Daily Devotional – 10/15/13 “I wonder…”

I wonder how much better you’d be if you prayed for me as much as you talked about me? I wonder how many more blessings you’d receive if you would help me instead of always hurting me? I wonder how many more doors you’ll close because you’d rather tear me down instead of building me up. I wonder how many more times you’ll sacrifice your gift because you choose to talk about mine? I wonder how many more days you’ll hinder your life because you’re wishing bad over mine? I just wonder! I mean you always got your mouth on everybody else when you should be talking to God. Don’t you know that John 13:34 says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Then why is this so hard? When you hear folk gossiping about me, pray for them! Yea, I said pray for them because I don’t mind them speaking my name. When you see folk struggling, be there for them instead of ignoring their call. When you see folk wandering lost and having a hard time finding their way, guide them instead of turning your head. When you see folk crying and hurting, love them instead of laughing. When you see folk hungry and cold, feed and clothe them instead of posting it on Facebook.

Baby, this walk is hard enough without having to fight off or with folks who are supposed to prop you up when you lean, wrap their arms around you when you need comforting and encourage you when all hope is slipping away. Oh, but you find happiness in other folk’s hurt, pleasure in their pain, delight in their dilemma and enjoyment in their enduring. Yea, you smile while they’re in their storm, laugh when they lose and rejoice when they run. However, remember this … Your time is coming! And I wonder how you will be when your storm begins. I wonder how you’ll be when your sick time shows up. I wonder how you’ll be when your journey becomes jacked up, your eyesight blurred with tears, your smile is no longer showing, your circumstance becomes common and your knock down becomes known. I just wonder how you’ll be.

Daily Devotional – 10/10/13 “It’s hard out here for a PIMP!”


Yea, it’s hard out here for a Person In My Position. See, you look at me and see my smile but you don’t see the tears I just dried. You look at me and see my blessing but you’d never guess about all the things that has me stressing. You look at me and see God’s glory yet you never even stop to ask my story! Oh, it’s hard out here for a person in my position.


In Romans 7:17-23, it says (me paraphrasing) every time I try to do good, bad appears. Every time I try to walk right, left appears looking better. Every time I say I’m going, something holds me back. Every time I try to walk through the door, it closes and then locks. I try but it’s hard. I believe but it’s harder. I even keep my faith but that makes this the hardest. Verse 24 (The Message Bible) says, “I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?” Then Romans 7:25 says, “The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does.” Oh, it’s hard out here for a person in my position but I’m in the best position to be in because I’m in God’s army. As the pastor said on last night, it may be hard out here for a person in my position but there’s a reason for it because with my position there’s purpose in my pain, passion in my prayers and power in my praise! Yes, it’s hard out here for a person in my position but with my position comes hope, joy, an abundance of love, forgiveness, repentance for my sins and best of all; God who is my shield and protection, my provider, my pain reliever, my mind regulator, my heart fixer, my sleep aid, my midnight rocker, my early morning prayer partner, my mid praise praise giver, my yes man, my burden easer and my load carrying partner. Yes, this position may come with a few trials, tribulations, storms, restless nights, more enemies than you care to have, some hurt to your heart, some knock down moments and tears but it’s all worth it when you’ve completed your task and your retirement comes with a payoff that no man can count and an eternal living that surpasses the hell you’ve been through here on earth. Yea, its hard out here for a person in my position but no one can fill it like me!

Conversation with Lisa Mondello

Blogspot

I am currently the featured author on Lisa Mondello’s Blogspot. Lisa Mondello, a USA Today bestselling author and screenwriter is featuring me, ME; on her blogspot this morning. WOW!!

You can check out out the post by clicking HERE!

I am still in awe of the shifting that God is allowing to take place in my life!

Daily Devotional – 10/9/13 “Sifted to be shifted!”

At revival on last night, the Pastor spoke on “Satan wants to sift you but God wants to shift you,” from Luke 22:31-32. In this particular scripture Jesus is telling Simon that Satan wants to sift him like wheat. Knowing me, like you all do, you know this piqued my curiosity but before I could go on I had to read about the wheat sifting process and baby, let me break this thang down for you. See, the first process of sifting wheat is called threshing, where the edible wheat grain is separated from the chaff or the stuff you can’t eat and this used to be done by spreading the wheat out and beating it with a flail. You know when the storm first comes, the bad news is just delivered, death has just visited your home, sickness has just been detected, spouse has just decided it’s over, children acting like strangers, friends are showing their true colors as enemies and the job just handed you that pink slip; yea, that’s your threshing. Next is the winnowing process where the loosened chaff is removed and this was normally done by throwing the wheat in the air that caused the loose chaff to be blown out allowing the heavy grain to fall back to the floor. Oh, this is simply that moment when you feel like all hell is breaking loose, you’re looking around trying to figure out where you are even though you’re in the same place or asking what the hell is going on; yea, that moment. However, nowadays, this process is done together in a machine called a combine that allows the threshing and the winnowing process to be done and then the wheat, the useable wheat is then able to be used. You know, how it seems like if you didn’t have bad luck you wouldn’t have any luck at all, you keep getting hit on every side until you’re bruised up, you’ve turned the last cheek and you have no more to use, you’re all cried out, feet tired of pacing, body tired from tossing and turning, throat sore from calling out to God and knees worn out from praying?

Oh but then when the process is over and all of the mess, that unusable mess is removed and everything that has been thrown in the air is finally coming back down, you start to see the sun because the clouds are rolling away, you can smile now because the tears have dried, you can get up off your bed of affliction, you can stand because the water is now receding and you can breathe. Why? Well, that’s because like Jesus told Simon in Luke 22:32. “But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” So, after you’ve gone through, tell somebody. After you’ve made it through, tell somebody else. After you’ve survived, tell somebody else that. After your scars have healed, tell somebody else that God is. After you’ve been sifted to now be shifted to your destiny, tell somebody else that God is real!

You had to be shook out to save, scattered to be sanctified, searched to be secured, sought to be separated, set up to serve, shaken to be sharpened and shattered to be strengthen all for you to be sifted to now be shifted!

Daily Devotional – 10/08 “What if God…”

I can’t speak for you but I’m glad, no I’m grateful that God doesn’t bless us based on our works for him or the way we treat folks! Bay-bee, most of us would be tore up from the floor up and back down, constant complainers, wimpy whiners, blatant backstabbers, enemies of our own brother & sisters, greedy gossipers; oh my bad; that’s some of us now! Yea, you claim you’re a ride or die for your best friend who’ll leave you hanging when trouble comes yet you won’t even ride and you’re scared to die for God and He sent His only Son to die just so you could sin and then repent. Oh, yea you’re in the club until they make the last call for alcohol but then you roll your eyes when service last a little longer than you’d like. You’re all up in the TV screaming when a football game is on, can name every player on the team and will rep your team from head to toe but you can’t even name 3 books in the bible, won’t be seen wearing a Jesus Loves Me shirt and so quiet during worship folk hardly know you there but you love God. OK!

Humph, if God blessed us based on how we serve Him, you wouldn’t be where you are now and you have the nerve to complain on most days. You want to ride around in a fancy car, stay in a big house and have money in your pocket but when the Pastor does it, he’s spending the church’s money. You hang out drinking with your friends and it’s no problem but when the Pastor do it, he’s going to hell but aren’t they human too? What if God judged our tomorrow on how we lived today, would you receive the same blessings? What if God gave us tomorrow what we thanked Him for today, would you have enough? What if God loved us the way we loved one another, would you feel loved? What if God came to us the way we go for Him, would you see Him? What if God ignored us the way we ignore those we are supposed to help, would you make it? What if God kept a count of the times you prayed; would He use 2 hands? What if God healed us based on our faith, would you be well? What if God based your breakthrough on you actually going through, would you break through or would you still be in the mess you’re in? What if God has based your elevation on your praise, would you ever rise? What if God allowed your problems to come based on your praise, would you be trouble free? I’m only asking. What if God simply treated us how we sometimes treat Him? He’d probably forget to wake us up the way we forget to thank Him. He’d probably forget to protect us the way we forget to praise Him. He’d even probably forget to see about us the same way we forget to see to it that we follow Him. Wouldn’t that be something?

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 1:1-3”