It's not just writing, it's ministry
Hey!! Did you know that Ms. Nice Nasty (part 1) is currently sitting at Number 39 and Ms. Nice Nasty 2 is sitting at Number 38? Well, would you be so kind as to help get them into the Top 20? All is takes is a few clicks for you to download them. And they are free in Kindle Unlimited. I would really appreciate it. #clickstothetop #Top20 #withyourhelp
All I need is your help to get them both into the TOP 20. Will you?
I can make an excuse as to why I didn’t write a devotional yesterday. I can blame the fact that I had to attend an all-day training summit (today too) but the fact of the matter is, I could have found the time, had I tried hard enough. However, it’s easier to make an excuse because this is the time we live in. We make an excuse as to why we’re still staying at our parent’s house. We have an excuse as to why we can’t do more with our life. We use old excuses as to why we can’t forgive folk. We will find an excuse not to like somebody. And we all know there are multiple excuses as to why we can’t go to worship on Sunday. But what will be the excuse if we don’t make it to see Jesus? What excuse could we possibly give that will be sufficient enough to explain away our reason for not serving the Lord? Listen, stop making excuses. It’s not the job’s fault you’re being held back, it’s not momma or daddy’s fault as to why you can’t take care of yourself, it’s not your sister’s fault because she wouldn’t keep your children and it’s not society’s fault for the trouble you get in.
We have to get to a place in our life where we stop making excuses and start doing something productive. It’s almost the end of the second month of 2016, what excuse do you have as to why you’re worse off now than you were in 2015? You made a list of resolutions, what’s your excuse for not doing them? Excuses are easy to get in but hard to get out of because once you start, you won’t stop. Why? Because it’ll be easier for you to make an excuse instead of actually doing something. Yes, I know this devotional isn’t as long as normal but that’s because I’m headed back to training, however I didn’t make an excuse as to why I couldn’t do it today. Yes, it would have been easier but then what? Stop making excuses as to why you can’t go back to school, finish that book you’ve started, lose weight, clean out that closet, apply for that new job or even forgive somebody who has hurt you. An excuse has the power to keep you bound, if you let it. Stop making excuses, today! Don’t come up with a reason why you can’t because you can. Do it!
Certain airlines have a minimum on the weight you can carry. For those, they charge you extra if your bags are too heavy. Chile, I’m so glad God doesn’t charge us based on the baggage we carry with us on a daily basis. Seriously! I mean, some of us are still holding on to stuff that happened two husbands or wives ago. We’re still dealing with mess from childhood and we’re 50. Some of us still mad at the pastor and he’s been dead ten years. Still holding on to a hurt by your last boo and he’s been married, to somebody else. You’re making your new spouse pay for what the last one did and it’s all because you’ve yet to unpack the baggage from that relationship. Aren’t you tired of carrying that load? Isn’t your back hurting from all that crap on your shoulders? Yes, I know you wanted to care for momma but if you know you couldn’t why are you still beating yourself up over putting her in a nursing home? Oh, I know you really wanted to help your brother, whose locked up, but if you’re barely eating how can you feed him? Yea, I know you wanted to help your sister with all her children but baby, you hardly got room for your family.
When are you going to unpack those bags? You’ve got to be tired by now! Stop focusing on what you did or didn’t do, back then or yesterday; let it go. Ok, so your business didn’t work out. The pastoral assignment didn’t pan out like you wanted it. Your relationship didn’t progress like you hoped it would. Your job didn’t fit. Now what? Are you going to dwell there or are you going to move on? Are you going to stay in your loss or will you get up and try again? Stuff happens. And guess what, sometimes it’s bad but deal with it. However, don’t continually drag all that other stuff around because you may find that the person you’re trying to ride with doesn’t have the room or time to deal with it. And if the truth should be told, I shouldn’t have to obligate myself to deal with your old rotten, molded baggage. If you know you aren’t over your last relationship, don’t get into a new one. If you haven’t dealt with the church hurt, stop hurting other churches with it. If you’ve yet to figure out why your last business or assignment didn’t work, don’t go into a new one. Deal with your issues and get to a point in your life where you’re tired of dragging that stuff around. Unpack it better yet, throw it all out!
God says in Isaiah 43:18, “But forget all that–it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”
Depression, suicidal thoughts, wanting to give up, giving in … it’s a reality for a lot of people. Just because you can’t see their pain in the physical, it doesn’t mean there is no pain. This is why you have to watch how you talk to folk, all because you’re having a bad day. This is why you have to be careful how you treat folk, all because someone once hurt you. Stop before you react. Whether you want to believe it or not, there are some ministers/pastors who leave worship service depressed every Sunday. This is after they’ve preached you happy yet they are dying inside. Why? Well because they have to deal with the attitude and criticism of folk who claim to be saved yet no one is stopping to ask how he or she is doing. There are parents who contemplate walking off from their children every day simply because they can’t deal with the pressure of being parents. And some of these people sit on the same pew as you. There is a woman being abused at this very moment and she’s probably the CEO of a company. There is a man who is being belittled, right now, via text from some bitter woman who was taught to be this way by another bitter woman. There is a child being molested by someone who is supposed to love them. A teenage boy is being initiated into a gang because he wants to feel loved and he thinks this is how it’s supposed to be. A child is being bullied and their momma or daddy is too busy to notice. A woman is dealing with unbearable pain and she thinks suicide is her way out. A dad is being kept away from his child because the momma wants more child support.
What in the hell is going on? Baby, some of you saved folks who tore the altar up on yesterday with your dancing is living in pure hell and you’re too ashamed to tell somebody. You’re staying at that church, where you’re spiritually dying because you don’t want to hurt anybody. You’re staying in that relationship because you’ve become complacent yet you complain all day long. Stop living within the chains of bondage that has been clasped around your ankle. If you need help, get it. If you need to tell somebody, do it. If it’s too much, admit it. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Don’t allow your folks to suffer after your suicide. Don’t do it! Cover your mouth and tame your tongue because words spoken can’t be taken back. Don’t hurt folk because you’ve been hurt, deal with your hurt. Don’t continue the cycle of abuse, it needs to end. It needs to end today!
Dear God, I pray that you release every stronghold that is holding us down. Destroy every binding yoke, generational curses, sickness and disease. I pray right now for those suffering in silence. Have your way God that we shall not perish.
I received a text last night, about 9:30, from my niece and it blew my mind. I’m going to attach it so that you can see it but when I tell you it blessed my very soul, it definitely did. In her text she said they were reading, “The Rose that Grew from Cement” by Tupac and she thought of me. Now, I’ve heard of it but I’ve never read it so I Googled it. It says,
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature’s law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared
I don’t know about you but this thang speaks to me. See, it’s simply saying that no matter what you’re buried in; you can grow if you try. It doesn’t matter if no one else puts water on you, why do you think God allows you to cry? He’s giving you the means to water yourself. It means nothing if all you see is darkness because God should be implanted into your spirit that gives you light from within. It doesn’t matter if you can’t afford to buy miracle grow, God has given you His word to eat on and it has ALL the nutrients you need. Stop allowing where you are to stunt your growth. If a rose can grow in the midst of concrete surely you can grow in the midst of confusion. If a rose can grow in stone, surely you can push through your situation and grow. If a rose can grow in places folk say it couldn’t, surely you can grow in the places folk said you shouldn’t. Oh, I know you may be planted at a job that doesn’t seem like it has room for you to grow but you can, if you push yourself passed what ‘they’ won’t do. You may be looking at your vision and hearing folk say it won’t grow because you’re planted in the wrong place but beloved, all you have to do is have enough faith in yourself to grow where God has you at this very moment. It matters not about your surroundings. It matters not about who can see you because I’ve found there to be folk watching when you can’t see them. Don’t allow where you are to keep you from growing. If a rose can grow from concrete, surely you can prove folk wrong and grow from your circumstance.
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” – 2 Peter 3:18
Lakisha, the Author