Daily Devotional – 9/24/15 “Uncomfortable position!”

This morning I drove my daughter’s car to work and it felt so odd. If you are comfortable being in your own stuff then you understand. I am use to my seat, my radio station, my mirror, the feel of my car yet here I was in her car and it felt just uncomfortable. Then I realized that God has to sometimes take us out of our comfort zone in order to shape us into our designed calling. Yea, God has to sometimes remove us from around friends before He can send us somewhere because He knows we are comfortable where we are and we’ll never go otherwise. God has to sometimes put us in the pit; where it’s dark, cold and uncomfortable before we hear Him calling our name, otherwise we’d never answer. God has to sometimes get us from around family before we see the goodness of His grace because we’ve been still eating off grandmas. Isn’t it something that God has to put us in a tight spot in order for us to now testify and shout, “I’m not what I used to be,” “I don’t stay where I used to,” “I was lost but now I’m found,” I was bound but I’ve been set free,” “I was once addicted but it’s since been evicted!”

Beloved, I don’t know what situation you’re in, how long you’ve been in it and I definitely don’t know the reason God has you in it but if it makes you feel uncomfortable and if you’re in God; He has His reasons. Stop fighting Him! Do you find it strange that you are willing to fight the commands of God yet you run from the enemy? Then get out of your uncomfortable situation whatever it is God needs you to get out of it and you’ll stop going through it. Get this; a teacher won’t keep giving you a test on stuff you already know. God works no different and if you’re going through the same test or the same uncomfortable situation, you may want to take a moment and get out of it that which you need. And while you’re going through say like Psalm 23:4, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” For the bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” God is the solution, even in your uncomfortable position so stop fighting Him!

Daily Devotional – 9/23/15 “Do we SUM each other?”

I was in a ‘positive thinking’ training class on yesterday and the facilitator mentioned something that piqued my curiosity. She said you must have people around you that SUM you. Now, she gave different meaning to her SUM but in Lakisha’s logic of thinking and tweaking this to make it spiritual, I say you need folk around you who Support, Uplift and Motivate you! You need folk around who SUM you! Matter of fact, we need to SUM each other. Y’all, this Christian walk is hard enough without having to compete with the folk who are in our circle. This journey is enough work on its own with without having to consistently try to pick up everybody who is walking with you. We ought to be SUM (ming) each other. This means, I should be supporting, uplifting and motivating you and you should be supporting, uplifting and motivating me. Yet, if the conversation is one-sided all the time, there’s a problem with the addition. If I have to continually reach down and pick you up and you don’t ever have the strength to pick me up, there’s a problem with the addition. The bible says in Proverbs 13:20, “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

Chile look, I understand you may go through some things; that’s fine, we all do but you can’t always depend on folk and then never be depended on. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” We are supposed to SUM one another. We are supposed to SUPPORT, UPLIFT and MOTIVATE each other. There’s no sense in us being around one another, claiming to be each other’s friend if we don’t SUM each other. There’s no use in me being around you if I can’t pray you out of some stuff. What good am I if I can’t encourage you on your worst day? What good are you if I can’t call you when I feel like giving up? What good am I if I can’t be counted in when you feel like you’ve been counted out? What good is it having you around when things are going great but you’re nowhere to be counted when things are going bad? Every now and then we have to reevaluate our circles but most importantly, we need to reevaluate ourselves. How good are we being to those around us? Do we SUM each other? Do you add to me or are you taking away? Do I add to you or am I taking away? This goes for every relationship you are a part of! Ask the question and be honest in your answer, do we SUM each other? Hmmm…

Daily Devotional – 9/22/15 “Stop rushing!”

I, sometimes, find myself rushing to do my devotional. This morning is no different as I hurry to get ready for a 9AM training class. (So I won’t be long in this one!) But I had to stop and wonder if that ever rubs God the wrong way. I mean the audacity of me to be rushing to do His will. Yea, true enough I am still doing the devotional but I’m rushing to do it. Does anybody else think like me or is it just my wild thoughts? Does it get to God that we rush to do that which He has sanctioned us to do or is He alright with it simply because we are doing it? This is now piquing my curiosity. Now, don’t get me wrong; I am not saying there won’t ever be a time where we won’t have to rush but what I am saying is, we shouldn’t rush through everything because there may come a time you miss something in the middle. See, just because you’ve made a habit out of rushing and getting it right, slow down one time and just make sure.

I’m talking to me too. I don’t like to rush, especially when I am doing my devotional because it feels like I am missing something. We should feel the same way when it comes to whatever we are doing for God. Stop rushing through whatever it is He has you going through. It’s for a purpose. Get out of it what He has for you!

Daily Devotional – 9/21/15 “I’ve surrendered!”

Since accepting my calling into ministry; I’ve preached God’s word a time or two however yesterday was unexplainable. When I say the move of the Holy Spirit went forth, MY GOD. The subject was, “Yours don’t fit,” from 1 Samuel 17: 38-39 yet it wasn’t even about the topic, the setting or even the people in attendance but it was simply the fact that I’ve surrendered all to God. Yea, I know somebody is probably asking, “Isn’t that what you do when you accept your calling anyway?” Well, I can counter and ask, “Isn’t that what we are all supposed to do when we accept God?” Yet, we never really fully surrender all to Him. But I’ve made up in my mind to do just that to surrender all to Him! See, I’m tired of trying to fight folk so I’ve surrendered to God and He’ll handle them. I’m tired of trying to convince folk of who I am so I’ve surrendered to God and now I know more of whose I am, He’ll handle the rest. I’m tired of trying to increase areas of my life so I’ve surrendered to God, He’ll take it from here.

And baby, when I tell you the difference it has made in just a short amount of time. You don’t have to take me at my word, try God for yourself. When you are tired of trying to fix it yourself, when you are tired of crying, when you are tired of carrying around that heavy heart, dragging that load of worry and when you are tired of just being tired; surrender it all to God and see if He won’t do it for you. James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” I am a living witness that God can and God will! All you have to do is get to a point of extreme exhausted and you’ll surrender. Get to a place of I can’t do it by myself any longer and you’ll surrender. Get to a situation of I’ve tried too many times and still failed and you’ll surrender. It’ll be then that you’ll find God waiting with His arms outstretched and you’ll understand what I mean when I say, surrendering to God was the second best choice to make. The first best choice is choosing God! I’ve surrendered, will you?

Daily Devotional – 9/18/15 “Let’s start in prayer!”

I had the opportunity to see War Room, the movie, on last night and it was awesome. Now, I wondered why a movie like War Room didn’t get the buzz around town like the move The Perfect Guy when we all know good and well, he doesn’t exist. Is it because it’s Christian based? Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating for the movie simply because this is a Christian devotion but the movie is worth seeing. If you ever needed your prayer life reignited, War Room is the movie to see. Listen, I’ve said it before; it’s time we start fighting in the spirit because that’s where our war is. Yea, I know you think those folk you call haters are the ones you should be fighting but baby, they aren’t anything compared to the spiritual enemy we cannot see. Don’t you understand that when the spiritual enemy gets into your fleshly body, it is now in control and nothing that you do, in the natural, can kill or destroy it? This is why God didn’t give us natural weapons. If God wanted us fighting in the natural, He would have equipped us for that but baby, God gave us spiritual battle gear that we should always have on or nearby in case we have to suit up for war. This is why the bible says in Ephesians 6:13-17, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

And once you understand this, Ephesians 6:18 continues with, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Let’s start over and begin with prayer! Don’t wait until the odds are stacked against us. It’s time out for trying to fight folk with our hands and with our fleshly words. Neither is working and they are draining us but physically and spiritually. Stop trying to change your spouse, throw the blood of Jesus on them through prayer. Stop constantly hollering at those children, cover them with the anointing. Stop worrying about finances and let prayer fight for you and see if it can’t get the increase on your behalf. Your healing can be done, if you pray it to be. Stop worrying about the naysayers in the church, God can handle them; if you turn it over to Him. Take your hands off and fight in your war room, in prayer! The word of God says in Mark 11:24, “I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”

We’ve got to get back to praying, in and out of our homes, for our families and in front of our enemies, on our jobs, in our schools, in the car, at the movies, at the salons and barber shops, at the doctor offices and hospitals, outside of prisons (before the sentencing), walking, running, kneeling and definitely in our worship places. Let start in prayer and see the difference!