Daily Devotional – 4/13/17 “When I thank the old me!”

Sometimes you need to take a look back at the old you and say thank you. Thank you, self, for the times we had to bump our head, it made us wiser. Thank you, self, for those mistakes, it made us stronger. Thank you, self, for trying to do it on our own, it made us appreciate God more. Thank you, self, for thinking you could not because it made us do it. Thank you, self, for the ruined relationships because it made us love us more. Thank you, self, for those nights you talk us through it. Thank you, self, for those times you didn’t let no hinder us. Thank you, self, for not believing what ‘they’ said. Thank you, self!

Sometimes, you just have to thank old you! Now, this isn’t for those of us who are stuck where we were last year, last week or even last night. But this is for the person who wakes up competing with nobody but self. See, I’ve found that when I compete with myself to be better than the person I was yesterday, I won’t have time to compete with you. When I strive to be better than the me of last year, I just may accomplish something I’ve been putting off. When I take the time to thank selfish me, I can then give to folk who I know won’t pay back. When I take the opportunity, every now and then, to thank the old me, it is then I forgive the old me while sweeping away the remnants of who I used to be. That way, when you try to use my past against me, it won’t bother me. That way, when you try to deny the new me because of the old me, I won’t be defeated. That way, when you shut the door in the face of the new me because of what you heard about the old me, I can walk to the next one and knock again. When I thank the old me, you can no longer us old me against me. When I thank the old me, I’ll remind myself of who I used to be while striving to never be her again. When I thank the old me, it’ll refresh my memory of Isaiah 43:18 that says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”

Daily Devotional – 4/12/17 “For His namesake!”

I sometimes wonder why God even bothers with us. Think about it for a moment. We lie, cheat, steal, kill, rob, defame, abuse, sin and more importantly, we sometimes mistreat God. But even after all this, He still shows up. He still provides. He still heals. He still glorifies. He still sanctifies. He still protects. He still … Then it donned on me. God doesn’t do what He does for us because of us, He does it because it is His reputation on the line. We are His namesake, born in His image and made in His likeness; are we not? This means, it isn’t about us. This is why He continually pulls out of our mess and clears our name. This is why He can hold back His hand of anger against us and forgive us instead. This is why He can favor us when we know when should be forgotten. This is how He can use us today even when we let Him down yesterday. This is why He will come and get us from the place He told us not to go. It is not about us, He has a reputation to uphold. When God got ready to slay the Israelites, Moses intervened and said in Exodus 32:12, “Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people!” And God relented. Why? Because it is His name on the line.

“For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to destroy you completely. See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another.” – Isaiah 48:9-11

Daily Devotional – 4/11/17 “Let us pray!”

Our Father in Heaven, holy is thy name, may your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, God, daily bread and forgive us of our sins as we forgive others. God, don’t allow us to be overtaken by temptation and deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Now oh God, as I petition your throne, allow me to ask of you. Father, there is some healing that needs to take place. There is some pain that needs to be removed. Some suffering that needs to end. Some doors that need to be opened. Some cases that need to be dropped. Some finances that need to be increased. Some marriages that need to be restored. Some ways out that need to be made. Some comfort that needs to be sent. Some ministries that need to be heard. Some strength given and some joy redefined. God, we need you. And right now I ask that you restore kidney functions, muscle mass, open blind eyes (natural and spiritual), restore balance and regulate blood flow. Send a match for those waiting on organ transplants. You, God, inflate lungs, stop seizures and send a cure for cancer and HIV. God, today, by your manifestation of power, strike down the hand of the abusive spouse and stop the guns from firing. Then oh God restore the joy. If only by my faith. Use me like you did Abraham to save a dying nation. Let my faith stand in the midst of a blinded people. Raise up a people whose faith will shelter a world. Because somewhere a mother is crying, a daddy is dying, a brother is headed for destruction and a sister is suffering. God, heal the land. Somewhere a grandmother is trying to stretch her social security check, a granddaddy is still trying to work, a granddaughter is about to lose her mind and a grandson is about to be sentenced to prison. God, heal the land. Somewhere a son is about to overdose and a daughter’s body is about to be used. God, heal the land. A wife is hearing bad news from the doctor and a husband is about to be laid off. God, heal the land. Remove the taste for drugs and alcohol. Snatch nicotine cravings from tongues. God, heal the land. During this holy week. God, heal the land. In the midst of adversity. God, heal the land. We need you God and here am I seeking on behalf of those who can’t and won’t. God, restore, set free, heal and make over. Amen.”

Daily Devotional – 4/10/17 “Differences of the anointing!”

Have you ever gotten to a place where things that used to affect you, don’t bother you anymore? Have you ever woke up and looked at invitations to places, you used to go, but no longer had the desire to accept? Have you ever stopped responding to some stuff that used to ruffle your feathers? Given up fighting because you no longer felt the need to? Well beloved, that is the anointing making a difference. See, the anointing will change the direction you were heading, suddenly. The anointing will shut your mouth, immediately. The anointing will have you blocking some folk you once thought you couldn’t live without. The anointing will have you changing worship places because the old one no longer quenches your thirst. The anointing will quiet your fears. The anointing will have you knocking on doors you once ignored. The anointing will have you filling out applications your resume says you don’t qualify for. The anointing will have your name in the mouths of folks, states away, you have never met. The anointing will cause the dynamic of your household to shift, for the good. The anointing will let you get some stuff your credit can’t. You anointing will make you get up and pray when you used to sleep late. The anointing will have you changing your number. The anointing will have you smiling when she says she’s leaving. The anointing will have you helping him pack when he says, it is no longer working out. The anointing will make some differences in your life.

This is why you can no longer church hop. This is why you have started to delete those Facebook live preachers, pop up ministries and unsound internet theologians that once filled your news feed. This is why you can bounce back from what used to break you. This is why you can shake off what once shattered you. This is why you can look those who talk about you in the face and not be bothered. Don’t fight it, it is long overdue. Stop trying to get away from it, you’ll only look like a child running from its shadow. And beloved, you ought to be ready for the differences of the anointing and if you aren’t, let me tell you that I have seen the difference the anointing makes and it is worth it. I’ve felt the difference and it feels better than good. I’ve even tasted the difference and it is sweeter than sweet. You don’t have to wonder if you have it, you do because 1 John 2:27 says, “But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true–it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” – This doesn’t mean you don’t need teaching, it simply means the Holy Spirit will lead you to the truth of the matter!

Daily Devotional – 4/7/17 “False Alarm!”

One morning, early like 2:30, the smoke alarms starting going off in the house. We jump up to look for fire and there wasn’t one. It was a false alarm. Some of you are having false alarms that are causing you to jump up out of your sleep. They have you looking at things and people differently because you can’t shake this feeling you get. You have a peculiar sense of something yet you can’t explain it. It is a false alarm and it is going off around you yet you’re not in any danger. Could it be a warning before destruction? Could it be God stopping you in your tracks before you step into enemy territory? Could it be the false alarm to wake you up before you sleep with lust? Could it? I mean, God tried to tell you but you wouldn’t listen. So He allowed the ‘almost’ accident to shake you. He let the bullets pierce your neighbor’s house and it missed yours. Death came knocking but he left empty handed. It was a false alarm. You almost got sentenced to some real jail time. Your ministry looked like it was about to fail. Your marriage was almost over. It was a false alarm. You almost lost everything. You almost gave up. You almost jumped. You almost swallowed those pills. It was a false alarm.

Are you woke now? Are you listening now? Sometimes we miss the warnings and the signs. Sometimes we feel imminent danger but we press on, thinking we can handle it. We see the signs saying, ‘detour,’ ‘turn here,’ yet we keep going only to get to a sign that says, “Road closed.” Now, we have to turn around. But this time, you have to go back through everything you went through (going the wrong way) just to get back to the right road (the right way). Is it worth it, knowing you can’t get back the time you’ve lost? And do you know the times we ignore the signs the most? It’s when things are going good. Crazy, right? We ignore the signs, the false alarms because we are in a good space and don’t think anything bad can happen. Well beloved, here is your warning… Listen to the warnings and pay attention to the false alarms. God doesn’t warn us to punish us but He warns us to protect us.