Daily Devotional – 5/10/12 “That was your blessing!”

Don’t you know that God has a blessing with your name on it? However, so many times you are too busy lifting other folks up that they receive the blessing that God is dropping on you. You are so busy helping other folks get ahead that you’re missing the blessing that is meant for you. You are so busy encouraging others that you’ve missed the encouragement that you need. Now, you’re depressed or in a slump. Well baby, I stopped by to tell you that sometimes you need to lift, help and encourage yourself! I’m not staying stop doing what you know is right but I’m simply saying stop blocking your own blessings. Have you seen the commercial of the guy who is standing in line at the grocery store and he allows the person behind him to skip and that person wins $50,000? Well, it’s the same as you allowing others to receive the blessing that is meant for you. Let me break this thang down. Picture this, if you will. God is above you getting ready to drop a blessing on you and it’s what you’ve been praying and fasting for but just as God releases it, you go and lift your girlfriend up above you and she receives the blessing that’s yours. Now, this wouldn’t be a problem but see, this is the same friend who you have to lift every week when her cheating boyfriend leaves after she just took him back. Every time he leaves, you go running over there to pull her out the dump she’s placed herself in and now she has received what was meant for you. Child, if she hasn’t learned from the 50 conversations you’ve had over the past year about that man, she won’t this time either because she will only get what she wants to take. I’m going to repeat this because somebody missed it – You will only get what you allow others to give.

Now it’s time for you to lift yourself. See, while you are constantly allowing folks to skip you, you are giving your blessings away and instead of you realizing it, you blame God when God is doing what you’ve asked him to do. In 1 Samuel 30, when David and his soldiers returned home to find their homes burned and their wives and children missing, they became discouraged but instead of David waiting for someone to pull him up, 1 Samuel 30:6 says, “but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” See, it shouldn’t have to take someone telling you you’re smart before you should believe it. It shouldn’t take me telling you that you can be somebody before you know it for yourself and it shouldn’t take validation from a man or woman to know that you’re beautiful or handsome. You should look in the mirror and see all of this for yourself. Stop allowing the way the world thinks to corrupt who you are because Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” If God wanted you to look like everybody else, he wouldn’t have made different races, shapes, sizes and ethnic backgrounds but because of technology, media and reality TV, we’ve stop believing in ourselves and think the way things are on TV are the way things are supposed to be for us. Well baby, those folks have struggles just like we do but it’s dressed up to look like they don’t when the bible says in Job 14:1, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Being a star on TV doesn’t make you exempt from trials and tribulations. Yea, Evelyn and Tami from basketball wives may have money in the bank but look at the hell they have to put themselves through to get it. Stop selling yourself short, believe that you can do whatever you set your mind too and then encourage yourself to get it. Yea, your mom or dad can make you go to school but they can’t make you learn, the same way I can give you God’s word but I can’t make you believe.

Stop allowing folks to get what is rightfully yours. God has a blessing for each one of us but if you keep allowing folks to get in the way of you receiving it, it’s your own fault. What happens if someone calls your name while you are throwing a bowling ball down the lane? If you aren’t focused you’d probably get a gutter ball, right? This is because you’ve allowed somebody to get in your way. Again, you don’t have to stop helping when you’re needed, encouraging whoever needs it or being a shoulder for folks but take a little time for yourself because being in the hospital or dead won’t allow you to help or encourage anybody. Be where you need to be in order to receive what God has for you. Yea, I know your friend always call you when she is depressed but can you count on her to be there for you if the roles were reversed? Yea, folks depend on you the most because you are dependable but who can you depend on? It’s alright to say no when your plate is full or to turn down invitations when you know you don’t have the energy to go. Stop saying yes because you don’t want to hurt folk’s feelings because they won’t stop hurting yours. You are destined for greatness but you’ll never get there if you keep allowing folks to pass the same way you won’t reach the top if you keep allowing folks to skip because by the time you go, all the seats will be filled. Grab your blessing because it’s meant for you!