Daily Devotional – 9/5/17 “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned…”

In biblical days, in order to approach God, you had to do it by way of a priest. This priest would then offer a sacrifice to God on your behalf. As I thought about that, this morning, I became exceedingly glad for the sacrifice of Jesus. It was His death, on the cross, that tore the temple into two; forever removing the divide between man and God. It is because of His sacrifice, we can now go to God ourselves. Due to all Jesus had to endure, we can now ask for forgiveness and receive it. Just think for a minute on how your life would be if the only option you had for forgiveness was confessing to a priest, who would then have to go to God on your behalf. Baby, most of us would be the raggedy mess we attempt to hide on a daily basis. We’d be the scars, our makeup and clothes try to cover. Our outer appearance will be the inward mess of addictions, abuse, bitterness and anger we tend to hide. Our lives would be the jacked up mess, it should be, if it wasn’t for the ability to confess our own transgressions and then be forgiven.

This should make you, as a believer, thankful for the ability to ask for forgiveness of your sins in private. Chile, if we had to go to the church for forgiveness, most of us would not go. Some of us are still hung up on whether the pastor is a male or female and not if they can get a prayer through. And, if I shall tell the truth, most of us wouldn’t go because this would mean folk will find out about your secret fetishes. Folk will know about your hidden addictions. Folk will find out you’re really a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Folk will know you aren’t really as saved as you portray. Folk will know you still lie, a lot. Folk will find out about the lusting you do while in worship and folk will know you aren’t, really, all that. In other words, folk would see the real you. Yes, we all have skeletons but it is one thing to have them and an entirely different thing to reveal them. Yet, thanks be to God and the sacrifice of His son, Jesus, we can, as David says in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” Confess your faults while they can still be forgiven.

Daily Devotional – 9/1/17 “Six years later…”

Every year, on this date, I celebrate the start of my blog; Kisha’s Daily Devotional. Whether you are reading this from the site, via email, social media or if someone shared it with you; thank you. This blog was not created for me to get famous or for accolades because the truth of the matter is; this has never been about me. One day, I stepped out on faith and begin sharing with you, what God has been sharing with me. I’m just His messenger. And six (6) years, 1386 posts, 185,432K views from all over the world, 559 blog, 859 twitter and 341 Facebook followers later; we are still be here. It is not because I’ve been doing everything right, I still fall short sometimes. It is not because I have all the answers, I am still learning. It is not because of me, I have no power. Yet God has need of my voice and I vowed it to Him one Thursday to use it. Has it been easy, no but it has been worth it.

I have no idea what this next year will look like, what tomorrow holds for Lakisha neither where this anointing will take me but I packed for this journey the minute I said yes to God. And if one somebody steps out on faith, through this blog; if just one somebody gets closer to God, through this blog; if just one somebody says YES to God through this blog; my work isn’t in vain. I seek to serve God with all of me and that sometimes means sharing with you, even when I don’t feel like it or even sharing some personal struggles and testimonies with you even if I never meet you personally. This blog isn’t just mine but it is OURS for me to tell you not to allow fear to hold you hostage in the boat, step out on faith. You will not believe this (maybe you will) but the most viewed post ever is one from 2/24/12, “Write your vision, make it plain,” with over 1,891 views (and it is a long post). I will share with you the ending. It says, “Trust in God when it comes to His word because He won’t leave you nor forsake you. Stop being bound by fear and step out on faith because faith is a belief in what you do not see but acting as if it is already done. Through faith you receive favor and favor makes you fruitful and being fruitful means you’re fulfilling the need and once the need is fulfilled then you’re rewarded! Not a reward by man but rewarded by God who keeps dropping blessings in your bucket even when you don’t deserve them.”

Daily Devotional – 8/31/17 “Be mindful of those!”

There is somebody, probably one who is real close to you, underestimating the fire in your belly. They look supportive, they sound loyal, they show up to the celebrations, they comment their congratulations and they even wear the shirt with your logo. But deep down, they do not really believe you’ll do it. They don’t have faith in your ability to accomplish all the things you have planned and they are only standing close by just in case you do. See, if they ‘act’ supportive, they will feel obligated to be blessed by your blessing. Please note, this is not for those true supporter who are there through the wins and the losses but these are those who make the sly remarks thinking you didn’t hear them. These are those who always agree and then says but. These are those who say, “I’m with whatever you want” instead of giving you sound advice. These are those who half smile when you show them the speech you’ve prepared in advance. These are those who do not understand why you’re thanking God for something you haven’t gotten yet. These are those who question your loyalty to worship. Be mindful of those!

This is why you have to be careful the labels you place on folk and those you allow to be placed on you because a friend has a responsibility to love at all times and a brother/sister to be there in difficult times. Don’t take my word but trust God’s because the bible says in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a difficult time?” This means when I mess up, you don’t leave me but you still love me. This means when you fall short, I still love you. This means you love me even when I am weak. This means I still love you even though you promised not to drink again but did. This means you love me when you catch me buying that stuff I said I’d never use again. This means I still love you even when you take your trifling spouse back. This means you’ll love me despite my choices. This means I will love you even when you are dirty and you will love me, mess and all because we love one another at ALL times. This also means, family, you don’t allow meaningless mess to divide our relationship because a brother (sister) was born for adversity. This means you may be mad at me, sister, but you will still show up in my crisis. I may be angry at you, brother, but I am still coming when you call. You may not like me, sister, but you love me enough to fight for me. I may get sick of you begging, brother, but I’ll still help when I can. You may get tired of me messing up, sister, but you will still clean me up. I may chastise you but I’ll still feed you. And we may not talk every day but when we do and you hear the pain in my voice, you show up. That’s a true sister/brother-friend. Be mindful of those, they are the ones you keep!

Daily Devotional – 8/30/17 “Happy New Year!”

Happy New Year! Yes, I am aware that today is August 30, 2017 but each time you are finally ready to start over, celebrate it as a new year. Why? Because starting over should mean you are leaving everything else that does not belong in the new, in the old. This means those things that no longer work should be thrown away in yesterday’s garbage. Stop dragging that old broken, raggedy stuff with you. That relationship that no longer fits with God’s plan of elevation for your life, roll over and kiss it goodbye. Stop forcing it. That place of worship that can no longer feed your craving for God’s word, tell it bye. Stop trying to make it work. Even if it is as simple as cutting away dead ends, do it because it will give you and your hair a new look. Stop covering it up. And if you know it is time for a New Year celebration and you are fearful of starting over, tell me why. Why are you fearful? You are tired, right? You are fed up with throwing water out of that battered boat, right? You are over the constant bickering and arguing, aren’t you? Then man up, man; woman up, woman! It is time now for your New Year. You don’t have to wait until the 31st of December, you can start right now.

Get help to get out of that abusive relationship, pour out that alcohol and throw away the bottles, flush that cocaine, heroin, pills or marijuana, erase those text messages, change your number, throw out the pictures, unfriend them on social media and stop looking at the remnants of your past beloved because it is time to start over. Yes, it is time you stop hanging with those who are only benefiting off you. I know it is easier said and done and you are probably nodding in agreement but your feet will not move. You are probably crying because you are sick and really tired, this time but you feel stuck. You have tried the church fast and still bloated with BS. You have laid out on the altar Sunday after Sunday and still get up bound. You’ve made the excuses and still getting hurt. You’ve signed the new lease but still will not pack. You have saved the new job opening but have yet to apply. When will you make the move? When will you clean up the mess and rebuild? When will you pack? When will you trust your faith to walk on water? When will you celebrate your New Year?

Daily Devotional – 8/23/17 “Your testimony could be the key to my chains!”

How can you heal someone else when you are broken? That’s like a surgeon preparing to operate on you with one good hand. It is not going to work beloved. You have to heal in order to then be able to heal others. You have to come out of bondage before you can reach back and save somebody else. You have to first become delivered before you can offer advice to someone else on their deliverance. How can you possibly tell me how to get over an addiction when you’re still in yours? How can you tell me how to successfully save my marriage when you aren’t even speaking to your spouse (for the fifth week in a row)? It does not matter that we are bound by different things, we are still bound. Just because you are bound with ropes and me with chains; we are still locked up. Get out of your ropes and then the both of us can try to get me out of my chains. Get delivered from your addiction of smoking and then help me with my addiction of drinking.

The bible says in Psalm 107:10-14 (AMP), “Some dwelt in darkness and in the deep (deathly) darkness, Prisoners [bound] in misery and chains, because they had rebelled against the precepts of God and spurned the counsel of the Most High. Therefore He humbled their heart with hard labor; they stumbled and there was no one to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the deep (deathly) darkness and broke their bonds apart.” It is time you came out and it is time you healed. God has need of your voice that was once shaky. God has need of your heart that was once broken. God has need of your hands that were once bound. God, simply has need of you because of all you have been through. Why? Well because the things that broke you, bound you, and hurt you are the very things God used to heal you and it will be that testimony which saves someone else.