Daily Devotional – 3/9/17 “God’s doing!”

God is going to intentionally place some folk who don’t like you, in your way. He’s going to set you up to be in places, surrounded by folk who look at you like you get on their nerves. He’s going to strategically place you at tables with folk who can’t understand why you’re there. Yep, God is going to methodically place you on jobs where you have to fight more than work. He’s going to meticulously put in you in covenant with some folk who cause your hair to go gray. God, has and will, set your feet within a ministry that has made you second and third guess your calling. He has deliberately set you up all so He can elevate you, when the time comes. What do I mean? Well, God is testing what you can handle. See, God has to be sure you can handle the bad and the good. He’s ensuring you can handle the minor before the mega. He’s testing to see how you handle the one bathroom before He gives you three. God is testing to see how you’ll react to losing some folk and things. God is testing to see how you’ll withstand the rain and how you’ll overcome falling. He’s simply checking to see if you’ll preach to the ten, if you’ll teach the two, if you’ll fight for what you believe in and if you’ll go by yourself.

This is why you have to understand your test because not every test is of the enemy. It’s like when Jesus tested Philip before feeding the 5000. The bible says in John 6:6, “He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.” And just like Philip, God already knows us too. What will you do? Will you do like the bible says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves? Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test?” Or will you buckle under pressure? Please understand, failing the test doesn’t mean you fail the course, it simply means you have some work to do. So now beloved, it’s time you get back to the drawing board by pulling out the book and studying. For just like Paul, my prayer for you is this; “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.” — Ephesians 3:16-21

Daily Devotional – 3/6/17 “Are you ready for what you’re grasping for?”

In a meeting this morning, one of the attendees said, sometimes you can reach for more than you can grasp. But is this true? Can we, as children of God, reach for more than we can hold? Can we seek for something bigger than what we can understand? Can we move outside of what we can effectively comprehend? The short and quick of it is, YES. Now, this isn’t because we aren’t entitled to it but it is because we aren’t ready to handle what we’ve gotten a hold of. We can sometimes ask for things, spiritually that our weak flesh can’t handle. It’s like seeking a pastoral position when you can’t even handle having your feelings so easily hurt nor control your own house. It’s like asking for a leadership position in the church but you’ve yet to get a handle on your mouth and attitude. You want to work with the church’s finances, when yours is in disarray. You got the nerve to be counseling folk when you ought to be stretched out on somebody’s couch. You want a husband or wife but you’ve yet to prepare yourself for one. You’re grasping for stuff you aren’t ready for. And when God says no, you get in your feelings and run. Sit down somewhere and be groomed. Get connected to some oil and get cultivated.

I know this because I was in the same position. Three years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to handle where I am now because my mindset hadn’t changed which meant, I wasn’t ready. Yea, I thought I was but I wasn’t and that is why my life turned into a constant struggle and fight. Oh but when I changed my mindset, my life changed too. It was then I began to truly understand what Romans 8:5 meant by, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” See, when I allowed flesh to lead, I failed but when Spirit took over, I soared. When flesh was in charge, I miscarried but when Spirit took over, I carried to term and gave birth. When flesh was the captain, I started drowning but when Spirit took control, I could float. When flesh was the coach, I kept losing but when Spirit replaced him, the wins began For it was then Galatians 5:17 started ringing in my ear, saying, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

Daily Devotional – 3/3/17 “Don’t break what needs to be destroyed!”

I’ve learned, through some trials and circumstances that some things need to be destroyed and not just broken. See, we can cry and ask God to break some chains but sometimes, broken stuff can be repaired, mended or reattached. What I need God to do is destroy some stuff. I need Him to destroy the chains of curses, the lock of lust, the trap of debt, the snare of sickness, the torment of low self-esteem, the hand of abuse, the breath of racism and intolerance, the failing educational systems, the money hungry prison systems, the unleveled hands of justice, the weakened state of Congress and the many false doctrines being preached under the premise of Godly wisdom. I don’t need these types of things broken but they need to be destroyed as destroy is defined as putting an end to the existence of something. Toxic relationships, the abuse of our children and elderly, cancer, diseases, tearing down of folk just to build someone else up, senseless killing of our children, youth suicides, spousal abuse, homelessness, lack of education for all, unemployed yet can’t get unemployment, lack of government assistance for those who actually need it, generational curses and treating worship places like a worldly business … all these things have to be destroyed and not broken!

An addiction needs to be destroyed but a broken heart needs to be mended. An abusive relationship needs to be destroyed but a broken spirit needs to be restored. A demon needs to be destroyed but a broken relationship needs to be fixed. And today, I pray that whatever needs to be destroyed in your life will be because the enemy has held you captive long enough and it’s time you were set free. Stop allowing the demons of your past to hold you hostage and stop breaking the things you know need to be destroyed because if you don’t, you’ll leave the broken pieces on a shelf, only to go back later to try to repair. Don’t do it. What’s the sense of keeping the shattered pieces of a plate when you can buy five more just like it? What’s the sense of looking at pieces of yourself through a broken mirror when you can see the whole you in a new one? What’s the sense of patching up a car that keeps breaking down? Or what’s the use of picking from the barrel of broken dreams? It time you moved on, beloved. And it’s time you destroyed what needs to be destroyed and fix what needs to be repaired.

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Daily Devotional – 3/2/17 “Enemy or thief?”

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How many times have you said, “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy?” But did you know this isn’t actually what the scripture says? As a matter of fact, the bible says in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Not the enemy but the thief. Why does this make a difference? I’ll tell you. See, in order to know how to fight what you’re up against, you have to know who you’re fighting. This is because, you can’t fight the enemy the same way you would fight a thief. What works on one, won’t work on the other. That is why it is important you know the difference. Enemy in Hebrew means an oppressor, foe, adversary or hater whereas thief means burglar, robber, sneak thief or snitch. The enemy comes to coerce you into staying in your distressed state. The thief, well he or she comes to take what you have. The enemy shows up to pressure you into believing you aren’t worthy but the thief comes to take what’s of worth. The enemy’s role is to compel you to stay in the valley but the thief, he or she wants what you deem valuable. So, when the bible says the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy; it means you! This is why Jesus followed this verse with John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

He used this vivid illustration because He was referring to a method shepherds would use to keep their sheep safe. See, sheep were kept in a sheepfold enclosure that only had one gate. At night, the shepherd would lie in front of the gate in order to keep thieves from taking what belonged to them. In other words, they were willing to lay down their life. This, too, is important because as men and women of God, who have been called to under-shepherd God’s sheep, we have a responsibility to protect the sheep. This doesn’t mean stepping in front of a bullet but it means you make sacrifices for your sheep and you serve your sheep. When you do this, your sheep will know your voice. Why is it important to know your Shepard’s voice? To prevent you from running with the wrong crowd of sheep. You don’t have to take me at my word, google it. You’ll see that three different people can call out to a pasture of sheep using the same words their shepherd uses yet the only one they’ll come to is … their Shepard. This is why Jesus says in John 10:14-15, “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep. — Know the difference in order to properly fight and win.

Daily Devotional – 3/1/17 “What’s the purpose of your ashes?”

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Today is March 1, 2017, what some signify as Ash Wednesday; the beginning of Lent. I thought about doing a devotional on why we should fast and pray but then I thought about something. How can I truthfully tell you to fast, pray, adorn ashes on your head and give up things for Lent when most of us (if I can be honest) don’t even know what it is or stands for. I’m sure you’ve heard about it, seen the posts on social media or the images with people who have ashes on their forehead. Ashes on the forehead? Why? And give up what, for how many days? Baby, this is the last thing a lot of us are thinking about when most of us are in mourning, in pain, in debt, in sickness, in dead-end jobs, in loveless marriages, in somebody else house or in confusing situations. Yea, I can tell you that you should be preparing to fast but some of us find ourselves fasting by force due to no money and/or no means. Please understand, I am not criticizing Ash Wednesday or Lent season. In fact, I plan on participating, fully, but when will we get back to teaching the real meaning of things before we place them into people’s hands? See, if we just tell people to fast, they will but will it be beneficial? We can tell people to show up on Wednesday at the church and rub ashes on their foreheads but will they know the real reason why? Will they know the purpose of their ashes?

Ashes in biblical references meant sorrow, shame, mourning or repentance. For Job it was repentance for he says in Job 42:6, “I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” For Daniel, it was mourning after learning Jerusalem must be desolate for seventy years. For the bible says in Daniel 9:3, “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.” The people of Jonah responded with fasting, repentance, sackcloth and ashes after hearing the warning of their destruction. Tamar put ashes on her head after being violated by her own brother. Why am I sharing this? To ask you this question … What’s the purpose of your ashes? If you don’t know, find out before you allow them to be wiped across your forehead. Don’t seek them out because you want to be a part of what everybody else is doing but do it because you understand what your ashes stand for. Do it because it represents what you stand for.