Daily Devotional – 5/17/12 “You may be down for a reason!”

Have you ever stopped to think that maybe God has you down for a reason? Just because you’re going through a storm it doesn’t mean that you’ve been a bad person or made more mistakes than others, it just means it’s your time to go through. God sometimes has to put us down to either jolt us back into reality or to protect us and I know you’re asking, “How can getting knocked down be for my protection? But go with, if you will. When a tornado comes, it does so with winds that can move buildings, topple trees, uproot houses from their foundations, relocate a person miles from where they used to be and kill folk in a matter of seconds, right? Well, what are you told to do when you’re in a tornado? Usually it’s to get to the bottom floor of whatever building you’re in, the lowest level of your house, or if you’re driving into a ditch or something similar, right? You’re told this in order to protect you from the stuff that is flying overhead, to keep objects from landing on top of you and to keep you out of harm’s way. Well, this is the same way when God is working. Do you question the weather man when he tells you to go, then why are you questioning God? I know you think you’ve been down too long but let God work. Yea, he saw when your so-called best friend pushed you into that ditch when she slept with your husband and you keep praying to get out of it but he hasn’t moved you yet because he knew that you’d be hurt by the stuff flying overhead, so he’s keeping you there until you’re stronger. See, if he raised you up the moment you fell, you wouldn’t heal right because you’d be too consumed with anger to ever love again so he had to leave you down there long enough for the open wounds to heal. Now, when you’re ready he’ll bring you out and it won’t matter what they did to you because what God did matters the most! When you see them out together, it won’t affect you like it would have months ago because God allowed your heart to heal, in his time.

See, sometimes we need to stop rushing through the storm and realize what God is trying to do. I know you’ve been praying for a financial breakthrough because it seems like you can never get your head above water but have you stopped to think that you’re not ready for an increase in your funds? It’s not because you’re not worthy of it but because you need to learn to manage what you already have. God knows if he sends you enough money to get you out of debt and back to solid ground, getting out of debt will be the last thing you do. You know how it is when you expect a large amount of money; you sit around making plans to pay all your bills off, get the car fixed and repair the things you’ve been putting off around the house but as soon as it comes you pay just enough to catch up, the major things forgotten and the rest is spent on ridiculous stuff you don’t need. You go out and buy $100 shirts, $90 jeans, $50 shoes, $70 makeup and God only knows the amount on food and for what? Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with splurging on yourself every once in a while but handle your business first. If you didn’t have a problem with Wal-Mart and Target before, you shouldn’t now because as soon as the money is gone, you’re back in debt, when you should have paid the bills off to get ahead but instead you paid just what you had past due which means when the new month comes, you’re past due again. God hasn’t removed the clouds from over you yet because you’re not ready.

I know, I know; you think you’re ready to be elevated and you just can’t understand why you can’t get none of the jobs you’ve applied for because you’ve done all the things you think you need to. God is simply saying, not yet. He isn’t saying this to punish you for the sins of your past because he doesn’t work like that, he is simply telling you to keep preparing for when your time comes. See, although I think I may be ready for a new job, God knows I’m not, well not really, because I’ve got accustomed to the laid back atmosphere where I am and really not ready to start over again but when it’s time for me to move, he’ll show me. This doesn’t mean that I should stop applying because how will I know when it’s my time if I never put in the effort. Another reason God hasn’t elevated some of us is because of the fear that we have when God ask in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” However, with the economy being the way it is and companies closing, a lot of folks are concerned about getting a new job which might not last and then you’re left with no job and no income. So, it’s easy to say don’t be fearful but not being fearful is a lot harder than it looks. That’s why we have to have faith laid out in front of us like a bridge to walk on because 2 Corinthians 5:7 say, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” See, if we have unwavering faith to believe that God won’t leave us, he won’t and if we believe that with God and faith, nothing is impossible, it won’t be but we have to have this faith first and then walk. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” With faith, your path is lighted although through man’s eyes it looks dark. With faith, your hurdle is low enough to jump over but through man’s eyes it looks taller than a mountain. With faith, the ground is paved with no bumps or holes but through man’s eyes it’s filled with pot holes, bends and crooks. With faith, nothing is impossible but through man’s eyes, nothing is possible.

We have to have faith because faith gives us a solid foundation that allows us to stand without sinking and with this foundation we are able to be fruitful and being fruitful means we’re fertile and being fertile allows us to increase our favor having favor means everything we touch is filled with God’s fire and with this fire there is no fault because the Father has a fresh anointing flowing within us that prepares us to fight when the world is against us, stand when our legs want to give out, hold on when our rope is breaking, shout when we ought to be sick, dance when we ought to be dead, praise when we have pain, win when we should be weary, provide when we should be poor, love when we should be lost, help when we should be helpless, have courage when we should be crying, have hope when we should feel hopeless and live when we should be left! God is not forsaking you because you’ve been in your storm for a while; he just had a lot more dirt to clean off of you when folks meant bad for your life. God hasn’t given up on you because you’ve been down a long time, there’s just a lot of stuff still flying when all the crap hit the fan. God won’t let you be buried alive when folks have dug a dusty grave for you or sickness is ravaging your body, he’s just allowing you to rest there until your body is healed enough to handle the blessings he has waiting for you. Don’t give up just because it seems like the world is turning against you, that’s just God weeding out your enemies who are blocking the view of your blessings. Yea, you may be down and you may even feel like it’s been a while since you’ve seen the sun but just ride out the storm because when it’s all over and done with, God will allow you to walk out on dry land and everything you had before will be bigger, better and new! Don’t count yourself out, just yet because you’ve down because being down doesn’t mean you’re out; you’ve just tagged God into the ring to finish the last few rounds.