Daily Devotional – 1/25/18 “There has to be a struggle.”

I have shared about the butterfly, a few times before but this morning I felt the need to share it again. I say this because there is somebody who struggled yesterday, is struggling today and might be struggling tomorrow. Your struggle could be with weight loss, sickness, sustaining your marriage and your mind, finances, children, school, jobs, starting businesses, starting over and maybe it is spiritual. Whatever your struggle is, know it will not last but it is necessary. Sounds crazy, right? Of course it does but don’t stop reading because I need you to get this. A butterfly starts from an egg, it is then born as a baby caterpillar at which point all it does is eat in order to grow. Then the caterpillar goes through a metamorphosis stage in which it is enclosed in a hard shell called a chrysalis. Looking at the outside, you don’t tend to see any changes but that’s because the work is being done on the inside. Once the caterpillar has gone through the inward change, it has to now come out of its shell and this happens through struggling. See, when the butterfly struggles to get out of the shell, it is serving two purposes. One, it is shedding the old in order for the world to see its new body. And two, the struggle is pumping the necessary blood into the butterfly’s wings in order to strengthen them to fly. In other words, without the caterpillar’s struggle, we’d never see it as a butterfly.

Beloved, you’re struggling and sometimes it seems to be more than you can bear but there has to be a struggle. If you didn’t struggle, we would not be able to see the transformation you’ve been going through. Yes it’s hard but so is the shell of the caterpillar but this is because there is work being done inwardly. Sure, most people can’t see it, all they recognize is you still look the same but there’s something happening on the inside of you. And although it is hard and even hurtful, God created the hardness of your outer in order to ensure no one can mess it up before He’s done. Then when His work in you is complete, you’ll now begin to struggle to come out of your shell. This happens when you are taken from your comfortable place. When God sends you to help folk you know don’t like you. When you offer forgiveness and you weren’t the one who did anything wrong. When you show up to places you were once fearful to go. When you sit at tables you were once not invited to and you show up with your own chair. When you are no longer bound by fear. That is what struggling does. Struggling gives you the strength to fly. Not like butterflies but FLY … Face Life Yearning. This means you face life desiring, craving and hungering to get whatever God said you can have, even if that means struggling until you get it.

Daily Devotional – 1/24/18 “Tithe, test and trust!”

Tithing is a touchy subject for a lot of people, especially those who don’t understand or trust the concept of tithing. Yet when will we get from quoting Malachi 3:8, “will a man rob God,” to teaching through Malachi 3:10? Read these words well, I am all for tithing but what I am not for is making someone feel guilty when they don’t. Yes, there are a lot of people who are faithful to worship yet some are fearful of tithing but this is where teaching comes in because I’ve come to understand some things of worship congregants. You have those who are faithful tithers, some giving over the 10%. You have those who give but it may be between 1-5%. You have those who are living paycheck to paycheck, scared to death to give, even a little because that means it’s has to be taken from a bill that is already behind. And you have those who don’t tithe because they don’t really understand what tithing means. This is where teaching comes in because Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”

See, the word didn’t stop at, will a man rob God because the Lord also says, bring the whole tithe and test me now. Beloved, if God is saying bring Him the whole tithe so that He can have food in His house, what makes you think He will allow you not to have food in yours? This is why He gives us the command to TEST Him. In other words, He’s saying test me to see if I will not do what I said. Yes, I know it looks like the week you paid your tithes, the enemy attacked your home but will you test God and see if He will not hold true to His promise to never leave nor forsake you? I know it looks like you’ll need that $40 you paid in tithes, this week but will you test God to see if He will not show up as provider? I know it seems like the more you pay your tithes, the harder your walk becomes but will you test God by His word in Jeremiah 29:11? Yes, we should tithe but don’t badger me to tithe if you’re not badgering me with the teaching. Teach me how to tithe, test and trust God to open the windows of Heaven and pour me down a blessing because maybe then I’ll tithe, test and trust God in my waiting on Him to open the windows of Heaven and pour me out a blessing. When we do this, God says in Malachi 3:11-12, “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts.”

Will you have time?

As you may or may not know, along with being an author, I am also a preacher and devotional blogger. One of the things I love, is being able to share God on many platforms. I know I haven’t been updating this site regularly but I will.

As the first post, on this site, for 2018; I want to share something with you. It is a devotional I shared on 12/28/17 titled, “Will you have time.”

She had the house, the finest car and the custom-made clothes. She was top in her graduating class and her business was booming. She vowed to never go back to the place she was raised because it had nothing for her. Sure, she sent money home to her parents but all the siblings had to know it. Sure, she made the occasional calls but it was to brag, never to ask about them. When her mom got sick, she sent flowers. When her sister was losing her house, she sent a check with conditions. She never made time for anybody or anything unless it benefited her, even God. Yes, she joined a church but not to serve, she liked the honorable mentions of being the biggest tithe payer. But then a stroke knocked and it crippled her. The people at the church, they didn’t show up. Her employees, they didn’t come. Her family did. The same parents she hollered at whenever they asked her to come home. The same brother she “didn’t fool with” because of prior drug use, he was there. The sister she called a slut for having two babies out of wedlock, she was there. They wiped the mouth that had been so foul. They helped her learn to walk again even though she used to walk all over them. They help with speech therapy, although she never had anything good to say.

One night as she lay in the bedroom she grew up in, trying to find strength to make her left arm move, she cried. Not because of the stroke but because of the space she’d allowed to grow between her and her family. She wanted to hug them but it was hard to do now. So she cried, realizing the money she made didn’t mean nothing because all they wanted was her. She cried because the bragging she did couldn’t bless her, the hating couldn’t heal her and the fancy stuff couldn’t free her. And now, the bible she never read lay stretched open on her nightstand and the God she’d forsaken, she now prayed to; thanking Him for the chance to make things right. She had time because this story isn’t real but what about you? Do you have the time to forgive, forget and make things right? Will you have the time to say “I forgive you,” “I love you,” “I’m sorry” or will your ego keep you from evolving and your pride keep you from offering peace? Will you have the time? Before 2017 closes, will you have the time make it right before you’re weeping to a casket that can’t speak back?

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” – James 4:14

Daily Devotional – 1/22/18 “Why God?”

No, this isn’t one of those devotionals where we will spend the next few minutes questioning God on why this/that is or is not happening. In actuality, the question, “Why God,” is directed at you. Yes, you; why did you choose God? I am not looking for the cute, fluffed up answer but I need you to dig deep and think about this thing. You’re probably wondering what difference does it make or even the sense of this question but I’m asking in order for you to really think about it. See, when you truly figure out why you chose God, maybe then you’ll truly start believing, trusting and serving God more. So, I ask you again, why God? Why did you choose God that day? I am not talking about the time, you were 13, went to a revival with your grandmother and joined the mourner’s bench. I’m referring to that time, in the middle of your bedroom, when you felt like you couldn’t go on and you surrendered. I’m talking about that time you stopped running and finally told God yes. I’m talking about that time you were standing at the end of the ledge about to jump but didn’t. The time you were staring at the barrel of the gun but didn’t pull the trigger. The time you counted out the pills but didn’t swallow them. I’m talking about that time you gave up and decided you no longer wanted to live the way you’d been living. I’m talking about the time, you for real chose God.

Why? What made that time different from the rest? What made that night different from all the other nights, you laid awake after committing the sin? What made that morning different from all the other mornings you cried and declared you’d changed? Look, I am not asking this question to pry into your business but I’m asking in order for you to take a reflective look. You chose God for a reason and whatever the reason is/was, it made you trust God, believe in and on God and serve Him. And if God was worthy of being chosen then, what happened to make you doubt Him now because He hasn’t changed. If you trusted Him enough, then, to give yourself to Him; what happened to make you change now because God is still the same. Why God? Today I want you to do something for me. Take a few minutes of alone time, turn off all distractions, focus and go back to that dark place and rediscover the reason you, for real, chose God. Doing this allows you to reignite the fire you once had and the belief in God who was able to save you, bring you out, heal, deliver and set you free. Rediscovering why you chose God, may just be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Daily Devotional – 1/19/18 “When to fight and when to cut off!”

Here it is, another day you’ve woken up feeling defeated. You laid down last night with the weight of the world on your shoulders because it seems like nothing you’re doing is working. You’re praying and fasting and still fighting and perishing. You’ve stopped doing the old things you used to do and still facing more hell. You’ve surrendered and still find suffering in your bed. You’ve been faithful and still fatigued. Devoted and still depressed. Helpful and still hated. Asking yourself and God, why can’t I win sometimes? Well beloved, I simply stopped by to tell you, it may be what you’re fighting with. See, I begin to write this devotional about cutting some stuff off but then the Holy Spirit sent me to Isaiah 2:4 which says, “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Then He said, go to Joel 3:10 which says, “Hammer your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors.”

God is saying, you’ve been preparing for war when you should be preparing for harvest or you’ve been dressing for harvest when you should be getting suited up for war. And the reason you are not winning is because you are not able to decipher between the two which ultimately has you unprepared to be victorious. Plowshares are a tool used to turn over the dirt and pruning hooks remove dead stuff. A sword and spear is used for thrusting or striking. Look, there will be times when you will need to fight a battle but there are also times you will need to pluck up and cut off some things/people just to stop the damage to your harvest. However, the only way you’ll survive the battle or the cut off is being able to decipher the difference between when you have need of which. Because whether you agree with me or not, there are some things/people, in your vicinity who are not worth fighting over because they are harmful to your growth and this is the time you’ll need the plowshares and pruning hook in order to pluck them from their position and cut them off. Other times, there will be things/people, around you, who are worthy of fighting for because they bring out the best in you and this is when you’ll need the sword and spear to go to war on their behalf. Know when it’s time to fight and when it’s time to prune your space because it can make a difference.