Daily Devotional – 11/16/17 “Where is your attention fixed?”

I was watching an old episode of Grey’s Anatomy and a young man was bought in who’d been in an accident with his girlfriend. It was Valentine’s Day and the couple was arguing over the gift the boyfriend had given. It was a necklace. To the girlfriend, it was “another old necklace” and she’d expected an engagement ring. He kept saying to her, “you never even opened it,” but that didn’t matter to her because she was expecting the small, velvet box and that’s not what she got. His situation turned critical and when he slipped into a coma, she cried for him to wake up because now he was more important than a ring but it was too late, he died. While the intern was placing his personal items in a bag, she found the necklace, a locket and when she opened it; the inside said “will you marry me.” The girlfriend never opened the necklace because it didn’t look like what she was expecting. How many times have you missed out on blessings because it doesn’t look like what you’ve pictured in your head, pinned to your vision board or sketched in your journal? What have you thrown away, pushed out or walked away from that was actually meant for you simply because it doesn’t match your expectations?

Yes, I know you’ve been dreaming about your husband since college, pictured the house you’d live in and the car you’d drive, the business you’d start or the career you’d have but what if those expectations don’t measure up to what God has for you? What if your expectations weren’t high or big enough? Just what if, what you expected didn’t fit with your destiny? You have to know by now the plans God has for us may not fit within the vision we’ve dreamed, right? This is why His words say in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Beloved, His plans for us might not look like our plans. How do you see God’s plans? By focusing your attention on God. When Peter and John healed the lame man, they said to him, “Look at us.” The bible then says in Acts 3:5, “And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.” Where is your attention fixed that could cause you to miss what God has for you? What you need may not look like what you expect. Don’t miss it!

Daily Devotional – 11/14/17 “Isaiah 40:27-31”

Here it is, another Tuesday in another month, almost at the end of another year and somebody is still tarrying at the table of the tempter. Still being troubled by temptation yet you will not trouble the one on the throne. The toil of tomorrow is already terrifying you because you will not use your tongue to trample against your tormentors. You are being tortured by your transgressions and you’re trapped. What now beloved? Will you die there or will you choose to live? Will you drown where you are or will you come up for air, one more time? Are you willing to give up or will you try again? I’m only asking the question, you have to do the work so what will it be? It’s your choice but you need to decide because time will not wait until you get all the tears out. Time is not at your mercy, waiting until you fix you. Time will not stand still for you. What will it be? I can’t answer for you neither can I give you strength to push on. What I can do is point you in the direction of the one who can.

His name is God and He shares with us these words in Isaiah 40:27-31, “O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Why an eagle? Because they can see their enemy from a distance, they flock and eat with other eagles, they don’t dwell amongst nor eat of anything dead, they can soar through storms, wait on the right male companion, build their nest out of the enemy’s reach, train their children and when their body has been beat up by what they’ve gone through; they rest through their metamorphosis phase (allowing new feathers to grow). You got this but you’ve got to believe that you do!

Daily Devotional – 11/13/17 “With the measure you use…”

Before you begin to hold court on someone’s life based on your perception of them, you might want to check the reference book of life. Before you open your mouth to criticize folk’s ways, you may need to turn with me in the good book. Before you set out to talk about others in group texts and on social media; you may want to inspect God’s word. Because the bible shares with us these words in Matthew 7:1-2, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” The Message Bible shares it like this, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.” See, being quick to judge people on their lifestyle opens the door for somebody to judge yours. Having loose lips with your personal opinions of others, gives access to someone else to be just as open about yours. This is why, beloved, you have to be mindful of what you put out because, and you know this, what you do to others will be done to you.

You need to understand that as God’s children, we are commanded to love and love unconditionally which means I will love you even though I may not like your ways. And I will love you even though I am not in agreement with your choices. Why? Because God loves us even when He doesn’t like our ways. Look, when we think the worst of folk, without knowing them, we judge unjustly. When we criticize their choices, without knowing why they made the choice, we judge unjustly. When we dislike based on somebody else’s opinion, we judge unjustly. When we base our decisions on the worst moments of their life, we judge unjustly. When we spread the story without knowing the story, we judge unjustly. God never said we couldn’t examine the hearts of others but He says, with whatever measure you use, will be the same used on you. So, before you place the microscope over my life to magnify my misdeeds, for the enjoyment of seeing me suffer, ensure you don’t have anything hiding because when you are done judging me; yours begins. For with the same measure you use on me, the same will be used on you.

Daily Devotional – 11/9/17 “Look Deeper!”

When I rolled over this morning and saw the sun, I assumed the outside temperature was warmer. Then I checked the weather and it gave me a reality check, “no sis, its 40 degrees.” As I got out of bed, I thought about the times life has tricked us into assuming something other than reality because we based “it” on what we saw. I mean, the enemy makes the ending of the story look happily ever after and we assume it is because we base it on what we’ve been shown, never checking further. We assume him or her is our soul mate because they dressed the part and speak our love language but reality is, we assumed based on what we saw, instead of looking deeper. We see the outside of the car, pop the hood and yes, that’s it but drive it three days and the check engine light comes on and we’re stuck with it because we signed based on what we saw. Are you looking deeper? Had I based my wardrobe on the fact the sun was shining bright, I would have been in for a rude awakening when I got to the car. But get this … I looked deeper than what my natural eyes showed me, I checked the weather. Are you looking beloved?

Before you say yes to the proposal, are you checking with God, knowing He’s the very thing available to check heart and soul references or are you going by what you see? Before you say yes to the promotion, are you checking the resources available in order to make an informed decision or are you looking at the pay and going for it? Before you say yes to that place of worship, have you run the spiritual readiness test to ensure it meets your spiritual needs or did they shout you on Sunday and you feel good? Before you say yes to the dress, did you check the price tag and your checking account? Are you checking the resources available to ensure what you see is actually what you’re getting? When God sent Samuel to anoint a new king, he looked at the appearance of Jesse’s sons but the bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” Don’t assume based on what you see because it could cause your more pain than you’re naturally capable of handling. Instead follow the advice of Jesus when He said in John 7:24, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” In other words, look deeper.

Daily Devotional – 11/8/17 “Watch God work!”

I love to watch my Grams cook, especially during the holidays. She will have pots covering every burner on the stove, cutting boards on the table and pie crusts waiting to be filled. And while she is preparing dressing, sweet potato and egg pies for the oven; we will be busy chopping onions and bell peppers and silently watching her work. I knew not to interrupt her because an interruption caused delays and a delay meant I would have to wait longer for my request to taste test. So, I would do my part, only stopping when she interrupted me. Why am I sharing this? Well, many times we make a request of God and instead of waiting and watching Him work, we constantly interrupt. Truthfully, we don’t mean any harm, we just need to hear but I’ve come to realize that interrupting Him can cause a delay. Understand, I am not talking about praying but the, “why me God,” the “when me God,” the “where my blessing at God,” the “where is my husband God,” the “where is my wife God,” or the “how God” questions can delay what we’re waiting on. Do you not trust God to do what you’ve asked? Do you not believe He can do what you’ve been praying for? Then why not watch Him work?

Yes, I know you are eager but causing an interruption and allowing God to interrupt does not have the same kind of outcome. Our interruption can cause confusion, whereas God’s interruption can cause confession. Our interruption can cause depression but God’s interruption can cause deliverance. Our interruption can cause things to halt but God’s interruption can cause things to happen. God can interrupt our formalities to force our faith to kick in. God can interrupt our tranquility to test our talk of trust. God can interrupt our happiness simply to see if we can actually handle the harvest. I don’t know who this is for today but God isn’t intentionally ignoring you, He’s working on your request and He needs you to trust Him in His silence. He’s working, beloved, you just need to watch Him work it out. Can you do that? Yea, it’s hard, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.” – Micah 7:7