Daily Devotional – 10/27/15 “Would you pass inspection?”

You’ve heard the saying, we (as in Saints of God) are the church, haven’t you? Well the bible shares with us in 1 Peter 2:5 this, “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” This lets me know that we are the bricks that make up the church of God. It doesn’t matter what shape you are, what color you happen to be and where you are placed; as long as you are usable in the building of God’s kingdom. See, God is the chief cornerstone which means He is the foundation (the concrete) that is laid with the 4 corners that connects the walls of the church. We, Saints of God, are the brick (bible says living stones) that are used in the building of the church thus making us important. Now, I have to ask the question … Would you pass inspection. If God had to look you over to see if you can be used in the kingdom, would you make the cut?

God is our foundation (He should be) so we know this would pass but what about everything else? Would your outer appearance (although it may have a few scratches and dents from everyday use) pass? Is it inviting to the unsaved? Would someone want to get to know the God you serve by looking at you? Would your inside be clean in order enough to pass inspection? If God looked, would He see something worth using in you or will your mouth and heart keep you out of commission? Would you pass inspection? I mean, if God is our overseer that makes Him our code enforcement officer, doesn’t it? Well, if He just happened to pop up for inspection to see if we should be used, would we pass? If He had to check what comes out of our mouth, would we pass? If He had to check how we serve, would we pass? Oh, don’t be put in the discard pile for the bible says in 1 Peter 2:8, “They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.” But it doesn’t end there because 1 Peter 2:9 picks up and says, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” Are you usable? Would you pass inspection?

Daily Devotional – 10/26/15 “Favor over fame!”

I’d rather have favor over fame! See, favor can take away the labor while fame adds to it. Favor can take my name into places I’ve yet to step in. Fame, if not handled correctly, can put my name in places it doesn’t belong. Favor can’t be taken from me no matter how many times I fall but fame can be taken if I fall. With favor I don’t have to tell folk who I am but with fame, folk will try to tell me who I’m not. Oh, I’d rather have favor over fame. See, favor can get me places man can’t remove me from but fame can take me places man can. When you’re favored by God, there are no limits because God sets no boundaries but when you’re in fame, there’s a fine line not to cross. Yea, there are some worldly benefits to having fame but it also comes with burdens. With favor, it forms the work for my hands to do but fame just makes me work. With favor, I can ask and it’ll be given but with fame, I may seek but not find.

This is why I’d rather have favor over fame. Fame can get my name in lights but favor can light my life. Fame can get me on the red carpet but favor can set me on the path of righteousness. Fame can put money in my account but favor can give me access to a never-ending supply of blessings. Fame may get me in the door but favor is what keeps me there. Fame may get me a drink but favor gives me access to a well that never runs dry. Fame may get me to the table but favor allows me to have a seat. I’d rather have favor for I’ll continue to cry out like Psalm 106:4 that say, “Remember me, LORD, when you show favor to your people; come near and rescue me.” I’ll petition the throne of grace and say like Abraham did in Genesis 18:3, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my Lord, do not pass your servant by.” I’d rather have favor of fame because with fame it’s about my name but with favor, it’s tied to my life!

Daily Devotional – 10/23/15 “I pray right now…”

Riding into work this morning, listening to 95.7 and the St. Jude stories; I cannot even begin to imagine. Listening to the parents who have suffered and those still suffering through watching their children fight cancer, makes me realize that it could be me! I don’t know how it feels to lose a child, I don’t know what it feels like to have a child hospitalized, I don’t know what it’s like to hear the doctor say your child may not survive, I don’t know what it feels like to watch my child suffer and there’s nothing I can do … I don’t know! But I do know that God is able. So while you are crying because your bae walked out on you again, while you are mad because you had a flat tire, while you are angry at some stuff that happened 15 years ago, while you are finding it hard to forgive, while you are wasting precious time; it could be worse. As a matter of fact, if you were to look back over your life, you’ll quickly find that with all the hell you used to raise; it should be worse. Yet, God has spared us one more time! Just to know that God doesn’t treat us how we treat Him is enough to stir something in your spirit. To understand that no matter what we face, we have what we need to come out victorious should be enough for you to lift your unworthy hands and tell the Lord thank you!

Oh, I know God is able and even after listening to the stories from the parents of patients at St. Jude; I still have renewed hope that nothing we go through is for our bad. I pray today for every child at St. Jude, for every parent that has to rock a child after dealing with a rough dose of chemo, radiation or even surgery. I pray now for the parents, who themselves, may be dealing with cancer, sickness or disease. I pray, at this very moment, for the parents who’ve had to bury a child for whatever reason. I pray, at the throne of God for comfort, peace, understanding and an extra dose of strength for all those dealing with whatever it is. I’m even praying for you who are reading this for whatever it is you’re dealing with. And my prayer is simple, “Lord, I need you to have your way! Amen.” If that isn’t enough then pray this one, “Lord, do it! Amen.” If that isn’t enough then pray this one, “Lord, I surrender! Amen.”

It doesn’t take much to get God’s attention. All you need to do is call Him and He’ll answer. Stop saying won’t he do it because he probably won’t but I know without a doubt that God will. Won’t God do it? Yes, each and every time!

Daily Devotional – 10/21/15 “Wake up like …”

It doesn’t matter that you laid down crying from a broken heart. It doesn’t matter that you may be temporarily out of funds. It doesn’t matter that you’re in the midst of your storm. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have all you think you have. It matters that you woke up like this! What’s this? You woke up! If you’re reading this, you’re in your right mind with the activity of your limbs. Yea, you may be in pain, you may be worrying about that, you might be still trying to figure out last month’s bills with this month’s added on, you may be looking for a job, trying to understand how you ended up in that valley or pit, trying to figure out how to feed the children dinner, trying to get somewhere with no car and no reliably friends but you woke up! Baby, you may not have the house you want but you didn’t wake up outside or in a homeless shelter. You may want steak but only have ground beef budget but you have food. You may not have the job you want but you’re surviving.

Chile, wake up like this! What this? Baby, wake up appreciating the blessing of seeing a new day. Wake up thanking God that He allowed the death angel to bypass your name and your house. Wake up with a praise on your lips instead of pity. Wake up expecting greater instead of gossiping. Wake up feeling like the royalty you are. Wake up walking in the favor you’ve been filled with. Wake up acknowledging the anointing you’ve been allowed to achieve. Wake up blessed because you are! Wake up grateful because you should be. Wake up thankful because you ought to be. However you woke up, you woke up!

Daily Devotional – 10/20/15 “Do you know your enemy?”

I am not big on sports however I would assume that before any team takes on an opponent, they study them first. They study them in an effort to assess their strengths and weaknesses, to see what moves they usually make to try to win and in order to be able to defeat them when it comes time to play. I would imagine this is the same for boxing as it would be beneficial, in my opinion, to study your opponent before stepping in a ring with him or her. Then you can know what hand is their dominant hand, what steps they make to avoid being hit and their signature moves that have proved successful in the pass to weaken or to knock out their opponent. You study your opponent to get the upper hand. Why did I share all of this? Well, because as Saints of God we’ve been slacking on our jobs. We’ve been allowing the enemy to knock us down on our posts, count us out in our assignments and deem us unfit for harvesting all because we don’t know who were up against. Yea, Saints of God; we are losing because we don’t study our opponent, the devil.

I know you are used to what folk call him but who do you know him to be? I know you are comfortable with who grandma told you he was but have you studied him for yourself? How can you defeat someone if you don’t know what he looks like? 2 Corinthians 11:14 say he disguises himself as an angel of light. 1 Peter 5:8 say he prowls like a roaring lion. Mark 4:15 say he’s a taker of God’s word. But how would you know this, if you didn’t study? This is why you need to get to know who your enemy is in order to properly defeat him. Once you know who he is, James 4:7 say submit yourself to God and then resist the enemy. Ephesians 6:11 say put on the full armor of God and get ready and then 1 Peter 5:8 (again) say stay sober and alert. Oh, another way to defeat the enemy, forgive folk who hurt you. Don’t believe me? Read 2 Corinthians 2:10-11. Baby, don’t you know when you hold on to hurt and anger, the enemy uses that to creep into your life. Don’t take me at my word but Ephesians 4:27 say, “For anger gives a foothold to the devil.” This is why we have to know our enemy. What’s the point of going into battle without first having a strategy of defeat? We, as Saints of God, can defeat the enemy; we just need to know him or who he uses! Do you know your enemy?