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!

Daily Devotional – 5/22/13 “Cleaning Church!”

I was sitting here at my desk wondering how many churches would be closed down if folk did undercover operations in them the way they do the local clubs in the city. I mean, if you sent an unconverted sinner into the church would he find areas that would deem the church a nuisance that needs to be shut down? You do know that a nuisance is defined as something not allowed by law because it causes harm or offense, either to people in general public nuisance or to an individual person, right? Um, let’s walk this thang together.

The church covenant says that when we accept Christ we do so in the presence of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost and we enter this agreement joyfully with one another as one body. Oh, but then you start laughing in folk’s face and talking behind their back. You become friends with Sis. Usher and then turn around and sleep with her husband, Bro. Deacon. You turn new converts away by the gossip you keep filling their ears with, you say you’ll pray for them but what you really mean is that you’ll pray for their downfall. Yea, I’d say you were a nuisance. Then the covenant says we are to walk together in love yet you hate on the clothes I wear. It says we should strive to build up the church yet you complain each time the offering tray is passed. We are supposed to promote prosperity and spirituality but the only thing you want to promote is yourself to head of everything. And you are supposed to contribute cheerfully and regularly to spread the gospel, yet your bible has been in the back seat of the car so long the sun has turned the pages and when folk look at you they can’t see your light of God shining and when you open your mouth; they definitely don’t hear God’s word. Yea, I’d say you’re being a nuisance. We are supposed to teach our children about God but you’ve taught them about Lil Wayne, Beyoncé, Johnny Taylor, T.I. and all that crap instead. We are supposed to avoid backbiting, being angry, judging folk, using alcohol to get drunk, drugs to get high, sex as a means of keeping folk, lying as a way of pleasing folk and hating on one another; yet we do and then have the audacity to say, “God knows my heart.” Chile please, I’d say you are a nuisance. Oh, please don’t get me started on the club clothes that double as your Sunday best because it definitely ain’t. However, you have the parents that don’t say anything to a child who comes out the house looking a hot mess for church because most times they are too. If your skirt is too short, how can you say something to your daughter? If you got your pants sagging, how can you tell your son his pants shouldn’t? Teach them by showing them. Let me get off my soap box because I have some things I need to change as well because I am not perfect but I’m simply saying; some things in the church need to be cleaned out. We have to get back to treating our places of worship as the sanctuary they were meant for before God comes in and shuts them down! Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.” Isaiah 1:16, “Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.” We need to clean up what we’ve messed up!

Daily Devotional – 5/21/13 “Sometimes you have to wait!”

I know this is hard to do but sometimes we have to wait. As I sat in the doctor’s office, yesterday, with my daughter for 2.5 hours (before leaving without being seen) I thought about how God must feel with us when we ask Him for things and then have no patience in receiving it or the answer. I know how mad I was at the fact that I made an appointment and then still treated as if I didn’t yet we do this to God all the time. See, when we kneel to pray we make an appointment with God. Next, we are seen when we pray to Him giving Him all the reasons why we need this or how we need Him to come, right now, to see about us. Then, we finish our prayer and expect the answer or the blessing to be waiting in the next room but sometimes we have to wait. See, God knows what we are ready for and what, exactly, it is that we need. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” This says, again, according to His riches. God knows you aren’t ready for that 5 bedroom house with the media room when you didn’t keep the 3 you had clean, extra garages that you don’t have enough cars to fill them with, 3 bathrooms that you’ll really have to make the kids clean and an extra large light bill that you know you might not be able to handle when you’re getting extensions on the small one now; so wait until God knows you can handle it. Oh but no … We have to rush out and get this big house because you can’t wait to post pictures on Facebook and Instagram and 3 months later, you’re barely making ends meet because that big house is sucking you dry. Sometimes you have to wait! Stop rushing to get married simply because everybody around you is and now you’ve rushed to the altar after you’ve been shacking up for 11 years and want things to change. You didn’t have a problem with him hanging with his boys before but now you got that paper and ring, you nag more hours out the day then you sleep. He didn’t have a problem with you wearing that short dress when y’all used to go out but that changed when you became wife and now he has a problem with everything you put on. Sometimes you have to wait because he or she may have been girl/boyfriend capable but not wife or husband material. And if the truth shall be told, God didn’t send them to you no way, you picked them and He is simply waiting on you to move that obstacle that has been blocking your blessing yet you didn’t have time to wait. And stop rushing your weight loss. You didn’t gain 40 pounds overnight so taking it off won’t be that easy. Eat healthier, work out and wait. If you stick to it, the weight won’t stick to you. (This is for me.) That career, it’ll come when it’s time so wait on it. Keep filling out your applications and going on your interviews because that’s just preparing you for the right time.

All I am saying is, sometimes you have to wait. Romans 12:12 says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Which means be glad for what’s coming, be patient during your trouble times but never stop praying. Another way of saying it, praise God for what He will do even if you can’t see it, endure and go through when you can’t see your way but never stop praying. Another way, don’t give up because your blessing is on the way, just wait for it but never stop praying! Be patient in whatever you’re going through, fighting with, praying about, toiling over and pacing for because sometimes you have to wait.

Daily Devotional – 5/20/13 “Why are you questioning God?”

Is it because things are not going like you think they should? Is it because you want more than what you have? Is it because you think you should be better off than what you are? Is it because you didn’t hit the Powerball jackpot? Is it because you’re having one of those “Why me” moments? Is that it? Yea, I get it (a little), I understand (some of it), I’ve had my share of pain (it hurts), I’ve been where you are (not exactly where but), I’ve been through something similar to you (I’m still here), I’ve had my share of hurt (It sucks) but guess what? You get over it! So, why are you now questioning God? He didn’t put a sign on that man’s head and tell you to marry him especially when he was abusive before the marriage; chances are he will be afterwards. It’s not God’s fault that you had a baby by that girl especially when she already had 2 by 2 different baby daddy’s and she was making their life hell; there might be a chance she’ll treat you the same. Stop blaming God for that piece of a car you bought with all your tax money. Yea, you prayed for a sign and when you saw the oil leaking on the lot; that was God showing you that it’s not yours but you bought it anyway. Stop questioning why you have to go through, we all do when Job 14:1 says, “A person who is born of a woman is short-lived and is full of trouble.” Stop questioning why you have to suffer when Romans 5:3-5 says, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Stop questioning God because you’ve fallen because Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Oh but wait one moment because then it picks back up in Romans 3:24 and says, “Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” Yea, even when we go through our sinning seconds, our messy minutes, our hurting hours, our down days, our weak weeks, our misery months and yearning years; God still declares that we are righteous, good, save able, deliverable, justifiable and certifiable! So why are you questioning His methods now? You don’t when things are going good, do you?

Romans 9:20 says, “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” It’s like kool-aid or tea (after you’ve made it) asking you why did you make me so sweet, it just doesn’t make sense. Trust, believe and then receive whatever it is God has for you. Go through your storms, heartbreak, hurt, job loss, sickness, death and misery; during its season and then come out stronger than before but do it without questioning the master who makes it all possible.