Daily Devotional – 12/24/13 “Birth your blessing”

On this day many years ago, I can only imagine Mary, 9 months pregnant with God’s only Son. Mary, whose feet were probably swollen, stomach was big, back was hurting yet she had somewhere to be. Mary a regular girl, chosen by God to do something irregular and who went on to birth her blessing. Yea, she labored through the pain to push out a Prophet. She accepted the mess folks talked about her to birth a Messiah. She endured just so that she could birth Emmanuel. Oh, I can only imagine the joy she felt when she looked upon His face, the emotions running through her as she shared with others, the blessing she had just birthed in a stable for animals without even a place to lie. Yet, here we are today, living in a world with limitless possibilities and were too scared to even carry a blessing yet alone birth it. Yea, God gives us a gift and we’re so afraid of failure that we won’t even use it. We’d walk around pregnant with an expectant blessing yet we won’t birth it. WTF? Where’s the faith?

See, it doesn’t matter about the location of our birth or even the surroundings of our living that determines our gift because we, too, are destined for greatness for in Jeremiah 1:5 God tells me “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Oh, you thought your past arrest record would hinder you but it won’t. You thought your past addiction would stop you from prospering but it can’t. You thought that old disease was going to take you out and you even thought all of the hell you’ve been through would break you down but it shall not. No, because it doesn’t matter about your location, whether you’re up or down and it doesn’t really matter about your circumstances because God doesn’t call the qualified but he qualifies those he calls. Don’t you know by now that He can take you; a drug addict, alcoholic, whoremonger, adulterer, liar, backbiter and sinner; pick you up, put you through the fire to erase everything you’ve done in the past and bring you out shining like pure gold? Psalm 71:20 says, “You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.”

God isn’t worried about where you used to be as long as you birth that which He has put on the inside of you. I know your journey may have some bumps called haters to go over, some potholes called enemies to go around, some ice called lies to slide on and some dead-ends called mistakes that make you want to turn around but go on because it’s your journey! God is in the renewing business and once you’ve been renewed, you’ll be refreshed and with refreshing comes restoration and with restoring comes a new shine that’ll make you look brand new then all of the old things won’t matter because if you’re in Christ, you’re a new creature and all of the old things are passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). It doesn’t matter that you were abused, because God can heal you. It doesn’t matter if you use to steal because God will forgive you. It doesn’t matter about what folks say because God already has you’re future planned and not even the devil can change that. So, stop allowing stuff to hinder the blessing that you’ve been holding. In other words, use your gift that’s growing on the inside of you! Birth your blessing and then raise it so that it makes room for you!

Daily Devotional – 12/23/13 “Restored”

Everyone is asking how my sister is doing and I must say she is doing well. From having brain surgery on Tuesday, to coming home on Thursday night and being able to talk in her right mind; I can surely say God is in the blessing business. See, I can’t say that she is healed because there is no cure for Trigeminal Neuralgia but I can say that she is being restored. Yea, restore means to bring back to an earlier and better condition or to return something to its proper place. So, she isn’t healed but she’s being restored. It’s like silver that has been tarnished and in order to return it back to its proper place you have to remove the tarnish. Well, for my sister; the pain she’s dealt with for over 6 months was tarnish. The days of no eating, the nights of no sleep, the missed work with no pay and the days of not being able to go outside were simply tarnish covering her. Oh, but then here comes her tarnish remover, God. No, He’s never left but He had to allow this tarnish process to happen in order for her purpose to be revealed. When she was wheeled into that operating room at 6:37AM on Tuesday, December 17, 2013 and was being prepped for surgery God was shaking out His cleaning cloth. When her hair was shaved, IVs were placed and incisions were made, it was simply God wiping off the tarnish. While the doctors and nurses worked, God was wiping off the tarnish. While some family slept, played games in the waiting area and I paced; God was wiping off the tarnish. While you prayed, God was wiping off the tarnish. Every hour the nurse called to update us, God was wiping off the tarnish. Yea, the surgery was longer than expected but that’s because God had to make sure her shine was bright enough for the world to see. Oh but then she was wheeled into recovery and then to ICU and when we walked in and she opened her eyes to see us and she knew who she was and where she was; her shine was glowing. The next morning when she was able to walk with the physical therapist, her shine was showing. When she mended folks, through her struggle, and didn’t even know it; her shine was showing. When she strengthens folks, through her testimony, her shine is showing. When she never gives up even on the days she wanted too, her shine was showing. So, when I say she’s being restored, she is simply being returned to her proper place. Yes, she’ll have a scar (tarnish) that cannot be removed but get this; her hair covers it! (#goneGod) So, if you’re facing anything that seems like it’s too hard for you to understand, just know; its God working. He hasn’t left you, He is allowing you to be tarnished so that He can restore you back to your proper place.

In addition … Thank you all for praying, for donating money, for thinking about her and even for reaching out. I don’t mind you asking me questions because if it helps someone else avoid the months of pain that my sister has had to endure through, I will answer any of them until she is able too.

Daily Devotional – 12/13/13 “Rejoicing now!”

I don’t know what the next hour holds so I will rejoice now. I don’t know what tomorrow holds so I will rejoice now. I don’t even know what my future holds yet I will rejoice now. See, rejoice is defined as to feel or show great joy or delight and that’s just what I’ll do. Why? Well because God has been just that good. {Yes He has!} I know you’ve heard that if God never does anything else for me, He’s already done enough and He has but I need Him to continue. So, in order to ensure that I continually receive God’s blessing, I’ll rejoice now because the last thing I want to show is that I am ungrateful. For the bible tells me in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Even when it’s dark and I can’t see the light I’ll rejoice because I’ll know that eventually the darkness has to end. Even when I’m temporarily out of funds and my credit won’t get it; I’ll rejoice knowing that my situation is temporary. Even when I’m sick and it seems like I can’t get well, I’ll rejoicing knowing that my healing is on the way. Even when my day is bad, I’ll rejoicing in knowing that when I sit down and count; my good days outweigh the bad. So, I’m rejoicing now. I won’t wait until Sunday because I may not see it. I won’t wait until my change come because I may not receive it. I won’t wait until my prayer is answered because I’m alive right now! So, I’ll rejoice now! “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5).” So, in the midst of everything, I’m rejoicing now!

Daily Devotional – 12/12/13 “It’s part of God’s plan!”

God is asking why you are stressing when I continue blessing. Why won’t you sleep when my word and promises I always keep? Why won’t you go when I say so? Why do you fear when I am always near? Why doubt when I have clout? When you’re on your knees, don’t I answer your prayers when you tell them to me? Don’t I come when you call every time you fall? Don’t I protect you when you get in trouble and place folk around you to catch you when you stumble? Don’t I lighten your darken path, ease your mind and aren’t I the one whose here every time? Then why are you stressing when I continue blessing? Yea, I know you think I’m picking on you when trouble shows up at your door but this is why I made you strong; this is what I built you for. Yea, I know your body maybe tired and you’re sick of being in pain but hold on my child because your agony is not in vain. Yea, I know you think giving up is the right thing to do but just hold on a little while because I going to pull you through. Yea, I shut that door and you thought it was what you needed but it would have taken you from me and made you mean and greedy. Yea, I know you wanted that car, the one you applied for but I’m trying to show you that it would have caused you more headaches had you simply opened the door. Then why are you stressing when I continue blessing? Don’t get mad at me when I don’t give you those things in which you seek because I am the one that created you so I know what you need. Stop being angry at me because I took your mom or dad away; they were tired and weren’t meant to stay. Stop getting mad at me because you can’t fill underneath the tree with gifts when this isn’t the real meaning of Christmas, baby your mind needs to sift. Stop worrying about tomorrow when you haven’t finished today and stop worrying about yesterday when it’s already gone away. All I’m trying to get you to understand, whatever happens is part of my plan!

P.S. I must thank one of God’s angels (Kelly) living here on this earth that so generously donated to my sister. Not because she knows us personally but simply because she has God on the inside. See, I am often reminded that God has His people surrounded by His people and even if we are states away we can still be a blessing for others. During this holiday season, pray for someone else. And please continue to pray for my sister who will have surgery in Nashville, TN on 12/17/13.

Daily Devotional – 12/11/13 “Keep going!”

In the game of Monopoly, you start at GO and in order to get back to GO you have to go the full circle of the board. Now, in the midst of going the circle you may land on a property that you can purchase, community chest, chance or maybe even jail but then you reach GO again and this time when you pass, you are rewarded with a $200 bonus. Now, in someone’s eyes this may just make that circle you have to go around worth it; you know to be rewarded in the end. Well, in my every day studying of God’s word, I’ve found this Christian journey to be almost the same. Yea, go with me for a moment. See, walking this path we have to endure and go through stuff just like the things on the monopoly board in order to insure that we reach GO again. We’ll pass over railroad tracks called haters which may end up costing us, we may land on other folk’s properties (by being in other folk’s business) and end up paying a price, we may land on chance or community chest and pull a card that might end in our favor or maybe not, we might end up in jail or sometimes our feet will land in a place where we’ll be able to buy our own land and reap the benefits, if we use our money wisely. Oh but then we land on GO again and God rewards us for our faithfulness because we endured through it all to make the full circle and now we stand with our head held up ready to go again. Yea, we stand at GO ready to reap our reward because although we’ve been hated on we weren’t hindered; had to pay a fine but we kept the faith, made some mistakes but we repented and maintained and every time we pass GO we receive an extra blessing in your bucket. Isn’t that good news?

Yes, I know the journey may get a little hard, giving up may look easier, sickness maybe getting you down, you’re sick of short paying the electric bill to pay rent, tired of wearing the same pair of jeans, tired of being broke on pay day, tired of hearing it’ll get better, tired of death coming into your family, tired of watching the news that’s only bad news, tired of folk posting all of their business on Facebook and just plain ole tired of being tired and sick of being sick but keep going. Yea, keep pushing, walking, rolling and grinding because it’ll pay off! For Colossians 3:23-24 says “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”