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!

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!