clockwork. You see something, therefore it is….NOT.

Many times, we as a people can get so caught up in appearing to be righteous that we forget to be righteous. By this I mean, we play gospel music so we can be perceived as religious. We disrespect and downplay the “small” (genuine) people in our lives so that we can be perceived as important or dominant? When its all said and done and behind closed doors, reality is the direct opposite. Faith deals with those things that cannot be seen by man. It deals with those things of God. So how can a person’s faith be analyzed and judged because they are inspired more by Mary J. Blidge over Chris Tomlin on any given day? How can a persons faith be measured because he/she decides to wear jeans to church as opposed to a power suit? How can a persons lifestyle be concluded because he/she has lunch with a homosexual friend? It CAN’T. Its all stereotypical clockwork.

Our spiritual alignment is the only thing on this God given earth that matters. When we are solid in our faith, faith in God that is…we don’t have to try to look holy or sound holy or portray a holy image.

When you are sure of your faith, you can be inspired by the works of Michael Jackson or Mihalia Jackson. Remember that God speaks through whatever channel He needs to in order to get the Word to us. Whether it’s John Mayer performing ‘Gravity’ or CeCe Winans performing ‘Alasbaster Box,’ the message intended and the inspiration given both still has the same purpose….to inspire, to quicken, and to contribute to the wellness of our spiritual being.

I’m going to close with this. In John 17:15, Jesus prayed a very specific prayer for his decisciples. It wasn’t for their healing or their prosperity. He prayed that God not take them out of the world but instead protect them in a world in which they HAD to dwell in. In other words, it’s okay to simply live. It’s not okay to live in such a way that what we consume shifts our belief, shifts are faith….. Living and engaging among a people that’s just like you, limits you. It increases the chances of your Kingdom business going undone. It limits those that you can reach. In 1 Corinthians 9:19, Jesus said, “though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to win as many souls as possible.” What are you doing to win?

Peace – Kimberly

Up Close

Kimberly Cooley — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:52:21 +0000

Good evening. All you can be is you. The world can take it or leave it. If you truly know who you are, you already know that the world isn’t worth changing for anyway. What you (we) possess is SO much greater.

Peace – Kimberly

Uncomfortable Truth

Kimberly Cooley — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:38:11 +0000

Good evening. When you can’t fully be yourself in a relationship in an effort to maintain that relationship, that relationship will never reach its fullest potential. Love isn’t about adapting to the person that you love. Its about adapting your lifestyle to be tolerant and understanding of the person you love in spite of the differences. Besides, presenting yourself one way just to please someone else deprives them of the possibility of getting to know the real you.

Just be real.

Peace – Kimberly

How Do I Know?

Kimberly Cooley — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:06:09 +0000

Good evening. The more you listen, the less you speak. Knowledge is found in books, but wisdom, my friend…comes directly from the mouths of those that lived it, experienced it, conquered it, and lived to tell YOU about it!

Peace – Kimberly

Intrigued

Kimberly Cooley — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:21:00 +0000

“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” – Dale Carnegie

Don’t Think That…

Kimberly Cooley — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 03:34:00 +0000

Good evening. Being saved doesn't make our problems go away…it just causes them to make more sense and make us more appreciative of their purpose.

Peace – kimberly

K.M. Cooley

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Identify Me

Kimberly Cooley — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:58:00 +0000

"When God strips you of everything (jobs, status, fame) you better know where your identity lies." – Prophetess Bridgett Barnes/ Inside Out Ministries/ www.isoministries.org

K.M. Cooley

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