Daily Devotional – 4/19/12 “It was already a mess!”

Now you know, yea you know that God isn’t in that mess that you’re in. While you’re praying for God to fix your relationship, it’s with someone else’s husband or wife. While you’re fasting for God to bless the new job you got by throwing your other coworker under the bus, he isn’t listening. You’re at the altar begging God to give you an increase on the tithe you just paid with money you stole from someone else, baby God won’t do that. See, if you are doing dirty things you are hesitant about doing Godly things because you’re scared that God will reveal it. John 3:20 says, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed?” You know how you’re messing with Deacon Smoking Hot, so you start to distant yourself from church functions or how you can’t keep your eyes off Usher Jeans Tight, so you start going in through the back of the church? Yea, you don’t realize that why you’re in sin you’re out of salvation, do you? Well you are. There’s no way you can actually have your prayers heard when you’re not doing things decent and in order. God is in the blessing business and not the business of mess. You know the situation you’re in is messy and that’s why you enjoy it so much but don’t get mad when folks are talking about you. You have the nerve to get an attitude when you hear that folks have been talking about that mess of a relationship when you knew it was a mess to begin with. You knew that man was married with children before you started allowing him to slip in after your kids went to bed and out before they get up. You knew that she had a husband at home that’s why you were tipping at the pay by hour motels instead of going to her house. Then you have the nerve to bring them to church with you while you sing in the choir or serve on the deacon board. It doesn’t matter how great of a servant you are in God’s house because if you aren’t living by God’s word, on the outside of worship, then you aren’t actually serving God. Yea, you may be one of the city’s greatest choir directors but that’s doesn’t mean your ticket is stamped to Heaven. You may even be one of the smoothest Ushers but that doesn’t mean you’re ushering your way to God’s good side.

See, if you’ve taken the reins of being a teacher of God’s word then you also took the reins of being judged more harshly. Why, because you are supposed to be teaching to bring Souls to Christ and not reaching to bring satisfaction to yourself. Please don’t get me wrong, I am also judged harshly because I chose to accept the calling that God put on me when he gave me the task of writing a devotional for you to read each day. So in order for me to tell you, my views, on right vs. wrong, I have to be living right. Am I perfect, no but I’m striving every day to be better. Will I fall and make mistakes, yes but that’s why God forgives me but I shouldn’t make the same mistake twice. See, not all of the 524 friends I have on Facebook are Christians, so it’s my goal to show the God in me so that they would want to get to know him but I can’t do that shaking my tail in a club every Friday/Saturday night, sleeping with Tom, Dick, Harry and Sue, lying and stealing just because it feels good. I’ve got to live so that my light shines bright enough for you to see when it’s dark in your life. When a nonbeliever sees me, it’s my duty to let them see the God in me. When a sinner sees me, it’s my duty to show them that God can forgive. When a backslider sees me, it’s my duty to grab their hand to bring them back on the right side. It’s not my duty to knock you over the head with your wrongdoings but I am supposed to pray with you. It’s not my place to chastise you about the choices that you make but I am supposed to show you a better choice. If every time you see me and I’m dirty you won’t recognize me when I’m clean. If every time I talk to you and I’m cursing, why would you listen to me read a scripture?

We’ve got to stop with the mess and that way we won’t be mad when folks are talking about us because then they won’t have anything bad to talk about. Plus if you’re doing wrong, you have no reason to be mad when you knew the situation was messy to begin with. Women and men, stop settling for being someone’s sloppy seconds. If he/she can only text you, they have someone at home. If they don’t ever take you to their house, they have someone at home. If you get your Valentine’s gift the night before, they have someone at home. If they always get sick on Christmas, they have someone at home. If the only place y’all go is the movies or a restaurant in the back parts of MS, they have someone at home. Oh, please don’t think they are your soul mate and they are only in their marriage for the kids because that’s a lie and you know it. You are worthy of being more than hidden behind closed doors, dark tinted windows and in cheap motel rooms. Value yourself first so that you’re valued by others. Be who you are destined to be and not what you’re desired for because the question will be asked, “What makes you think that if someone cheats with you, they’ll be faithful to you once you got them?” It’s amazes me the things folks go through to get a man or woman and then stand in a church, at the altar, in a white dress/tuxedo proclaiming to love each other for better/worse, sickness/health, forsaking ALL others unto death do you part when they divorced the person they were with in order to marry you. How can you honestly expect God to bless a union he had no parts in? Oh, he/she is your soul mate? Child, please! Your soul mate isn’t cheating on his wife to be with you. Your soul mate isn’t lying to her husband to be with you. Your soul mate is all yours and you’ll know it. How will you know because a woman is made from the rib of HER man, she’ll know and man gives his rib, so he’ll know? The bible says in Genesis 2:22, “Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man,” and 1 Corinthians 11:9 says, “for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.” See, God brings you to the man and the woman who is all you need but you have to let God do it.

Don’t settle for being second best because you are worth more than that. This isn’t only for women but for men as well. God didn’t sanctify marriage so that it could be used loosely but he made 1 man for 1 woman and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Will marriage always be easy? No, not by any means! However, if you have the right relationship with the person you’re with, the bad times won’t be so bad because you’re in it together. Oh and don’t think that because you’re sleeping with a pastor and calling on God in the midst of your mess that you’ll be blessed because you’re not. The Pastor that has the nerve to be sleeping with you will get a far worse punishment from God. Let me say this, I don’t put my mouth on NOBODY because I don’t have the power or a reason to judge them. As for any Pastor, Missionary, Evangelist, sanctified musician, Usher, Sunday School teacher, deacon and/or pew member – if you stand and proclaim to teach God’s word and you’re not doing what you should be doing, my judgment won’t matter anyway compared to God’s because the word says in James 3:1, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” So you being worried about what other folks are saying don’t hold a light to the judgment God will give. Don’t put yourself in a messy situation because it’ll only leave you messy. Place yourself at the foot of God so that all that rains down will be blessings from him and the blessings of God can’t be taken away by man of the world. If there is anything in your life that makes you worry about the wrath of God, it’s messy and needs to be removed. Surround yourself with God things and good things follows. If you’re in the midst of crap, then expect to get covered in it when the crap hits the fan. Then, don’t blame others because you have a mind of your own. If it is a messy situation from the start, it’ll be messy when you leave!