Daily Devotional – 8/14/17 “It’s just the edge!”

Have you ever rolled to the very end of the bed, only to catch yourself from falling? Ever got close enough then suddenly woke up right on time? What about waking up, to find yourself wrapped in a sheet and one move from being on the floor? Or moving your arm, only to realize you are one turn from hitting the nightstand? Have you? I have and it made me think about all the times we’ve been at the edge, of this thang called life, knowing we should have fallen but suddenly, something happened. Or those times we’ve come to the end of all we can do mentally, knowing if we move slightly, it’ll be all over. Looking out at the edge, breathing heavy and heart pounding knowing, I should have fallen over but I didn’t. Anybody else besides me experienced an “I almost fell” moment? Thinking, had it not been for God stopping me, I should have been dead. Had it not been for the sheet of salvation keeping me, I could be out my mind, right now. Had it not been for the sudden opening of my eyes, I would have found myself in another jacked up situation, crying over another catastrophic circumstance, weeping over the woes of this world and fighting in a fixed fight I have no chance of winning.

But something happened … your eyes were opened to realize, I’m just at the edge and got another chance to step back. I’m just at the edge and I’m still safe. I’m just at the edge and can roll back over. I’m just at the edge and I can get up. Because being at the edge doesn’t mean I’m out, it’s just mean I almost. I almost what? I almost gave up, I almost gave in, I almost jumped, I almost died, I almost committed suicide, I almost counted myself out and I almost let go. BUT I DIDN’T! I don’t care what it looks like, step back. I don’t care what it feels like, roll over. I don’t care what they said, what does God say? Open your eyes beloved, you are just at the edge. Open your eyes sister/brother, it’s just the edge. And being at the edge means there is still a chance. It’s not over until God says it is! It’s just the edge!

Daily Devotional – 8/11/17 “Can you hear Him now?”

We watched another movie in class on last night and this one was called The Sunset Limited. An hour and a half movie featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Tommie Lee Jones sitting in the apartment of Jackson after he’d stopped Jones from trying to commit suicide. [Oh, Jones didn’t believe in God.] I will not go into the full movie (you need to watch it) but there was one thing Jackson said that I had to share. He said to Jones, “You don’t have to be virtuous in order to hear God speak, you just need to be quiet!” Listen, many times we mistakenly think we have to be on some sort of spiritual level in order to hear from God. We think it takes speaking in tongue, being able to shout, prophecy or lead intercessory prayer. We think we need to have everything straight and be perfect in our being. But who is perfect, other than God? Yes, we are all called to be virtuous, that’s having high morals, however, if today is the day you happen to lack virtue, God can still speak to you. If today just happens to be a day you don’t feel like being virtuous, God can still speak to you. If you were to make a mistake today, God can still speak to you. You simply need to be quiet long enough to hear Him.

Listen, I get it; there will be some days you will not feel like being morally correct and you are entitled but don’t think you cannot hear from God. Beloved, I was a jacked up, good for nothing, raggedy, mess of a person yet God still spoke to me. I was set in my ways, attitude on ten, could curse with the best of them yet God still spoke. AND I HEARD HIM! It wasn’t because I was morally good, all the time, but it was those days I hushed and listened. Even when I could not understand why God would use me, I shut up and listened. Even when I found myself running from Him, there were nights I had no choice but to listen. God does not speak because you are good but He speaks because of your potential to be. You simply need to be quiet to listen. How will you know it’s God? Well, the bible says in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

Daily Devotional – 8/10/17 “Greater to greatness!”

A while back, at my sister’s church, her pastor told me something that I haven’t forgotten. He said, “God will elevate you when you appreciate where you are.” I didn’t have to think about what he was saying because I already knew he was talking about ministry. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate where I was but I was at a point of asking God, “What now?” This was because I didn’t feel like I was doing enough, spiritually. I would have conversations (not prayers) with God because I felt like I was just sitting idle but then he words rung in my ear and I said, “Marcy (that’s my nickname), you have to appreciate where you are before you can move to where you want to be.” This entire time I’d been asking God to move me to greater when truth is, every day I walk in the anointing of God, I’m in greater. Every time my eyes open and I see a roof over my head, I’m in greater. Every night when I don’t have to go to bed hungry, I am in greater. And in due time, with appreciation and gratefulness, God will elevate me to greatness.

See, -er is a suffix used in forming nouns to label a person from the thing of their occupation or labor. For example, calling me a minister/preacher lets you know I work within the field of ministry. However, -ness is the suffix that means the state of the original adjective. i.e. Greatness means I am great. What does this mean Lakisha? Well this means, in greater I preach the word but in greatness, I live the word. Greater means I have to label myself but in greatness I am branded by God. In greater, you need my resume but in greatness, the anointing speaks for me. In greater, I have to ask but in greatness my seat is already reserved. In greater, titles may work but in greatness, my faith does the heavy lifting. Yes, I know you’re ready to be promoted but appreciate your now position. I know you’re ready for your own house but how well are you appreciating where you are? Yes, you are eager for your own car but are you appreciative of the rides you’re getting? Yeah, you’re ready to pastor a church but are you appreciating being minister? You’re ready to own your business but have you truly appreciated where you are? Greater is telling your dreams but greatness is living them.

Daily Devotional – 8/9/17 “Me today maybe you tomorrow!”

I wrote a devotional, three years ago today and it started like this … “Why do you find it easy to put your mouth on folk? Why do you find it cool to talk about somebody else? Why do you feel the need to comment about everything and everybody? Aren’t you old enough now to be acting your age and not your shoe size?” – And the sad reality of today, three years later, this is still relevant because we find it easy to bully, speak on what we don’t know, criticize what we cannot explain and condemn what you don’t think is right. When did we stop caring whether or not our brother/sisters are perishing? When did it become okay to put your mouth on folk because you can? When did it become cool to judge me as guilty until proven innocent? Ma’am, you have no basis to put your mouth on me simply because your car cost more than mine when they both serve the same purpose. Sir, you have no right to compare my subsidized housing to your 5 bedroom house when they both give us roofs over our heads. Yea, you may be eating steak and I got ground beef but we are both fed. Yea, your shoes may cost more than mine but aren’t both of our feet covered?

What I am really trying to say is, HUSH! You don’t know what the next person is going through. Stop asking when she will have a baby when you don’t know the struggle she has been dealing with having a closed womb. Stop asking when she/he will get married when you cannot begin to understand their daily struggle of trying to get over their last relationship. Quit telling folk they will not succeed without a college degree when you don’t know their underlying struggle of barely making it through high school. Stop telling folk they will go to hell for not tithing when they’ve never been taught how to handle finances correctly. Stop putting your mouth on folk. It doesn’t matter if you are close and know what’s going on, hush. Can you not just show up and be there? Can you not just say I’m praying for you? Can you not just text and say I believe in you, I’m proud of you or I see you working hard? Can you not just hush? Everything does not warrant you giving your two cents. Sometimes she may just be posting because it is her only outlet. Sometimes he may just shut down because that’s his way of dealing with stuff. You have no right to judge because today it may be them but in a minute it could be you.

Daily Devotional – 8/8/17 “What are you contributing?”

What are you contributing to your relationships, worship place, career, health, family, etc.? What part are you playing? I, seriously, need you to think about this for a moment because many times we blame others for things not working but what are you doing? Please understand me … I am in no way criticizing, judging neither am I trying to condemn; I am simply asking a question. See, when a relationship fails, if you know what you’ve contributed (good and bad), you can walk away with your head held high because you did your best. When things don’t work out and you have to sever ties with your place of worship, knowing you contributed all you could, allows you leave with your hands and heart clean. When you leave a job, after giving it your best, you don’t worry about the reference. Yes, I know that sometimes you can give the best of you and still be left hurt, torn and battered but God rewards those who seek to do good. This is why the bible says in Galatians 6:7-10, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Beloved, this question may not seem like much but it is heavy. If you were standing before the bank president who has the final decision on whether your loan can be approved and he/she asked, “What are you contributing,” how would you answer? If you were standing before God and He asked, “What have been your contributions,” what would you say? You have to be able to answer this question because then it shows you know you and how beneficial you are. Yes, we are all parts of the body of Christ and we have a responsibility to contribute. However, it does you no good if you don’t know what your part is. When you know, it is then you can understand the value of your worth. Now, don’t write down all of your responsibilities and then go demanding you be paid more or start throwing your weight around, this isn’t what I mean. Yes, you may contribute a lot but that doesn’t mean you cannot be replaced. Act decently and in order. Look, all I want you to get out of this is … know what your contribution is. That is it. It just makes better sense when you know.