Devotional Nugget …

Somebody is cursing the place you’re currently residing, spiritually. You’re upset because it feels as though you’re alone, nothing is working and nobody seems to have the answer.

But have you stopped to think, maybe God is taking you through a period of confinement while you’re being made over to keep folk from taking credit? Have you stopped for a moment to consider this period of darkness could be developing the very thing needed for the “next” of your assignment? What if God is doing something, in you, that can only be done in solitude?

No, God isn’t doing this for you to see He’s all you need. If God was all we need, He wouldn’t have taken 6 days to create all He did. Yes, God is who we need, but not all. We need air, water, food, people, medicine, prayer, faith, the assembly of other believers, etc.

However, sometimes God will shut us up, sit us down and shift what we know in preparation of purpose finding us. Let’s face it, we can all use a good cleansing every once in a while despite how many scriptures we know and church T-shirts we own.

Trust that God is who He says He is and He has our best interest in mind.

Daily Devotional … Even when it’s dark

I decided to share this again to encourage somebody who is going through a dark time. Maybe its grief, sickness, abandonment, loneliness, financial problems, ministry woes, business failing, you feel like the black sheep of the family, struggling spiritually, tired physically or whatever your woe, here’s what I know … YOU WILL SURVIVE THIS!

You’re probably asking, how can you know? Well, because if you weren’t meant to survive, you wouldn’t. Look, there are dark moments written into each of our journeys, but they are not made to last. It’s like being on a roller coaster. There comes a time when you might have to go through a part that’s dark. It only lasts a few seconds, yet you still experience it. Why? It’s part of the journey and you knew it when you decided to take the ride. You also knew, you couldn’t customize the ride by telling the operator, “I want to skip the dark parts.”

Spoiler alert … Neither can you customize this ride of life.

Sure, there’s going to be some twists and turns, some moments that cause your stomach to drop, sometimes you’ll have to scream out, squeeze your eyes shut and pray for it to end. It comes with the ride. Yet, while you’re riding this roller coaster of life, remember the rules.

  1. Ensure you meet the requirements for the size of the ride you’ve chosen. 2 Timothy 2:15
  2. Keep your eyes forward and head in the upright position to avoid injury. Hebrews 12:2
  3. Stay in your seat until you’ve been instructed to move. James 4:10
  4. Don’t be afraid to ask the operator questions. James 1:5

I don’t know who needs this today but know, even if the darkness never ends, you will survive it. But you must trust in and follow the instructions of the one operating your ride of life. If nothing else believe this … even when you’re in the darkest parts of your journey, God is still God, and His power never fails. As a matter of history, God did His best work in darkness.

God does His best work in darkness!

Devotional Nugget — Stretching is preparation

I’ve shared a snippet of this devotional a few times over the years because it fits, every time. This year, it’s shortened and gets right to the point.

Understand, this isn’t for everybody, but for you who feel you’re being pulled, tugged on, and pushed. All around you, it feels as if hell is breaking loose and no amount of praying has halted your storm. You’re being hurt with words and actions for things you haven’t done. You keep being sent into dark places and God hasn’t turned on your nighttime vision so fear is starting to set in. Things are happening, you cannot control and crying seems to be all you have the strength to do.

Well beloved, what you’re experiencing is stretching. Yes, it hurts but stretching has added benefits. According to http://www.health.Harvard.edu, “Stretching keeps the muscles flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints. Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way.”

Spiritually, the stretching is essentially similar.

Oh, you thought all of this was for nothing. You thought this was punishment. Nawl boo, God is stretching you in preparation for what’s to come. Yes, it hurts but if you skip the stretching, the muscles and range of motion you’re going to need for the “next” part of your journey may not be strong or readily available to handle it or them.

For some of you, the stretching is going to heal the very things man has declared can’t be. For some, it’s going to restore the functions of the body, finances, faith, marriage, ministry, etc. Here’s what you do … allow the stretching. It’ll all make sense soon.

“Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.” Exodus 9:29

What if it’s God standing in the way?

There was this flight attendant who usually took a flight from Boston to Los Angeles in September. This particular time when she was scheduling her flights, she accidentally inverted two code numbers and wound up with the wrong schedule. She managed to trade flights with other attendants for all her trips — except for Flight 175 on 9/11. The night before, she tried to log into the system to change the flight, but the computer froze and by the time it processed, it was passed the deadline. In a CNN article, she says, “I was not happy that I was not on that flight. I was driving to work steamed.” The flight she so eagerly wanted to be on was one of the ones that crashed into the towers on 9/11. When her coworkers found out she wasn’t on the flight, one of them said, “God has a plan for you. You were meant to be here.”

What if it’s God standing in the way?

In the Bible, Numbers 22, there’s a story about Balaam and his donkey. To make a long story short, Balaam was tempted by King Balak to come and curse the children of Israel. Balaam consulted God who told him to leave the people alone, Balak would send messengers with an even bigger temptation, changing Balaam’s heart against God. So, God tells him to go. In his going, Balaam would put opposition between him and God. Numbers 22:22 says, “And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him.”

Balaam was so blinded by sin that he couldn’t see the angel of the Lord standing in the way, but the donkey could. You know what Balaam did, each time the donkey delayed his impending death, he beat him. He never once took time to see if there was anything wrong with the donkey because he was eager, by temptation, to get to sin. And some of us have been there. You don’t have to admit it, but there’s been times we’ve been so entangled with sin and captivated by temptation that we’d admittedly lie to momma, break traffic laws, and go against what we know is right just to get to sin. All while cursing the delay that could save our life.

Yet, even when we’ve made God our adversary, He’ll still send a delay to spare out lives, if we’re willing to see it. This is why I asked, What if it’s God standing in the way?

Let me ask it this way. Biblically, a donkey is called an ass. A female donkey is called a she-ass. In this passage, verse 27 says, “And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam.” What if falling on your ass saved you? What if the layoff saved you from working at a place that’ll test your sanity every day of the week? What if the failing business was God standing in the way, saving you from putting money into a building that’ll cost you more than it’s worth? What if God allowed the contract to fall through because you were getting in bed with the enemy, although you couldn’t see it? The relationship you thought was love was lust dressed up and smelling good, so God let them walk away to save you from years of heartache.

What if the fall wasn’t punishment but placement in a position to be chosen? What if the fall that crippled you, is also the thing that changes you? What if the thing that hurts you also hides you until God honors you? What if the fall that caused jail time is the thing God is going to use to propel you to purpose? What if the bad decisions that put you in a desolate place is the very place, you’ll hear God calling your name? What if the fall turns into your testimony to save others?

Balaam didn’t see God until the ass fell. Some of us, God is literally blocking our path and we’re still doing everything to get through. Balaam was run into a field, had his foot crushed against a wall and still he was eagerly trying to get to evil. The donkey laid down then started talking, and Balaam was too blinded by temptation to recognize his life was being spared. And that’s some of us. Still fighting when we ought to be thanking God for blocking what should have killed us, what wasn’t for us, for severing what we didn’t have the strength to end and for standing in the way when we were too drunk off sin to see the danger in our actions.

Some of us ought to be praying, “God, thank you for standing in my way because you stopped me from chasing what has the power to crush me. Thank you for standing in my way because I was headed to revive what you’ve been telling me to let die. God, thank you for standing in my way because I couldn’t see it was me causing the problem. God, thank you for standing in my way, freeing me from inflicting the wounds. God, thank you for standing in my way because your standing, saved me.”

This Memorial Day

This Memorial Day may bring somber memories of loved ones who’ve passed away. Your heart may be broken all over again as the thoughts of servicemen and women who have served this country wholeheartedly and paid the ultimate sacrifice with their life weigh heavy on your mind. You may be burdened with grief and tears, finding it hard to face the reality of a tombstone at the gravesite bearing the name of your child, spouse, parent, sibling, or family member. Or maybe it’s a fresh wound of death which just happened recently.

But don’t lose hope.

Will you allow the memory of your loved one to carry you through? Will you remember the memories instead of allowing the ache to take your joy? On this Memorial Day, will you remember the good even though the empty chair hurts to look at?

Why? Because your loved one is now resting with God who promised to receive them, at death. I know this because Bible tells me in Ecclesiastes 12:7, “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

It doesn’t make the pain any less, I know, but I just believe they’d want you to happily remember them. And I pray this Memorial Day will bring you peace.