Daily Devotional – 8/15/13 “When will you expect it?”

Baby, at what point in your life would you start expecting things to happen? Yea, it’s alright to hope but when will you expect it? See, expect is defined as to believe with confidence, or think it likely, that an event will happen in the future. You know how you go to work on Monday and expect to get paid on Friday? Well, it’s the same as spiritual things because when you pray to God, you’re essentially sending Him a request for things that you expect Him to do for you. Now, hold up; let me make this plain … Just because you pray and you expect, don’t go to God acting like He owes you anything because He paid every debt when He sent His only Son to die for you, even before you were born, so slow your roll. What I am saying is, go to God in prayer with an expecting spirit asking Him for the things you seek as if you already know they are on the way. Yea, when you go before God’s throne with that petition of prayer, you should go with an expecting spirit and a faithful heart because my bible says in Hebrews 11:1, “Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.” Why, you ask? Well that’s because as 2 Corinthians 5:7 so plainly says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” Is it sinking in yet?

Again, there is nothing wrong with hoping for this and hoping for that, but when will you expect to receive it? See, if I pray with the hope that God will enlarge my territory; I’ve also got that type of faith to expect it to happen so now I’m clearing space in order to receive what I’ve asked for. So when will you expect your breakthrough? When will you expect your miracle? When will you expect your storm to be over, for your crying to stop? When will you expect to be elevated up instead of always being down? When will you expect your healing to come? When will you expect your financial breakthrough to show up? Honey, you’ve got to get to your level of expectancy in order to get somewhere or something new. Psalm 62:5 says, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.” This is because God is our expectation for Psalm 62:6 tell us, “He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.” Expect and then get because with expectancy you establish your eagerness to get all that you’ve prayed for! Don’t stop hoping but with hoping expect. Hope for your miracle then expect God’s to send His mercy that can’t be measured! Hope for your breakthrough and then expect God to send a blessing that will blow your mind! Hope for your deliverance and then expect God to deliver it like only He can! Hoping gets you started but expecting, EXPECTING, keep you going!

Daily Devotional – 8/14/13 “Who’s watching!”

You’re scared to shout because you don’t want anybody to see, you scared to praise because you think someone may laugh or you’re too ashamed to pray because you don’t know what to say but if parents would shout more, praise often and pray at all times then maybe our children will! John 5:19 says “So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” See, we have no problem with them seeing us shake our butt to the music on the radio, but when it’s time to worship God, we get lazy. Isn’t God worth a jubilated praise? If we don’t teach our children the real meaning of praise who will? If we, as adults, would stop playing church, then maybe our children would. How can we expect them to get God on the inside of them when we act, 80% of the time, like He’s not on the inside of us. You sit at church all during service playing Candy Crush on your phone and then you got the nerve to wonder why they are missing the message. Well, because you are! They are watching you, after all. I mean, when will you get that? Don’t you know that learning starts at home? Teach them how to find a scripture in the bible. Teach them how to say their grace or their prayers so that they’ll do it no matter where they are. I know that somebody will say, “Nobody taught me so how can I teach them,” well start now. Grab the kids and go to bible study, Sunday school or worship service sometime or simply grab a bible and start reading together. Bible study can be held at your own home, start there.

Baby, God doesn’t need folk playing with Him but He wants folks praying to Him, for John 4:23 says, “But the time is coming–indeed it’s here now–when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.” Act like the Christian you’re supposed to be so that your children will grow into the Christian they are destined to be. See, God doesn’t need praise only when the sun is shining but He wants to see you dancing in the rain when the storm is raging. He doesn’t need you screaming His name when you’ve been pushed down in the pits and valleys but He wants to hear His name in rejoicing when you’ve made it to the top of the mountain. While you are trying to see whose watching you, the devil is watching you so you need to show him that you’re worthy of all the blessings God sends whether they are big or small. And when you praise, your kids watch and then they learn to praise. God deserves a jubilated praise every time our eyes open because He doesn’t have to do anything else for us but He does even when we don’t deserve it. I’d rather be dancing to the beat of rejoicing instead of jumping around the hot coals on the floor of hell! Rejuvenate, refresh and renew your praise while you have a chance too and watch how your life is changed. You’d better store up your praises now so that you’ll be in God’s number on the day He returns instead of being sent to a never ending Hell!

Daily Devotional – 8/13/13 “Isn’t God worthy enough?”

You’re asking, “What do I have to celebrate when most of my bills are behind, I’m working a dead end job, marriage is on the rocks, kids acting like strangers to me, friends messy and family got me stressing?” But baby, all you have to do is think back on some of the times you should have been dead when you were in places you shouldn’t have been, how God delivered you safely home, after hours of drinking, even though you don’t remember how you got there and how you walked away from that accident, was healed from the cancer or delivered from the dialysis that should have killed you. Yea, think back on the bills that God is allowing you to pay, that car you were approved for after being turned down 3 times, the food and the appetite you have, the feet you walk on, the arms & hands that are moving, the mouth that opens to breath, the nose that can smell, the eyes that can see, ears that can hear, a brain that works … shall I continue? If you don’t think you have a reason to have a jubilated, that means an uninhibited (which means open, unrestrained, not held back) rejoicing in the celebration of a victory or success, then grab the commercial appeal and look for your name and when you don’t see it; praise! Visit Lebonheur/St. Jude and when you don’t find your child lying there, praise! Visit the prisons or youth detention centers and when you don’t find your child or family member, praise! Visit the homeless shelters or the missions and when you don’t find your cot, praise! Visit the ICU floor of your local hospital and see the mother crying over her only son who was hit by a drunk driver or visit the nearest military base and visit the wife whose husband won’t return from war and realize that it isn’t you. If you don’t think you have a valid reason to give God a jubilated praise, keep living!

“Psalm 150:6 “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.”

Daily Devotional – 8/12/13 “I know because I go!”

How can I, a plain somebody who has been gifted by God for such a work as this, still sometimes sin, still make a few mistakes, still curse, still dance to worldly music, still have a glass of wine every now and then, still sometimes fall, still sometimes act; you know human; how can I tell you to still hold on when the rope is breaking, still look for the hope when your eyes are filled with tears, still see joy when all you see is junk and to still keep the faith when faith hasn’t been keeping you? Well, I can tell you all these things because I know. How do I know, you ask? Well, it’s because I go. Yea, see; I can tell you to hold on because I still have a rope breaking moment sometime. I can tell you to not give up because I’ve been in the place of almost giving up before. I can tell you that it gets better because I’ve seen some bad times. I can tell you that your breakthrough is coming because I’ve had to wait on mine. I can tell you to go on through the storm because I’ve stood in a few over the years. I can tell you to cry because I’ve shed a lot of tears. I can tell you now because I know but I only know because I had to go; go through that is. See, I cannot tell you how hard the storm will be if I’ve never been through one. I can’t tell you how to overcome a test if I’ve never taken one. I can’t tell you how to pray, if I’ve never prayed. I can’t tell you to stand still and wait on God’s command if I’ve never done it. So, you see; I tell you these things each day I write the devotional because I know. When I say trouble won’t last, I know. When I say your dark days will end, I know. When I say the pain won’t always be there, I know. When I say it’ll be alright, I know. When I say that God is all that you need, I know. When I say that God will be right there when you need Him, I know. When I say you can be delivered, I know. When I say your breakthrough is only a step away, I know. When I say your victory is within reach, I know. I know because I go!

Daily Devotional – 8/9/13 “Stop judging me!”

Why do you find it easy to put your mouth on folk? Why do you find it cool to talk about somebody else? Why do you feel the need to comment about everything and everybody? Aren’t you old enough now to be acting your age and not your shoe size? Yea, I know you may not go to church every Sunday but didn’t you listen, at all, the few times you have been? Well, I simply stopped by to tell you to stop judging me! Now, when I say me I’m talking about every man or woman who has and is currently being judged. For my bible, I don’t know what yours say, but my bible says in Luke 6:37, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.” So, when you see somebody and you open your mouth to say something negative think about this …

• I may not be a size 2 but I feel and look great in the size I’m in so stop judging me.
• I may not drive a fancy car but mine gets me where I need to be so stop judging me.
• I may be without a job now but my God is getting ready to bless me and He’s never stop providing so stop judging me.
• I may not be able to shop in the places you do but I still have clothes and shoes so stop judging me.
• My house may not be decorated like yours but I call it home so stop judging me.
• I may not have a man or woman to come home too but I’m still happy so stop judging me.
• Yea, I maybe still making mistakes but let me learn from them so that I may do better, one day, so stop judging me.
• You may sometimes see the tear stains on my face but they could be tears of joy so stop judging me.
• You may even see me with my clothes out of place but that could be from my praise so stop judging me.
• I may have a problem with alcohol or drugs but let me fix me so stop judging me.
• I may not attend church like you do or recite scriptures from memory but I have God in my heart so stop judging me.
• You may ask why I stay with him or her with the way they treat me but it’s my choice so stop judging me.
• I may be tired of being tired but I’m willing to go on so stop judging me.
• I may have sickness in my body but I’m living so stop judging me.
• I may sometimes complain but that just means I’m human so stop judging me.
• I may not be where you think I should, I may even be a few of the names you call me, I may go to some places I said I wouldn’t anymore, I may even dance a little to the worldly music but it doesn’t make me more of a sinner than you so stop judging me.

Baby, God says if my people would pray more instead of having pity! If my people would fast more instead of fighting! If my people would help more instead of hindering! If my people would use their hands to uplift instead of bringing down, use their feet to walk right instead of over people, eyes to see the good in folk instead of judging, ears to hear the sorrow in someone’s voice instead of the words they say, arms to hold up those that are leaning instead of closing the door in their face and mouth to speak life for their brother/sister instead of speaking death then will I hear from heaven and will forgive your sin and will heal your land. Stop judging folk when your sin is no more or less than mine or the next person. Stop and ask someone how they are before you assume. Stop and see about her before you go in. Stop and see about him before you think you know! Stop judging the next person because you might just be sending your own self to hell.