Daily Devotional – 6/4/13 “This, then, is how you should pray!”

Now, let me point this out … Everyone is entitled to pray however you’re comfortable with, I’m simply expanding on the word which is found in Matthew 6:9-13. Again, this is only my interpretation or from my point of view. With that being said, the question is now asked “How is the Lord’s Prayer all that I need?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Pray, then, in this way:

“Our Father who is in heaven (This is clarifying who you are calling upon to hear your plea because you’re not just calling on any father but you’re requesting the help of the Father in Heaven who is able to see about you in the midst of your trying times; one who can pick you up, dust you off, dry your tears and make your scars be removed and He doesn’t even have to be in the room.) Hallowed be your name (This is letting your Father know that to you His name is sweet among your lips, Holy, Blessed, Respected, Sacred and Sanctified.) Your kingdom come (Requesting for God to send His kingdom down from Heaven because living down here is Hell for I’ve read that in His kingdom there is no dying only living, there is no crying only joy, there is no day of the week because every day is like Sunday, there is no sickness only healing and there is no sorrow only singing, there is no misery only His mercy and there is no I but us!) Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (You’re asking for God’s will to be done down here because it’s already done up there. God’s will? It’s to acknowledge Him and not be ashamed, love thy brothers & sisters, keep His commandments, to lean not to your understanding but to trust His, to walk right so that your light of God shall shine, to not conform to this mean old world, to study His word and to pull off your past and step into your present.) Give us this day our daily bread (Now, this isn’t physical bread but this is you asking God to feed you on this day with the nourishment you need to go on, for the strength you need to carry your burdens through the storm when it seems like it won’t end, for the energy to go on when it seems like you’re walking alone, for hope when yours seem to be evaporating and for patience when the pain is getting to be too much.) And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (This isn’t financial debts but this is you asking God to forgive you for the sins that you’ve committed after you’ve forgiven those who sin against you. See, you can’t ask God to forgive you for the hate you’ve had against daddy for leaving when you haven’t forgiven him for leaving. Yea, you have to forgive and forget because if you don’t you still hold on to those feelings every time you think about it. Forgive debts in order for your debt to be forgiven.) And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Pause … Temptations come because of our flesh however 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” So, this part of the prayer is praying for your flesh to be strengthened so that you can resist and not led to temptations and delivered from the evil that may have you surrounded. See, you will be tempted because you live in a fleshly body but when you pray to not be led into temptation, God will open your eyes to see evil before it even reaches you. That’s called seeing things through you spiritual eyes because your natural eyes may see things differently.) For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. (For you have dominion, you have all the authority and you have the honor to make this so continually, constantly and always. Amen (expressing agreement to the things you’ve just requested in prayer).” This may not be enough for you but it surely will do!

Daily Devotional – 6/3/13 “Stuck and you don’t even know it!”

My uncle spoke on this topic on yesterday and you know it stayed with me because I was trying to figure out how I can be stuck and not know it but then I started listening to him and reading. He came from Matthew 6:5-7;14 and this really got me because this particular scripture is talking about prayer and I thought again, how I can be stuck and not know it if I’m praying? So, I kept on reading and me and my Holy Spirit got excited. See, many times we are stuck in our situations because we aren’t praying right. Yea, we get all caught up in our feelings and start rambling on about this and mumbling about that but this isn’t how we should pray. We think we are supposed to be kneeled down at the altar or on the side of our bed with our hands clasped together, head bent and eyes closed but that isn’t right either. I can remember when I lived with my grandparents that every night my grandfather would get ready for bed (real early) and after coming from his bathroom he would go into their room and close the door and before he got in the bed, each night, he would kneel and say his prayers. I know I said that this isn’t right but his routine was and I’ll tell you why. Matthew 6:6 says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” See! The word says that you don’t need an audience to pray, you don’t need a building that has been deemed “church”, you don’t need deacons nor an altar but what you need is a place to yourself. Oh, and remember when I said you get caught all up in your feelings? Yea, Matthew 6:7-8 says, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” God doesn’t need you to repeat what you’re going through, He knows; all He needs is for you to recognize the mess you’re in and then acknowledge that you need His help. He gave you exactly what to say that’ll cover everything and it’s called “The Lord’s Prayer” and it’s all you need when you seek God’s guidance. (I’ll break it down tomorrow). All I need you to get out of this devotional today is, you’re stuck in the mess you’re in and you don’t even know it because you aren’t reaching God the right way. Pray to Him and not to those nosey, messy folk around you who’s listening trying to block your blessing. Stop waiting until Sunday morning because the next minute of your life isn’t promised. Stop waiting because you think you aren’t praying right because prayer is simply having a conversation with your Father. Get you a place to pray where you won’t be bothered. You don’t need an hour because all it takes is a few minutes for you to reach the prayer line and then let God handle it.

Daily Devotional – 5/31/13 “Why, though?”

You’re still questioning God? You still doubt His infinite power, His wisdom and His promises to you? Is it because you can’t see them? Well, you don’t question the air and you don’t see it; yet you breathe it every day. You don’t question the cook at the restaurant although you eat the food they cook. You don’t question that chair you’re sitting in, yet you trust it to hold you. You don’t question the sun, even though it’s bad for you, yet you enjoy it while it’s out. So, why do you question God? Didn’t you read Proverbs 3:5-6 that says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths?” Doesn’t He show up right when you need Him the most? Doesn’t He make a way when all you see is a dead end? Doesn’t He heal your body after the doctors have given up? Isn’t He the one listening to you cry when folks do you wrong, when they tell you no or when they turn their back on you? Doesn’t He still forgive us even after we’ve sinned for the same thing we promised Him we wouldn’t do anymore? Yet, you’re still questioning, doubting and questioning some more. God says go and you still standing asking why. God says move and you’re still questioning how many steps to take. God is telling you to help somebody and you’re still asking Him why that person. God is telling you to step out and trust Him and you’re still standing at the back because you’re worried about failing but haven’t you read what it says in Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him?” Then why are you still there? You don’t have to keep wondering about why this is happening to you, why you haven’t done this or that, moved here or there, gone farther or given up this; it might be because you’re aren’t listening. Stop listening to your girlfriend who keeps telling you to leave your husband because she might just have her eye on him. Stop listening to your boys who keep telling you to ignore her call because she might just have the answer you need. Stop listening to your co-worker who keeps saying that medicine won’t work; just because it didn’t for her it might just heal you. Stop listening to “they” who say that diet won’t work because it might just be the help you need. And stop listening to those folk who keep talking about your pastor because baby they are after the messenger and you should be after the message. To sum this up, you need to listen to God and stop questioning Him. Obviously He has you where you are for a reason, so trust Him and then listen for your assignment when it’s time to move. How will you know its God speaking? Well, John 8:47 say, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” So, make sure your heart is right, your mind is made up, your feet are walking in the right places, your hands are dipping in the right bowl and your spirit is hooked up to the right spirit and you’ll know.

Daily Devotional – 5/30/13 “That’s God working (part 2)!”

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!