Daily Devotional – 10/21/13 “5 Days of Prayer”

Our Heavenly Father, you whose name is sweet, whose name is healing, whose name brings joy; as I come petitioning your throne this morning I must first thank you. God, I thank you for giving us another opportunity to see daylight, another chance to breath, another chance to do what is right, another chance to live, another chance to defeat the enemy and another chance to praise you. God, I thank you because you’ve allowed our minds to be regulated, our limbs to be strengthened, our hands to find work, our mouth to find words, our heart to beat, veins to pump blood, feet to walk, our spine intact so that we stand up to face the world, our shoulders strong enough to carry the burdens and our knees to bend to pray. God, I thank you for being who you are even though sometimes we act like we don’t know you. Now, Father, I come on behalf of the weary, the sick, the broken spirited, the helpless, the abused, the backsliders, the confused and those who want to give up. God, I come on their behalf praying for your guidance, your help and your healing. Someone has been dealing with something that has them on the verge of suicide even though they look strong; I need you to wrap your arms around them. Someone is about to let go of that rope they’ve been trying so hard to hold on too, give them a safe place to land. Someone is tired of pacing in the hallway after another door has been shut; give them patience to hold out. Someone is tired of going without and is about to do some things they can’t take back; speak to them now. Someone is drowning in debt and tired of fighting the waves to come up for air; be their life jacket. Someone’s heart has been broken so many times and hate is taking over; take it out and fill it with love. Oh God, I need you to mend what is broken, remove what is blocking, take away what is hindering, bind what is trying to destroy and loosen chains. God, I need; we need you and we need you like never before. God, strengthen that mother and father who has buried yet another child. Heal that person that traditional medicine has failed. Snatch the taste of drugs and alcohol from the mouth of those who are addicted. Provide a way for the child who had to step in for their younger siblings. Turn it around for that person who has been hurt by church folk so they won’t give up. Protect our children who are being bullied, abused and attacked. Remove the anger from the hearts, minds and hands of those who abuse. Protect the families who are trying so hard to make it but everyday seems to get harder. Father, I need you to do it now. Do it now like I know you can. Make victims victorious, wanderers into worshippers, drug addicts into devoted advocates, liars into laborers, hypocrites honorable, the battered beautiful, the fallen fearful fighters and the abused abundant. God, do now for your people like only you can. It is this prayer I submit to you, in your name like it is already done. Amen

Daily Devotional – 10/18/13 “Return on your investment!”

I know that somebody reading this is on the verge of giving up, giving in, throwing in the towel, reverting back to your old ways or thinking about doing something strange for change. Yea, it seems like the devil is attacking on every side, wife looking crazy, husband ain’t acting cool, kids acting up in school, doors being shut, you can’t find good luck, job is barely hanging on, can’t pay your bills so you keep ignoring the phone and no matter how you try, your credit just can’t get it. Oh, but hold on! I know you’re mumbling to yourself asking, “What is there left to hold on too?” And you’re probably even talking to the phone or computer but please ma’am, please sir; just hold on. See, why I can probably never truly understand exactly what you’re going through, I can tell you that whatever it is, it’s just you making an investment into God’s business and if you hold on longer enough, you’ll get a return on your investment. Yea, see every time you pace the floor; you’re paying into your investment. Every time you cry yourself to sleep, you’re paying into your investment. Every time you have to endure pain, you’re paying into your investment. Every time folk scandalize your name even when all you’re doing is living, you’re paying into your investment. Every time sickness comes, the enemy shows up or friends walk away; you’re paying into your investment. Every time you get knocked down, stepped on, lied on, pushed out the way, or envied for your blessings; you’re paying into your investment. Every time you have to go to chemo, radiation or dialysis; you’re paying into your investment. Every time you have to take a handful of pills, you’re paying into your investment. Every time you have to weather the storm, you’re paying into your investment. Every time you have to pour water out of your boat that’s sinking in debt, you’re paying into your investment. Every time your way gets dark and you keep walking, you’re paying into your investment. Every time it feels like all hope is lost but you keep on hoping, you’re paying into your investment. Every time someone tries to steal your joy and you keep smiling, you’re paying into your investment. Isn’t that enough?

Don’t you know that investment means contribution of something such as time, energy, or effort to an activity, project, or undertaking, in the expectation of a benefit? You ought to shout right here because after you’ve invested all of this, what are you expecting? If you invest without expecting, then you get nothing in return. Oh but if you invest all of this hell with the expectation of Heaven, then you get a return on your investment. If you invest sickness with an expectation of healing, then you get a return on your investment. Let me break this thang down, if you invest in spiritual rain gear (prayer, fasting, studying) then you’ll be ready to handle the spiritual storm when it comes because after the storm, you’ll be able to take off that rain gear and get a return on your investment by way of the SON that is now shining. Oh, if you invest a broken heart with the expectation of it being mended, then you get a return on your investment. If you invest time into getting out of debt with the expectation of being debt free, then you get a return on your investment. Yea, I know that investing is the hard part but baby, getting that return is even better because can’t nobody take it from you! “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6.”

Daily Devotional – 10/17/13 “After the pain”

After you’ve gone through the pain and been delivered your living is different. Yea, after you’ve been through the pain you realize that God is a man of His word and now you start to actually walk in your destiny. (Now, this is only to those who truly believe in the power of God.) See, after you’ve come through the pain you finally see things and people for what and who they really are and you stop falling for anything. After the pain, you realize that this life may just be worth living and so you do. After the pain, you find out who your true friends are. After the pain, you find out who can be trusted enough to pray for you. Yea, after the pain a lot of things change. So, you see pain isn’t punishment yet its preparation. Pain isn’t permanent yet it’s provisional (that’s temporary). Pain isn’t your persecution yet it’s your purpose. Pain isn’t for pity but it’s for your promotion. Simply summing it up; God has a purpose for your pain. Oh, I know that you’re the one dealing with it, you’re the one going through it and I’m just somebody on the outside looking in but if my prayers could heal you, you’d be restored by now. If my arms could take away the pain, I’d let you have them. If I could share it with you, I would however, God is using your pain for a purpose and I can guarantee that He hasn’t forgotten you for His word says in Deuteronomy 20:4, “For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!” God is only allowing you to struggle to be strengthened, endure pain to proclaim your praise and go through to get to your testimony.

So, go on through this storm but don’t let it shake your spirit. Go on and finish this fight but don’t let it forfeit your faith. Yea, this round is almost over so just hold on a little while longer because you have a shield of protection and it’ll never allow you to fall although you may stumble. God has a purpose for your pain but you’ve got to believe it. Your purpose is bigger than your problem, so believe in yourself to come through it. I’ll share this again, “Although your problems come with pain, the pain is proving that you’re not perfect but yet a person who God has picked to be placed at this point and through prayer you’ll be prescribed a promise of praise that allows you to be purified and through this purification process you’ll prosper and through your prosperity you’ll get power and with this power you get God’s protection that allows you to prevail and once you prevail, you’ll have the patience, peace and perseverance to proudly pursue your purpose!” Oh, somebody needed to know today that although that pain makes it seems like your good days are all gone, they aren’t and God is allowing this to happen because soon you’ll be able to say, remember when I used to …. Oh, that’s enough to shout about!

Daily Devotional – 10/16/13 “No pain, no gain?”

Why do we have to endure pain in order to gain something? Why do we have to be hurt before we finally realize something is wrong? Why does pain have to be so bad? Why does it have to hurt like it does? I mean, I sit and watch my sister in agonizing pain with a condition that is so uncommon in someone her age that even the doctors act like they are scared to treat it and I wonder what she is suffering for. Then I read in my bible Psalm 41:2-3 that says, “The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, and he shall be called blessed upon the earth; and do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; in his illness, you restore him to health;” and I realize that this pain is simply showing that no matter the situation, you’re strong because you have been slipped in saving solution that secured your soul for this shut down in order to start you back up with your spirit sprinkled with sanctification that significantly steadies you and stops you from stumbling but subscribes for you, support that sustains you even in the midst of this storm. See, I realize that most people would have accidentally overdosed by now with all the medicine she’s on, yet God is sustaining her because she is being called blessed! I realize that most folk have even committed suicide with this same disease yet God is sustaining her even on her sickbed because she is called blessed. I even realize that somebody reading this is in pain trying to figure out what their gain will be yet God is sustaining you too because just like her you are also called blessed. Yea, after this pain you’ll have a testimony that will make unbelievers believe, sinners repent, backsliders come home and workers more willing. Yea, after this pain comes gain!

So, when you ask if there is something to gain from your pain, let me tell you; YES for 1 Peter 4:13 says, “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” and 2 Corinthians 1:5 that says, “For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.” See, in suffering you gain a Savior and in pain you gain your purpose. In suffering you gain spirituality and in pain you gain perseverance. In suffering you gain the Holy Spirit and in pain you gain peace. After the pain of losing a loved one, you gain comfort from knowing they’re at rest. After the pain of going through hell, you gain your train fare to Heaven. After the pain of sickness and disease, you gain healing. After the pain of losing a job, you gain a career. After the pain of being rejected, you gain the open doors that God has for you. So, you see there is something to gain from your pain, so hold on. Even I will have something to gain from this pain that my sister is dealing with and I shall wait patiently to see what it shall be. There is pain but afterwards you shall gain all that God has for you!