Daily Devotional – 1/22/15 “Why do you go to church?”

I asked the question of the youth and young adults in bible study on last night “Why do you come to church,” and the answers were honest and uncut. Some said to learn about God, a few said to build their spiritual lives and a few even said because they are made to come. Then they turned the question on me and I too had to say, to build my spiritual life. One of the other adults in the room said that a lot of people come to church because it’s something they are used to doing on Sunday, it’s repetitive and they know nothing else to do on Sunday morning between 10 and 12 yet that’s not what church should be. Like I explained on last night, church is supposed to be the hospital for the sin sick; a place of healing for the Saints after the world has beaten them down all week and a place we ought to be able to come to find solace from a world of burdens. Church, a place of worship, should be the place I can come to on Sunday and find somebody who has been through hell all week just like me and we’ve come with the same agenda; to get our praise on. Yea, our place of worship should be a place where we should be able to come and find no judgment but joy. Our place of worship shouldn’t be where we come to get the latest gossip but where we come to get God’s grace. Our place of worship shouldn’t be filled with the world’s mess yet it should be overflowing with God’s message yet it’s missing.

Something is wrong y’all. The bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” See, I should be able to come to church without worrying about whose talking about me. I should be able to come to God’s house and not have to worry about whose seat I’m sitting in. I should be able to come to God’s house and not have to worry about whose wife is looking at me because she worried about her husband looking at me. Girl, close your eyes and pray! Man, bow down at that altar and pray. This is the problem. We don’t pray like we should. We don’t have devotion like we used to anymore. We don’t set the atmosphere in God’s house anymore because we are too busy tweeting, texting and taking selfies. Something is wrong y’all! Why do you come to church? When will we put God back as the head? When will we start inviting him back to worship service, ushering in the spirit and entering into His court with praise? Why exactly do you go to church? And until we answer this question truthfully, we won’t fix the issue that is plaguing our worship services.

Daily Devotional – 1/21/15 “Every now and then!”

What is this that got me feeling … I don’t know! I can’t put my finger on and I can’t explain it. Have you ever been there? It feels like … My spiritual minded folk will understand because I cannot put it into words! All I know is this, there is something about to happen, something that I have been wrestling with in the spiritual realm that is about to shift some things. My daughter text me yesterday and said she had a dream that I was pregnant and I replied and told her this means I am about to give birth to something and I didn’t realize it then but she was simply confirming it. See, God is about to do something and although I don’t know what it is, all I have to do is PUSH! (HA!) Pray Until Shift Happens! Y’all don’t even understand the magnitude of my feelings right now. When I think about the things that are happening in my spiritual life, I can’t put them into words! When I think about where I could be and where I should be, if it were left up to folk, I rejoice in knowing that it isn’t left up to folk because I have a God who blesses in spite of me.

Baby, I don’t mean to make this thang personal but every now and then you have to remind yourself that you could have been the one outdoors had it not been for God keeping your mind from going crazy. Yea, every now and then you have to make it personal to remind yourself that it could be you on the corner begging for food when you lost your job and couldn’t find another one. Every now and then you have to remind yourself that it could be you sitting at the West Clinic getting chemo or at the Dialysis clinic. Every now and then you have to remind yourself that it could be you sitting beside the bed of your baby girl or boy who has an inoperable brain tumor and today could be the final day they take their last breath. Every now and then you have to remind yourself that it could be you burying your spouse or identifying another one of your sons or daughters. Every now and then you have to remind yourself that it could be you making another visit to the jail or accepting another collect call. Every now and then you need to remind yourself that it could be you. Oh, if it had not been for the Lord keeping me. Oh, if it had not been for the Lord keeping you. Oh, if it had not been for the Lord keeping us; where would we be? Every now and then we need to be reminded that it could be worse because it could.

Daily Devotional – 1/20/15 “Repentance not repeating!”

I am not perfect and I don’t portray to be yet God loves me and He tells me if I repent with my mouth for the sins I commit, He will forgive me and He does. Please understand; we are human, we are born in fleshly bodies that are promised trouble from the time we are born and even guaranteed trials and tribulations and yes, we will sin but that doesn’t mean we have to continue to live in our sins and mess. Yes; will make mistakes, we will fall short a few times, we will lie, we will go places we shouldn’t, do things we know we ought not do, think thoughts we should not think and all that but that doesn’t condemn us to hell because we all have the chance to be forgiven; if we ask for 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” but we cannot stay in our sin and continue to do them over and over simply because we have repentance to fall back on. At some point you ought to be tired of committing the same sin and you should have learned your lesson by now. Just because you have repentance doesn’t give you the right to repeat!

And please, please don’t act like you don’t ever sin, you don’t do anything wrong, you don’t go to some of the wrong places, your mind don’t wander to wrong thoughts every once in a while or your mouth don’t utter the wrong words occasionally because 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” We ALL fall short, just get up and stop repeating! Ministers, Preachers, Evangelists, Bishops, Apostle, Prophets or whatever title that is in front of your name; we all have the same charge … to teach God’s word and yes, even we fall short sometime yet we can’t tarry in sin either. Please get this; God doesn’t wipe away the fleshly part of our body when He calls us which means we are entitled to make a mistake yet it doesn’t make it any less right or wrong than the next person! Every person has a duty to do what is right in the eyesight of God. Yet, the man or woman of God has a higher duty because we will be judged more harshly, not differently but more harshly. This is why we all have to do better as a body of God’s people. Don’t continue to sin simply because you know you’ll be forgiven because what if you died in your sin without the chance to be? God’s repentance doesn’t give us the right to keep repeating sins! Do better God’s people! We have too.

Daily Devotional – 1/19/15 “Sometimes you have to let go!”

I know it may be hard to do but you might just have to let it go! Whatever it is you’re trying so hard to hold on to, it’s draining your joy. Sometimes you have to cut your losses, bow out gracefully and move on because everything just isn’t going to work out and everybody isn’t going to work with you. See, there are some places you’re going that you can’t invite certain people to and you should know that by now. There are some things you’re going to be blessed with that not everybody is going to have the privilege of sharing with you but that’s ok, you should know who they are by now. Not everybody is going to rejoice with you but you should be alright with that by now. There will even be some folk, who you thought had your back, that will celebrate your downfall but you should expect that too. This is why you need to reevaluate your circle every now and then. Every time you get elevated check your circle. I’ve learned that even when you fall, you need to check your circle because sometimes folk around you will cause you to stumble.

Sometimes you need to let go. There are some folks camped around you who are planning your demise yet they are smiling and writing down your dreams. Yea, there are folks who walk with you on the road to creating your vision and the entire time they are wishing you’d become a victim. But get this … It’s their job and unless you know how to test their spirit, you are going to keep falling victim to their schemes. When will you let them go? So what if they’ve been your best friend since you were 2, if they haven’t gotten on board with where you are by now, it’s time to let them go. Baby, if you and your spouse are still headed in two separate directions and it’s been 10 years; it’s time to let them go. God said we are made to be helpmates for one another! It’s time for reevaluation of your circle because sometimes you have to let go! Galatians 1:10 sums it up by simply asking the question, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” What are you doing? Who are you trying to please? Sometimes you have to let go of people and things in order to get to where you need to be!

Daily Devotional – 1/16/15 “Are you dependable?”


Are you dependable? Can you be counted on? When you are invited, can you be counted in the number? When something is planned, can you be penciled in? Are you reliable? Are you trustworthy? If God had to pick someone to be tested, could He choose you? Would your faith withstand the test? Would you be like Job and make it through? Even after friends walk off after a few days, would you stay? When your family can no longer hang in there with you, will you still stay? When folk holler at you to give up because it’s no longer worth it to them, will you still stay? Can God depend on you? I find it strange that as Saints of God being in God, walking in this Christian way of life; we are all for the bless part of righteous living yet we throw in the towel at the first sign of trouble. I mean, we are all in the ship with God when the weather is good; the sun is shining and the cool air is blowing but baby as soon as the storm hits, the boat starts rocking, the water begins hitting against the side of the boat and it seems like we are about to sink; we start looking for a way out. Yea, when times are good we barely seek God, rarely talk to Him and don’t even look for us to come to worship service but let financial trouble hit, sickness start attacking our body or a close family member, child start acting crazy, marriage get in trouble or hell creep in your home; can’t nobody in the house beat you praying.


Why can’t God get the same dependability from us in and out of trouble? Isn’t He worth it? Doesn’t He come see about us in and out of trouble? Isn’t He dependable? When we call Him, doesn’t He come? When we seek Him, can He not be found? Yet God is still saying today like Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew 9:37, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Don’t you get it? There are so many among us that are sick, heavy with burdens, depressed, suicidal, addicted to whatever, going through things in their own homes, dealing with things on their jobs and this is in the church; God needs dependable people who are willing to work for Him to help His people. There are more Saints suffering than sinners because sinners are living in their sins yet Saints are trying to cover theirs up. It’s time out y’all. More Saints are going to hell, more Saints are being used by the enemy and more of them are in the church doing it! This has got to stop. God needs dependable folk who are willing to do His will and He needs us now. Are you dependable? Can you be counted on? Can God depend on you? If you have to think about the answer to these questions, right now is a good time to change.