Daily Devotional – 8/14/14 “Get in your place!”

I was scrolling through my previous devotionals and I came across one I did on 3/31/14 titled, Get in your place. Now, this one caught my eye because I was speaking about this book that Evangelist Sandridge (at our church) gave me to read and I didn’t know it then but she was preparing me to get in my place. (Wow) See, Evangelist Sandridge is my uncle’s assistant minister and she’s been sick and her presence has been missed since she hasn’t been at the church. Our church is a small church is Hollywood, MS (near Tunica) and it doesn’t come with 5 associate ministers to carry on Sunday school and bible study when uncle Larry isn’t available and I didn’t know it then but I get it now, she was preparing me to get in my place. I get it now. God will send folk to us to prepare us for the position we are about to fill and if we don’t pay attention, we miss it. Isn’t that something? Here she was, the whole time preparing me to stand in for her while she recovers yet it never dawned on me. Her she was, the entire time, preparing me to get in my place and I almost missed it. Had I not been in tuned with my spirituality, had my own personal relationship with God, had my own study time with the bible and on my own journey to understand the calling God had over my life, I would have surely missed this. Oh but I am thankful for God for sending folk like Evangelist Sandridge who is faithful in her work and who, even at 80 years old, is still favored in this life. I am grateful that she saw in me the calling God had already placed over me and she wouldn’t let me forget it. I am yet praying for her and I know that whatever God has in store for her, it shall be done.

And for you, my brother or sister; you who are wavering in this fight today because the world is beating you down and it seem like you are fighting in vain; fight on! Yea, I know it seems like God placed you in the middle of a war zone but get in your place. Don’t you know that God won’t place you anywhere He hasn’t already been? Yes, your surroundings are unfamiliar and the people are looking at you funny but get in your place. You might not fit in but get in your place. Your voice may be shaky and you may have butterflies in your stomach but get in your place. You may not even feel like you belong there but you won’t be there long, it’s just a stepping stone so get in your place. Get in your place, you got work to do. Don’t allow fear to keep you from getting in your place. Don’t let folk stop you from getting in your place. Don’t even let you stop you from getting in your place because you’ve got work to do. Minister, Pastor, Preacher, Bishop, Dr, Evangelist; get in your place! It’s time out for pacifying the gospel to satisfy the season saints when we need to save those who are yet to be saved. Young folk are dying every day and many don’t know God and that’s a problem. If most of our young men are in prison then let’s go there. If most of our young ladies are in the streets, then let’s go there. We’ve got to get outside the 4 walls of the building we worship in because not all of the lost can make it there. We’ve got to get in our place to minister and it isn’t in a pulpit all the time. Get in your place and do your job! Stop worrying about me, get in your place. Stop worrying about him, get in your place! Stop worrying about her, get in your place!

Daily Devotional – 8/14/14 “It’s time for a change!”

I shared a little of this on yesterday and I decided to share it again today because; well it just needs to be shared. I posed the question … What is going on in this world? When did it become normal for innocent people to be gunned down in the streets by the people who have taken sworn oaths to protect them and then have it justified because the kids are being disrespectful? If disrespectfulness equaled death then a lot of our children would be dead. If more parents would use the rod of correction like our parents did, we wouldn’t have so many kids who would find it so easy to pop off at the mouth. Proverbs 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.” It’s in the word. Evil, depression, despair, sadness, gloom and misery has gotten more comfortable in our homes, on our jobs, riding with us in our cars and it’ll even come along with us to worship service. You don’t have to believe me, just take a look around. Folk don’t smile anymore because they don’t feel like they have anything to smile for when depression is sucking their joy out. Folk don’t even worship the same because misery makes them think other folk are looking at them so they sit down on their praise. Sadness will make them think suicide is the only alternative to living and some even succeed because they never tell anybody. And you want to know why folk don’t tell you when they are going through most time, when they are sad some time, when they are in need that time or when they are without this time. It’s because folk, us; we, judge. When who are we? Don’t we all put on our pants one leg at a time? Don’t we all bleed red blood? Don’t doctors use the same type scalpel when they operate? Don’t they prescribe us the same type medicine? Aren’t we breathing the same air? And when we die aren’t we being buried in the same kind of box, although you may pay more depending on your insurance it was made with the same wood, we are being buried in the same dirt AND we will meet the SAME God?

Saints don’t worship anymore because worship doesn’t even reside in our vocabulary like it should. We’ve gotten away from studying our bibles because we’ve now become fascinated with studying facebook. Isn’t it funny how it’ll auto correct you to capitalize the f on facebook but not the b on bible or the g on God? When will we reprioritize our priorities before it’s too late? Stop thinking that things that has happened to others won’t happen to you because it just hasn’t reached your block yet. I’ve never had depression on my doorstep but I know that it can consume you. I’ve never had grief make me feel like taking my life but it has shaken me to my core. I’ve never had sickness take me to death’s door but migraines make me stumble in my tracks, even today. The point I’m making, we are all going through something so instead of gossiping, putting your mouth on folk, dipping your nose in someone else business, trying to find out what’s happening in someone else church, what her husband is doing, what is his wife wearing, why she don’t look happy, why she post that, why did he like her status, why did he look at her, whose sleeping with who, texting and checking and all that crap; GET YO LIFE. Yea, I was going to say pray but before you can pray for yourself and anybody else you have to be right, so get yourself together. It’s time out for all this foolishness. You don’t have to believe me, scroll down your timeline, pick up your newspaper or turn on the news because you will quickly see that you don’t have time for all the foolishness you think you do because I surely don’t. It’s time for a change y’all.

Daily Devotional – 8/12/14 “Prayer for understanding”


Our Father, in Heaven, Holy is your name; your kingdom come; God may your will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven. Give us, today, God, the daily bread we need and forgive us of our trespasses and then forgive those who trespass against us. God, open our eyes so that we don’t walk into temptations and then oh God deliver us from the evil that so easily surround us daily. God as I stand before your throne petitioning you once again for prayer I have to first thank you. Thank you, God, for trusting me one more time with your anointing, with your word, with your grace and with your gift. God, I must thank you for choosing me to wake this morning, thank you for allowing me to rise to find no link missing from my family chain. Thank you father that you everything I laid down with on last night was still in the same place when I got up this morning. Now, God I come this morning praying, not only for me but for anyone reading or hearing this as I come praying for understanding. Understanding for whatever situation, circumstance, condition, disease, job, marriage, relationship, ministry, finance, sexuality, depression, addiction, sickness, hurt, pain, church, choice, decision, answer, loan, house, car, position, location, form, state, paper, topic, book, paragraph, letter or whatever it is they stand in need of. I am praying today oh God for understanding big or small for whatever we have to face. I am praying for understanding today God for the child who is confused in class and afraid to ask for help. God, I am praying for understanding for the adult who is on their job and ashamed to reach out for assistance. I am praying for the elderly man or woman who doesn’t understand what the doctor is saying to them. I am praying for the children who are being bullied for not understanding, send them someone who cares. I am praying for the lost souls who don’t understand the word of God, send more folk who don’t mind sharing and explaining your word. Oh God, I come to your throne today; praying that you continue to fill me with understanding so that I can continue to be a vessel of your word. God, somebody reading this needs your understanding today regarding a part of their life that is filled with confusion; clear their mind so that they understand. Do it like only you can God. Give them understanding so they stop wandering helplessly alone and find favor in you. I know you can and I believe you will. This prayer I submit to you as if it is already done. Amen.

Daily Devotional – 8/11/14 “Prayer “

Our Father in Heaven, you whose name is Holy, giver and taker of life, beginning and end, restorer of our faith, our joy, light in darkness, joy, hope for tomorrow; our all and all. As I come petitioning your throne; I first come with a mouth of thanksgiving for all the things you’ve done for me. Thank you for waking me up to another day, with the activity of my limbs, the use of my mind, my family still alive and well, with an appetite to eat, a home that’s still livable, a car that’s still drivable and a job that still workable. God, right now I thank you because it could have been me outdoors with no food. God, it could have been me, outdoors with no clothes. God, it could have been me shot by a stray bullet, arrested on false allegations, killed by a drunk driver or carjacked by a drug addict. It could have been me but you spared my life once again so for that alone I’ve got to thank you. Now God, as I petition your throne; I come praying for those who need you this morning. God, I come praying for the mother whose child didn’t come home last night and they don’t know where he or she is; I ask that you surround that child with your protection. God, I come praying for that mother/father who was woke up by the knock of the police officer with the devastating news that we need you to come and identify the body; cover them with your grace. God, I come praying for that mother/father who woke up from the nudge of the doctor who said we got the test results back and the news isn’t good and we don’t have any more tests to run for I know you to be a healer on either side of the dirt. God, I come praying for that daughter/son who has to make the decision to take momma/daddy off of life support for I know you are a comforter. God, I come praying for that son/daughter who is about to walk into the funeral home to make arrangements to lie their parent to rest for I know you to be peace. God, I come praying for that husband/wife who kissed their spouse goodbye without knowing it would be the last time for I know you to be a company keeper. God, I come praying for that child who won’t see their parent anymore and they feel like they don’t have anyone else and they feel like their security is gone for I know you to be everything they need. Oh God, I come right now; before you praying, pleading asking you to strengthen me so that I may be a vessel on this journey for those who may need me. God, somebody needs you and they’ve yet to accept you but they will. Somebody has accepted you but has yet to start working but they will. Someone needs you but is afraid to ask but they will. Someone has heard you calling and afraid to answer but I believe they will. God, here am I; standing before you willing, able and ready; use me. Use me Lord! I don’t know where you are about to take me but I have my bags packed and I am ready to go. God, I don’t know all those who I will come in contact with but I ask that you open my eyes to be able to see those who are for me and those who are against me. Turn my eyes and hearts from evil so that my work will be for you. God, I’m praying for those who need you today. I pray they open their hearts to allow you in. Keep them in your arms oh God. This pray I submit to you. Amen.

“Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!” 1 Peter 3:17

Daily Devotional – 8/8/14 “What now?”

Here it is another Friday that you’ve woken up to see. Yea, I know you are tired of folk posting about it being a blessing to be alive when they don’t wake up in pain like you do. Folk keep saying for you to hold on through your storm but they don’t see the sores on your hand from holding so tight. Yea, you’ve heard that trouble don’t last always but he sure has made himself comfortable in your home. Folk keep telling you that joy comes in the morning yet you jump up with the sun and you’ve yet to find it and you’re still asking what now? Well beloved I’ll tell you. Now, you press on. You know just like I know that it could be worse. How? Well I am glad you asked. You could be dead! THE END! You could be brain dead; a vegetable, the responsibility of someone else to take care of to feed and clothe. You could be homeless, rummaging in someone else garbage for food. You could be strung out on drugs walking down the street putting on a show for folk who pass by. You could be in a mental hospital without the knowledge of where you are from one minute to the next. You could be locked up in a prison for a crime you didn’t commit. You could be in an abusive relationship living in pure hell. You could be living in a hospital watching your child suffer through cancer instead of just reading about somebody else child through Facebook. It could be your spouse’s funeral arrangements been shared on social media. It could be your face on the missing posters. It could have been you that died of a heart attack in a cafeteria with children present. It could have been you whose home was destroyed by a fire. It could have been you whose bedside the doctor walked away from after leaving the pamphlet with hospice information because he said there is nothing else they can do. It could be you with an eviction notice attached to your door or the repo man looking for your car. It could be you leaving the office today with your belongings in a box and a termination notice.

What now? Now you get up and get the hell out of the hell you’re in. Get up and make things happen. If you can’t make ends meet with what you have, decrease debt going out and increase the income coming in. If that means a second job, so be it. If that means no more $200 jordan tennis shoes, so be it. If the relationship isn’t working, fix it or let it go. Grandma says either ____ or get off the pot. If the car is costing you more, try the bus. Stop eating out (I’m talking to myself on this one), cut off the cable for a month, stop shopping and fix your own hair and nails for 30 days. Do what you need to do. What now? It’s simple. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed.” To get the gist of this scripture, you need to read Proverbs 16:1-6 (ISV) so I will share them here. “People do the planning, but the end result is from the LORD. Everything a person does seems pure in his own opinion, but the LORD weighs intentions. Entrust your work to the LORD, and your planning will succeed. The LORD made everything answerable to him, including the wicked at the time of trouble. The LORD detests those who are proud; truly they will not go unpunished. When a person’s ways please the LORD, even his enemies will be at peace with him.”

When a person’s ways please the LORD, even his enemies will be at peace with him.