Daily Devotional – 8/10/16 “Do it for yourself!”

While you are waiting on someone to Invest in you, your business or your destiny/purpose, you’ve missed out on so much. While you’re waiting on someone to encourage you, you could have encouraged yourself by now. While you are waiting on Sunday to show up, to be prayed for, you could have prayed for yourself. The point is … Stop waiting on someone to do the things you can do yourself. I was looking at a memory from a few years ago on Facebook and it was during the time I was struggling spiritually. I knew it was because I was dodging God’s call but I had told myself that I needed to wait on my uncle (who is my pastor) to use me and my gifts. And while I waited, I was suffering. Suffering to the point where I was even questioning my spirituality. But then one day, I got tired and I surrendered to God. And it was then things started to change. I no longer waited on someone to bless my house, I do it myself. I don’t wait on anyone to encourage me, I do it myself. I don’t wait for someone to pray for me and my family, I do it daily. And whether you believe it or not, I pray for all of you who are connected to me. Not because you asked but because I don’t have to wait until you’re in need. Beloved, you too can speak your own healing. You don’t have to wait until something is prophesied in your life, to know that you are blessed; speak over your own life.

Keep waiting for someone else to send the devil, who is tormenting your home, back to hell; you better cast it out with your own mouth. Please understand, I am in no way diminishing the power of those who pray for, encourage, prophesy and uplift because we all need them but sometimes, you need to help yourself. Every chance you get you ought to be speaking blessings over your life, protection over your house, encouragement over your children, increase in your finances, healing over your body, forgiveness over your enemies and love for everybody. You don’t need me to tell you that you’re blessed, that’s evident by the fact you woke up. And please, stop walking with your head down. When you aren’t aware of your surroundings, things/people can catch you off guard. Why do you think the enemy is able to slip into your home, on the backs of your children or your spouse unnoticed? Chile, I don’t even bow my head to pray. It’s not that I have something against it but I pray walking around the house, in my bedroom, in the car, at my desk at work, the bathroom … you get the point. And, bowing our heads isn’t a requirement to pray anyway, for it says in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” And if you don’t get anything, take this with you; hold your head up and walk in the fullness of the Lord while speaking greatness over your life. Start by remembering whose you are and the blessedness of being His child.

Encourage yourself

Daily Devotional – 8/9/16 “Who’s in your circle?”

I’m sure I’ve shared this before but I’ll gladly share it again … You need to surround yourself with some folk who will dance for YOUR blessing. You need to be around some folk who can pray your tail out of some stuff when you start acting ignorant. You need to have some folk around you who can discern others when you’re too blind to see it. You need to have some folk who knows the real you no matter how ‘they’ try to scandalize your name. You should have some folk, ready, to go to war with you in the spirit. Pastor, you need some folk connected to you who won’t look at you differently if you happen to open a beer instead of a bible. First Lady, you need some folk, outside the church, who understand what you’re going through and won’t judge when you don’t feel like being holy. Baby, you’ve got to surround yourself with some folk who understand you, no matter what your title is. You’ve got to have some people around you who will celebrate and cry with you. Some folk who will tell you, in love, you’re being stupid. Some folk who won’t mind telling you, in love, you’re messing up. Some folk who will tell you the truth instead of pacifying your wrongs. You need some folk around you who can be trusted.

This is not just for those in ministerial positions, this is for everybody. You need some trustworthy friends around you that although they may not call every day, you know they still have your back. This includes family too. Look, I don’t need you around if every time you get mad, you tell my faults. I don’t need you, if you only show up when it’s good but not when it’s bad. I don’t need you, if you can only eat with me when it’s fancy restaurants and I’m paying and not when it’s sandwiches at the house. Nawl baby, you just stay over there because I don’t need you to only show up at the victories but I need you in the valleys too. See, when you surround yourself with good people, they won’t mind letting you refill from their saucer because they know they have plenty left in their cup. When you are in the company of good people, they won’t tell nobody the times you’d had to lean on them. When you are in the presence of good people, they’ll put their hand on your back to keep pushing you, those times it seemed you stayed still too long. When you’re in the presence of good friends/family, they’ll support you no matter what or where it is. This is why you have to be sure of those with you. If they can’t walk with you, they shouldn’t be able to fly with you.

“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” –Proverbs 17:17

Circle

Daily Devotional – 8/8/16 “Looks can be deceiving.”

I shared a bit of this on yesterday and I need to share it again. See, as we were riding home from worship, I was looking at the many houses we passed and some were well maintained and looked as if they are being kept up. Then God says to me, “looks can be deceiving.” It was a wow moment because a lot of us are walk around looking kept up and our outsides well maintained but inwardly, we’re a raggedy mess. Yea, you know it’s true. We walk around with a mask on our beat faces, well maintained haircuts and styles, our groomed clothes and manicured fingers/toes when a lot of us are a tear away from crumbling. And we’ve gotten so good at it that now when folk look at you, they judge your outer persona because that’s what they see. You know good and well, when you look at a person, you tend to think you know them based on what you see, when in actuality, it’s the farthest from truth.

See, you see her as angry but she could be in pain from being knocked around by the husband who promised to honor, cherish and love her until death do they part and now anger has overshadowed her ability to smile. Or she could be in pain from chemo or dialysis and angry because she’s tried and can’t understand, why her. Or she could be angry because there’s a tormenting spirit vexing her spirit and the more she prays, the worse it gets. – You don’t know. You keep telling him he needs to grow up and act like a man but what you don’t know is, no one has ever taught him how to be one. No! You didn’t see the hell of a childhood he had to endure and neither do you understand why his self-esteem is so low. Maybe it’s because his momma kept telling him, he’ll be worthless like his daddy instead of loving him or because no one has ever looked at him and said you’re worth more yet he thought when you came into his life, you’d be his favor but instead you fell into the same trap of being foolish too. Stop looking at a child and automatically assuming he/she is ‘another one’ when what you don’t see is the fact she/he has to take care of brothers and sisters after school with barely time to do his/her homework. Stop treating every child, who acts out, as a statistic waiting to happen when it could be they are too afraid to go home to the uncle who is molesting them. Stop acting like it’s not your problem when it could be you next who needs help. The point is … Stop judging what you see when most times you only see the side they have the strength to show because they know you couldn’t handle the other side.

“Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” – John 7:24

Spiritual Mask

Daily Devotional – 8/5/16 “There’s levels to this!”

Sometimes I sit and reflect back on some of the devotionals I wrote years ago. Sometimes, I even sit back and reflect on memories of old. Why? Because they help me to see one of two things. Either I’ve grown over the years or I’m still in the same place. And sometimes, it’s good for you to reflect back on some things. See, when you take a retrospective look back over your life, you should be able to see the same things I’ve listed above. And if just so happen to find that you’re still stagnant in the same place, doing the same thing that’s producing the same unyielding results; then you need to do some soul-searching. Baby, we aren’t meant to stay in the same place forever. This is why we go from baby to toddler to youth to teenager, from there to young adult to eventually becoming an adult and then an elder (senior)? Why do you think you progress year after year in school? Why do you think you have promotions on the job? Why do you think ministers/preachers eventually elevate to level of pastor and all those other fancy titles? Even teachers elevate to principal, professor, dean and etc. This is because we aren’t meant to study the same assignment always. Beloved, there’s levels to this.

However, you need to understand this … you can’t elevate unless you’re prepared. Nope! You cannot get promoted unless you have the knowledge to handle the next level. Well, you could but then you’d be setting yourself up for disaster/failure. This is why you have to stay on your level until it’s time to go to the next one. Think about it. Don’t you wait on the level you are until the elevator comes? Then when you get in, you still have to wait until the door closes and then you wait some more until you reach the next level? And sometimes when you’re going to level 3 from level 1, the elevator may stop on level 2. Why? Well, you may need a little time to get yourself together. Don’t rush the move. Yes, I get it. You may not understand where you are or why God even placed you there. You may even be looking around and it seems nothing you’re doing is working but guess what, you still need to stay until God says move. If you move prematurely, you could have some adverse effects on your progression. The bible says in Psalm 27:14, “Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.” If that’s not enough, read Habakkuk 2:3, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” Yes, there’s levels to this but you need to prepare for them.

Elevation

Daily Devotional – 8/4/16 “Carnal minded!”

It’s the eighth month of the year. August = 8 and I’ve told you that biblically eight means resurrection and regeneration. Resurrection means to bring back to life and regeneration means renewal or rebirth. So eight literally means, biblically, a new beginning. Yet, someone is still stagnant in the same place you were seven months ago. In fact for some, you’ve been in the same place for years. And you want to blame God. You sit and try to figure out why God won’t blessed you like He does someone else. Still questioning why God did what He did. Still trying to figure out why it seems like you’re always having it hard. Or why when you call God He doesn’t answer. Well beloved, I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news but I don’t know any other way to say this … God is answering but if you don’t know His voice, you’ll miss it. How will you know His voice? Well, you’ll first have to be one of His sheep. The bible says in John 8:47, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”

Choose a side

Yes, I know you’ve been baptized and you go to church occasionally but you cannot be in the world and belong to God too. I mean, you can but that’s what the bible calls, carnal minded. Carnal means you hear God’s word but you don’t do anything with it. Carnal means you go to church on Sunday but you still club hopping through the week. Carnal means you love God but you won’t let your flesh go. Carnal means you look saved but have no sustenance. Carnal means you preach but there’s no power. And this is why the bible says in 2 Timothy 3:5, “Having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” This is why things aren’t working out for you. Chile, you don’t even know whose you are. Bless your heart. You can’t expect God’s blessing when you’re still living an unsaved life. You can’t expect God to uphold you in your mess. You’ve got to make it up in your mind that you are a child of God and then live it. This doesn’t mean you stop enjoying life it simply means you enjoy life as a child of God. Yes, God has plans for your life however, if you choose to rewrite them, you can’t be mad at God when they don’t work out.