Daily Devotional – 12/16/14 “We are in this together!”

I may not be who you think I should be but I am becoming exactly who God says I’ll be. I may not look how you think I ought to look but God made me in His image and that looks pretty doggone good to me. I may not say what you would have me to say but if you keep listening you might just hear something that will get you out of that rut you’re in. I may not have on a $200 pair of shoes but baby Sweet Soles does my feet justice on any day and I walk better because I don’t have to worry about messing them up because I can afford to buy another pair. I may not have on a $100 pair of jeans but have you seen the ones I got on, they were probably from Goodwill, could you tell? I may not live in a million dollar house but I have a home that has a roof, warm water, security and my family; I’d called that being blessed! I may not carry a $300 purse but I’ve never seen the sense in carrying a purse that cost more than what I had to put in it. Do you? Baby, I’m not trying to keep up with you because you’re probably struggling too. And that’s a problem! Why are we, as Saints of God; living under the umbrella of being God’s children, trying to outdo one another? I’ve never understood that. Why can’t we be real with one another without having to worry about being judged by those who are supposed to uplift us in our time of need?

Don’t you understand that when we die, the inside of our grave will be the same? Yea, our caskets may be different colors, yours may be fancier depending how much your family spends but when you peel everything back; it’s all the same because it’s only to serve one purpose, to hold this shell of a body. When we die, our money won’t send us to the front of the judgment line any faster because we will still have to give an account for our deeds down here. God won’t care about the money we had in the bank because when we die we can’t take it with us. God won’t ask how much we had saved but He’ll want to know if we saved any souls while we were roaming down here. God won’t care about our 401K plan but He’ll ask if we invested any time in His word. God won’t care about that house we lived in but He’ll ask if we opened the doors to help anybody else. God won’t care about all the clothes we had hanging in the closet but He’ll ask how many times we helped to clothe others. This is why Romans 15:1-3 says, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.” Jesus had the power to save himself but instead decided to save us the least we can do is help one another! Can’t you see that we are in this thang together? It’s not a competition. We got enough to battle with the enemy, why do we have to battle each other. I need you and you need me!

Daily Devotional – 12/15/14 “It’s all in who you ask! “

I’ve come to realize that it’s all in who you ask. See, I asked God to enlarge my territory and he called me to minister. I asked God to increase my gift and I became a published author. I asked God to use me and He said you’ll have to go where I send you. I asked God to heal my heart and He said you’ll have to love again. I asked God to give me sight and He said you’ll have to see the good and bad in folk. I asked God to clean me up and He said I will but you’ll have to get dirty again, in this line of work. I asked God to forgive me of my sins and He said you have to forgive too. I asked God not to forget about me and He said I won’t but there are some things you need to forget about too. And when I did … thangs start happening in my life, for the good! God shifted my life and hasn’t been the same and neither have I and it was because of who I asked.

I told you before that you can continue to pray until something happens but something is defined as an unspecified object when you ought to be specific in your prayers to God. Don’t you know the bible says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and you shall receive?” Matthew 21:22 says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Get this, 1 John 3:21-22 says this; “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.” Isn’t that enough for us to go to God with our desires to ask of Him that which we need? Why are we without? Why are we in need? Why are we suffering? Every day should be a day of rejoicing, if we are in the body of Christ. It shouldn’t matter whether the day is good or bad, it should be a day of rejoicing especially knowing that we can get whatever we want from our Father who is in Heaven. Why are we, as a body of Christ, suffering? It seems to me we are either asking the wrong person, asking the wrong questions or either we are out of the will of God? What do you think? It’s all in who you ask! You don’t have to believe me but try it for yourself and you’ll see. Ask in faith!

P.S. Here is the video of my sermon from yesterday titled “PUSH – Pray Until Shift Happens” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnVbUa_SS2s

Daily Devotional – 12/11/14 “Change your attitude against the enemy!”

I’ve been writing notes for my message for Sunday (that still sounds weird) and I am still in awe of the way things are happening in my life. I’m in awe over the good things that are happening and I am also in awe over the audacity of the enemy. Y’all the enemy is bold, his attacks doesn’t stop and when he can’t get to me, he will attack those around me (especially my children) but he is one bold face lie if he thinks for one second I will stop fighting him. Let me explain something to you, I can’t say I’ve always known there was a calling on my life but when I realized there was and it became serious; I became serious about it. Do I have days of feeling discouraged, yes; we all do but I won’t give up, I PUSH! However I won’t dwell on the enemy because to give him more time than he deserves, is giving him way more credit than he is due. He ain’t worth it!

So, I simply stop by this morning to let you know this … Change your attitude when dealing with the enemy and it’ll change your outcome. See, when you rejoice even in the midst of your storm; it’ll confuse him. When you praise in the midst of the hell he’s throwing, it’ll throw him off his game. When you smile even through your tears, it’ll complicate his plans. When you get up after falling over the obstacle he intentionally planted in your way, it’ll leave him shaking his head. When you start doing back flips in the water he thought you’d drown in, it’ll cloud his thoughts. When you start shouting even while you’re sick; it’ll blur his eyesight. When you dance and he thought you’d doubt, it’ll puzzle even him. All you have to do is change the way you react to his attacks and he’ll get tired of attacking someone he can’t defeat for Ephesians 6:11-13 says, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

Daily Devotional – 12/10/14 “Stop rushing God’s process!”

It takes 9 months to birth a baby.
It takes time to bake cookies, cakes, bread and pies (time varies depending on the type).
It takes time to fill out an application.
It takes time to finish school.
It takes time to complete an interview.
It takes time to read this.

My point is … Stop rushing God’s process. You wait on everybody else but you rush God. He said he’d be there 30 minutes ago yet you didn’t rush him but you’ll rush God. She said she’d call you back an hour ago yet you didn’t rush her but you’ll rush God.

God’s process takes time and there is a process to everything He does in our life. This is why Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Please understand, if you commit your life to God, He will direct your life.” Will the enemy try to knock you off the path? Yes, every chance he gets because it’s his job, his mission but stay the course and PUSH (PRAY UNTIL SHIFT HAPPENS). God told you in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” but you first have to be committed in God and then trust in the plans He has for you. Yes, it’s easier to give up and harder to hold on but holding on pays off. I know you are ready for your shift now. I know you are ready for your financial breakthrough to come now. I know you are ready for your spouse. I know you are ready for your own house or car. I know you are ready for your own ministry. I know you are ready for your job/career. I know you are ready for your healing to manifest now. I know you want to be on the bestseller list. I know you’ve wanted to open your business. I know you’ve been praying. Oh but WAIT! It’s not time yet! Stop rushing God’s process. When it’s time to PUSH, He’ll tell you!

Daily Devotional – 12/8/14 “Pray Until Shift Happens! (PUSH)”

When you are in Christ, you should know that every time something happens a shift occurs so instead of saying pray until something happens; we should say pray until shift happens. See, when a shift happens that means God has elevated an area in our life that no living man can do. Yea, when a shift happens; it means God is about to take us to a place no man can take us. Baby, when a shift takes place; things begin happening that we can’t even begin to explain, doors start opening we didn’t even knock on and our gifts/talents bring us among people who we didn’t even think knew our name. When we PUSH, when we Pray Until Shift Happens, a shift happens! Think about it. When we pray for deliverance and it happens, that’s a shift. When we pray for a promotion on our job and it comes, that’s a shift! When we pray for healing and it happens, that’s a shift! When you pray for your husband and he comes, that’s a shift! When you pray for your wife and she comes, that’s a shift! That’s praying for your shift and not just something! Don’t you see the difference?

When you pray until something happens, something can be just anything but beloved when pray until shift happens; shift is elevation, appointment and anointment! Yea, I get it; you’ve been up but now you’re down but PUSH! You were healthy but now you’re sick but PUSH! You had a job but now you’re laid off but PUSH! You were married but now you’re divorced but PUSH! Married but spouse passed away, PUSH! Momma or daddy died, PUSH! Hell in your home, PUSH! Hell on the job, PUSH! Hell in the church, PUSH! Pray and Praise until there is a SHIFT in your personal relationship with God, your family, your finances, your health, your job and your worship! Don’t stop until there is a shift in every part of your life! Deuteronomy 28:1-10 says, “If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God: Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. “The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! “The LORD will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. “If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.” That seems worthy of “PUSH” to me!