Daily Devotional – 3/29/16 “Why don’t we _____ God, like God does us?”

When you walk in your God given purpose, He’ll handle the provisions of what you need to progress. When you trust in your God given talents, He’ll take care of the things you need to thrive. When your faith allows you to follow your God given favor, He’ll faithfully allow you to be fruitful in every season. Baby, when you seek to serve the Savior with all your heart and soul, He’ll ensure you survive the storm, situation and shame. When you believe, when you know for sure won’t nobody do you like the Lord, when you understand that what you have to go through is what you have to go through, when you recognize this thang isn’t about you and when you truly give yourself over to the God of infinite chances; you’ll see your worship wake up, your attitude abruptly alters, your flesh fades, your messy mouth is miraculously made over, you walk is willingly changed, your hands help and your spirit is sanctified. All you have to do is believe in what God has placed in you, tap into where He has placed you and walk in the assignment He knows you can handle.

Beloved, God believes enough in you or He wouldn’t continually snatch you back from the hands of the enemy. God trust in your ability to trust in Him, otherwise He wouldn’t constantly show up in the midst of your storm and protect you. God loves you because if He didn’t He wouldn’t consistently cover you in your mess, forgive you for the same sin, bless you despite your lack of praise and show up even though you’ve yet to call. God cares for you or else He would have allowed you to be killed in the middle of your mess, He wouldn’t have saved you from the hands of that abusive spouse, He wouldn’t have stopped you from getting HIV/AIDS, He wouldn’t have spared your life when the drugs should have sent you into an overdose, He wouldn’t have covered you when you should be doing jail time for DUI … If God didn’t love us, He could have taken His hands off of us by now but He doesn’t. If God didn’t believe in us, He would have stop answering our call but He hasn’t. If God didn’t trust us, He should have stop opening doors for us but He still does. Now, my question is; why don’t we trust in, believe in and love Him? Why don’t we ________ (you fill in the blank) God, the way God does us?

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Daily Devotional – 3/28/16 “Disciple or Distracted?”

After Jesus’ resurrection, He left this charge to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Now, my questions are … Have we been honest in our going forth? Have we been diligent about our Father’s business of making disciples? Are we disciples or are we distracted? See, we’ve become so complacent with going to worship that we don’t take it outside the doors of the church. We get caught up in the rhetoric (empty talk) of religion that we forget about a relationship with God. Oh, we are stuck on “I am the church,” when no boo, we are members of the church. If you were the church, why would God need so many willing workers? This is why we have to study God’s word for ourselves, in order to get an understanding. “God knows my heart,” yes and it isn’t right. We can’t keep using this line as a way to appease our sin because if our heart was right; we’d stop using excuses as to why we can’t serve God in the capacity He needs.

Look, my brothers and my sisters; it’s time we stop pacifying this thang and being distracted by the glitz and glamour of mess. God has needs of us; His people. Yet, we can’t serve in the shape we’re in and the only way we get out of this mess; we’ve got to give our self over to the potter, God. The Savior has needs of us, His people and it’s time we start acting like it. Stop waiting until a funeral to join somebody’s church that you don’t even go back to that Sunday (You’re distracted by your grief). Quit waiting until tragedy strikes your house before you call on God (You’re distracted by the situation). Don’t wait until a holiday to go to worship (You’re distracted by self). Don’t wait until you are laid on your back, in jail, in court, getting scary news from the doctor, standing over a loved one’s grave, coming down from that high of alcohol or drugs or in the midst of your storm before you seek the Lord (You’re distracted by the circumstance). We have a responsibility as children of God to go ye therefore but we can’t do it if we’ve yet to go. I can’t minister to you if I’m still distracted by my mess. I can’t preach to you if I’m distracted by the view from my pit. I can’t encourage you if I’m still distracted by the woes of life and can’t encourage myself. I can’t tell you about a Savior if I’ve been distracted and yet to serve Him. I can’t tell you that God will inhabit your praise if I’ve been too distracted to offer Him my praise. We’ve been left with the charge of making disciples but we can’t do it if we’re still distracted by deciding to be a disciple ourselves. Are you a disciple or are you a distraction?

Stop apologizing for your purpose!

Beloved, look … Stop apologizing to folk because you’ve moved out the hood. Stop saying you’re sorry because you no longer smoke or drink. Stop making excuses as to why you choose not to cuss anymore. You don’t owe anyone an explanation when you reach your goal, get that promotion, meet a new boo, move out, move on, stop answering the phone, accomplish what they thought you couldn’t, do something they said you wouldn’t or be what God has purposed you to be. You don’t owe anyone an apology for living! Chile, stop trying to explain why you got that promotion – you earned it! Stop apologizing when it’s your name called and not theirs – they didn’t see the hell you’ve been through to make it! Don’t feel bad when you can now shout, cancer or dialysis free – you made it! If they can’t rejoice in your blessing, rejoice anyway. If they don’t celebrate you, celebrate yourself. Pat yourself on the back. Toot your own horn. God blessed you, stop apologizing for it. Stop apologizing for what God is doing! I’m not sorry nor will I apologize for the destiny I’m trying to reach. God has given me access, I’m on my way!

Who cares whether or not they like who you’ve chosen to date, do you like them? So what if they don’t support you, somebody will. It doesn’t matter if they never congratulate you, you still made it. Stop apologizing for scoring the point, crossing that obstacle, winning your battle, coming out of your storm, getting that new house or car, spending your money, opening your business or tapping into your destiny. There will always be somebody snaring their nose at you. There will always be somebody saying. “How she/he get that?” That’s ok; just stop apologizing for doing you. You don’t have to boast but brag about God’s goodness. You don’t have to explain simply exalt God. If folk choose not to understand your gifts and accept what you have to offer, the hell with them. You don’t owe anyone an explanation of your anointing, of your gifts, of your talents and especially of your elevation. God did it and if they need answers, let them go to Him. Stop minimizing what God is doing in your life all because you don’t want to hurt folk feeling. And for those folk who consistently say to you, “God told me to tell you,” discern within yourself whether they are to be trusted because even the enemy will use this line.

Please check out my feature in the Fresh Touch Publicity’s online magazine for their Women’s Month Edition of HERoine Legacy! Click here – Lakisha’s Magazine Feature

Daily Devotional – 3/24/16 “Stop apologizing for what God is doing!”

Beloved, look … Stop apologizing to folk because you’ve moved out the hood. Stop saying you’re sorry because you no longer smoke or drink. Stop making excuses as to why you choose not to cuss anymore. You don’t owe anyone an explanation when you reach your goal, get that promotion, meet a new boo, move out, move on, stop answering the phone, accomplish what they thought you couldn’t, do something they said you wouldn’t or be what God has purposed you to be. You don’t owe anyone an apology for living! Chile, stop trying to explain why you got that promotion – you earned it! Stop apologizing when it’s your name called and not theirs – they didn’t see the hell you’ve been through to make it! Don’t feel bad when you can now shout, cancer or dialysis free – you made it! If they can’t rejoice in your blessing, rejoice anyway. If they don’t celebrate you, celebrate yourself. Pat yourself on the back. Toot your own horn. God blessed you, stop apologizing for it. Stop apologizing for what God is doing! I’m not sorry nor will I apologize for the destiny I’m trying to reach. God has given me access, I’m on my way!

Who cares whether or not they like who you’ve chosen to date, do you like them? So what if they don’t support you, somebody will. It doesn’t matter if they never congratulate you, you still made it. Stop apologizing for scoring the point, crossing that obstacle, winning your battle, coming out of your storm, getting that new house or car, spending your money, opening your business or tapping into your destiny. There will always be somebody snaring their nose at you. There will always be somebody saying. “How she/he get that?” That’s ok; just stop apologizing for doing you. You don’t have to boast but brag about God’s goodness. You don’t have to explain simply exalt God. If folk choose not to understand your gifts and accept what you have to offer, the hell with them. You don’t owe anyone an explanation of your anointing, of your gifts, of your talents and especially of your elevation. God did it and if they need answers, let them go to Him. Stop minimizing what God is doing in your life all because you don’t want to hurt folk feeling. And for those folk who consistently say to you, “God told me to tell you,” discern within yourself whether they are to be trusted because even the enemy will use this line.

Please check out my feature in the Fresh Touch Publicity’s online magazine for their Women’s Month Edition of HERoine Legacy! Click here – Lakisha’s Magazine Feature

Daily Devotional – 3/23/16 “Does God fit in your religion?”

“I’m so glad I got good religion,” but baby do you have God? Yes, I know you got religion but where does God fit in? I mean religion is people’s beliefs and opinions but God is your choice so again I ask where does God fit. See, our religion keeps us tied to old traditions that don’t have a scriptural backing but God keeps us tied to Him which allows us to save those lost even if it means changing what you’re used to. Religion pumps us up to think we’re in charge but having God lets us know we’re not. Religion places discord in the church, God deals in deliverance. Religion lets junk move about the church, God causes joy to abound. Religion will have you gossiping whereas God will have you girding your mouth. With religion you pick and choose your worship days but having God, worship is continually on your lips. Religion makes you feel authorized, God makes you feel anointed. Religion makes you think you have your own pew but God lets you know you have purpose. Having religion gives you the audacity to put your mouth on the man or woman of God but having God, you have the knowledge to know when to shut up. Yea, I know you have religion but where is God?

Many times as Saints of God, we get caught up in seeking religion that we forget about serving God when Matthew 6:1 says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” Chile, we get so overwhelmed by titles that we forget the teaching. We get so caught up in ‘tradition’ that we lose the real purpose of our calling. For the bible tells us in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We cannot do this being stuck in our religious practices. What may have worked for grandma may not reach the unsaved today. Please understand, it has nothing to do with the word of God because it never changes but it has everything to do with rethinking your traditions. Singing those hymns means nothing to the youth & young adults if you’ve yet to teach them the hymn. Doing responsive reading is fine if you let them know the reason behind it. You cannot continue to let Betty who is 82 run the youth department; she’s out of her league and era the same way Bro. Deacon who is 77 is out of his. Everything has a season including people in positions in the church. This is why we’ve got to get back to God and throw out some of this “religious” stuff. Yes ma’am, yes sir; your religion fits you well but where does God fit?