Daily Devotional – 4/21/15 “To you who are grieving … “

As I read through my timeline on Facebook, watch the news or hear stories at work; I am reminded that death has no respect of person and has no appointed time to show up in your family. Baby; death shows up and can cause you to lose sleep, can snatch tears from your eyes, breathes from your lungs, steps from your walk, thoughts from your mind, beats from your heart and can sometimes cause you to think you’re losing your mind but 1 Thessalonians 4:13 says, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” Yes, I know it’s hard right now. Momma is gone, you didn’t get to say goodbye to cousin, daddy was just here and now the death angel snuck in overnight, granddaddy seemed to be doing good and no he’s gone, you weren’t ready to let grandmother go; brother died by man’s hands or sister was taken too soon; but be reminded that the bible says to be absent from this body means to be present with the Lord. Can’t you imagine your loved one saying like Colossians 2:5 says, “For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.” You will grieve but take comfort in the fact that your love one is headed to the land of no more! No more pain, no more suffering, no more heartache, no more! Yes, it’s hard and “they” say it gets easier and it will, day by day but until then grieve at your own time. And in the midst of that, I’ll pray with you.

“Father God, I come petitioning your throne for all the grieving families. Lord God, I first thank you for the lives of their loved ones, thank you for the time they had to spend and the memories they will forever have etched in their hearts. Now God, I ask that you give them an extra portion of strength. For the families who are preparing funeral arrangements and those who are headed to funeral services; wrap your loving arms around them. For those in the midst of their grieving process, allow them to find comfort in your word. For the families who are standing next to the bedside of a terminal ill family member and has to make a devastating decision, give them the peace they need, right now. Oh Lord! For the families who are grieving, allowing them to come together and not fall apart, remove any hate and replace it with help and where there is anger, replace it with love. For the family member who seems lost by the death of their loved one, send them guidance. For the pastors and clergy who have to eulogize; anoint them Father with a message of hope. For the souls who have now been released, receive them, God, into eternal rest until the Day of Judgment. Oh God, send a flow of forgiveness, healing, strength, hope, joy, love, peace and comfort into this land. May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with us, His people until it is our time to go. Amen

Daily Devotional – 4/20/15 “The enemy is real!”

It’s Monday again, 20 days into April which means this month is almost gone so instead of sighing over the fact that the weekend went by too fast you ought to be giving the enemy a reason to fear you getting up! Yea, you ought to make it your business to make him mad every time your feet hit the floor. Make it your mission to give him anxiety over the fact that you ain’t dead yet. Oh, you ought to have him regretting that he didn’t kill you when he had you in the world. You should be dancing to demonstrate to him that depression didn’t drain you of your destiny! You should be shouting to show him that your sickness was a sign of your sanctification not suffering! And you ought to be living to show him that your labor is leading you to everlasting life and not death! You should be living to make the devil mad!

Baby, don’t you get it? The enemy doesn’t sleep! This is why 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” This is why when you’ve overcame the hell he tried to put you through, you should be praising God every chance you get. When you’ve made it out of the pit alive, without a scar, a bruise and with your right mind; you ought to be acting a straight fool for God every chance you get! When you’ve made it out of the valley and you got everything back you lost going in; you ought to act like you are stone crazy with praise at every opportunity! You should get up and the enemy should cringe! You should be so much of a threat to the enemy that when you lay down, he’s telling God thank you for giving you rest! If our praise to God was evident in our living, in our praise, in our thanksgiving, in our forgiving, in our giving and in our loving; we wouldn’t have as many hellish Christians! The enemy is real and he’s coming for more of God’s people. Don’t let it be you! As a matter of fact, stop allowing it to be you!

Daily Devotional – 4/18/15 “Your Set up!”

I thought I’d share some of the devotional I did this same day last year because baby, it shoal will fit for somebody today! Yea, see; no matter what you go through, it is all a part of the setup that God has for you! It doesn’t matter what you face, it’s a part of the setup because after the setup it’s then time for those folks who counted you out to see God’s goodness. After the setup, those folks who’ve been waiting for you to fall will see God’s plan be manifested through your life! After the setup, those who said you’d never amount to anything are now stalking your social media pages trying to count your blessings. After the setup, those who put their mouth on you, now have nothing to say but they are ear hustling on your conversations to see how you did it! After the setup, those who were kicking dust on you, while you were down, are now dusting off your back. Oh, I wish you’d get the point I’m trying to make here.

After the setup comes a set up! Yea, God has now set you up higher – you’re out of harm’s way! God has now set you up out of the reach of man’s hands who try to stab you in the back. God has now set you up so that you can no longer hear what “they” say. God has set you up so that it no longer hurts, as bad, when fake friends leave. God has now set you up so that everything you touch is blessed. God has now set you up so that the path you’re walking is the one He designed. Yea! You have read in Psalm 23:5 where it says, “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings,” haven’t you? Psalm 16:5 says, “LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.” What more do you need to carry on? Yes, this walk is hard but keep going because if you stop you have no way of knowing what’s next. Keep pushing through because God is simply setting you up for something major and when God sets you up there isn’t a man alive who can take it! Oh, after the setup comes a shouting that will shake some stuff loose. After the setup you’ll sing a song you’ve never song before. After the setup, you’ll never settle again but you’ll serve God wholeheartedly. After the setup, your spirituality won’t ever be the same because now it’s sanctified! After the setup, you won’t look the same! After the setup, you won’t talk the same! After the setup, you won’t even walk the same! After the setup come a set up! Look out for it!

Daily Devotional – 4/17/15 “God, whatever you’re doing in this season …”

Whatever God is doing in this season of your life, don’t question Him. Whatever God is doing in this season of your life, go through it. Whatever God is doing in this season of your life, get the lesson out of it. See, whatever it is you’re facing, going through, dealing with, fighting against, running or hiding from – it’s time now that you face it! Yea, it’s going to be hard but you’ve got to deal with it. Stop running. Yes, it might hurt but stop hiding. When Jonah ran from the assignment God sent him to do, he ended up in the belly of a fish. Now, I need you to look around … are you in an unfamiliar place in your life? Is it dark and you can’t see your way out? Have you tried calling on folk and they couldn’t help? Have you tried to get yourself out only to find that you got pushed deeper in? Are you wandering lost in the same place you’ve always been without a clear direction on where to go? Have you tried it your way and it didn’t work? If you answered yes to most of these, you might need to think about what you are running from. Please understand this, people are quick to assume that when God places a calling over your life it is to be a minister but that is not always the case. No, God calls all of us to do things and it’s not just to be a minister of His word because if you think about; His word should live in us daily so we should all, in one way or another, be ministers of the gospel anyway.

Yet, whatever it is God is calling you to do; you have a responsibility to find it out – stop running from it and then you’ll be able to do like Jonah did and call on God from your dark place and He’ll hear you. For Jonah 2:2 says, “I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and LORD, you heard me.” Yes, I get it; it feels like every time you try to get your life together; the enemy is camped all around you, hell breaks loose in your home, folk on the job start acting strange, it feels like you’re about to lose your mind but just like Jonah when he started to lose it and thought all hope was lost, when he thought it was the end, he says in Jonah 2:6, “I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O LORD my God, snatched me from the jaws of death!” Baby, God won’t let you die in the mess you’re in – GET UP! God won’t allow you to suffer by yourself – OPEN THE DOOR! God won’t allow you to be in this thang alone – ANSWER THE PHONE! God won’t even allow you to continually run from Him – STOP RUNNING! You have something on the inside on you that has been growing and now it’s time for you to give birth … PUSH! Start pushing out that purpose God has dropped in your spirit, somebody needs to hear it. Get ready to deliver that destiny, somebody needs to see it. Then your song will change to, “God, whatever you’re doing in this season; don’t do it without me!”

Daily Devotional – 4/16/15 “It’s not about us!”

I’ve been so out of sorts, spiritually, these last few days. I can’t seem to get my thoughts together. Then, I got up this morning and decided to slow down to allow my mind to rest. See, if I continue on; I’ll mess up and this thang isn’t about me. The sermon that I have to put together, it isn’t about me so it has to be right. This devotional that I write, it isn’t about me so it has to be right. My life isn’t about me and although it isn’t perfect, it too has to be half way right because folk are looking at me. When I accepted God’s calling, it stopped being about me. Sure, I get frustrated sometimes but it isn’t about me because I’ve been favored for this fight. Yea, I get weary and worn but then there is a word that can light a fire in my spirit that will make me forget all about my troubles. My mind goes back to yesterday’s devotional and the scripture that says in Revelation 2:10, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” So you see, I have no reason to be fearful of what’s happening because my God got me! He’s my ride or die, my protector, my shield; grandma told me He’ll be food when I’m hungry, a midnight company keeper, a sleeping pill when I can’t find rest, a hugger when I need comfort, a doctor when I need healing, a lawyer when I need help, a psychiatrist when I need to talk, a forgiver when I sin, a bank when I need a blessing, a mind regulator when mind seems to be going, hurt eraser when folk have done me wrong, water to clean me up when folk have thrown dirt on me and He’s a new name giver when folk have scandalized the one I have. Oh! I ain’t got the same worries as when I started!

What about you? I’ve learned that we have to give these things over to God – It ain’t about us. Even the things we sometimes go through aren’t about us. God will take us through sickness just so somebody around us can see His healing power being manifested through us. God will allow us to fail only to restore us just so somebody who has doubted His ability to see that He is who He says He is. God will allow us to fall on our face in front of folk who say they are our friends just to show you they aren’t who they say they are. (You learn who you can count on when you’re down.) God will allow you to lose family so that you can lean on Him. It’s not about us. I know you’re trying to figure out why you’re going through whatever it is you’re going through but baby it isn’t about you. Go through it in order for somebody around you to be helped. Stop being selfish – it’s not your world; we are in this thang together. We all got a part to play.