Daily Devotional – 3/22/17 “What is your meat?”

On last night, during our final class, we were divided into groups and our directions were that each group would be given a passage from the bible and as a group, we had to write a ten minute sermon. The class would then critique our interpretation of the passage. I was placed into a group with three gentleman and we were given, 1 Corinthians 8. Now, it normally takes me days to write a sermon but on last night, we had 40 minutes and I’d be the one “preaching.” Four people with different thoughts and interpretations are to compose a sermon and preach it. Needless to say, we used all 40 minutes. This is a snippet of what we realized. 1 Corinthians 8 is the church of Corinth who is having an issue with some who believe it is a sin to eat sacrificed meat and others who don’t. Because of this debate, there is discord in the church that Paul has to resolve. One of our group members, Pastor Walter, came up with the 3 points that we used as the foundation and here is how I “preached’ it.

    1. The power of knowledge – 1 Corinthians 8:2-6: We have to know the trueness of God because verses 2-3 says, “Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.”
    2. The position of knowledge – 1 Corinthians 8:7-8: We have to serve in love. Asking ourselves the question, “Am I strong enough to love my brother/sister more than I love the freedom to do what I want?”
    3. The predicament from knowledge – 1 Corinthians 8:9-12: What situation am I placing my brother or sister in by using my power and position of knowledge? For verse 9 says, “But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.”

With verse 13 summarizing the chapter, for it says, “So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.”

Let me break it down. I’ve grown in knowledge to know there’s only one God which means it isn’t a sin to eat meat that has been sacrificed to other gods. Sam, however, has been raised to believe it is a sin. He and I are meeting for lunch and I plan to order the fattest, greasiest hamburger they got. I know the cattle was just sacrificed but I don’t care, I can get whatever I want. Then, I see the way Sam is looking … Will I sit across from him with mayo dripping from my lip, tempting him to order a hamburger too, even though I know it’ll make him sin or will I love him enough to order a salad? This is the kind of question we have to ask when we are in fellowship with some who may not have the knowledge of God like we do. This particular passage talked about meat but what is your “meat” today? What are you eating and/or doing that could potentially make your brother/sister sin? And are you willing to give it up to assist them in growing in knowledge or will you do what you want because you can?

Just a few updates …

Hey guys!

 

I know I haven’t updated this site in a while but I’m here!! What’s up? LOL.

 

No, I’m kidding. However, I did want to stop through and let you know a few things.

 

  1. I’ve started a reading group on Facebook. It’s called Twins Write 2. It’s a group where I share short stories, giveaways and it’s open for you, as members, to join in. If you are not a part of it, JOIN US! Click HERE. You’ll love it.
  2. The Family that Lies has now reached 100+ reviews on Amazon! Can you believe it? Me either but I am so excited. YOU GUYS ROCK! If you haven’t had a chance to download the book, it is still on sale for $0.99. Click HERE to get your copy.
  3. Hmm, what else. I am working on releasing a new book as well as some short story episodes. Be on the lookout for the upcoming pre-order link (as soon as I can get the book to the editor.)
  4. Join me on social media. I’d love to hear from you.
  5. Did I say that you guys rock? Well, you do. Thank you for supporting LAKISHA, the author. It means more than words can say.

 

Love you guys and happy reading!

Daily Devotional – 3/21/17 “Know when it’s your fight!”

Lucy had been working with Maria for almost three years. Every once in a while, Maria would come in with bruises and she’d cry at her desk. After a few times, Lucy started documenting stuff. One day, Maria comes in and Lucy could tell she had a black eye so when she caught her in the bathroom, she offered to help but Maria said no. Lucy wouldn’t stop. Every day, she’d stop by Maria’s desk with words of encouragement. She’d bring her breakfast some days and had even started sending her daily devotionals. One day Lucy is called into the office by HR who told her, a complaint had been filed against her for harassment. They told her that she’d need to stay away from Maria or she would be fired. After the meeting, Lucy was devastated. All she wanted to do was help but what she hadn’t realized, it wasn’t her fight.

When I took a class, a few years ago, to get a gun license, one of the things that was overly stressed was, never jump into anyone else fight. For one, you don’t know why they are fighting and two, it isn’t your fight. Please understand, I am in no way saying you can’t help people but what I am saying is, choose your battles wisely. Don’t take on somebody else fight when they didn’t ask for your help to begin with. Stop jumping into other folk’s battles when you may be the one they end up turning on. Don’t get caught up in trying to help everybody fight because you’ll end up broken, battered and bruised; with them standing on the side without a scratch. Know when it’s your fight and when it’s not. Beloved, you can’t save everybody. Stop reaching to lay hands on folk who didn’t ask for it. Stop trying to cover folk who aren’t ready to be. Stop fighting for someone spiritually, when you don’t even know what they are fighting with.

Look, taking on someone else fight means you are taking on their weight. And trying to fight for someone spiritually, without knowing what they are dealing with, could mean you’re opening yourself up to something you may not have been anointed to fight. Sometime, you just need to mind your business. It’ll be like me walking up to the altar to lay hands on a person the Holy Spirit hasn’t led me too. I go and get all in their business, making it mine. Now, I’m at home trying to figure out why this spirit of perversion is in my house. Why I can’t get a good night sleep. Why it seem like everything is on me. It’s because I’ve taken on something I wasn’t prepared, spiritually, to handle. This is why you have to know when it’s not your fight. Discern when you should intervene because it may save you from going through some hell that didn’t have your name on it. Know when it’s your fight.

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!