Daily Devotional – 9/11/14 “Get tired but then …”


As a Christian, you should be tired. You should be tired of being picked on by the enemy but it should make you work harder to push him off of you. You should be tired of conforming to the world’s standards when God’s behaviors are way better anyway. You should be tired of playing church. You should be tired of playing on both sides of the fence, aren’t you too old for that anyway? You should be tired of being lied on so give them the truth to whisper about. You should be tired of being counted out so count yourself in. Aren’t you tired of waiting on someone else to encourage you, child encourage yourself sometime. Aren’t you tired of whining and crying with the woe is me attitude, the pity party and the feel sorry for me parade? When will you get up off of your do nothing and do something? You do know that you can’t get anywhere standing in the same spot, right? Yes, you’re going through something. Who isn’t? So the enemy is camped at your door, close it. He moved in? Pack his or her stuff and move him or her the hell out!

Listen beloved, don’t you know that if you weren’t being blessed, the enemy wouldn’t request your presence? If you were easy to break the enemy wouldn’t need to go before God to request the honor of testing your faith yet he has no choice because He knows you are a force to be reckoned with. Yet God smiles and nods and gives the enemy the go ahead to test you knowing He has given you EVERYTHING you need to succeed, yet you got the audacity to flinch at the first sight of trouble. Chile; get it together! For God says in Jeremiah 31:25, “I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint.” Get tired of being down and get up! Get tired of being out and get in! Get tired of being left and get right! But don’t give up! Get tired of getting picked on and get picked out. Get tired of being a choice and be chosen. Get tired of being called and answer, before it’s too late!

Daily Devotional – 9/10/14 “Love doesn’t hurt!”

I am not about to jump on the bandwagon of bashing men over domestic violence or blaming women who stay in abusive relationships because I’ve never been in a position to ever get out of one so I don’t know how one feels. However I do know this … LOVE DOES NOT HURT! Yes, words hurts, fists hurts, beatings hurts, wounds hurts but love does not. I don’t know what it feels like to be hit by my husband but I also don’t know what it feels like to hit my husband because I’ve never done it either; respect goes both ways. Listen, it’s time out for keeping things to ourselves. I know grandma used to say you keep family business at home but baby, there are some things that needs to be talked about outside the home. You have teenagers getting their butts kicked at school by these knucklehead boys and they are too scared to come home and tell somebody out of fear of getting their butt beat at home. Teach the kids that home is their safe place and if not home, then at least give them a safe place at somebody’s church. And please stop putting your personal feelings in place when it comes to their worship experience. Just because you ran away from the church instead of dealing with your demons, don’t stop them from getting the worship experience they need; break that generational curse … TODAY! It has to be destroyed. Haven’t you seen the news? Our children are dying by the minute and most of them without a church home which means without the saving grace of God; this has to stop.

This domestic violence demon is running rampant in our community and it is taking the lives of mothers and fathers which mean it is ultimately taking the lives of the children that are being left behind. Y’all we’ve got to destroy it and send it back to the pits of hell from where it came. How? Pray it off of the backs of the men and women who it so easily attaches itself too. How? Women; pray over, under, beside and in front of your man! Men; pray over, under, beside and in front of your woman! Stop letting any and everything into your relationship! Stop letting any and every one into your home! Stop being a hellmate and start being a helpmate! Stop listening to everybody who says they have something to say. Stop hearing every rumor that is spoken about your spouse. And please stop lying down with just anybody! If he or she is a little possessive in the beginning, it’ll only get worse; take heed to the warning signs and if he or she has threatened before, listen. It doesn’t matter if you have a position or not because abuse is abuse and if you’re dead, your casket will look the same as everybody else just a different color. Don’t be embarrassed, be alive. Love doesn’t hurt. Get out, get help!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Daily Devotional – 9/8/14 “You’re being tested!”

Don’t you know the enemy sets a test for you to fail every day? Yea, it’s his primary job to make sure you don’t succeed at nothing you set out to do. Yet, here you are! Another morning you’ve gotten up, guess what? YOU PASSED! So let me ask you a question … What are you complaining about? Aren’t you breathing? Isn’t your heart beating which means most, if not all, of your organs are functioning? Didn’t you look up to see a ceiling instead of the sky which meant you aren’t sleeping outside? Aren’t you reading this which means you’re electronically inclined with some sort of device or machine? Didn’t you get out of a bed rather than off of a cardboard box that was laid on a sidewalk? Didn’t you have a refrigerator to open with your choice of food to choose from instead of standing in a line to get the meal of the day? Didn’t you have a closet to open to pick from an array of clothes rather than the same pants and shirt attire that was given to you from the clothes closet? So tell me again what you have to complain about. Yea, I understand; you have some pain but somebody somewhere is burying a loved one who was killed and they didn’t deserve to die. Yea, I understand you got bills to pay but somebody somewhere is homeless and this time last month they were in your shoes. Yea, I know you feel like no one understands but how can they when you won’t tell nobody. Yea, I know I am just somebody telling you again about how good God is but have you tried Him, lately? Have you stop complaining long enough to see just how good you got it? It’s not as bad as you think it is. Stop blaming the world for your problems because the world didn’t create them, you did. Stop blaming momma and daddy, you can break the generational curse. Stop blaming the church, it’s not supposed to change, it’s just a building; the people are.

This is why God’s people have to get back to being God’s people. His word says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” This scripture begins with the word IF which means a possible situation because it’s possible; if we’re willing to getting back to kingdom business, if we’re willing to get back to bible study, if we’re willing to get back to worshipping the right way, if we’re willing to get back to having the right devotion, if we’re willing to call on the name of Jesus, if we’re willing to fall on the altar the way we should, if we praise the right way, if we sing right, if we love each other right, if God’s people would encourage more, if God’s people would teach more, if God’s would reach more, if God’s people … stop complaining, stop beating each other up, stop using each other and tearing each other down. The enemy has enough people doing that already, we don’t need Christians doing it too. Every day the enemy is testing us and he isn’t doing it because he likes us, he does it because we are blessed and he hates it. I say it like this; the enemy is testing this pimp! Yea, he is testing this person in my position because I am blessed like that! Plain and simple! The enemy is trying to keep you out of your position but stay in place. The enemy is only doing his job, so do yours by staying in your place but you can only do this by knowing your role. Stay prayed up! You passed yesterday’s test and you’ll get through today’s test and then worry about tomorrow’s test tomorrow. You got this!

Daily Devotional – 9/5/14 “Called not cursed!”

I’ve been called not cursed! That’s what the Holy Spirit dropped in my spirit this morning. I know it was meant for me but maybe just maybe it was meant for someone else who is also new on this journey of ministering in whatever field of ministry you’ve been called in. You’ve been called not cursed. See, this being called thing isn’t an easy charge to take hold of and if anybody tells you differently, they’d be lying. No, being called doesn’t automatically mean you’ve been called to preach and that’s where people get ministry twisted because everyone is not capable of preaching for Ephesians 4:11 clearly states, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.” These are all the true callings of God and there is a difference in each of them; learn your bible.

I don’t know who this is for but I am being obedient in my sharing. God has plans for all of us and although we don’t know how His plan is going to end, let Him finish it. Yes, I know you want things to happen now, you want things to go this way, you want stuff to happen like this or like that but “they” don’t but that doesn’t mean you throw in the towel. Chile, take that same towel, wipe the sweat from your brow and keep pushing. What are you giving up for? Who gives a crap about the folk standing around cheering you on to give up? The bible says in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Now, this said that God is preparing a table for you but not just any table but a feast for you in the presence of your enemies. So, turn around and smile at your haters and let them know they are your motivators. Baby, use them to inspire you. Every time they say you can’t, use that as gas for your CAN automobile. Every time somebody says you won’t be nothing, use that as windshield wiper fluid to clean the glass to see where you’re going on your journey. Every time somebody says you’ll be another statistic, prove them right by being the first at accomplishing something they said you never would. Yea, I started this off telling somebody that you are called and not cursed but this doesn’t necessarily limit it to ministry because God has a way of calling us to other things too but you have to be willing to listen and just because God calls you it doesn’t mean He has cursed you. Being called doesn’t mean you stop being who you are; it simply means you are blessed at what you’re doing.

Daily Devotional – 9/4/14 “Serve Him!”

My husband asked me this question this morning, “What are you toiling with in regards to God’s calling to you? Why don’t you just do what He is telling you?” Then I open up to write my devotional and the very first one I see is one that I wrote from 12/3/12 titled, “You want God’s service yet you won’t serve!” Wow!! Doesn’t God have a way of chastising you? Yes, I serve God but I have a duty to save. Yes, I write but am I willing? Yes, I’ve been taught but now I should be teaching. As Christians are we really doing our parts? Are we doing what we should be doing? Are we serving like we should? I’ve told you before and I surely don’t mind saying it again; sometimes the closest the unsaved gets to God is through a saved person. Don’t you know the words that come out of your saved mouth can be the determination on whether an unsaved person chooses your God? No, I am not saying that you have to be so Holy that you are no Earthly good but God should noticeable on you somewhere. I mean, if every time I see you and all I hear is cursing, all I see is a beer bottle, or you’re high; you might want to check what vine you’re doing it for.

I said all of that to say this to you … Don’t accept God’s service on Sunday because it’s out of habit only to sit Him down on Monday for your hobby. Don’t accept God’s service on Monday because your boo is gone and you’re blue and then sit Him down on Tuesday because two for one is calling your name. Don’t accept God’s service on Tuesday because you’re in your test and you need Him and then sit Him down when Wine down Wednesday rolls around. Don’t accept God’s service on Wednesday when you’re weeping and then sit Him down on Karaoke Thursday. Don’t accept God’s service on Choir Rehearsal Thursday and then sit him down on Live Band Friday. And I won’t even use Friday and Saturday because well we all know that ain’t nobody thinking about accepting God’s service on Friday and surely not on Saturday. What? I’m just keeping it real! Chile look here, once you accept God you don’t stop living; you just stop living in certain places (you’ll get that later). God didn’t say you had to stop dancing, stop drinking and stop having fun; God said to do things decently and in order. Serve God with the right heart and you’ll get God’s service. Don’t choose the days to serve, serve Him at all times and God will return the favor. I am a living witness that God will be faithful to you when you are faithful to Him. Serve Him!

1 Samuel 12:24, “Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.”