Day 1 I'm up bright eyed and bushy tailed for what? So of course I ask the proverbial question 'Spirit what do you have to say to me today?'. So after preparing my morning cup of coffee laced with Irish creamer, I sit and meditate waiting for the voice, my preacher. Wouldn't you know it nothing for about 15 minutes, then I get up searching for the Bible, which in my mind He has to speak to me through this! Ha, to my surprise I'm drawn to 2 books an old copy of my only O magazine and my Kwanzaa dedicated NT International Bible. I'm thinking to my self, what could be in here that I don't already know or have read? But I still open it, opening to the story of Stephen. I'm thinking, This has got to be one of the hardest stories to read or hear be cause no one wants to die for a few measly words that no wants to hear but OK I read on... Within myself I'm saying Spirit you want me to die for something, ugh I can't die I have things to do. As I read I noticed and it was revealed to me Point 1- pointing out what people already knows only inflames their ego and the repercussions would not be in the great interest of you. Stephen pointed out things that these people had memorized, raised up to know but yet he painfully gave them the what for of it all and caused the people to get angry. Knowing your audience is one thing but reprimanding them is another. We are talking about adults that should make a choice not be pushed into a choice, because they push back-and boy did they. Point 2- The Spirit speaks to us directly from God sometimes we embellish it with our tones, mannerism and our emotional attitude at the given time. We have to be very careful and people wise to impart these words correctly. However, some words are for you and not everybody. Point 3- Martyrdom is it for us? God said He would that none die! Then why death in such a way? All I could see from these verses was the rage of the people. God sent one man to do the job of redeeming His people from the death of sin, should we recreation it? Should we say that's the answer? I'm lead to believe like my youngest son David, said to me at age 5 when he saw his older brother do something and get in trouble about it, mommy, I'm not gonna do that!'. The Spirit is our real being and we have to rightly divide our human feelings and move as the Spirit moves. When He moves we moves, when He speak we speak. Just like that! Our ego wants to pick out the martyrdom to leave behind a legacy of look what I did. But as loving as God is I'm sure He didn't mean for us to take on just that from this writing, but we do. Jesus left a legacy of love. Could we do that? Hmmm Point 4 - As Stephen stayed there to be stoned to death, he asked God to forgive them, for they really don't know what they are doing. Of course He would and of course they knew. God is all forgiving and the people new that this murder for whatever the reason, but it reveals that Stephen knew that he had ensighted them to anger and the emotion rage took over mentally and physiologically that they could not stop what was happening til the point of death. Some may have wanted to do him harm, some may have not but you can't undue what you done did! God knows the heart deeply and can judge. The Spirit can reveal the truth IF we STOP to hear Him. Pretty harsh huh. However, if we really look at it both good and evil come from God and in our journey we should be able to recognize it. In sales we were taught always kNOW your enemy. We heard about him, evil but we by choice of our ego don't want to know him because we're better than him. We have it under control, we have better ways to deal with this! None of which we practiced ! Hahahaha... the fight of ourselves to control what's already in us. Just because we know God doesn't control the laws if we brake them, doesn't control emotions nor the people. Everyone things must be done in purity of the truth in love. It rains on the just as well as the unjust, we all get God. Good and evil were instantly given to us at inception by God for the greater response to all our choices, yet we chose to override the innate preacher for our own purpose, or ego massage instead of receiving the message. Judas was not imputed to sin by God, it was his choice. Just as there was a Judas, so we are just as there was a Stephen so we are. There are no perfect life or honored men by our works, its our response that God honors as we chose to listen to the spirit our true nature. The second part of my lesson to be learned was the 2 nd principle of Kwanzaa. Kujichagolia self determination, to define oneslef , name ourselves, create ourselves and speak for ourselves. Do we know ourselves? Do we know that evil and good reside in us? Should we define the good, create the good? And mostly speak for ourselves?