Daily Devotional – 10/1/15 “Withdrawals are part of the process!”

I can assume, if you went to spiritual rehab on yesterday that you probably woke up this morning experiencing withdrawals. Yea, you’re probably second guessing your choice; wondering if you’ve made the right decision. There’s probably a few folk around you saying, “If I was you, I wouldn’t go, ain’t nothing wrong with you.” You are probably starting to feel the effects of not having your drug of choice in your system by now and you’re really on edge. You haven’t heard from him or her because you have them on block and you’re tempted, don’t do it! You haven’t smoked that blunt, you haven’t hit that pipe, you haven’t tasted that alcohol running down your throat, you haven’t cursed anybody out, you haven’t put your hands on her/him, you haven’t slept with them, you haven’t talked about nobody or you haven’t tainted nobody’s spirit; keep it that way! Oh, you do know our addictions can be anything, right? And now you’re going through withdrawals but stay in rehab, don’t leave! Yes, the enemy may be standing outside your room with the promise to give you what you need, he’s tapping on your window beckoning you to come out, he’s in range of your ear, walking around your bed, camped out by your car or sending messages through so-called friends but stay in rehab. Haven’t you figured out yet the enemy is charging you for everything he gives yet you have an opportunity to get clean and it’s free?

Beloved; the withdrawals you’re having, they’ll go away but you need to go through it because it’s cleaning out all of that mess which was once attached to your spirit. I know it doesn’t feel good and you probably look a mess, spiritually but where you see it as withdrawal; I see it as God washing out the weakness and wiping your wounds. How else can God show you your worthiness? How else can you see that you are wonderfully made? How else will you recognize the magnitude of your witness and worship? Baby, unless you stay in rehab and experience your withdrawal, you’ll never fully grasp the severity of your purpose. What are your symptoms? Well, withdrawal may cause some shaking in your spirit, it may cause you to not be able to remain still, some shouting out, uncontrollable movements with your hands and feet, it may even cause tears to flow but it’s all part of the process. Stay in rehab! How long will you be there? It’s on a case by case basis but you’ll know when you’re clean because nothing will look or taste the same as it did before!

Daily Devotional – 9/30/15 “You have to do it!”

Sometimes you need to stage an intervention with yourself and get the help you need. Sometimes you have to make up your mind that you no longer want to live the way you’re living (if it’s not for the good). Sometimes you may have to send yourself to rehab; physically and spiritually. One of these days, you need to get up out of the rut you’re in, look yourself in the mirror and say; I’m tired of being the way I am, I’m tired of looking this way, I’m sick of being labeled by my mess and I’m tired of being addicted to people and stuff that mean me no good. Stop blaming folk; they didn’t make you do what you did or do what you do. Stop blaming momma and daddy, they raised you the best way they could, even if it wasn’t the best of what you thought; you made it to adult status, didn’t you? Stop putting the blame on the new pastor because he or she came in to change the thought process that you’ve had for 55 years that’s no longer working, it’s time for a change. Stop playing the “society is against me card,” because it wasn’t society that made the choices, you did. Stop blaming the folks you owe, it’s your debt. Stop blaming the children you made and they ones you made them with, it’s your fault. Take blame for what you’ve done and then decide, TODAY, I’m getting out of this mess!

It doesn’t matter what it is, today starts the first day of your rehab program but you have to do it. Give up the negativity, the anger, the hatred for others (and you don’t even know why you’re hating), the worrying, always wanting to blame someone else, the excuse as to why you can’t … today is the day it stops! Stop looking at what you don’t have and count what you do have and I can guarantee do outweigh don’t. It’s time you get yourself together and you need to start on your spiritual self. And get this; it only works if you work! You have to make the first step and when you do, God will be there for the bible says in Deuteronomy 31:8 “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” God has already provided the necessary requirements needed for you to get clean in spiritual rehab; you just need to spiritually go. All it starts with is … “Lord, I surrender all to you.” For when you give it all to Him and mean it, it is then He can begin to makeover every area in your life.

Daily Devotional – 9/28/15 “I pray that you …”

Ma’am, you can stop looking for your joy over there, it’s not there. Sir, stop searching for your joy at her house, you won’t find it. Beloved, quit trying to locate your joy inside of things that didn’t bring you joy to begin with. Yea, I know you thought it was joy in that relationship but baby if you take it off life support, you’ll quickly find; it’s been dead. Come here Pastor; you are looking for joy in your assignment however you’ve missed the message because the joy is the assignment and if you can no longer see that, your assignment, where you are, may be up. May I suggest having a talk with your teacher. Look, Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” And if you have to look for joy in other folk, places or things, ask yourself this question, “What is my spirit producing?”

The bible says in Proverbs 17:22, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” My brothers and sisters, I don’t know what you are dealing with on today. I don’t know what or even who you laid down with on last night only to get up with the same nagging thing again this morning. I can’t grasp the severity of what you’re going through because I am not walking in your shoes. I can’t feel your pain, I don’t know how your grief feels, I am not dealing with your sickness, addiction or heartache. We aren’t all going through the same thing but this is my prayer to you … Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” I pray that you will put ALL of your trust in God so that He can fill the void places in your spirit with the joy you need to get out of the darkness. You are not lost; you just need to open your eyes. You are not drowning; you just need to stand up. You are not alone, ask for help.

Daily Devotional – 9/28/15 “Don’t give up!”

I’ve heard that God didn’t create the situation for you but He created you for the situation yet at times you don’t feel as strong as you should. Yea, sometimes your legs feel like jelly instead of bone made for standing. Sometimes your heart feels like it will crumble at any moment instead of withstanding one more ounce of hurt. Your eyes feel like they’ll fall out, sometimes, from the tears they occasionally shed. Your mouth gets dry from the constant conversation with God. Your flesh sometime gets weak from the stuff worldly folk put you through and your spirit can’t always shake off and forgive like you know you ought to. Sometimes you even feel like abandoning your assignment, saying I can’t take it anymore but baby giving up is a win for the enemy.

Yea, I know you are tired of hearing, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” “Nothing is impossible with God,” or “hold on your help is coming,” but what about now? What about at this very moment when it seems like you’re looking out over give up cliff and it’s beckoning for you to jump? What about now when temptation is calling your name and it won’t let you sleep? What about now when your checking account is empty and you’re tempted to do some strange thangs for change? What about now when your spouse is acting up and that coworker is saying what you need? What about now when pain is in your body and giving in seems better than suffering? What about now when it seems addiction is winning? What about now when it looks like everybody has turned their back? Well baby, I don’t have the magic answer but I know how to get in touch with the Master and His word says in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Don’t give up whatever it is you’re fighting my brother, my sister! It may not look like you’ll get out alive but you will. It may look like the smoke from the fire will consume you but just get lower and let it rise, it’ll soon pass.

Daily Devotional – 9/25/15 “Your weakest Friday!”

It’s Friday and somebody woke up fumbling around with the same fear and funky attitude you laid down with on last night. Somebody is still facing the fact that you’re temporarily out of funds and you just got paid. Somebody is still trying to fathom why sickness is trying to take over your body when your faith hasn’t wavered and you’re doing what your doctor says. Somebody is trying to be faithful in the assignment God has placed you in when it seems like you’ve got enemies camped all around you. Yea, somebody is even trying to formulate in their mind how can the children they raise, in their house, with morals and values; leave the same house acting like they were raised in the wilderness by wolves. Is it just me? Here it is Friday and you’re crying out, “Where is God’s Favor?” It’s Friday and you’re shouting, “God have you forgotten me?” It’s Friday and you’re feeling like, God has forsaken you but baby …

Get up off of that pit of whatever you’ve made and rejoice in the midst of your fight! It doesn’t matter if it looks like you’re losing, your rejoicing in the middle of it will confuse the enemy and then you’ll have the upper hand. Ma’am, sir; it doesn’t matter that you don’t have what you think you have; you have what you need, rejoice! It doesn’t matter that you don’t feel the best, you could feel nothing and that’ll mean dead, rejoice! It doesn’t matter that there are enemies fellowshipping in the midst of your assignment that simply means you have a sign to possibly change them in the midst, rejoice! When Paul had a thorn in his flesh, three times he pleaded to God to remove it but the bible says God told him in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness,” for it is at our weakest moment when God’s power is at its highest. This thang isn’t about you but it’s about the God in you! So be like the latter part of the verse which says, “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” Try to make this your last weakest Friday!