Daily Devotional – 7/10/17 “What is your faith doing?”

When you think you are not worthy of the favor God has placed over your life, He will allow some things to happen to prove to you that you are, indeed worthy. This is why we have to trust God, especially during the struggle. You may know this and/or you may not believe this but it is when you’re in the midst of your struggle that loyalties are defined and lines are drawn. When we go through, spiritual and/or physical attacks, God allows it to see whether or not we will trust Him through the good AND the bad and to see just how far our trust with Him goes. Do I believe God will purposely place a sickness in our body to test your faith? No, because I have read Genesis a few times and I have yet to see where God created cancer, high blood pressure, migraines, organ failure; etc. yet, it happens. And it can happen to the best of us, when we least expect it because occasionally, we just have to struggle. Read Job.

And if Job isn’t enough, read about Paul because in Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas are sent out to preach the gospel and while doing what they’d been chosen and appointed to do, they meet struggle. After being ran out of one town, they move to the next only for struggle to find them there too which results in Paul being stoned (a big struggle). Now, Paul could have easily stopped trusting God after the first time the struggle showed up and he definitely could have while he was standing there with stones hitting his body but he doesn’t. Instead, Paul allows stones to pierce his skin and his trust is still there. With every sting and blood drop, his faith could have left but it didn’t. While he was being drug out the city and left for dead, he could have lost faith but he doesn’t. Instead, the bible says in Acts 14:20, “But the disciples formed a circle around him, and he got up…” His faith, connected to the faith of the disciples around him, raised him up. What is your faith doing, especially doing your struggle? What is your faith saying, especially doing your struggle? Where is your faith taking you, especially doing your struggle? These are the types of questions you need to ask yourself because if you are not checking your faith, regularly, you may not have all the coverage you need when struggle shows up.

Daily Devotional – 7/7/17 “Put some respect on it!”

On my way back to work, I stop to get a sandwich for lunch. While in the drive-thru, this young lady comes out the building and she has on some shorts that left nothing to the imagination. I mean, all of her ass-ets were out, literally. This twenty-something young lady’s face of attractive features, no longer matters because folk will focus on her body that’s on display. This beautiful young lady who may have the mindset of a genius yet no one will get pass her wardrobe. This young girl who may be crying out for help but nobody will take her serious. When did this become the norm? Now, I am all for loving the skin you are in, being comfortable with your body and all that but when did this become acceptable? Did I miss that memo? Because my grandparents and momma would have beat me to death, revived me and then put me on punishment.

What ever happened to loving self? Please don’t misunderstand me because not every woman who walks around the public streets half-naked has low self-esteem but there has to be something missing. Or maybe there is something I am missing. Or maybe it comes with maturity. Yea, okay; this is what I will say, it comes with maturity. But does it? I’m asking because I am truly lost. Yes, I have a 20 year-old daughter and yes, she tries it sometimes but she knows how I react to foolishness such as this. It is my responsibility to train up a child but I also have a responsibility to help, all, because if I (we) don’t tell it, we run the risk of losing the next generation of Debra’s, women intercessors, prophets and preachers. This is why the bible says in 1 Timothy 2:9-10, “And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do.” Beloved, nobody can take you serious when you are half-naked. You have to put some respect on your body, ma’am, and maybe then somebody else will.

Daily Devotional – 7/6/17 “Sprinkle of who?”


Disclaimer: I am not one of those overly spiritual type people who breaks apart the meaning in every message however, this time calls for it. This “sprinkle of Jesus” app says, “The worst weight a woman could gain is the weight of a weak man.” Well, what defines a weak man? I ask this because, now days, we tend to have our own definition of certain words. Weak isn’t a man who won’t work, that’s lazy. Weak isn’t a man who cries, that’s emotional. Weak isn’t a man who abuses a women, that’s a coward. Weak isn’t those who don’t take care of his family, that’s a boy. Weak isn’t a man who continuously cheat, that’s a cheater. Weak is defined as, lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks and/or liable to break or give way under pressure. So, by definition, aren’t we all capable of being weak? You know, it is sad to me that a woman’s stipulation is “he must be strong” yet he is supposed to accept your weak self, flaws and all. What’s to say, you aren’t the strength he needs to get up and try again? Proverbs 31:25, “Strength and dignity are her clothing, And she smiles at the future.” How can you be sure, you aren’t the person God has made to help him out of the dark place? Proverbs 18:22, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from the LORD.”


Please understand, I am not knocking the hustle of the person who owns/runs this app however, I do have an issue with what is being sprinkled on God’s children. Neither am I knocking what you are willing to accept but what I will share is this, don’t overlook a blessing simply because it doesn’t look like what you expected and just because it has the name Jesus on it, does not means it’s spiritual. (Jesus is also a Spanish name.) This is why you have to be careful what you are digesting. Yes ma’am, you have a right to not accept a man you deem as weak but don’t cry when a man won’t accept you for the same thing. The bible says in Psalm 82:3-4, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Again, you have a choice and you can define weak as whatever you like but sprinkle of Jesus shouldn’t be your only biblical reference especially when the majority of it isn’t biblical. This is why you have to be mindful of what you allow to be sprinkled on your harvest. Would you sprinkle a powder on your crops simply because it looks safe or would you research/test it first? Would you sprinkle flour in your coffee simply because it is white or would you ensure what you’ve picked up is sugar? Beloved, just because it sprinkles doesn’t mean is safe, satisfying, sincere, sufficient and/or sanctified.

Daily Devotional – 7/5/17 “Getting up is the hard part”

I am a night person, always have been yet I still cringe when the alarm goes off in the morning. I find myself wanting to hit the alarm’s snooze button for the fifth time or silence my husband who says, for the ninth time; it’s time to get up. Then I find myself slowly throwing my legs over the side of the bed and the comforter back which officially lets me know, I’m up. I sit there for a minute before my feet touch the floor but once all this happens, I’m up. Getting up was the hard part. Why am I sharing this? The Holy Spirit told me I needed to encourage somebody today by letting you know, getting up is the hard part. Yeah, I know we thought falling was but it isn’t, if you think about it. It’s like accidentally falling. Once you’ve fallen down, you find yourself looking around to see if anyone saw you because you know, if they did, you will now have to answer questions. “Ma’am, what happened? Sir, are you alright?” Getting up is the hard part. Then you will have to deal with the embarrassment of knowing, you fell.

This is no difference spiritually because when you fall/fail, you find it hard to get up because now you’ve got to face the consequence of your fall. Whether it’s being embarrassed you fell, being talked about, laughed at or even hurt; you have to deal with it. Realizing, getting up is the hard part. I mean, if I stay down maybe no one saw me fall. If I stay down, maybe I don’t have to deal with the things on my to-do list. If I don’t get up, maybe it will go away. If I don’t get up, maybe I can act like it never happened. If I don’t get up, just maybe I won’t have to look it in the face anymore. Getting up is the hard part. Oh but I just stopped by to tell you, you need to change your tone when you get up. Yeah, you need to put some bass in your voice and tell folk, “Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light (Micah 7:8).” Of course, no one likes to fall but it happens and you have to be willing to get up. It doesn’t matter why you’ve fallen nor the number of times that you have, getting up will be hard but get up. Because the bible tells us in Psalm 34:19, “The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.” Getting up may be hard but the only way to get over the fall, you’ve got to get up and try again.

Daily Devotional – 7/3/17 “Not my will but thy will be done!”

I, sometimes, find it eerily ironic to look back on devotionals written around the same time last year and they are exactly what is needed now. And although I find it creepy, I believe it is because God already knows what we will need and when. I am, right now, sitting at my desk at work trying not to get frustrated about this project that I am currently working on that is expecting more of me than I am willing or capable to give. Then as I begin to communicate with God on what I should share, to encourage somebody else; I was lead to the devotional I did last year. This devotional simply says, we are all on an assignment. It says, well let me copy part of what it said.

Last year’s devotional said … “When God has placed us on assignment, it is our duty to finish it. Yes, it may be hard and we go through moments of not understanding but we have to finish because it’s the only way we’ll get promoted. See, you have to understand this; God will never place us in an assignment He didn’t write the coursework for nor one He didn’t fully test. Neither will God ever place us in an assignment He hasn’t mapped out the action plan for leaving. This is why you have to trust Him going into the assignment, in the assignment and coming out of the assignment. And regardless of how we feel about it, it is not up for discussion because we can’t barter with God. We either go now or we go later. But understand, going later comes with a whole lot of stuff you might not necessarily like.”

Wow! I wrote this last year but it just, literally, shook me spiritually right now. (I am talking to self but you can eavesdrop (listen in), if you want.) You cannot get frustrated now, you got work to do. You cannot give up now, you’ve come too far. You got a responsibility to stay where you are, don’t move. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it does not make sense. Yes, you want to throw in the towel. Yes, you have had enough but if it was over, God would move you. Girl (Dude), sit down and wait on God. Don’t risk moving before you’ve completed the lease because you might not be able to pay the cost associated with breaking the agreement.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5