Daily Devotional – 9/1/15 “What’s my point?”

In order to experience the mountaintop view, you’ve got to first climb the mountain. In order to say, ‘It was hard being in that valley but I got out,’ you’ve got to first get out. In order to give your testimony, you’ve got to first experience your test. And in order to appreciate the people or things you do have, you have to sometimes experience losing them or it or get this … sometimes you have to experience the thought of losing them or it.

What’s my point? Well, it’s not going to always be easy. Baby, if it was as easy as being dropped off on top of the mountain, why would we need the struggle in the climb? If we didn’t need to experience the valley, every now and then, God wouldn’t allow us to go there. If we didn’t need a test, every once in a while, to test our spirit; God surely wouldn’t let it come in our vicinity. And if the enemy wasn’t required to shake our faith, every so often, God wouldn’t have him on contract. What’s my point? You’re going to be tried, toughen up! What’s my point? You’re going to be tested, study more! What’s my point? You’re going to be shaken sometimes, store up some prayers. What’s my point? Exactly what the bible says in James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Don’t give up in whatever it is you’re going through because in order to get through it, you have to go through it. This is the 9th month and biblically, 9 is divine completion so whatever it is … It shall be done!

P.S. Today is the 4th anniversary of this blog!! Isn’t God amazing??

Daily Devotional – 8/31/15 “You still have a chance!”

It’s the last day of the month, has anything changed for you that you wanted to change? Have you met any of the goals you set out to meet? Have you gotten up to do something with what you’ve been given? Oh, you’re probably like the man in the bible, who was given one talent, huh? What? Have you been sitting on your gift out of fear of what people will say? Have you buried your talent because you don’t think you are good enough? Have you diminished your anointing because of the folk around you? Okay … How’s that working for you? You’ve shut your mouth because of what ‘they’ say but what about God? You got the nerve to worry about ‘them’ but what about Him? Yes, I get it; you are tired of fighting folk but beloved that won’t stop. Don’t you know that even when you are doing things right, folk will talk? When you are at home, folk will talk about that. When you go out, folk will talk about that. When you go to church all the time, they say you’re too holy but then when you don’t go they say, “Girl, he/she doesn’t even come to church like they used too.” Chile, it don’t matter what you’re doing, who you’re doing and where you’re doing it at; somebody will have something to say.

But get this … that doesn’t make them haters, it simply make them nosey. See, in order for someone to be a hater that means they would have to have an intense dislike for you in them, why would you want that around you? I would rather have someone nosey around me because then they could go and tell somebody about the things they are ear hustling on and stalking me to see and the next time they show up, they’ll bring them with them. Then there will be two people cheering me on instead of one. Then those two will go back and tell two more and the next time, there will be four … you see my point? By the time the nosey folk are tired of being nosey, I’ll have them celebrating the good news, with me, of a Master who can change them just like He changed me. You don’t have to fight folk, God got that. If you continue to do what He has called you to do, He’ll handle the unnecessary around you. But you’ve got dig up your talent and dust off your gift! So get up out of your pit of depression, despair, brokenness, pity and doom and give God something greater than what you’ve been offering. You still have time because you’re alive. You only live one, make it count!

Daily Devotional – 8/27/15 “Struggling but not stranded!”

It’s Thursday, almost the end of yet another month and someone is still struggling from the beginning of the month but I stopped by to tell you that although you’re struggling, you aren’t stranded. What does that mean? Well, that means … you may be struggling in your storm but God won’t leave you for He is your umbrella of protection. You may be struggling in your finances but you shall not be without for God is your provider. You may be struggling with sickness but you shall not die for God is your healer. You may be going through a momentary weakness of wandering lost yet you shall not be stranded for God is your guide. Yea, the devil thinks he has you but baby, he only has the illusion of you for God won’t allow you to suffer and die at the hands of your enemy.

I get it; thangs going wrong and it has you shook up. You come out of your circumstance stumbling and mumbling like you’ve lost your mind but God hasn’t left you. Yea, you’re looking around trying to figure out where you are but just stand still and let your eyes focus and you’re see that you are right where you need to be. Beloved, God hasn’t forsaken you. He won’t leave you stranded over on Situation Blvd. He won’t allow you to be shipwrecked off of Suicide Way. God won’t leave you high and dry at High and Drugged Out Lane. God won’t let His children suffer alone. Oh and get this … God is like TDOT (only greater); He’s always roaming and He knows when His children are in trouble and He shows up in the nick of time with what you need to get you back on the road. Yea, you may be struggling but if you’re of the Lord, He won’t leave you stranded. Don’t leave Him!

“The LORD will not let the godly go hungry, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.” Proverbs 10:3

Daily Devotional – 8/26/15 “I declare!”

I declare that whatever God’s will for my life shall be done today! Whatever it is! I am declaring His miracles and blessings to be released in the atmosphere and my name to be attached. I am declaring healing over my body. I am declaring increase in my finances. I am declaring protection over my family. I am declaring strength in the places I am weak. I am declaring that I will no longer be a prisoner to the you can’t, you won’t, you will not and don’ts. I am declaring that strongholds will be destroyed. I am declaring that whatever obstacles I face today, I shall be able to overcome. I am declaring that whatever purpose God has for my life, He sets my feet upon the path towards them. And I declare that I am greater than my grievance, calmer than my circumstance, stronger than my situation, worthier than my weakness and mightier than my misery. I declare that I shall be victorious!

Now, please understand … I wrote this saying I so that you can read this and make it personal. Declare on today what you need God to do. Declare what you need release from. Declare what you need peace from. Make a declaration of faith on today and so shall it be for the bible says in Mark 11:23-24, “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” What are you declaring? Do you believe it to be done? Don’t declare it unless you have the faith that it shall be first! For James 1:6 says, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” I declare on today that what I’ve asked the Lord for shall be! What are you declaring?

Daily Devotional – 8/25/15 “Your monopoly board!”

I was talking to a coworker today. She is one I’ve never met but we talk through email because she sends me reports I need on a weekly basis. Well, this morning the email got personal (you never know what a person is dealing with). Yet at the end of our conversation she said something that went all over me. She said, she is treating her new assignment at work like Monopoly and she wants all the buildings. Now, of course I see God working because I’m thinking, here this woman is, someone I don’t know personally but she’s struggling in her personal and work life yet she is looking at the situation from a different perspective. Not from the perspective of buying up all the properties and leaving folk bankrupt but she was speaking in regards to learning what she can and then using the knowledge to push her into something greater. Yea, she’s dealing with sickness in her body and then taking care of a sick parent yet she doesn’t miss work because she’s trying to buy all the buildings.

Here I am thinking … As Saints of God, what are we doing? As we are walking along the monopoly board called life, taking the chance of getting caught up in the traps that are being set by the enemy, rolling the dice and landing on other folk’s property, ending up in jail, crossing obstacles that knock us down (railroad tracks), being uninvolved in the community chest of our city’s suffering so we act like we don’t care about the unrest, consistently passing GO so it’s like we’re wandering lost; what are we reaching for? What are we doing with the assignment that God has given us? Are we going to just sit back and allow the enemy to buy up all the property and then we pay him every time we land on it? Are we going to continually wander lost without trying to figure out what our purpose is? What are we doing? Are we taking a chance? The bible tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” But we have to first put our present in the Lord. He won’t steer you wrong. Step up your faith game!