Daily Devotional – 7/23/14 “Change comes!”


It only takes a moment for your life to change. For some, change comes by force and for some by choice. For some, change comes with the birth of new life and for some, the death of someone you’ve loved. For some, change comes with a promise that is broken and for some promises kept. For some, change comes with the word approved and for some it comes with the word denied. For some, change comes with time and for others change comes because of time given. No matter what the reason, change comes. Sometimes change can be mind-boggling and hard to understand yet it happens anyway. You can go from working 25 years on your job to being unemployed by the time a 15 minute meeting is over. You can go from well to sick after leaving the doctor’s office for your annual physical. You can go from sick to well after a two hour surgery. You can go from walking and depending on folks to riding with the approval of your loan. Your home can go from happy to hell with one mistake you can’t take back. Isn’t that something? This is why you have to stay prayed up. It doesn’t matter that you have your plans made, schedule laid out and goals set because it can all change in an instant. No one ever plans to be in a wreck, get sick or have a flat tire but it happens. No one ever plans to be late paying bills but it can happen just ask the person whose car quit unexpectedly.

Yes, sometimes change is good even when we don’t see the good then. You don’t see the good, now, in momma no longer suffering on this side when her death date was declared but you will. You don’t see the good, now, when that door is shut in your face but you will. You don’t see the good, now, in the suffering you have to go through but you will. How do I know? Well, it’s because everything you go through in your Christian life is ordained by God. Don’t take my word for it but God tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope,” so we have to press on. Then the bible tells us in Proverbs 16:4, “The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble,” so we have to walk on. 1 Peter 2:9 tell us, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,” so we have to get up and go on! Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” so we cannot stop now! And then Psalm 138:7 tells us, “Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me,” so we have no choice but to fight on! Yes change happens, it shows up unexpectedly sometimes, it may have tears with it, sometimes even hurt but then sometimes it shows up with the smile we’ve needed and the happiness we’ve missed yet however it comes, it comes!

With change comes a charge that God has sent forth and it’s not to chain us to our circumstance but it’s simply to convert us from our current condition, clothe us in our commitment, to comprehend God’s commandments and to consecrate our calling. Change isn’t always good but it comes whether we want it to or not.

Daily Devotional – 7/22/14 “For when I am weak!”

It’s Tuesday and someone is still trying to take from yesterday’s mess when today is a new day. Someone is contemplating suicide because you don’t feel like going on, someone is grieving over the death of a loved one because death had bombarded his way in, someone is heartbroken because you were hurt by somebody who promised to love you until death do you part, someone is still reeling from being hurt in church years ago and has vowed not to go back, someone is working yet every time you get paid it’s like you’re paying them, someone is hiding a secret that is eating them up inside, someone is sick and don’t even know it, someone is sick and is praying every minute for healing, someone is in pain yet you keep smiling, someone’s soul is battered yet you keep singing, someone’s light is dim but you keep trying to make it shine and someone’s joy is gone and your hope is fading fast. Yea, you keep knocking on doors but none are opening, you keep walking but it’s like you’re going in circles, you’re addicted to something that is controlling your life, you may be homeless, hungry, tired and at your wits end. You’re standing at the edge of the cliff and the voice is telling you to jump, sitting on the fence because you can’t decide which side you want to be on, defeated because it seems like you can’t win, crawling because you’re tired of being knocked down, crying because you’re tired of screaming and staying woke because you’re tired of dreaming and they’re not coming true. Yea, I know you’re tired of being told to hold on when you have hardly any strength left. I know you’re tired of hearing that it’ll be alright in the morning when trouble is still there at sun rise. Tired of hearing trouble won’t last always when it’s been around too long as it is. Tired of hearing keep going when you’ve yet to see an exit sign. Tired of hearing you’ll make it when you are barely making it now and tired of hearing that you’ll have a reward in Heaven when you need hope now.

Yet here I am again telling you all those things. Baby, don’t you understand that you don’t even deserve to be where you are now; if it was based on your merit. Yea, I know it’s hard but trust me; it could be worse. Haven’t you gotten it yet? Sometimes obstacles are placed in your way in order to slow you down when you’re moving in the wrong direction. Sometimes, God doesn’t give you the strength to climb because He is waiting on you to tap into the faith that will give you the strength to move that which is blocking you. Sometimes you are knocked down so that you can get up the right way. Sometimes you have to cry to remove the crap that keeps you from seeing what God would have you to see. Sometimes you have to go through in order to test your trust, check your calling, investigate your integrity, scrutinize your shout, analyze your anointing and examine the evidence that God lives within you. Sometimes you have to go through just so God’s promise can be manifested in you. Yea, you may stumble but that’s simply God working on your balance. When Paul complained about the thorn in his side and begged God to remove it, God told him in 2 Corinthians 12:9; “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So you see, each time you feel like your weakness is taking over, read 2 Corinthians 12:10 that says, “That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

A Secret Worth Keeping 2 … Excerpt

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These divas are back and the drama is unfolding. Shelby is in the midst of some major mess with her husband, Chloe is pregnant and confused, Kerri seems to be mending fences with her husband, Lyn doesn’t know what she wants, Ray wants happiness with Anthony but his wife has other plans and Cam–God only knows what she has in store. Will their marriages survive or will they even care? Will they place their secrets in a box to never open again or are the secrets worth all the hell that they might produce? Is it a lesson learned, lights out and game over, or are these secrets just worthy enough to be kept? Find out in a Secret Worth Keeping 2!

Excerpt:

Ray

By the time I walked in the house, Justin was again on my heels. “Ray, what the fuck was that? How long have you been sleeping with your boss?” he screamed.
“The same amount of time you’ve been sleeping with yours!” I countered.
He was stunned and couldn’t say a word. His eyes looked like a deer caught in headlights.
“What, uh, what the hell are you talking about, Ray?” He stuttered.
“Man, stop acting brand new. Oh, you thought I didn’t I know?” I smiled. “You didn’t think I would find out that you were having an affair with your boss, being fucked in the ass when you had a wife at home? Yea, I know. I’ve known boo!” I said walking over to the cabinet to get a glass for wine.
“How long have you known, Ray?” he asked almost whispering.
“Well, let’s see,” I said, facing him. “You’ve barely touched me in two years. You undress me and your dick doesn’t even get hard. I can walk past you naked and you don’t blink an eye. You—,”
“I get it! I get it, please stop,” he yelled.
“Why should I? Were you telling Travis to stop when he was banging his nuts against your ass? Were you telling him to stop so that you could be honest with your wife? Were you telling him to stop when you thought about how this would affect our children?”
“Ray, please! I’m sorry,” he cried. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, but you have no right to get in my ass when you’ve been cheating too.”
“Yea, you got that right, you are most definitely sorry! How could you not mean for this to happen? You had to bend over to take it, so how could you not? Boy, please, save that shit for someone who cares. You got one week to tell the kids and find somewhere to stay because I’ve already started the divorce.” I grabbed my keys to walk out. “And by the way, I’m not getting in your ass because apparently I’m not your type.”

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Daily Devotional – 7/21/14 “Wait in God!”

I simply stopped by this morning to tell you this … You won’t ever find your way if you’ve yet to realize that God is the way. Don’t you know that all you have to do is wait in God? Please note, I didn’t say wait on God but I said wait in God (there is a difference). See, when you wait on God, you sit around with an idle mind until the blessings you’ve been praying for comes but when you wait in God, you still get up and find things to do because you asked with the faith that they’ll soon come. When you wait on God, it’s like you waiting on a ride so you keep peeking out the window to see if they’ve made it yet. Oh but when you wait in God, you’ll get up and start walking to meet them at the corner. When you wait on God, you allow the enemy to plant seeds of doubt in your mind because you’re sitting around worried. Oh but when you wait in God, you don’t have time to doubt because your faith and trust in the Master leaves no room for it. All you have to do is wait in God knowing that He is the only way to go.

I’ll sum this up with my interpretation of Psalm 37:1-11, “Baby, stop worrying over those who are doing wrong and please don’t be jealous of their life because it won’t last long, they’ll be cut down like grass or they’ll soon wither away. All you need to do is trust in God and do what is good so that you might live. Find joy in the Lord and He shall give you that which your heart desires. Don’t you know that if you commit yourself to God and trust in Him He will bring out your righteousness while it’s still day and His approval at noon? Child, relax and wait. Stop looking at those who are prospering because of evil. Stop being angry all the time and quit playing with the devil because those who do evil will soon be cut off (and you don’t want to be caught playing in their yard). Oh but those of us who wait upon the Lord will soon receive the earth. And before you know it, you’ll look and won’t even see the evildoers.” Wait in God!

Daily Devotional – 7/18/18 “Get up!”

It’s gloomy outside and someone’s spirit is as dark as the sky and your head is hanging low like the clouds. Baby, lift your head. Why are you sad when God is your joy? Yea, I get it. Things may not be going like you think it should but things are going. Things may not look like you want them to look but find the blessing in the fact that you’re able to see. You might not have a lot of money in the bank but if the account is still open, you got a little. Stop dwelling on what you don’t have, what you could have or even what you should have because all that is gone and you can’t get it back. Oh but you can start new. Let go of the messiness of yesterday and marinate on the marvelous mercy that has been given by the Master. Leave the tears that you toiled with last night back there, wipe your face with the towel of thanksgiving and trespass into the triumphs of this time. Don’t worry about tomorrow when you’ve been trusted with today. Live today! Get up out of that slump you’re in and stand. Now that you’re standing, smell the Holy Spirit that has you surrounded so that you gain a natural high. Now that you’re high off the Spirit, feed your spirit with humbleness and honor and go forth and handle your business! Yea, you have everything you need to get through whatever it is you’ll face today, all you have to do is get up and do it!