Daily Devotional – 3/17/17 “Humility”

During this journey of ministry, I often visit churches but I never go, right off, to the pulpit. It isn’t that I am ashamed of my calling but uncle taught me long ago, never to go into someone else house without first being invited. This is why when I visit worship places, I don’t instinctively go to the pulpit. We all know, there are a lot of folk who don’t believe in women preachers but that doesn’t bother me because humility can do for me what I can’t do for myself. So, I respect the house I’m in because my place is in humility. And I’ve found that being humble can crumble walls that have been place to keep me out and it can even take me places I didn’t even think I could go. Baby, I’d be a fool to think everywhere my feet step is because of me when it’s all due to the God in me. I don’t know why I am sharing this because I had begun writing an entirely different devotional. But then I came across, Luke 14:10-11 that says, “But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

 

You don’t have to take my word for it but the Word of God never lies. If you want to receive favor, Proverbs 3:34 says, “He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.” If you want to be God led, Psalm 25:9 says, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” If you want to be lifted up, James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.” Then my brothers and my sisters, if you want to be rewarded, Proverbs 22:4 says, “The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.” Listen beloved, being humble is better than being arrogant, any day of any week that peeks into any year because Proverbs 11:2 says, “Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” I am not saying you have to stop believing in yourself neither am I saying, throw your confidence out the window but what I am sharing is this; humility can write checks you didn’t even think you were worthy of, it can give you positions you weren’t qualified for, it can open doors you haven’t even knocked on, give you a seat at tables you didn’t think you belonged and approve some stuff you know you shouldn’t have received. First thing first, humble yourself, dear one and watch how God provides.

Humility

 

Daily Devotional – “I was wrong but …”

When I was a child, I’d watch my grandma bake. Sometimes her cakes would come out of the pan so pretty but a few times, the cake would fall apart. She’d then have to work hard, shifting the cake in the right direction, long enough to get the icing on it. Once she was done, you’d never tell the cake was almost a complete disaster. She was good at masking the brokenness of the cake. And wouldn’t you know it, we are just like that. The only difference now is, we no longer mask the disaster of cake but the ruins of our life. Yeah, we’ve gotten so good at faking and covering up the brokenness of ourselves that it has now become a part of who we are. We’re afraid to show our true self because of what folk will think. Only to realize, they are just as broken as you are, if not more. We don’t want to share our testimony because then it might taint the perception of who ‘they’ think we are. We can’t keep it real because that would actually mean we have to keep it real and that’s too much.

Let us be honest for a minute. We don’t know what it means to genuinely love and be loved because that will mean getting to know somebody, for real. We don’t know how to let our guards down and let folk in because that would mean trusting somebody and we all know, you don’t trust anybody. Only to find ourselves, a jacked up mess. And it’s bad. The preacher can’t pray you free because he or she is still bound. The prophetess can’t prophecy in your life because his/her head is bogged down with mess. The pastor can’t speak over your life because he or she is too busy fighting with their spouse in the study. Yet we’ll put on a show for social media, we’ll dress up to cover up and we will paint on the smile. But is there anybody keeping it real? Is there anybody else tired of the façade of having it all together? Anybody sick of packing on layers and ready to pull them off? Anybody else tired of looking in the mirror to make sure your tear stains won’t show? Anybody else tired of covering your brokenness with the icing of isolation? Anybody ready to be free? We’ll here’s my two cents.


    1. Own your mistakes. “I was wrong.”
    2. Release yourself from the guilt. “But now, I forgive me!”

I was wrong but now, I forgive me!

Daily Devotional – 3/15/17 “Move by God!”

Sometimes you have to leave what you know in order to grow. I’ve shared this before but this week, God has been using ME and my personal testimony because somebody needs to know, it can happen for you too. This is for you who is about to give up because you’re tired of being denied. This is for you who is about to throw in the towel and not apply for that job. This is for you who is about to give up on moving out of town. This is for you who is about to turn down a position because it’s in another state. This is for you who is afraid to submit the resume because you think you’re too young or unqualified. This is for you who won’t go back to school because you don’t think you can afford it! God is, at this appointed time, getting ready to shift some folk who have been behind the scene. He’s about to alter the acoustic sound of your ministry and it’s going to blow some people’s minds. He’s getting ready to elevate some folk no one has heard of. And He has already prepared the press release to ensure your name is spelled right. All you have to do is move when God says move. Stop explaining why you quit your job, they won’t understand. Stop clarifying why you keep going with only 3 folk showing up for bible study. Quit trying to get folk to understand the vision God gave you. Move! You owe nobody a reason for the anointing when they didn’t give it to you.

Trust God and move. If anyone would have told me, ten years ago, I’d be where I am; I wouldn’t have believed them. But when God told me it was time to move from the only church I’d known to a church that although I knew, it was out of my comfort zone; I was devastated. I had to drive 45 minutes to church, to a place I didn’t know would even accept me but I did. It wasn’t overnight because my feelings were hurt and I was scared but I moved. Was it hard? God yes but the glory I’ve received has outweighed every uncertainty. I am not sharing this for somebody to get up and make a drastic change, immediately, however, I am telling you to move when God says move. For somebody, it will be drastic but you’ll get your deliverance. For some, it’ll be suddenly but it’ll quiet your storm. For some, it’s premeditated but it’ll relieve your pain. For some, it’ll be slow but satisfying. For some it’s going to hurt like you wouldn’t believe but don’t hinder it. This move, whatever it is to wherever it is; God has a purpose for it. Plus, you can’t grow in a place you’ve outgrown nor can you expand in an area with limitations. Move with God and when God says.

Daily Devotional – 3/14/17 “Where is your nest?’

Leaving work on yesterday, I was listening to my radio pastor, Bishop Brandon Porter and he said something that stuck with me. He said his grandfather would always tell him, “Build your nest before laying your eggs.” Now, I had to think about this and the more it sunk in, the greater it became to me. Yes, I know what his grandfather meant, in relations to children but I want to take this a step further. And for the sake of this devotional, egg here represents anything that you can or will potentially give birth too. See, we spend so much time focusing on the egg that we forget about the nest. We work so hard to obtain a position that we never stop to think about the place it’ll need to be nurtured. We work hard for the wedding that we forget about building a home for nurturing the marriage. We, day in and day out, push to open the business but where’s the nest? We start the ministry but where is your nest? Nest as in a place made or chosen for secluded retreat or shelter.

Beloved, where is your nest? Where is your covering? Where is your safe place? Where is the place you can go when all seems lost or when it feels like you’re about to lose your mind? Where’s your nest? A place that doesn’t see you as the mighty man or woman of God but simply as a man/woman who needs sheltering. Where’s your nest? A place where you can take off your collar and your robe? Where’s your nest? A place you can fall and it won’t be held against you? Where is your nest? A place that won’t banish you for getting pregnant out of wedlock but will teach you. Where is your nest? The place you can cry out for help and actually get it. Where is your nest? A place you can be sheltered when the storms of life are beating you down. Who is your nest? The person who will nurture you? What is your nest? A person, place or thing? Where is your nest? Can you get there when you need it? How sturdy is your nest? Will it fall from the weight of you? These are the kinds of things you have to think about before giving birth to the egg (Every Godly Gift), because it makes no sense to give birth without a safe place to nurture it. And regardless of how strong you are, you need a nest. Stop rushing to birth the egg if you’ve yet to build/find a nest for it to be nurtured in.

Daily Devotional – 3/13/17 “Understudy or under studying?”

I’ve recently been named Assistant Pastor to my uncle/pastor whose leadership I’ve been under for ten years. I’m looking forward to what God has for me but I don’t take this role lightly and this is why I’ve been patiently serving as his understudy. See, I wouldn’t dare rush what God has for me, before it was meant for me. And I know the only way I can truly handle this new position is by staying where God placed me, in my old position. And the studying I had to do, started long before I accepted my call to ministry. God sent me to my uncle’s church because it was there, the seed growing within me, would be cultivated. I had no idea it was preaching but I knew God sent me to his leadership in order for me to grow and I couldn’t rush the process because then I’d risk birthing something, prematurely, that wouldn’t survive. I knew that if I hurried this process, it would only hurt me and those I tried to serve. This is why I learned to shut up and listen. And this is also why, I have no problem sitting by his side, it is there I learn. I have no problem gleaning from his harvest, for it is there I eat. I have no issues with drinking from the overflow of his cup, it teaches me not to selfish with mine. I have no problem being the student because it is in this role, I learn how to be patient when it’s my turn to teach.

Why am I sharing this? Because somebody is agitated where you are. You can’t figure out why God hasn’t moved you yet or why every application you put in, for the promotion, gets denied. You can’t understand why your change hasn’t happened yet. Or why you can’t get elevated. But how have you been as the understudy? Are you learning or do you think you know it all? Are you antsy about getting the promotion or are you simply learning until it’s your time? I’m only asking because I’ve found that if you suck at being an understudy, you’ll suck more at being the replacement. Yes, I know you have more years of experience but that doesn’t make you leadership material. I know you think you know it all but that doesn’t mean you’re ready for the role. Yes, I know you rock out as being associate minister but are you learning what it takes to be pastor? In the bible, before Elisha could effectively handle the mantle of Elijah, he had to learn. There was no way Elisha could carry the fullness of Elijah’s mantle without first learning how heavy it was. For the bible says in 1 Kings 19:21, “…Then he went with Elijah as his assistant.” Elisha didn’t set out to take over Elijah’s prophetic garment, right away, but he studied him until his time came. And for you beloved, stop rushing to lead when you’ve yet to master following. Ask yourself the question … Am I being an understudy or am I under study? In other words, am I lacking in areas I should be learning.