Daily Devotional – 1/11/18 “From struggle to sacrifice”

On my ride to work this morning, the song “Different” by Tasha Page-Lockhart was playing and she said, “You can see it, I’m different in my walk. Others see it, in how I talk. I can see it in how I pray, I start to shed some tears each word I say. See I’m different. They tell me, I’m different.” Listening to those words, the Holy Spirit said to me, the difference is moving from struggle to sacrifice. And as I thought about that, it begin to resonate within me. See, one definition says struggle is to have difficulty handling or coping with and sacrifice is an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. Let me break this down in order for you to shout.

In my struggle, I found it difficult to make ends me. In my sacrifice, my ends have met with the same money I had in my struggle.
In my struggle, my prayers were empty promises I kept making to God knowing full well I probably wouldn’t keep them. In my sacrifice, my prayers changed to use me Lord and I’ll go and I meant it.
In my struggle, I was going to church. In my sacrifice, the church is in me.
In my struggle, I cussed folk out. In my sacrifice, I pray for and still love them.
In my struggle, I did some stuff I’m not proud of. In my sacrifice, I forgave myself for those same things.
In my struggle, I answered to my past. In my sacrifice, my name changed to favor.
In my struggle, I used God. In my sacrifice God uses me.

So you see, your struggle isn’t meant to harm you but it’s preparing you. The things I thought I needed in my struggle proved to be an obstacle in my sacrifice. The things I thought I couldn’t live without in my struggle were the very things I willing gave up in my sacrifice. This is why you cannot discount your struggle, no matter how hard it is or how much it hurts. Come here Abraham. Your struggle, beloved, is the very thing strengthening your trust in God to be able to take the thing you love (Isaac) to a mountain with wood, rope and a knife as your sacrifice when He tells you too believing He will show up with a ram in the bush!

Daily Devotional – 1/10/18 “End the silence!”

I know this is the New Year and while many spend time regrouping, making goals to make themselves and their family better, creating vision boards and such but the reality is, there are some people who are silently fighting mental illness and the date change hasn’t bought them relief. For them, they woke up on January 1, still battling a something that attempts to suffocate them while they sleep and crush them while they’re awake. It’s a sad fact but many of those, with mental illness, are people you see every day. They are the ones who are smiling and being helpful around the office. They are the ones showing up for the PTA meetings. They are the ones who are faithful in church. They are the ones who will give you their last. They are the ones who are the most encouraging. You want to know why? It’s because they want to help somebody else, seeing they cannot help themselves. See, for them this fight isn’t new, it’s a thing they’ve been trying to get loose from. And beloved, while praying and fasting is good, those who are struggling with mental illness, depression, psychotic episodes, suicidal thoughts/urges, bouts of crying, panic attacks and etc.; need physicians and treatment. Yes, slaying them on the altar is alright but they also need to seek medicinal help. Everything cannot be chalked up to being demon possessed that can be removed by a prophetic being who has the ability to blow and you fall down.

Understand me clearly, I am all for the prophetic, the laying of hands, the casting out, the crying loud and sparing not but baby I am also for utilizing God’s gift of doctors. And it is okay for us to need both, the prophetic and the physician. (Even Luke was a physician) Look, there are too many people suffering silently because they are afraid of how society will view them, too many dying at the hands of mentally ill people because no one recognized the signs and too many, especially in the church, who are suffering because they’ve been labeled as “acting out,” when they are crying out. This is why, if you aren’t qualified to handle what they are fighting, move so somebody who is, can. Pastoral counseling won’t help a person drowning in depression if the pastor isn’t qualified too. Marriage counseling won’t do it for the spouse who’s mentally ill if the counselor isn’t equipped to manage it. These fancy single meetings is good but what about the single whose words were asking for help but nobody realized it until it was too late? Please, do not be afraid or ashamed to get help. Talk to your doctor, connect with someone who understands, learn about mental illness and/or visit www.nami.org.

“I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief. Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?” – Jeremiah 8:21-22

Daily Devotional – 1/9/18 “Game time!”

I am not a fan of football, well any sport really but last night I watched the end of the Alabama vs Georgia game. Actually, my husband was supposed to be watching it but of course he was resting his eyes. Anyway, I began watching it in the 3rd quarter when the score was 10 to 0 with Alabama losing. Georgia fans were already celebrating because they knew for sure, Alabama was going to hand them the championship. Let us be honest, Alabama was not playing good the first half and logically, they should be losing. But then, Alabama’s coach did something. He took out the starting quarterback and put in the Rookie. A young man whose first time being in the game would be the championship game. A young man nobody really knew was being sent into the game. THE CHAMPIONSHIP game. Is that coach crazy? He has got to be, right? Then, this rookie throws a touchdown, first time out. Even when they missed the field goal, this same quarterback got the opportunity to throw the final touchdown. Ah, you know how this ended, Alabama won. Why am I sharing this? For somebody who is looking at the scoreboard and the people have already counted you out. For somebody who has seen the odds and they are stacked against you. For somebody who is in the hardest struggle of your life, at this very moment and you cannot see how you’ll make it. I am sharing this for that man or woman who has been standing on the sidelines the entire season waiting to be sent in. I’m sharing this for the man or woman whose name, nobody knows. For the man or woman who has been dressed in the uniform, name on the roster yet nobody knows you. Suit up beloved, you’re about to get in the game.

Oh, it’s not just any game, this is your career making game. This game is about to catapult you into the place you’ve been practicing for. This game is about to shift you into the position you’ve been patiently waiting on. Folk are about to call you, appointments are about to line up, your calendar is about to fill up and your finances are about to flare up. All because you waited. All because you continually dressed out. All because you practiced like you’d get in the game, even though you didn’t know when. All because you were faithful and didn’t fight the process. This is why you cannot discount the times you will be sidelined. While you’re waiting, you have to practice as if you’re the starter of the team. While you wait, you have to dress like, walk like, talk like and carry yourself like you’re in the starting lineup. See, when you do this, you will not mess up when the time comes. You will not fold under the heaviness of the mantle. You will not stutter when it’s your time to speak in front of cameras. And most importantly, you will not be swayed by the lights, cameras and accolades because you’ll know, without a shadow of a doubt that it was all God.

“All Glory goes to God. I can’t describe what He’s done for me and my family.” -Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama’s rookie quarterback)

Daily Devotional – 1/8/18 “Cease and desist”

Dearly beloved,

I’ve heard you have been involved in some backbiting, lying, stealing, cheating, gossiping and bragging. You’ve been named the prime suspect in sowing discord among folk. You’ve taken it amongst yourself not to speak to family members. You decide when you’ll be loving and when you’ll be mean. You decide when you’ll serve and when you will not. You concoct plans of wickedness and you glory in the suffering of others. Yes, you look as if you’re holy but underneath you’re hellish, very hellish. And I cannot stand by and watch it go on another day. It is a new year and you need to become a new you, for real this year, so ma’am/sir, this is an official notice for you to cease and desist. Read it carefully because today you shall cease in doing things that dims the light of God within you and you shall desist, which means you ought not to restart doing them. For the bible describes people with actions such as this in Proverbs 6:12-14 saying, “What are worthless and wicked people like? They are constant liars, signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye, a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers. Their perverted hearts plot evil, and they constantly stir up trouble.”


Woman/man of God, are you not tired of being caught up in mess? Are you not sick of spending days fussing and fighting for things that do not benefit you, anyway? Are you not fed up with always speaking negative of folk? Are you not at your wit’s end with being labeled a confusion creator, malicious messenger or babbling bone bringer? Are you not worn out from having your hand in the demise of folk? Yes, I know your ego is boosted when people say you’re the one who has no filter on your mouth and who will say the first thing that comes to mind without caring about folk’s feelings. Okay, you are the one who doesn’t mind getting into it with folk or putting people in their place. You’re the one who doesn’t mind dabbling in the affairs of others. But is it really worth it? Is having that kind of label tied to your name worth the few minutes of fame? If not, then may I suggest you cease and desist because as with any cease and desist order there are consequences if you do not comply. For the next verse, Proverbs 6:15 says this, “But they will be destroyed suddenly, broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.” If you didn’t know, things that have no hope of repair are often discarded without a second thought.

Signed,
Thee Messenger

Daily Devotional – 1/5/18 “Be careful what you speak against!”

Beloved, I’m just going to come right out and say this (well, type it but you get my point) … You will never make it speaking against someone else. What makes you think God will give you the very thing you keep speaking against? You want to be a business owner yet you keep your mouth on that girl’s business every time she post something about it because she used to talk to your baby daddy. You want to be a barber yet you criticize the man who is doing the exact same thing because you haven’t liked him since high school. You’ve been praying for God to send you to lead a 500 member church yet you sit around on Sunday bashing other preachers who do. Baby, your mouth is blocking your blessing. Understand me clearly. I am in no way saying you should be wishing for what someone else has but stop speaking against it. No, do not covet someone else blessing but don’t bash it either. Celebrate with them until your time comes, even if it is from a distance, because the Bible shares in Romans 12:15, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

And if this isn’t enough, stop laughing and celebrating when someone falls, it could be your turn next because, again, bible shares in Proverbs 24:17-18, “Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. For the LORD will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them.” We all have a destiny, a plan perfectly put together by God and at His appointed time, we will get what is rightfully ours. And it will not come by slandering, speaking against, stepping on, laughing and/or sabotaging someone else destiny. Whether you want to hear this or not, there will always be somebody doing something greater than you. This doesn’t make what you do any less, it is just what it is. And on the flip side, just because somebody is doing something bigger than you doesn’t mean it will stop your shine. Do you think the company that makes Bentley’s stop just because Rolls Royce comes out with a new model? Baby, do your thang and be doggone great at it but stop the negativity because your come up/come back will never work at someone else expense.