Daily Devotional – 11/12/15 “Stop letting them do it!”

Stop allowing yourself to be limited in your capabilities when God has already anointed your calling. Baby, when will you stop looking and listening to folk for validation and look to God for elevation? When will you tap folk out and tap God in? When will you trust in your Father? So what, if man says women shouldn’t preach; preach anyway! You don’t have to be in their unsanctified pulpits anyhow because God will send you places they’ve never been! So what if they say you aren’t qualified on paper, don’t allow it to stop you from using your gift because God will make it to where they HAVE to call you! So what if they say your ministry, business, relationship or job wouldn’t make it? You don’t have to prove nothing to them, prove your devotion to God and let Him show them. Yea, I know you thought your credit was capable of getting that loan but beloved, God will make it so the money will be given without you having to pay it back. It doesn’t matter that folk don’t think you can handle the assignment, allow them to watch you in your anointing. What folk say shouldn’t ever be the reason you don’t. What folk think of you shouldn’t ever be the cause as to why you didn’t!

If you walk up to a door that’s locked and you wait until someone comes along to open it, you may be waiting a while. Oh but if you knock, you have a better chance of someone on the inside letting you in. The bible says, “Knock and the door …” If you say you’re coming over to my house, I will not stand at the window until you get there but if you knock, I’ll let you in. I may not know you’re in need but if you ask, it shall be given (that’s bible)! So tell me again why you are waiting on somebody who doesn’t have the qualified credentials to call your name? That’s like going to the doctor’s office without signing in, you may not ever get called. Oh but if you sign in to God, not only will He call your name but He’ll place your name in the mouth of folk who you don’t even know. When you allow God to do it for you, He’ll place your feet on grounds you’ve never even heard of. When you allow God to work it out for you, you’ll see places you only dreamed of. Stop allowing folk to dictate who you are when God has made you an heir to the kingdom. Stop letting them do it!

Daily Devotional – 11/11/15 “Let go!”

In November of 2009, I never thought I would leave the church I’d always been a member of. Yet one Sunday morning as I sat in worship at my uncle’s church in Hollywood, MS; God told me it was time for me to move and I found myself walking down the aisle. Yes, I’d been toiling for months about leaving my original church and I had plans to toil a little longer but God had other things working. I didn’t have a clue why He was taking me down to Mississippi, to a church it was taking me an hour and fifteen minutes to get to every Sunday and Wednesday. And I asked the question, why God? He simply said, “Because I said so.” Now, when I look back over it, I fully understand it now. I came in contact with Evangelist Sandridge who was working on God’s behalf; molding me into one day accepting my calling (I didn’t know it then). Then getting encouragement from my uncle Tommy who was preparing me to step into the ring (I didn’t know it then). Then working under my uncle Larry who was nurturing the seed of God’s word that was in my belly (I didn’t know it then). But I trusted God and I took Him at His word to never leave me nor forsake. Now, I get it!

Why am I telling you this? Because somebody on today is still fighting with whatever God is telling you to let go of. Somebody, who needs to read this, is still holding on to stuff God told you to release years ago. Somebody is still holding on to folk you know aren’t equally yoked with you and they are choking out your religion. Somebody still has anger from when they were a child and they are grown with great-grandchildren. Somebody is still passing by a church they say hurt them twelve years ago. Somebody is still looking at text messages from someone who has been gone two years. Somebody is still trying to decide whether or not to give your life to Christ because you don’t want to let go. You’re still in that marriage because you are afraid of letting go. You are still in the shape you’re in because you won’t let go of that addiction. Your lungs are almost at their end because you won’t let go of smoking. Your family is suffering because you won’t let go of gambling. Your finances are jacked up because you won’t let go of shopping. Your church is dying because you won’t let go of the “What we used to do” syndrome. And your spiritual life is in chaos because you won’t let go of the enemy’s hand. When will you let go? Don’t you know it’s stunting your spiritual growth? Let go! Don’t do it for me but do it so that you may be used by God; delivered and set free by God, redeemed by God and most of all favored by God!

Daily Devotional – 11/10/15 “It’s interesting …”

I find it quite interesting that we trust folk, no questions asked, but we have an issue with trusting God. I mean, we will question God like He’s the material witness for our case yet when folk say, “Ride with me,” we go no question about it. We’ve even gotten to the point that we trust Siri for directions but we won’t go where God leads us. We are so trusting of cell phones and electronics that we feel lost without them yet we won’t trust El Shaddai, God almighty. We trust the bread from the shelf of the grocery store without looking at the expiration date yet we won’t trust Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. We trust the expired medication that’s in the cabinet but we won’t trust Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. We trust the one who says, I’ll be there yet we won’t trust Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there. We trust our carnal minds to ease our troubles but we won’t trust Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace or Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our banner. Oh, we can trust sleeping pills, alcohol and drugs yet we won’t put trust in Jehovah M’Kaddesh, the Lord who makes Holy. We trust walking in the darkness, wandering in the wilderness yet we won’t trust EL ROI, God of seeing.

I don’t get it. It’s so easy for us to get in the car with a new co-worker, church member or friend and trust them with our life yet we have a problem trusting Jehovah, Lord. It’s easy for us to eat other folk’s cooking without a doubt yet we have questions for EL OLAM, Everlasting God. What is it going to take to get you to trust Him? Oh I know you’ve never seen anyone physically walk on water but have you seen anyone make air, yet you trust it? Haven’t God proved Himself by the miracle that is you? You know, good and well, you should have been dead by now, yet your ungrateful self still lives to see another day. You know, like I know; your past should have cut you off yet you’re still here and your past can’t stop what God has. Yea, you should have been the one in jail, you should have been the one strung out on drugs, your name should have been in the obituary section of the newspaper, it could have been your child with cancer, your momma with Alzheimer, your husband with an addiction he can’t break, your son on the corner, your daughter walking the streets, your family homeless or you without a way out; oh but God spared your stingy, stanky self, one more time! Baby, you know like I know, your mouth should always have praises in it. However, when you get to a point of trusting God, He’ll get to a place of trusting you!

Daily Devotional – 11/6/15 “Your sacrificial suffering!”

You aren’t going through for you but you are going through in order for the manifestation of God to take place through you. Yea, I know you thought the things you were suffering with were because of you but baby, look around; God is trying to save the folks in your midst. Sometimes, people have to see the miracles that God can do before they believe in the miracle that is God and you are just the incubator. You are simply the one God chose to be His walking testimony. The sickness in your body, you are just carrying it until it’s time for you to birth the healing somebody around you needs to see. That financial trouble you’ve been in, you’re just the one God chose to manifest a blessing so big that it’s going to blow even your mind. Oh child of God, your sickness isn’t until death, your marriage isn’t over neither is your job search in vain; it’s part of the process. Oh, dear pastor; I know the assignment may seem hard but it isn’t time for you to throw in the towel, it’s part of the process. Single mom or dad, your suffering won’t last always, it’s part of the process. Grieving family, your tears are being heard by God and they won’t last; it’s part of the process.

We talked about this in bible study on Wednesday night. I told my aunt who had to go through breast cancer that God didn’t allow the cancer for her to suffer but she had to go through in order to be able to help somebody else. She is now volunteering at the cancer treatment center yet she wouldn’t be as helpful as she is if she didn’t know what they are going through. She had to go through cancer in order to help somebody else go through cancer. It’s the same for you. Whatever it is you’re going through, it’s not for you but it’s so that you can help (and hope) somebody else. How else can you tell folk how you made it through, if you don’t go through anything? Your testimony is only validated by your tests. You can’t be a witness unless you’ve witnessed something; remember that you’re under oath! We have to be like Paul and testify to God like he did in Colossians 1:24, “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church.” If we don’t participate in the suffering, how can we save? If we don’t do our part in sharing the suffering, how can we be a sacrifice? If we don’t suffer, how can we be saved? Baby, your suffering is an offering to God, it won’t return void. For the bible tells me, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later, Romans 8:18.”

Daily Devotional – 11/5/15 “When we fear God…”

Psalm 34:9 says this, “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” And you’re still wondering why you are without! Humph… Baby listen, we fear folk, spiders, losing our jobs yet we don’t fear God. We fear abusive spouses yet we don’t fear God. We fear losing bae or spouse walking out on us but we don’t fear God. We fear being alone yet we don’t fear God who will keep us company. We fear money not being enough, a common cold that medicine will help, high blood pressure that can be maintained yet we don’t fear God. We are more fearful of our boss and IRS than God. We are more of the diagnosis than we are of the healer yet if you read Psalm 34:9 again, as a matter of fact, let me give you another translation that says, “Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need.” Another way says, “O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want.” In order words, if you fear God you shall not want!

Please understand; I am in no way saying you have to be perfect because God doesn’t expect that from us but I find it strange that we will question God before we question folk. We’ll allow a man or woman to run all over us and won’t open our mouth, oh but don’t let God answer your prayer and you’ll be questioning Him like He’s on trial. We got the audacity to question Him when we are up crying out night (Why me God?) yet you won’t question the one who made you cry. Don’t you get it, fearing God takes us of out our comfort zone in order to do what He has called us to do? When we fear God, we won’t be too quick to do things out of His will. When we fear God, we ask for forgiveness of our mistakes. When we fear God we love like we should. When we fear God, we do the assignment He has placed us in instead of fighting it every time. When we fear God, we don’t put our mouth on those He has sent to guide us. When we fear God, we actually keep His worship place Holy and not hellish. When we fear God, we do His will thus making Him do for us which means we lack for nothing. When we fear God, we shall not want! When we fear God, He makes a way for us. When we fear God, doors open. When we fear God, we are never in need!