Have you ever felt like crying for no reason? Mood is real rude and you just got out the bed. You don’t want to be bothered even though you work in customer service? Got a feeling that just doesn’t seem to fit and no matter how you try you cannot explain it? Well, I’ve come to realize that this is God working some things in your spirit. Yea, see; He hasn’t manifested or shown them to you yet because you ain’t ready. (Yea, I said you ain’t ready!) So, God has to work on the inside of you and while He does, you feel all discombobulated, out of whack, struggling, blowing up over small things, going from 0 to 60 in seconds and yet you still don’t know why. That’s alright, just wait on God and watch how this thang turns out because when He gets through you look and feel brand new. When God gets through, you no longer look like the mess you used to be. When God gets through you won’t even have a taste for cigarettes, weed, cocaine, heroin, prescription drugs and/or alcohol. Oh, when God gets through you won’t even look at folks the same way. The ones you used to lust after are left behind. Those who used to call you only when they need something become nothing in your eyes. Those who have hurt and hindered your progress will be hidden from your view. Chile, when God is done; when His work (for this season) is over, when He has completed the changes He needed to make, when He has tighten up the screws to the new heart He replaced for the one that had been broken, refilled the tear ducts that were empty from crying all night long, replaced the air in your lungs from losing your loved one, replaced that empty organ of hope from the many disappointments in your life, put a little more faith in your blood, joy in every part of you and exchanged that misery for mercy; you won’t even walk the same as you used too, you won’t talk the same and you surely won’t act the same because then His work would be complete. Now, this is only for this season because sometimes God has to change a few things in us every now and then but just go with it. I’m not saying you have to act like you’re crazy to folk but just be quiet and let God finish. Yea, I know you won’t this feeling to go away but don’t rush the master until He has completed the mission that He started. Oh, somebody needs to know that’s it’s not you, it’s simply God working. I’m trying to leave this alone but somebody reading this feels like they are at their wits end but if you look, you still have some road left to travel. Somebody feels like they’re drowning but all you have to do is stand up, those are just your tears you’re wallowing in. Somebody feels like they’re at the end of their cliff but if you jump, God has already created a soft place for you to land. Somebody is feeling like suicide is the answer but no baby, the answer is God and prayer. Somebody is feeling like they can’t make ends meet but just sit down and look at all the things you have and if they aren’t mandatory, let them go. Somebody was even up crying on last night but if you stop worrying, sleep will come. Those bills you crying over, they will still be there in the morning. That man or woman who left and who hurt you; they didn’t belong to you anyway and they’ll still be gone in the morning. That wayward child, give them to God. That love one you’re crying over who has gone on, they can’t help you now; get right so that you’ll see them again one day. Chile, you aren’t in this here thing alone and you aren’t going crazy; it’s just God working.
Daily Devotional – 5/29/13 “Go through to get through!”
It might take you a minute to get that but let me repeat it … Go through to get through! Yea, while you’re wallowing in your worries, partying in your pity, drowning in your depression, sinking in sin, held bound in bankruptcy, maintaining misery, suffering in sickness, accepting addiction, being held by chains of your circumstance, jailed by judgment, neglected because of your name, guided by grief, cast out because you chose Christ, walked over because of God’s word, discarded because you’re devoted and made to feel guilty because you’re using your gift; well baby sometimes you have to go through to get through! Yea, you do because if it was easy, this life you’re living; you wouldn’t appreciate it. See, sometimes you have to go through hell to get to Heaven. You have to through bankruptcy to get back on your feet. You have to go through sick days, doctor visits, medicine, surgery and maybe rehab to get to your well days. You have to go through darkness in order to see the bright morning sun. You have to go through heartache to get to true love. You have to go through some rough patches in your relationship in order to get to the marriage. Oh, you even have to go through being a victim, sometimes, just to get through to victory; but don’t give up. Just like a pregnant woman, she has to go through 9 months of morning sickness, weight gain, swollen feet, being picked and poked by the doctor and then hours of painful labor just to get to the end result; a baby. So go through job loss to get through to your career. Go through being knocked down so that you’ll get through to your getting up days. Go through the rejections and being turned down so you’ll get through to your yes. Go through your sickness and diseases so that you’ll get through to your healing. Go through to get through! Jesus said in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” There isn’t anything that God allows you to go through that is meant to take you out which is why God declares in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Go on through this moment, this storm, this situation, this circumstance in order to get through to your blessing that is waiting. It’ll be worth it once it’s over. Go through in order to get through!
Daily Devotional – 5/28/13 “That’s God working!”
Sometimes God takes us through things in order for His work to be manifested through us. Why? Because most of us are too stubborn to share our testimony so in order for folk to know how God works He has to manifest His work through our trials, sickness, diseases, addictions; etc. Now, in order for you to get this you need to know that manifest means to show or demonstrate plainly; reveal or to be evidence of, to prove. Yea, see God will allow your mean co-worker to go through cancer and then declare them healed so that you can see and know that He’s a healer. He’ll allow you to see your sister or brother be strung out on drugs or alcohol and then break the chains of their addiction in order for you to see His power as giver of new life. I said new life, not just life because you are already living but when God brings you through some things that should have taken you out; He gives you NEW life. After cancer, new life! After dialysis, new life! After abuse and misuse, new life! After being broken, new life! After being hurt, new life! (I’ll leave that alone) God will allow you to see the homecoming of 3 young women who had been kidnapped and held hostage for years in order for you to know that He is a protector. He’ll even allow you to see moments of almost not making it, almost being without food, almost being homeless, almost being without a job, almost without just so you’ll see and believe that He is a provider.
So, you see; we have to go through our storms and troubles in order for God’s work to be manifested or shown to those who may doubt. It’s just God working. You keep wondering why you can’t move from the job you’re in even after the many applications submitted but that’s just God working. You’re trying to figure out why none of the medicine is working on you when it has healed so many others but that’s just God working. You’re trying to figure out why you keep being denied or turned down for stuff but that’s just God working. You’re not being picked on when trouble comes; it’s just your time, you’ve been picked out to go through. You aren’t being singled out each time you get knocked down; it’s just your time, you’ve been singled out to get knocked down so you can get back up. So don’t be shame of your situations or storms, shout through them. Don’t tarry in your trouble or be threatened by temptations; turn them around for your triumphant transformation. Don’t maintain mess because it makes you miserable but make it part of your message in your ministry. Yea, you’ll go through things, see things, do things and even give up on some things but that’s just God working so go through and then testify and allow God’s manifestation to work through you! Allow God to manifest His infinite power through you because 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” or another translation says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” So you see, it’s not about you but it’s about the message that God is manifesting or revealing through using you. Be used because it’s just God working.
Daily Devotional – 5/24/13 “Favor-full Friday”
Favor is defined as an act of kindness performed or granted out of goodwill, preferential treatment shown to somebody or something given or worn as a token of love, allegiance, or goodwill. Now, that alone is enough for me to realize, understand and appreciate the fact that my Friday is full of favor. Yea, I know your check was short, your account may still be in the negative, you got more bills on top of the ones you already can’t pay, child needs summer school when you thought you’ll have a break, job cutting hours when you need overtime, friends won’t answer when you need someone to talk too or family acting strange but you still have favor. Don’t believe me, then let me show you.
You woke up this morning – FAVOR!
You were in your right mind – FAVOR!
You didn’t find your spouse or child cold – FAVOR!
You looked around and realized that God gave you back everything you had on yesterday – FAVOR!
You could have lost your home in a tornado – FAVOR!
You could be strung out on drugs or dependent on alcohol – FAVOR!
You could be worse than you are but you’re not which means – FAVOR!
If you still don’t believe you have favor, think about the person whose week is filled with dialysis or chemo when your week is hanging out with friends or being lazy at home. Think about the many coworkers who have experienced death in their family over the last month, when you haven’t. So what if your boyfriend left, spend a few minutes crying and then get over it. Ok, your girlfriend turned out to be somebody other than who you thought, get over it. Your job laid you off, ok, man up and find another one to feed your family. Your car wouldn’t start this morning, ok, call someone or take the bus; the fresh air will do you good. You got a little pain in your body, ok, at least you’re able to feel it. Yea, you may be gifted at what you do but you can’t seem to get where you want to be, so what? This simply means it’s not your time because the bible says in Proverbs 18:16, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” See, just because you have a gift it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to open up doors but allow the gift that God has given you to do it especially if you’re using that gift for good, then it’ll go ahead of you and speak on your behalf. Your resume, boss, coworker, spouse or family member can’t speak for you like your gift can and when you’ve been blessed with a gift; God gives you the favor you need to keep it. You have favor but you have to believe in it, understand it and then realize it. If God didn’t give you favor, then why would He keep using you? Stop worrying about what other folks got because they could be great at making stuff look good. Be blessed with the favor you have. Favor means God has faith in you to fulfill the purpose in which He has filled you with, so stop fretting and follow the footpath forward with faith and without fear because even if you fail or fail, your foundation is firm to flourish again.
Daily Devotional – 5/23/13 “Stop settling!”
Now settle is defined a number of different ways. It can mean to put something in place, make somebody comfortable, put details in order, to stop moving, move downward or to even pay what is owed. However, the settle for today is to make or become resident and I don’t mean of a house or place to live but I am talking about you allowing folk, mess, stress, depression, drug/alcohol abuse, spousal abuse, being cheated on, being walked over and being cast down settle into you. You’re settling for stuff that you’ve never negotiated over when most times before a settlement is even reached; some negotiations are had first, right? Then why are you settling for just anything now that you’ve decided to be a true Christian? I mean, you settle for the first man/woman who comes along when they could be standing in front of the blessing God sent; all because you don’t want to shack up but baby you better sit down and talk it over because you might just be settling. You take the first loan the car salesman brings because you’re just excited about the prospect of a new car, when you should be negotiating the terms for the price and payment you want, so don’t settle. You settle for the first job that calls because the benefits sound good when your career was beeping on the other line. You settle for the second dress that’s in the store when you should have told them to order the one you really want. Chile, you better stop settling for a Big Mac when you got a taste for a Quarter Pounder, make them cook it while you wait. Stop settling for less when God has given you the means to have so much more! God blessed you with that gift of writing so do not settle for a math degree because the advisor says you’re good at it. God blessed you with the ability to be a great husband/wife, so don’t settle for being someone’s mister or mistress. God gave you the ability to speak life into your dead places so don’t accept when folks say you can’t make it. God has given you favor so don’t settle for failure. God has given you love so don’t settle for lust. God has given you salvation so don’t settle for suicide as a way out. God has given you praise so don’t settle with the pain. God has given you a life to live so don’t let it pass you by because you choose to settle. You are worthy of so much more. If the person you’re with can’t appreciate what you offer (if you’re offering your absolute best) then you don’t need to spend another day being unappreciated. If the job you currently have can’t appreciate the talent you bring, find one that does. If the kids can appreciate the sacrifices you make to give them all they need and want, then stop giving. You don’t have to settle when you can negotiate the terms. This is your life and it should be on your terms, stop settling!
Lakisha, the Author 