Daily Devotional – 12/22/17 “You got this!”

I will not drag out the devotional today, there is no need. We all know this is the holiday season when there should be love, laughter and memories being created. Where we ought to be rejoicing for Christ but the sad reality of life is, it’s not. Not for everybody at least. So I will not bombard you with the usual today. I will not load you down with scriptures, you know them. Neither will I tell you it’ll be alright nor that God will do it for you; you know all this. Today beloved, I will simply tell you not to lose yourself this holiday season. Don’t lose yourself in the midst of grief, depression, low self-esteem, debt or even being who you’re not. This holiday season be happy, choose to be happy with who you are and what you have to offer. Stop forcing yourself to be what others say you are. Before 2017 is over, take back your life. Walk into 2018 believing in you because you are worth it. Whatever you’ve done, forgive yourself. Whatever mistakes you’ve made, forgive yourself. Whatever you’ve gone through, forgive yourself. You are still worth it! You’re worth waiting on and you’re doggone worth believing in. If no one else tells you, I will … You got this!

“My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:1-6

Daily Devotional – 12/21/17 “Free by your testimony!”

Tell your story! Yes, you … tell your story! Why? Because it has the power to not only set you free but defeat your enemy. I know you’ve held it in because you are embarrassed but it’s time you got free ma’am/sir. You’ve kept it to yourself out of fear of what people will think but it’s time you set yourself free. Come out of that prison where you’ve sentenced yourself to life, in your mind. Come out of the dark place that you visit when the quietness feels like it’s closing in. Come out of that place of despair, you go in, when you look at the scars. Come out beloved, it’s time for you to be free. And you can only be free by telling your story. Please understand, you don’t have to shout it to the world but say it out loud so that you can hear yourself declaring freedom. And please, for the sake of your sanity, stop counting the number of years you stayed but count the number of days you’ve lived. Stop beating yourself up believing you allowed it to happen. Stop acting strong because that’s what you were raised to do when there are folks waiting to catch you. Let go of the façade, blow away the smokescreen, remove the makeup, uncover the scars, open your mouth and tell your story in your words.

In Revelation 12, John talks about a sign that appeared in heaven. A woman (Israel) who was pregnant and in pain as she prepared to deliver a male child (Jesus) was confronted by a dragon (satan) who set out to devour the son she was about to birth. The chapter continues telling how the dragon and its angels were defeated. Revelation 12:11 says, “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” See, your testimony signifies you not dying. Your testimony is proof that you are no longer a victim. Your testimony is power to overcome whatever it is that is threatening to take you out. Your enemy can be defeated but you have to cry loud and spare not. It’s not about satisfying the nosiness/prying/questioning of folk but it is about acquitting you from the guilty verdict you’ve rendered on yourself. You can defeat the depression, the oppression, the guilt and the victim mentality that is playing with your mind with the blood of the lamb, your testimony and by not loving this earthly life. Don’t cling to what was but hold fast to what is. Take back your power because it’s your story to tell, in your time. Be free beloved. Be free!

Daily Devotional – 12/20/17 “I wish, no I pray!”

Sometimes you can wish for things that can cripple you, causing you to be held hostage in a place you wouldn’t give to your worst enemy. And the reality of it all, you will not recognize it, until you’ve given years of your life you can’t get back. Yeah, you will experience things that will teach you, make some mistakes that will cost you and even lose some stuff that will strengthen you but only if you knew then what you know now. This is why you have to stop wishing and start praying because there is a difference. See, wishing is like signing an agreement without reading the fine print but praying is running a background check. Wishing is buying the car without a diagnostic check but praying is getting the car fax report and a twice over by a skilled mechanic. Wishing is like taking a chance on meat that’s pass the expiration date and praying is selecting fresh from the meat counter. Wishing is your stamp of approval but praying comes with God’s. This is why Jesus says in John 15:7, “If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.”

Wishing is desiring, prayer is asking. Wishing is a spoken plea, praying is a silent request. Wishing gets you but praying releases you. This is why you have to know the difference because sometimes your wish can be granted and it not be what you thought. Stop wishing for stuff God hasn’t ordained for your life. Stop blowing out the candles and wishing for the man of your dreams, pray and let God shape him and then send him. Stop closing your eyes and wishing on a star but pray to the one who created the stars. Stop wishing for the lottery and pray to the God who holds the lot in His hands. Beloved, wishing can cause heartache that it takes years to heal when praying can give you a new heart. Wishing can cause some sleepless night but praying can give you peace that you cannot even begin to understand. Wishing can mess you up but praying can clean you up. You might not like it and may not even agree with me but you know, as well as I do, you are only wishing for what you know God has blocked.

Daily Devotional – 12/19/17 “I owe God!”

Can I let you in on a secret? Well, it’s not really a secret but it’s something you may not know. While my mouth is full of praise, gratefulness and thanks to God for all He does for me, this isn’t the reason I serve Him. When I count up my blessings, I thank God. When I look at my family chain, I rejoice of God. When I open my eyes and can see, move my limbs and they work and check my senses and they are still intact; I praise God. But this is not the reason I serve God. No, the real reason I serve God is not for what He does/did but it’s for what He didn’t do. See, God didn’t turn His back on me the many times I turned mine on Him. God didn’t stop trusting me, with the little, even when I didn’t trust myself. God didn’t stop protecting me, even when I was doing stuff I knew wasn’t right. God didn’t close my mouth, even when it was filled with hurtful words toward folk. God didn’t snatch His gifts from my hands, even when I was using them unfavorably. God didn’t halt my walk even when I was in places I had no business being. God didn’t let me die in my sin even when I visited with it too many times to count. So you see, I don’t just serve God for His blessings but I serve Him because He didn’t banish me away when I was a backslider. I don’t serve God for His grace but I do because He didn’t hold a grudge against me even when I was guilty.

This is why I cannot be mad at people who treat me differently because they say I’ve changed, I have. I cannot be disappointed when I no longer get invited, my dance partner is different. I cannot be offended when people talk about me, it comes with the favor. Yes, there are times I want to hang out on Saturday nights but my Sunday mornings are not the same as yours. Yes, there are times I want to gossip but there are people who I need to pray for instead. Yes, there are times I don’t feel like being holy but it is part of my calling. There are days I don’t want to be spiritual but then I think about the many times God spared me. What I’m trying to tell you is, I owe God too much but it might be too much for you to get. Understand me, I still have flaws, I still say somethings I shouldn’t, I still shut down when I’m mad, I still curse, I still love my tattoos; in other words I’m still a natural being but I owe God. I owe Him for the ransom He paid when the enemy was holding me hostage. I owe God. I owe Him for the sacrifice of His Son who drank the majority of suffering meant for me. I owe God. I owe Him for what He didn’t allow to happen. I serve because … I owe God!

Daily Devotional – 12/18/17 “You’re being developed!”

Sometimes God will keep us hidden in order to develop us. Yes, I know you can teach, sing, pray, preach, run a business, lead, take care of a household and will make somebody a great spouse but it isn’t time yet. See, what God is doing is developing you and because He is, you’ve got to sometimes experience being hidden. When film is developed, there is a process.

  1. The film has to be removed from the camera using a film picker. Wondered why things have been happening to you lately? Feeling like you’re being picked on? You are but it is God picking you out.
  2. Once it is removed, it’s placed in a special holder that allows the end to be cut or shaped properly. It’ll hurt but it’s necessary to ensure you fit.
  3. Then, the film is stuck to a (get this) a leader card using special tape. Are you wondering why you haven’t been moved from under your leader? You need them to be developed. Stop rushing your process. And if you don’t have a leader, you need one.
  4. Next, to ensure films are not mixed up, they are given unique serial numbers. Beloved, own your uniqueness; you were not made to be like, sound like, look like or mimic anybody else. Be you!
  5. Then, the film is fed into the processing machine that takes it through:

      A. Developer – “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10

      B. Bleaching – “Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.” Psalm 51:2

      C. Fixing – “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the LORD. “For you are called an outcast–‘Jerusalem for whom no one cares.'” Jeremiah 30:17

      D. Washing – “Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways.” Isaiah 1:16

      E. Stabilizing – “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” Psalm 40:2

      F. Drying – “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2

It is then, once you’ve gone through this process that you are now ready to be handled by man’s hands. Before, if you ended up in the wrong hands, they could ruin you. Oh but now that you’ve been developed. When folks touch, they may leave handprints but they can be wiped off. This is why, if you skip any of the steps, while in the darkness, you run the risk of being unusable and/or failing in the light. Your time will come but don’t rush the development.