Daily Devotional – 12/27/17 “Get in the fight!”

My husband is a football fanatic and he loves everything that comes along with it which means every day, especially Sunday morning, the TV is on some sports channel. His team is the Tennessee Titans and normally, he’d say, they hardly talk about them however last Sunday, the Titans were a topic of conversation. I even stopped, at one point, because the sportscasters were giving a play-by-play of the game. As I stood there, I realized, it wasn’t about the Titans but more for the team they played against and what they were playing for, a spot in the championship. Why am I sharing this? For somebody reading this, the very fight you are in is about to cast you into the place you deserve simply because of your opponent and what you are fighting for. See, you couldn’t understand where this mess came from, all of a sudden. You can’t explain why you seem to be picked on, suddenly. Why you are having to fight folk, unexpectedly but it is about to elevate you. All those times you tried to get noticed but your name wasn’t called. All the times you won but nobody celebrated you. All those times you showed up but they didn’t care. Well, I am here today to tell you, your fight, this time, is about to pay off.

In the bible, before David ever fought and conquered Goliath, he’d been brave enough to kill the lion and bear with his bare hands, when no one was looking. Yet, it was his fight against Goliath that got him noticed. Beloved, you’ve been in the background, fighting people and things that no one knows about. You’ve been fasting and laying on your face in prayer and nobody knows it. You’ve been walking around the altar of the church after everybody else is gone and nobody sees it. You’ve been preaching in places and people still don’t know your name. Helping and nobody gives you credit and serving, faithfully and what you’ve been praying for hasn’t shown up. Well, this next fight is about to shoot you into the place your destiny says is yours. Please understand, I am not saying the only way promotion comes is by a natural fight because the bible tells us in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” What I am saying is, sometimes it will be the hardest, biggest and most fearful spiritual fight you’ve ever been in, the one nobody knows about that will get you to the promised enlargement of your territory. Oh, you may lose but winning against them isn’t the goal. The real test is to see if you will get in the ring, in the first place.

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!