Daily Devotional – 2/12/15 “Kingdom Broadcast System!”

I sometimes wonder if we, as Saints of God, would stop and listen if God would interrupt our day-to-day activities with one of those messages that say, “This is a test of the Kingdom Broadcast System!” Yea, I just wonder if we would turn down for a moment to see what He was saying when He would interrupt the music playing on the radio with “This is a test of the Kingdom Broadcast System!” Oh, I wonder if we’d be mad when He interrupts Scandal or Empire with a message from the “Kingdom Broadcast System” that couldn’t wait until a commercial. I wonder if we’d sit long enough to listen to the entire message without trying to mute the television or turning down the volume of the radio. I’m just using my spiritual imagination for a moment and playing in my mind if God would interrupt us for a moment, if we would listen. I mean, does God have to really lay us on our backs to get us to see Him? Does God have to stop us in the middle of traffic facing a car that should have hit us head on to know that He is real? Does God have to heal us in order for us to know that He is indeed the healer grandma speaks of? Why does God have to prove His trust when it’s never been broken? Why can’t we take Him at His word, first?

Isn’t it something that you’ll trust the tax man who promises to get you back thousands and you just met Him but you won’t trust the man who stepped out of nowhere and created the Earth? You’ll trust the woman you met on Facebook yesterday because she had a cute profile picture with your entire life but you won’t trust the man who gave you life and all He asks for is your heart. We will trust a chair with 3 bad legs but not the master who holds all power in the palm of His hand. I’m just thinking out loud; wondering if we’ll listen, wondering if we’ll see the blinking light of the message or wondering if we’ll turn the volume up before it’s too late. Will we? Will you? This is a test of the Kingdom Broadcast System … are you within range to hear the message of the master?

Daily Devotional – 2/11/15 “Thank the pumper!”

My uncle tells this story from time to time … “There was this famous organ player who traveled all around the world playing for sold out theaters. Every time he would get on stage he would thank all those who he says have made it possible for him to play music but he would never thank the most important person who, without him there would be no music. See, he could never see this person because he was up above him, hidden; he was simply called the pumper and he was responsible for pumping the air into the organ that made the beautiful music the organist got credit for playing. So, this night after doing his nightly ritual, he sat down to play but when he touched the keys, nothing came out. He tried again and nothing. Then he looked up into the rafters of the theater and remembered his pumper. He jumped up and began giving thanks to the one who makes it possible for the music that he plays. And this time when he sat down and begin playing, the pumper began pumping.”

The moral of the story, don’t forget who pumps you up! Yea, I know man can sometime fill you up but don’t forget the one who favors you. Yea, I know the world can sometime pump and prime you but don’t forget the one who picks you up when the world lets you down. Yea, I know the world can sometime toot your horn but don’t forget the one who turns your tests into testimonies and your transgressions into triumphs. Don’t forget about your pumper! Just because He doesn’t give up on us as easily as man does, it still doesn’t mean we should take Him for granted because the next minute may not be granted unto us. Every now and then we need to look up into the rafters and remember our pumper. And every chance we get, we need to thank our pumper for the bible says in Mark 8:38, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Stop taking your pumper for granted! Some of us aren’t worth the mercies that He sends new every morning but He still pumps them into us! Some of us aren’t worth the strength He places in our legs, arms, hands and feet; yet He still pumps it into them! Some of us aren’t worth the sight in our eyes, the taste in our mouth and the knowledge in our brains, yet He continues to pump it into us! Some of us wasn’t even worthy of the gift He entrusted us with yet He pumped it into us anyway so, isn’t the pumper worth a shout out? Isn’t the pumper worthy of thanks too? Ephesians 5:20 says “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Daily Devotional – 2/9/15 “Where is our praise?”

Yesterday was a day for me. It was a day where my spirit just wasn’t right and no matter how I prayed, I just couldn’t get into the right spiritual frame of mind. Have you ever been there? Yea, I know you probably have it all together but baby, I’m human and I sometimes struggle with this spiritual thang because every moment is a battle against not flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness that is trying to destroy kingdom workers. Yes, I know you expect those of us who stand in the pulpit to deliver God’s word to have it all together but you do understand that we are human, right? Yes, we have a higher standard but don’t you get the fact that we have 999 different kinds of spirits to deal with, with a smile and a prayer? When was the last time you prayed for the pastor, the co-pastor or the pulpit clergy members? When was the last time you prayed for the first lady or the first husband? You do know she or he has to deal with the pastor after he or she gets home from dealing with us, Christian folk, right? And you do understand that not all Christian folk act and talk like Saints, don’t you? I’m just trying to get you to understand that the encourager sometimes need encouraging too.

See, a dead worship service to a Pastor/Minister is like a dead club to a person in the world; they don’t stay long. Yea, they’ll find someplace else to party that’s jumping. Wouldn’t you? What’s the sense of going to God’s house without the intention of getting your praise on? Didn’t you make it through the hell from the week, didn’t you survive when someone else didn’t, and didn’t you come through with your mind when you know you should have been crazy, didn’t you still have all your senses and didn’t you have activity of your limbs? Every Sunday in God’s house should be a praise party because somebody should have something to celebrate and then we should be ready to join in to help them. The bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We might not get next Sunday.

Daily Devotional – 2/6/15 “Where is your fire?”

It’s Friday and someone’s face is full of tears because you’re fearful of failing yet again or you’ve fallen into the enemy’s trap of familiar faults and you can’t figure out how to fight your way loose but don’t fret! All you need to do is rekindle the fire that is on the inside of you and it’ll burn all of that negative stuff up! Yea! See, I sometimes watch my nephew who is 5 years old who loves church. Now, while all the other children are outside playing, he’s over in an area with a makeshift pulpit, his bible and something he has made into a microphone and he’s preaching. (You don’t have to believe me, check out some videos on my Facebook page). He’s only 5 but he has a fire in his spirit already that allows him to believe and know God for himself. He can’t read the bible but he has it open in front of him because it’s what he sees. He doesn’t need an audience because usually he is in a room to himself and most time he will do it for hours. Yea, he’ll preach himself happy because he has that fire in his spirit that won’t allow him to do anything else but what he knows. He doesn’t care about anything else around him. Why can’t we as adults have that kind of fire in our spirit? That kind of fire that makes us want to fight instead of folding under the pressure of the enemy. That kind of fire that makes us want to be finishers instead of fakers. That kind of fire that makes us want to be forgivers instead of being forsaken and the kind of fire that takes us from being followers to frontrunners.

Where is your fire? Where is your fire to fight? Where is your fire to get up? Where is your fire to tighten up your boot straps and walk on? Where is your fire to shake off the dust and try again? Where is your fire to not care what folk say about you? Where is our fire to not mind the names folk call you? Where is your fire to go even when you don’t feel like it? Where is your fire to keep on even after God has said no, the door has been closed, application denied, car quit, job cut your hours, bills behind, death angel showed up at your home, spouse acting strange, children cutting up sideways and then the doctor looking at you funny? Where is your fire? Luke 3:16 says we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, where is it? Oh, it’s probably buried under all the mess, anger and bitterness that’s on the inside of you, right? Well, may I suggest a Spirit cleaning to rekindle the fire that will help you get out of that pit of gloom? It’s there; it just needs to be reignited! Will it before it’s too late? Where is your fire?

Daily Devotional – 2/5/15 “Live, just because!”

As Saints of Gods, we don’t have to be stuck up and dry. You do know that we are living, right? I mean, every now and then I need to remind you to just live because you can forget to do that in the hustle and bustle of life. We get so caught up in the stress of paying bills, in raising children, in working, in trying to stay healthy or get healthy that we actually forget about simply living. When was the last time you took a day off, just because? When was the last time you slept in, just because? When was the last time you stopped and let out a breath, just because? When was the last time you took yourself out to dinner, just because? When was the last time you had a glass of wine, a nice bath, listened to some music or the quietness of nothing to relax yourself; just because? When was the last time you did anything, just because? Do you not realize that you are living? I know in the repetition of our day-to-day lives we can sometimes forget about things but we also forget about ourselves. How many can say, I didn’t even eat today and by the time you remember it’s dinner time?

Yes, this is a Christian devotional and someone is waiting on me to share a word from the Lord but somebody on today needs to be reminded to live. That’s all I am doing. See, we’ve gotten so accustomed to worrying about stuff that we shouldn’t even have our hands in and days that haven’t even come yet when the bible says in Matthew 6:34, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” We cry over stuff that has already happened and that’s stuff we can no longer control yet we can control what happens next but we won’t get up. Why not? We’ve been hurt before but we still live in that hurt instead of moving from that address into new property where pain no longer resides even though the rent is free. Why? And this point I’ll throw in free … Ladies, young and old; the single status you keep posting on social media is only drawing the thirsty boys not the husband God is preparing for you. He knows you’re single. Stop posting it! Live your life preparing for your husband and preparing to be found by your husband and you will be. Stop posting that you’re single and them boys will stay out of your inbox.

Live just because you are alive! Live just because God has allowed you another blessed opportunity! Don’t take it for granted because you may not get another chance.