Daily Devotional – 11/6/14 “It’s just a storm!”

Why is your head hung down in defeat? Why is it every time we, as Saints, go into a storm we think it’s because we are being punished when the simple truth is every one of us has a stormy season to endure? The same way the weather goes through stormy season is the same way we have to endure them so why do we cry each time we see the clouds roll in? Do you not understand that the same way the storm rolls in; it has to roll out which means it’ll end eventually? Do you not understand that God is there before, during and after your storm? Do you not get the fact that Psalm 34:19-20 says, “The righteous person faces many troubles but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken?” That alone is worth shouting over (if you’re righteous)! Yea, see; it doesn’t matter that man will try to hurt you because the word says, they can’t break you. I didn’t make it up, read the verse again. It doesn’t matter how hard folk try, they can’t break the righteous. It doesn’t matter how hard folk push for you to fail, they can’t break you! What are you crying for? Why are you concerned with the naysayers? The only reason you have to worry is if you aren’t as righteous as you say you are.

Yea, we all have faults and shortcomings. We all make our share of mistakes. We all fall, a time or three yet God has given us another chance to make it right. God didn’t expect us to be perfect, why else would He give us repentance but He does expect us to try to live our lives decently and in order. Beloved, you can’t expect to be praying over folk at the altar on Sunday and then preying over them on Facebook on Monday; it doesn’t work like that. You get points for going to bible study on Monday but that doesn’t last if you forget it on Tuesday. All I am saying is this… We all have seasons to go through and some of them will be better than the others but go through them with the faith that God hasn’t left you. Your religion, praise and faith shouldn’t be based on your situation anyway; it should be based on the fact that you have a man in your corner who has already equipped you with everything you need to weather the storm, if you would tap into it. Lift your head and stop being defeated so easily when you have been made God tough. If you were meant to be gone by now, you would be! If you were meant to fail by now, you would have!

Daily Devotional – 11/5/14 “It starts with me!”

God has places for us to go, things for us to do, people for us to help save, lives to help restore and even blessings with our name on them yet we won’t get out of our own way to be useable. Yea, God has work for us to do but we have to first be dependable, capable and trustworthy workers who can be used in God’s service. But isn’t it something how we can blame everybody and everything else for blocking our paths except ourselves? We are quick to blame folk for us failing when it was our fault for not learning. We blame man for the negative press that is being brought on “church folk” when church folk are the ones doing the negative stuff to get the press. I mean, when will we, as Saints, get back to God’s business of teaching, reaching and saving souls? When will we clean ourselves up in order to be able to help someone else? When will we get out of our own way in order to be used and elevated?

When will we stop using excuses? “God knows my heart.” Yep, He does yet you still have the nerve to question Him on why you can’t move from point A when your heart is so full of anger and malice. Your song ought to have changed by now to “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10).” “When I get myself together…” God never put a requirement in His book that you had to be right to come to Him because the bible says in Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God needs willing workers. Haven’t you seen the state we’re in? Parents are burying their children, mothers are throwing their babies off bridges, depression is taking over, stress is at an all-time high because folk can barely eat and they are working two jobs, medication and doctor visits are too expensive to pay for, working everyday yet your check seems like you’re paying them, sickness won’t leave you alone, children won’t act right no matter what you try and that’s not even half of it. We’ve got to get it together Saints! We are losing and it’s not supposed to be that way when we have a victorious God. We all have to do better and it starts with self first. Stop waiting on someone else, change you! Start with you! Get out of your own way!

Daily Devotional – 11/4/14 “You still angry?”

A new month but the same you with the same ole messed up attitude and jacked up spirit. Didn’t you say you were working on that last month? Wasn’t that one of your New Year’s resolution? Well, don’t you see that the year is coming to an end? When is this change coming? Aren’t you tired of being mean and hostile to everyone you meet? Don’t you know by now, God doesn’t reside in anger for it is a foot hole for the devil? Each time you allow anger to take control of you, the enemy rejoices. Each time you allow your anger to get the best of you; the enemy does a victory dance. Why? Well because, again, you’ve given him an open door into your spirit. What are you angry for child? Stop allowing the same folk to hurt you. Stop going into places where you know you’ll be hurt. Stop giving your heart to someone you know will break it especially if they’ve broken it before. Release past hurts and FORGIVE AND FORGET!

Matthew 6:9 tells us how we should pray and in the midst of the same prayer, Matthew 6:12 says, “And forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” See, in order for us to be forgiven, we have to first forgive because not forgiving is one main cause of anger (in my personal opinion). When we hold on to the things people did to us, words folks said to us, promises broken, relationships that didn’t work out and most of all church hurt … that stuff, that mess turns to anger. Now, here you are a grown angry adult who folk hate to see coming because you’re always complaining or mad. This is why Ephesians 4:31-32 says, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” And yes, forgiving and forgetting has everything to do with the person who hurt you because it shows them that they didn’t win! Stop allowing anger, hurt and not being able to forgive hinder you. God has places for you to go, things for you to do and blessings with your name on them; He’s simply waiting on you to get out of the way of getting them.

Daily Devotional – 10/31/14 “Friday’s prayer!”

It’s Friday but have no fear for God has received your plea. He has! Oh, you thought He wasn’t listening? Someone told you He didn’t hear the cries of a sinner, He can’t hear your pleas from way down there; well they lied for 1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” And not only that because then 1 John 5:15 picks up and says, “And if we know that he hears us–whatever we ask–we know that we have what we asked of him.” See, you can’t let what folk say to you stop you from going to God with your request; go with the confidence that it’s already done. Stop waiting until man has validated your prayer because they’ll water it down with mess and by the time it makes it to God’s ears it’s so full of misery, God don’t know what you’re praying for. Stop waiting on people to pray for you, pray for yourself sometime especially when you’re able to. God said approach me with confidence and then “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith (Matthew 21:22).

Oh, you don’t know how to pray; it’s simple, just have a conversation with God but the bible says it like this … “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13” God is waiting to hear from you about you! He doesn’t need to hear from Pastor all the time about your ailment, go to God on your own behalf and see if He won’t work it out. Even on this Friday. Prayer changes things Saints! I didn’t just read about it because I know for myself. I didn’t have to ask anybody because I tried it.

My Heavenly Father, as I petition your throne I must first thank you for another day. Thank you for blessings and for your grace. Now, God I thank you for the person who is reading this now and God I ask you to increase their prayer life. God, for those who don’t know how to pray; I dispatch the anointing of the Holy Spirit over their lives now to intercede on their behalf to move in a mighty way. God turn living room into altars so that prayers may go forth. God, I ask that burdens are lifted and that lives are changed on this day to never be the same in a good way. Right now, I am standing in the gap praying for all those who are unable to pray for themselves and a special blessing for my nephew today because he is on my heart. Amen.

Daily Devotional – 10/30/14 “Turn it over Thursday!”

It’s Thursday and you know what that means right? Yep! It means its turn it over Thursday! Yea, you may be going through, the enemy may be standing outside your home beckoning you to come out, your storm may be brewing over head and you just came out of one, car may be on its last good tire, cut off notice for MLGW staring you in the face and you barely got enough for gas, food and the medicine you need and you just got paid but turn it over! Wife acting like she ain’t got good sense, husband acting like a stranger you don’t know, children acting like you didn’t birth them and family acting brand new but turn them over. Folk on the job trying to make you lose your religion, church folk constantly acting like they have already lost theirs and the world won’t find any but turn it over! For Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving. Then God’s peace, which goes far beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your hearts and minds in union with the Messiah Jesus.”

Yes I know it’s easier to worry but why worry about when God says He’ll take it if you give it to Him. Why are you stressing yourself out over things you have no control over when God says give it to me, let me handle it and I’ll let you rest. I get it, it’s easy for me to sit at this keyboard and give you encouragement when I’m not in your shoes, going through what you’re going through but I’ve been through a few things and trust me when I tell you, I ain’t finished going through. Is it easy for me to always give it over to God, no but I’ve learned (the hard way) that when I do, He makes it all better. Beloved, please understand … “In every way we’re troubled but not crushed, frustrated but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9.” So on this Thursday; stop trembling and tarrying in that terror, get up out of that trench of turmoil without tumbling over the trials you’ve already triumphed above and turn it over! You made it to another day which means God has a purpose for you! Find it and then use it! Turn over that “I can’t”, “Sickness won’t let me”, “No money” “They said I can’t”, attitude and do it!