Daily Devotional – 7/9/14 “Just be thankful!”

Just be thankful because it could be worse. Just be thankful because, if the truth shall be told, it should be worse. Just be thankful for what you have because you could be without. Just be thankful because if God blessed based on your merit, you should be without. Just be thankful for the bad days because then you’ll appreciate the well days. Just be thankful for the sickness because when you’re healing comes, you’ll get to see God’s power firsthand. Just be thankful for the pain you can feel because it means you’re alive yet again. Just be thankful for the storm you sometime have to endure because it could be a consistent thing. Just be thankful for the trouble that shows up every now and then because it’s simply God saying He’s chosen you because of your faith.

Baby, don’t you see? Don’t you get it? Trouble is promised to each one of us even before we were born but it’s not to cause you to tap out of the fight but it’s simply to test your faith in God. Don’t believe me? Come here Job. Job was stripped of everything, absolutely everything; yet his faith sustained him and he got back what he lost multiplied. Come here woman with an issue of blood. She spent everything she had trying to get well by man’s hand yet her persistent faith got her the healing simply by touching Jesus’ robe. Come here 3 Hebrew boys. They were cast into a fire for praying to their God yet they didn’t get burned, didn’t die of smoke inhalation; they didn’t even have the smell of smoke in their clothes and hair because their faith held back the flames. Still don’t get it? Come here my sister Laquisha. She had to endure her Job experience when a sickness attacked her body. A sickness that leaves most doctors bewildered, a sickness that cost her the ability to eat, sleep, talk or even go outside. Oh but her faith held her up and now she’s restored. Come here woman who’s had to endure kidney dialysis for as long as she can remember yet she still living. Come here single parent who has had to do it all by yourself yet you’re still making it. Come here you with cancer who the doctor said you wouldn’t live 6 months and it’s been 6 years. Come here woman or man who is only making minimum wage yet you’ve never missed paying a bill or cooking a meal. Come here, you who thought you couldn’t afford your rent yet you’re still paying it a year later. Come here, you who thought you’d never get a new car but the loan was approved. Come here, you who folk said wouldn’t be promoted and now you’re over those same folk. Chile, just be thankful! Even if you’re facing hell right now; be thankful because God hasn’t left you, He’s simply working behind the scenes. Even if the rope you’re holding on too is breaking and you’re too tired to reach beyond the break; let go but do so with the faith to know that God will catch you before you reach the bottom. Just be thankful y’all and watch the difference it makes!

Daily Devotional – 7/8/14 “It’s time for a major change!”

Why does it feel like I’m not doing enough for God? It feels like I am missing something that He is trying to get me to see. Has anyone else felt like this? What does it mean? I know I am not perfect by any stretch of my imagination and I don’t always do things right but every day I try to do what is pleasing in God’s eyesight. I don’t live to please man yet I say man please to those who act like I should. I don’t live to conform to this world but I live so that my world conforms to me. I don’t know but I do know that I’m feeling some type of way today. I feel like there is something I should be doing, someone I should be reaching or some place I should be going but I don’t know who, what or where it is. Oh but I will keep praying until God manifest whatever it is to, through or in me.

In the meantime, I won’t dwell in or on negative things. I won’t spend time on ridiculous stuff because I don’t have the time to spend. I mean, can you imagine how much better most of us would be if we didn’t harp on meaningless mess? Yea, we spend more time fussing at the males in the house for leaving the toilet seat up but doesn’t it take just as much effort for them to raise it as it does for us to lower it? When what we should be focused on is the fact they are at home instead of in the streets. We dwell on the fact that the kids won’t clean up but be grateful they’re at home because a mother/father somewhere just buried their only child. You complain when the job says overtime but then complain when they don’t because your check is short. You complain about gas prices yet you won’t take the bus. You complain about the medicine the doctor prescribes but then you keep hollering you’re sick. Baby, start focusing on the good because I can bet it outweighs the bad in your life every time. Don’t think so, well let’s see. You woke up with a headache (bad) but you woke up (good), on the top side of the dirt (good), with a reasonable (that’s better than most) portion of health and strength (good), with the activities of your limbs (good), a regulated mind (good), with everything you had on yesterday (good), with the added blessings of today (good), a fresh anointing (good) and maybe not everything you want but all you need (good). I could continue but you get my point. The time is right now to get it together because we may not have tonight to fix it. We’ve got to stop dwelling on the minor things when we should be making a major change to make a major difference. It’s time now for a major change in everything we do in order to get right and get it right!

Daily Devotional – 7/7/14 “Why are you fighting?”

Why are you fighting with the enemy? Why are you even wasting your energy? Don’t you know it makes no sense for you to constantly keep fighting a battle that isn’t even yours? If you’re wondering why you can’t win, it maybe the tactics you’re using. God never told you to fight those who consistently do you wrong but the bible says in Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.” God never said to hate those who hate you, misuse those who misuse you or turn away from those who turned you away but the bible says in Romans 12:20, “Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” This is why you have to love the hell out of folk. It’s not for your good but it’s for theirs. Don’t you know by now that the enemy’s tricks are more clever and the more you fight them, the harder they fight back. So, why not love them to shame? This means loving them until they become shame they ever even tried you in the first place. Don’t you know the enemy has no other choice but to back down when they see their schemes and plans no longer work on you? I mean, if you keep pushing on a door that won’t open, wouldn’t you eventually give up? Well, it’s the same thing. If the enemy constantly tries to break you but every time he throws something your way, you allow it to bounce off of you, the enemy has no choice but to flee because he’ll soon get tired of fighting a losing battle. Oh, and let me drop this in your spirit; you don’t even have to do any heavy lifting to get rid of your enemy because he digs his own grave. You don’t have to take my word for it but take God at His because the bible says in Proverbs 26:27, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.” This is why I asked, why are you fighting? It was never said that your enemy wouldn’t try to attack you and most times it’ll look as if the enemy is winning but God has already made provisions for your enemies but you have to let him do it His way. This is why Isaiah 54:17 says, “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.”

Oh but get this, just because you don’t have to fight it doesn’t mean you run every time the enemy shows up. The bible didn’t say fight but it does say in James 4:7, “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Have the fight in you to resist the enemy but don’t fight him. Have the fight in you to declare that nothing evil that is formed against you will succeed but don’t fight. So again I have to ask, why are you fighting anyway when the battle isn’t even yours, its God’s? And you can check God’s references, He’s never lost!

Daily Devotional – 7/1/14 “Eviction Notice!”

Yea, I know you are tired of being told to hold on until God moves, prayer changes things, trust in God, it’ll be alright in the morning, when God shows up He’ll be on time, trouble won’t last always or there’s a purpose for what you’re going through; when you can’t actually see your way but hold on! See, I’ve found that most times the hell we’re going through can be solved by facing the enemy that has set up camp in our home. I’ve even found that trouble can get in without even setting off the alarm but that’s alright because today we will take back what’s ours. Yes, today we are giving the enemy, the devil, those wolves in sheep’s clothing, those folk who have surrounded us sucking our joy, mooching off our living and taking advantage of our giving an eviction notice! Today is the day we take back what is ours!

Notice of Immediate Eviction:

Date of Notice :

Roommate in Possession: Devil {other names he goes by; Enemy, Backstabber, Liar, Deceiver, Fake Friend and Hater}

Leased Premises: My life, house, my family, my friends, my job

You are in default of your lease because: You’ve overstayed your visit

Reason for eviction:

You’ve occupied my house way too long and you’ve overstayed your welcome. There’s no need for a 30 day notice because an immediate evacuation is in order today. Don’t worry about packing your bags because I’ve already placed them by the curb. Oh, all the things you gave me, they are out there too because I found that they came with a price. No, I don’t need any more help from you to pay my bills because a new roommate has already paid the cost. There is no need to clean or even paint because the new roommate will take care of it all. No need to leave the keys because the locks have been changed too. Yes, I know you’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent but I can’t say the same because you came in with the intentions of destroying my home and it almost worked when I started to stumble but I’ve gotten my balance back now. All those folk you’ve sent to do your dirty work, they almost had me fooled until I asked them to show me proof of what they could do but I got you now because you no longer have power over me and my house! You can stay if you want because I see my new roommate coming and He’ll take it from here. Yea, I’ve found a new one and I didn’t even have to place an ad in the paper. Oh, He even came with great references that I’ve been able to verify. He said I didn’t have to worry about all the damage you’d done here because He’ll make it look brand new. He said He’ll patch the holes in the roof that were leaking from the rain during my storm. That closet you closed off, He said He’ll open it back up for me so that I’ll have a place to pray. My bed I hardly slept in from the nights of toiling, He said He’ll replace the mattress so that I can rest. That carpet that was run down from my nights of pacing, He’s replacing that too. Your half of the groceries; don’t worry about it because He said I’ll never be hungry again. Your half of the electric bill, He got that too. But before you go, let me thank you for the time you’ve spent here because it has made me stronger and wiser. You can continue laughing, thinking that I’ll be back; He told me you’d say that but I ain’t got no worries because my new roommate has prepared me for that. So you go on now because there’s no room for you here as a matter of fact, here He is now. Enemy, meet my God!

Yes, He now resides here and He handles all of my affairs so you have to go through Him to reach me. Oh, but if you should ever stop by and hear the music playing, that’ll be my praise party. You can watch through the window. Now grab your bags, hitch a ride and get the hell off my property!

If you have any questions, call God; the line is never busy.

Signed: God’s chosen one!

Daily Devotional – 6/30/14 “Are you a fair weather Saint?”

How can we continually expect God to bless us abundantly, keep on crying out come on and see about Jesus, pray Lord I need you or sing Jesus be a fence when God can only anticipate us going to worship service when the weather is fair? I mean, how can we assume God is alright with us not worshipping with other blood bought believers because it’s raining outside? I find it odd that we can go EVERYWHERE else in the rain except church. The weather report can say tornado yet we will still go out to eat but then act crazy when choir rehearsal isn’t canceled. I don’t get it. What’s the difference about going to church when it’s raining or when it’s 90+ degrees? Isn’t God still worthy of praise? Oh but let the pastor not show up and it’ll be a church meeting scheduled so fast. Yet aren’t we all accountable? The bible says in Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful and let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” I don’t know what you read but there isn’t any mention of only going to church when the weather is good. We’ve got to stop neglecting that which we know we’re supposed to do. One day a week for however long your worship service is, isn’t asking you for too much. Stop picking and choosing when you’ll serve God. Stop picking and choosing when you’ll worship. Stop giving God the leftovers when He should be served first. All I’m saying is stop allowing your worship to be based on the weather, stop being a fair weather Saint (only serving when the weather is fair) and just be a Saint who is ready, willing and able to serve and worship at all time because you never know when you won’t be able too.