Daily Devotional – 10/24/17 “A Thank You Lord praise”

Sometimes you just have to throw your head back and tell the Lord, thank you! Every chance you get, you ought to have yourself a thank you God praise party. Even if it happens to be while you are having a moment of misery, a twinkling of turmoil, a situation of sickness, the groaning of grief, the taste of tears, another futile fight, one more declared denial and more headaches of hurt; tell God thank you. Even when they have walked out again, the walls of woe are closing in, the blinders of bitterness are beginning to cover your eyes, the darkness of depression is setting in and the prongs of pain press in; tell God thank you. When the money has run out, landlord knocking, electric company is threatening, water a second from being turned off and gas company is driving slow by the house; tell God thank you. When the children aren’t acting right, having more downs than up with the spouse, family keeps calling with mess and even coworkers acting suspect; tell God thank you. When you find yourself having a hard time in worship, tell God thank you.

No, I am not about to say it could be worse because let’s face it, we cannot take any worse. But how can I tell God thank you when it seems like I’m about to lose my mind? How can I declare a thank you God praise when it feels like I’m about to fall into another valley? How can I recite a thank you God praise when it looks like my enemies are camped all around? Easily. Open your mouth and recite these words, THANK YOU GOD! See, when you appreciate God for the good and bad, your value increase. Instead of depreciation, your appreciation initiates an inundation. In other words, a massive influx of blessings. This is why I feel like the prophet Isaiah, declaring like Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the LORD’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” God is about to turn it around but will you tell Him thank you while He works?

Daily Devotional – 10/23/17 “What are you fighting for?”

Today would have been Granddaddy and Gram’s 72nd wedding anniversary but then death intervened 5 years ago. For 35 years (for as early as I can remember), I watched their relationship. There was good and bad yet they stuck and stayed. Even during the hard times of the early years, starting with the 1930’s and raising ten children they overcame. Please understand, it wasn’t without situations but they overcame them. Then I watched grandma take care of granddad for three years while he laid afflicted by sickness. I am sharing this because it is rare, now days, to find marriages that last. If I can be honest, it is rare to see people fighting for anything worthy. I’ve seen where people spend thousands on the wedding but will not invest one dollar into the marriage. But it is not just marriages, it’s everything. This is why I have to ask this question … What are you fighting for? Or should I ask, what are you fighting for that matters? We fight on social media but will not fight for social justice. We fight for folk who will not commit but not for our personal relationship with Christ. We fight for positions in the workplace but we will not fight for the upkeep of the church. We fight baby momma/daddy but we will not fight for educational options for the baby. We fight to make it to $1 margaritas but we will not fight for the PTA at the school. We fight harder in relationships, with other folk spouses, yet we will not fight in preparation to be a Godly husband or wife.

What are you fighting for beloved? Are you fighting to be healthy, happy and whole? Are you fighting to be one with God? Are you fighting for your worth? Are you fighting for everything man said you could not have? Are you fighting to get everything “they” said you will never attain? What are you fighting for? Yes, I know this world is not our home but while we are fighting to hear God say “Well done thy good and faithful servant,” what are you fighting for that will allow Him to say, “Well done,” now? You do know that God can be pleased with us now, right? But that’s only when we are fighting for the right thing at the right time. This is why I had to ask, what are you fighting for? Stop giving up so easily and fight. Stop giving in so quickly, fight. I don’t know about you but I’m fighting for mine. This means my husband, my children, my family, my friends, my pastor, my church family, my sanity, my sanctity, my blessings and even you. And I’m fighting to love the hell out of this world. What about you?

“You keep getting in the ring as a lamb and keep losing! Show up as a lion and fight until you win! Get your MORE!” – Pastor Robert S. Harvey

Daily Devotional – 10/20/17 “Pressure!”

Somebody woke up on this Friday morning still feeling the pressure of yesterday, last week, last month and last year. The pressure feels like it’s about to overtake your life and at any moment, you’ll blow. But can I tell you something? Pressure means you’re still in the game. Pressure means you’re still living and able. Pressure means you’re still in position. See, when a player feels pressure that means someone is counting on her/him to do his/her part. When you are feeling pressured by the demands of life, it means somebody is still depending on you to do your part. Does it feel good? Heck no but it should give you the passion to push on. Look, if you didn’t feel pressured (even from yourself) would you have the ambition to do better? If you didn’t feel pressured to provide for your family, would you? Understand, you will not feel pressure everyday but those days you do and they seem to come more often than you like, remind yourself … Pressure means I’m still in the game and it means someone is still counting on me to make it.

Pressure isn’t to take you out but it’s to get out of you that which is on the inside. This is why you, your parents, mentors, family, friends and etc. pressure you to do better because they (and you) know the potential greatness that’s inside of you. I am not talking about peer pressure to go against what you believe in or to change the right for the bad but I’m speaking of the pressure that should push you to destiny. The pressure to not conform. The pressure to help those who talk about you. The pressure to willingly suffer for Christ’s sake. The pressure to be the best you, even in the worse of circumstances. This is why the bible says in Proverbs 24:10, “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.” And there is no way, as Christians, our strength should be fragile, small or made to feel inferior because the bible says in Exodus 15:2, “The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” The pressure … it means you are still in it to win it! Don’t lose hope even when it feels like more than you can bear.

Daily Devotional – 10/19/17 “Sifting process!”

You do all you can and it stills feel like you have not done enough. You go to church, not every Sunday but more than you used to. You can’t go to bible study because you work but you have started to read your bible more. You give a little bit towards tithes, you’re working your way up. You’ve cut off all those folk who only call you to fill a need. You don’t lie as much as you used too. You’ve been praying, even though it leaves you a sobbing mess. You’ve even been fasting, although you’ve only gotten up to 6 hours. Yet, it still feels like all hell is breaking loose around you. You’ve stopped spending but money seems tighter than before. You’ve stopped drinking and now that’s all you crave. You replaced writing with cussing but folk are trying you and they are a 4 letter word from being blessed and not the good way. And if things couldn’t get worse, the enemy is calling your name and you’ve contemplated answering. WAIT! Please don’t. Please! It’s only your sifting process.

When Jesus told Simon (Peter), the enemy wanted to sift him like wheat; He didn’t mean the soft flour sifting grandma did when she made biscuits. But He meant the aggressive, sometimes violent shaking wheat has to go through during harvest. This is when the wheat is separated from the stalk and chaff. And it has to get rough in order to ensure there is nothing left, within the wheat that is hard and/or bad. So you see, what you’re going through is rough, right now, but it’s for your good. It is separating you from all the things you once deemed worthy but God determined was worldly. Yes, the enemy is there but only because he bet God you wouldn’t make it through. Prove him wrong by trusting God through the process. Because just like Simon, God is praying your faith does not fail. Fail means to break down or not meet its goal. And just so you know, faith does not fail even when we do. It’s just your sifting process, beloved. It hurts, gets confusing and hurts some more but it has to happen.

 

Daily Devotional – 10/18/17 “What anger does!”

Did you know that when you are angry, you tend to mishear the right things said? Did you know that when you are emotional, you can make bad decisions? Being angry at not having a car can make you sign a bad deal, leaving you with a car note you know you cannot afford. Being emotional, especially after a death, can make do things you probably wouldn’t have had you waited. Think about it. When you’re angry or emotional, you get permanent tattoos that cannot be removed, you cling to a person who means you no good, you spend unnecessary money and you make drastic decisions that cannot be undone. This is why you have to get out of your feelings beforehand. If not, you may just miss what God is trying to get you to hear. AND when you’re emotional or angry, you will find yourself taking the advice of people who don’t have your best interest at heart and discounting the ones that do. This is why you cannot have serious conversations over text or email because you may tend to misread the tone of the other person.

When you are emotional or angry, you tend to make a small situation big. You argue with your baby daddy and bust the windows out his car. You misread a text and now you won’t answer the phone. You’re emotional, listening to sad music and replaying the hurt of your past and now the enemy is whispering suicide in your ear. You’re upset and now everybody is against you. Take a breath, beloved and calm down. Now, look again. Read it again. Listen again. When we are angry, we think those who hurt us did it intentionally. For some, they did but others, maybe not but it isn’t until you’ve calmed down and played it over in your head that you realize it. After you’ve said or done some things you regret. The bible says in Psalm 4:4, “Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah.” I know you want to respond but wait. You want to lash out, don’t. You want to make them feel as hurt as you, you can’t. Don’t react out of anger yet sit in the stillness of God and He’ll give you the right way to go and words to say. Proverbs 15:1, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”