Daily Devotional – 7/16/14 “Last (right now) but first is coming!”

Somebody this morning is wavering on your journey because it seems like no matter how far you walk you still end up in the same place, oh but keep climbing. Yea, someone reading this right now is going through hell and you’ve looked and can’t seem to find a way out yet keep looking. Yea, it may be dark out but keep pushing through it, there’s a light at the end and this is simply your test. Haven’t you gotten it yet? Don’t you know that it won’t always be like this? That you’ll have to go through to get to where you need to be? The bible says in Mark 10:31, “But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” I get it; you want the career, the house, the car, the financial stability and the spouse now but baby if it was that easy you wouldn’t work hard to get it. If you got everything you wanted, you wouldn’t appreciate them when you got it. All I’m saying is, the things worth having is worth working for and more importantly, waiting for. When a woman is pregnant, she has to wait 9 months to deliver the miracle of life. You have to go through 15 birthdays before you make it to 16 to get your license, 17 birthdays to make it to 18 when you think you’re grown and 20 to get to 21 when you think you’re real grown. You have to go through 12 years of school just to graduate with a diploma, 4 more years to graduate with a degree and even more if you pursue more. You have to go through the application process, interviews and testing to get the job. You have to go through applications and paperwork to sign your name for that house or car; many failed relationships to meet your wife or husband and maybe even many doctors, a lot of medicines and treatments and even surgeries before you get your healing yet you rush God. Why?

You won’t always be last because your time is coming, wait for it. You won’t always be without; your time is coming, wait on it. Yes, I know it seems like you got more hell when you accepted Christ and you’re probably saying to God the same as Peter did in Luke 18:28, “We have left all we had to follow you,” but Jesus answered in Luke 18:29-30, by saying, “Yes, and you won’t regret it. No one who has sacrificed home, spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children—whatever—will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus of eternal life!” So you see, you may lose a few folk and some things when you choose God but that’s alright, they didn’t fit in anymore anyway but if you don’t get anything else out of what I share today, get this … Even if it feels like you’re always at the back of the line, it’s simply your place to be (right now) because the last will soon be first. Even if you your name is the last on the list (right now), that’s alright because the bottom will soon be the top. Even when it seems like everyone is getting to the top but you, keep climbing because you’ll soon see the view from the top of your tree and it’ll all be worth it.

Keep Climbing, Keep Writing!

I haven’t blogged in a while but I thought I’d share the post I did today on my devotional blog. Now, I don’t normally do this but I just feel like someone needs a little encouragement today. Yea, it maybe for you who thinks your writing isn’t going anywhere or for you who thinks you’re at a deadend. My words for you today … KEEP CLIMBING. Yes, it gets hard for a writer whether you are published or self published but keep climbing and keep writing. Your breakthrough is coming but you have to believe in yourself first before anyone else will.

Daily Devotional – 7/15/14 “Keep climbing!”

Have you ever paid attention to a squirrel? The way they move from tree branch to tree branch or the way they handle their surroundings? Think about it. Every time I see a squirrel they seem to only be focused on getting what they need down below and getting to the nearest tree. See, if they make it to the tree, nine times out of ten, they make it out of harm’s way. Is that interesting to anyone other than me? I wrote a devotional once titled “We need a squirrel like mentality,” and although it was wrote over a year ago, it still holds true today. See, when a squirrel is on a mission, it doesn’t allow the rain on the branches to stop him because it’s goal is to get to the highest branch away from any pending danger that maybe below. So, maybe it would be feasible for us, as Saints, to get a squirrel like mentality because it should give us the tenacity to be able to reach any goal and finish any mission we set out on. Yea, see, it shouldn’t matter about the rain that’s falling in your life, keep climbing. It shouldn’t even matter about those who are standing around the bottom of the tree trying to talk you out of reaching the next branch (that’s the next level in your life) because you should keep climbing. Yea, folk will try to throw stuff at you to knock you down but keep climbing. You may be waiting on test results from the doctor who said it didn’t look good but you’re not dead yet so keep climbing. You may have gotten laid off from your job but you’re not disabled so keep climbing.

Baby, if you keep climbing you’ll soon be out of reach of those naysayers who said you wouldn’t dare make it. If you keep climbing you’ll soon make it to the place man said you had no business reaching. If you keep climbing you’ll soon make it to the table some said you’d never sit at. Baby, if you just keep climbing you’ll soon reach the door that man couldn’t open for you. And don’t you know that when you climb with God as the lead and faith in your heart, no man can knock you down? Yea, you may get a few nicks and bumps from the knots (fake friends, enemies and obstacles) on the branches but don’t let it stop you because my bible tells me in Deuteronomy 28:13, “If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.” And you have what it takes to climb if you let go of fear. Stop trying to see how high it is, just climb. Stop looking to see if someone is beating you, just climb. You don’t have to be in a hurry because it’s all in God’s time anyway so move when He says move. Climb with the faith that you’ve already made it and you will. Oh but let me add this … The only time you look down on those below you is to help them up. Don’t ever get to your treetop and get too mighty because although man can’t knock you down, God can!

Daily Devotional – 7/14/14 “Give God a Jubilated Praise!”

Jubilation is defined as uninhibited (that’s an unrestrained) rejoicing in the celebration of a victory or success and every now and then this is the type of praise we should give God. Now, I know you’re trying to figure out how you can give God a jubilated praise when momma/daddy is gone but baby rejoice in knowing that she/he is gone to an eternal rest that we all hope to one day experience. Yea, you’re trying to understand how you can rejoice when all of your bills are behind but rejoice in the fact that you’ve lived another day to get your life together to be able to get back on track. How can you give God a jubilated praise when the doctor is saying we saw something in your test results but rejoice now for the healing that’s on the way. Baby, when I sit and think about all the things that could have made me a victim, I offer God a jubilated praise because instead I am victorious. When I think about all the times folk said I wouldn’t amount to nothing and instead of failing, God strengthened me with His favor, I give God a jubilated praise! When I think about the fact that it could have been me, it should have been me or that it would have been me (had I not accepted God); it causes me to offer God a jubilated praise. I don’t have to wait until it’s my birthday to celebrate life when I get a fresh anointing to live every morning. I don’t have to wait until Sunday morning to offer a jubilated praise when God blesses me on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday too. I don’t have to wait until payday to rejoice when God has kept me up until payday. I don’t have to wait until the loan officer says approved because they way God has set this thang up, our name alone has enough merit to get us everything we ask for, if we ask in faith.

In Luke 17 starting at verse 11, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he was approached by 10 (ten) men who were referred to as lepers or folks who were shunned or had leprosy. Now, all of the men begged Jesus to have mercy on them so Jesus sent them to the priest for their healing but get this … they got their healing on the way. However, don’t you know out of the ten only one turned back to offer God a jubilated praise? Well the bible says in Luke 17:15-16, “Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him.” Then Jesus asked in verse 17-18, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” God is asking the same thing of us. Don’t you see that we have to give God a jubilated praise every chance we get. Not only because God is worthy of our praise but because He deemed us worthy enough to receive it. God isn’t looking for players but He’s looking for prayers and praises. God isn’t looking for those of us who dance in the sun but He’s looking for those who have faith enough to dance in our storm. God doesn’t need those of us who only call when we fall but He’s looking for those who rejoice while we’re on top. God is worthy of a jubilated praise every day we’re able to put our hand over our chest and feel the warmness of our skin (which means blood is flowing) and feel our heart beating (which means we’re alive) because we’ve scored another victory.

Daily Devotional – 7/11/14 “My Man!”

Ooo Wee, I’ve met a man y’all and I’ve got to tell you about Him. We met one night while I was at this revival and He came in telling me all the things He could do for me. No, he wasn’t flashy, he didn’t have his pants sagging, all the jewelry around his neck but I could tell by the way He spoke that He could do all the things He was promising. I told Him that my grandma spoke highly of Him and she told me that one day you would introduce yourself to me. I was so glad to finally meet Him for myself because I wanted to know this man that can make a woman moan His name and He’s not in the room with them. I wanted to know this man who folk would always sing about. I wanted to know the man who could make folk dance simply by calling out His name. I just had to meet the man that folk would stay up all night long talking too without going over their cell phone minutes. And I have y’all and when I tell you He is like none other, you wouldn’t believe it but all you have to do is get to know him for yourself. Baby, this Man came into my life and it has never been the same. See, He has bestowed upon me a gift that no man can take away. Even when I felt I was too worldly to handle it, He found me worthy. When I act selfish and in my flesh, He still calls me favored. When I sometimes get out of character, my name He still calls. When I don’t see Him, He is silently working. When I need comfort, He’s there even before I ask. When I get knocked down by this mean world, He picks me up, dusts me off and pushes me on. When I get hurt by folk, He loves me through it. When I shed tears, He wipes them away. When I pray, He answers. When folk say I can’t, He whispers, “Girl, you got this.”

This man y’all. He isn’t just any man and although I don’t have Him to myself, He still finds time to spend with me. I don’t have to worry about dressing up for Him because He doesn’t dress in expensive suits, ties and shoes to impress me. He doesn’t have to take me to a fancy restaurant to get me full or waste money on expensive wine to give me a buzz. Yet He still opens up doors for me and pull out the chair for me to sit at a table man said I shouldn’t have even been invited too. And get this, He already got the approval from my parents to date me. (HA). And I don’t have to worry about being taken advantage of with this man, because He is the advantage. I am pleased to introduce you to my Man. Many of you may know Him because He is a bestselling author. He hasn’t been on any book tours because His book speaks for itself. He doesn’t give autographs but He’ll write your name in His book if you believe in him. No, He doesn’t answer questions but He does answer prayers. You won’t even find an email address, Facebook account, Twitter, or Instagram but He specializes in social networking. Do you know Him? Oh, you’ve met Him too. Isn’t He awesome? Yea, I thought so too. This is why I’ve made the commitment to love, honor, cherish and obey this man through sickness and in health for all the days of my life until death brings us together. My Man, Jesus!

“You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Deuteronomy 30:20