Daily Devotional – 6/18/14 “This man y’all!”

There is this man that I met some time ago. Yea, I knew of Him because I was raised in a church that taught me about Him yet I still didn’t know Him. I had heard of Him before but I didn’t know Him for myself until one night at revival when my uncle told me that if I accepted Him, He would always be there for me. Grandma always sung about His amazing grace. Granddaddy always kneeled by his bed at night to pray to Him and momma always talked about how He provided for her when no one else would yet I still only knew what folk said. So, one day I sat down and grabbed the bible to get to know Him for myself and I found that He stepped out of nowhere and spoke the world into existence. With His voice He commanded the creation of day & night, the Heavens & the Earth, the seas, grass, herbs, seeds, fruit trees, seasons and signs to tell the difference between the days & years and He even spoke the creation of the living animal. This same man created man out of dust and woman from the man’s rib. This same man, the bible tells me, created His son Jesus whom He sent to earth to save an old wretch like me who wasn’t fitting to live and yet wasn’t ready to die. This same man gave power to His son to heal folk of bodily ailments, feed folk with a few morsels of bread and 2 fish, part the red sea, remove the burn from fire and shut the jaw of a lion. This same man! Yea, since I’ve gotten to know Him and accept Him into my life, I’ve had the chance to talk to him often and I found that even when I thought I was nothing, He was already molding me into something. Even when I didn’t feel worthy of being called, He had already chosen me. Even when I didn’t think I deserved His mercy He still granted it to me. Even when I felt like I’d let Him down, He told me I was never holding Him up. Even when I couldn’t see my way, He told me to keep walking because I set that path. Oh, this man y’all! This man called God. Do you know him? Have you accepted him? Have you opened the door to let Him in? Yes I know that while you were in the world you had to deal with temptations but now with the acceptance of Christ you got trials too but just hold on! See, with God you’re transformed from worldly temptations to trials because trials are God’s way of testing us and through these tests and trials we are taught talents that allows us to tolerate the torment of those who trespass against us so that we triumph over the trouble and get the treasure that turns tests into testimonies, toiling into teaching and tears into thankfulness.

Even with the hell roaming the streets, killings are rising, people don’t even speak to one another anymore, children dying at the hands of folk who are supposed to love them, husbands & wives aren’t speaking and living in the same house, forgiveness doesn’t exist because hate has replaced it, love doesn’t live in your heart anymore because lust has taken over, grace and mercy aren’t invited to your house because gossip and mess beat them there, friends are being replaced with dressed up enemies and your own family is starting to hate on your blessings but that’s alright because there is this man, God; who can turn the wrong way right, the wrong words into a worship experience, a diagnosis into a dance, pain into praise, stumbling blocks into your shouting area, jealousy into joy, a victim victorious, evil into your elevation, abuse into your anointing, rejection into your reaping, refusals into rejoicing, weakness and weeping into willing workers and pity into passion for picking up and pushing on! Oh, there is a Man who is able if you accept, willing if you want it and capable if you care.

Daily Devotional – 6/17/14 “You’ll restart”

On last year I wrote a devotional titled “Shut down to start up” and while sitting at my desk this morning communing with God on what to write all that kept repeating in my head is you’ll restart. See, I’ve come to understand that God doesn’t take us through trouble to pay us back for the mess we sometimes get ourselves in but sometimes God allows us to fall just so He can show you that you can get back up. Yea, sometimes God shuts you down in order to restart you. When your computer is acting crazy, don’t you shut it down and restart it and it works fine? When your car is acting crazy, don’t you turn it off and restart it? When your phone has locked up, don’t you power it off and restart it? It’s the same thing God has to do to us. When sickness attacks your body and you feel like giving up is the only option; that’s God shutting you down to restart you. When your job gives you a termination notice after you’ve dedicated years of your life, that’s simply God shutting you down to restart you. When your best friend turned out to be the enemy, your spouse is acting like a stranger, kids acting brand new, co-workers hating and church folk manipulating; that’s simply God shutting you down to restart you.

I know you’re asking why God needs to shut us down only to restart us, well I am glad you asked. See, sometimes we become so attached to people that we forget about praising God. We start working and worshipping gets pushed back. We start hanging out and helping is no longer an option. We get promoted and then become a problem, get sick and then start sinning, get blessed and then become a burden and get a gift from God only to give it away. This is why God has to shut us down because we start acting like we don’t want to work. And you know as well as I do that when you shut stuff down, it usually works well when it restarts so why shouldn’t God shut us down? Baby, being shut down doesn’t mean you’re shut out; it’s just your cool down period that gives you time to put stuff into perspective and prioritize those things that need to be. When you can’t understand why it seems like your life is in chaos, why all hell is breaking loose around you, why nothing can go right, why it seems like you’re walking in circles or no matter how much you work you can’t get your head above water; that’s simply God shutting you down to start you back up. So, go on through your sickness, pain, unemployment, disappointments, being talked about/lied on, being knocked down and used because after the shutdown you’ll restart in the Savior’s secure mode where you won’t mind shouting about God’s significance, serving the spiritually sick, saving those who are still sinking in sin, sharing the strength you now have and striving to be stronger so that you never stumble over the same situations again. Yea, sometimes God has to shut us down but that’s simply to start us back up the right way and even though you don’t see it now, you’ll restart!

Daily Devotional – 6/16/14 “Your testimony gets tested!”

Every once in a while your testimony has to get tested just to remind you of what you’ve been bought out of. Yea, every once in a while your testimony is tested to see if you’ll still share it. Every once in a while your testimony has to be tested just to keep you in check. Why? Well that’s because sometimes your ego gets bigger than it should. You know how you start acting like you were the one who healed yourself, provided your own way out when your back was against the wall, healed your own heart after it was shattered by that lust you thought was loved, rocked your own self to sleep after crying for hours, made it to the next payday when you were broke the day after this one, arrived to your destination when you shouldn’t have or even carried yourself through that hell that almost claimed your life; when you know you ain’t done nothing. This is why your testimony has to be tested. Baby, don’t you know that when God gives you benefits, it’s to benefit Him. When God heals you, it’s because He wants you to use it as your testimony to convert those non-believers. Haven’t you realized it by now that you are the bible to those who’ve yet to confess with their mouth and believe in their heart that God is Lord? Don’t you know that when God is blessing you, He is allowing His power to be manifested through you so that you can go, show and tell? And when you’re sitting idle on your testimony, God has to sometimes test it. This is why the doctor wanted to run a few more tests so that you’d think about that healing you’ve already received and share it. When you thought you weren’t going to be able to make ends meet but when you found out you had a little extra in the bank, it was your testimony being tested to see if you’d share how you overcame being in debt before. Child, God doesn’t give you stuff for only your benefit but it is so others can see what He’s done and then believe. This is why it is your responsibility to share your testimony for the bible says in Mark 8:38 “If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And the test of your testimony isn’t to punish or harm you but it’s simply a reminder of where you’ve been bought from. So don’t be selfish enough to keep it to yourself.

“It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.” Titus 3:3-8 (The Message Bible)

Daily Devotional – 6/13/14 “Converted!”

Why do we, as Christians, place but where God has placed yet? Yea, we’ve become but type people because every time God says move we say but why? God picks you out and you ask but why me? God says I’ll provide for you and we say but I’m still struggling. God says just trust me and we say but I can’t see you instead of saying, although I can’t see you God yet I’ll trust you. See, it’s mind boggling to me that we will trust a chair to hold us up when we see it’s shaking and raggedy yet we won’t trust God who has never let us down. The bible says in Habakkuk 3:17, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,” … wait for it because someone right now was about to say but where is the joy in that when it picks right back up in Habakkuk 3:18 that says, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”

Yea, you’re probably saying but how can I rejoice with cancer, dialysis, no money, stomach growling, no car, no job and friends who are really enemies? How can I rejoice when it seems like I take one step forward only to get pushed three steps back, I keep knocking but opportunity isn’t answering, I keep applying for jobs but getting no call back and I keep praying and praising but nothing is happening. Well, this is where you change your thought process because now say, think and believe like this … I may be struggling in my finances yet I shall not be without. I may be drinking tears for water yet my weeping won’t last. I may be heartbroken at the moment yet my God is a heart fixer. I may have a few storms in my life yet God is my umbrella. I may have to lose a few friends yet God is a whisper away. I may lose a few loved ones through death yet God never leaves. I may get burdened down in my trials yet God is my strength. I may not always see my way yet God is my light. I may sometimes do wrong yet God forgives me if I repent. I may not always know my worth yet God continues to bless me. I may not always do what I know I should or go where I know I could yet God still uses me. Yea, I may fall at times yet I can still get up. Sickness may be attacking my body yet I’m living. My road may be longer and my fights may be harder yet I’m willing. I may not have done everything right yet God is keeping me. I may not have all the answers yet God is still teaching me. I may not hear everything I should yet God is still reaching me! My God! I just know in my sanctified spirit that someone reading this is being converted from a “but” person to a “yet” person and that’s enough to rejoice about. Stop questioning God and instead say, “God, I am not worthy yet here am I, use me!”

Daily Devotional – 6/12/14 “Today has been paid for!”

Why are you still borrowing from yesterday when today has already been paid in full? I don’t understand why you are still minding yesterday’s misery when today’s mercies are new. How can you still be caught up on yesterday’s could haves when you have today’s cans? Quit harping on yesterday’s heartache and handle today’s happiness. Stop wallowing in yesterday’s weariness when you woke up today worthy. Baby, don’t you know if it wasn’t meant for you to see today, you would have died yesterday? Yet here you are today after being touched by God’s finger (whenever you got up), gave you back everything you were blessed with yesterday (notice I said blessed with because He forgave your sins, if you repented) and allowed warm blood to flow through the blood vessels that work into the veins that support the organs that still work in order for the limbs you’re now using to be useable. He even regulated your mind because you could have someone speaking for you but you don’t. You could be in the ICU without any knowledge of being in the world; you could be hook up to machines that are breathing for you, in a jail cell being commanded by someone else, in someone’s courtroom with your fate in man’s hands, on the street begging for change or selling your body for drugs that controls your life. Oh but look at you looking like you’re looking. Folk could see the tears you cried yesterday but instead they see the smile today. Folk could see the hell you endured in your own home yesterday but instead they see the blessing of you being alive today. Yea, folk could see the sickness that had you down yesterday yet all they see is that you’re better today. So again I have to ask, why are you borrowing from yesterday when today is paid in full? God gave you a new day which could have been cloudy like yesterday but instead the sun is shining. God gave you a new day even though it wasn’t promised that you’d see it. God gave you a new day to get it right when you could have died in your sins yesterday. I’m just trying to get you to see that you’re here today.

Psalm 30:5 says, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Now, if you didn’t catch that it says joy comes WITH the morning but it’s up to you to get it. Stop blaming yesterday when it’s gone never to be seen again when you can get up and get the joy that comes with today!