Daily Devotional – 4/5/13 “Dishonesty!”

There was this saying on my co-workers bulletin board yesterday that said, “To believe in something and not live it, is dishonest” and it started my wheel to turning. See, I sometimes wonder why do we believe in God and then live like we don’t. Now, I said we because I’m also talking to myself but why is that? We pray for God to provide for us and then we go into a store and steal when Exodus 20:15 says, “You shall not steal.” You got the nerve to be praying for God to bless your relationship and the one you’re sleeping with isn’t even yours when Proverbs 6:32 says, “He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.” You say grace over food that you’ve taken out of someone else’s mouth when Proverbs 20:17 says, “Stolen bread tastes sweet, but it turns to gravel in the mouth.” You even got the nerve to be down at the altar praying for God to remove the burdens from your shoulder with stolen clothes on your body, hate in your heart and words coming from an unclean mouth when Isaiah 59:2 says, “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” Don’t you know you’re being dishonest with yourself and God? Then have the audacity to say that God knows your heart. Yep, He surely does and He knows that it’s still wrong. I’m not telling you how to live your life but I am simply being obedient to the calling that has been placed over my life and it is my duty to share God’s word with you because my bible tells me in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Oh, I’m feeling some kind of way this morning because somebody needs to know this! See, the devil doesn’t like to see things going right so he’ll through some mess into your plans to make left look better. Now, in you going left take God with you. Don’t drop him off at the turn because that’s being dishonest because I’ve found that sometimes God will take us left just to get us back right. (You’ll get that later). Yea, you’ll even have friends talking in your ear trying to get you to be dishonest with your spouse, cheat on your taxes or lie to your boss but in the end you are the one paying for it; don’t do it. The enemy has a purpose to make you dishonest but don’t fall for it. Even when he rides in on the back of a family member to try to release hell in the midst of your home just so you can turn to that good smelling coworker, don’t do it. Just because you think you’ve gotten away with it for the moment, it’ll always come back to bite you just at the time you don’t need it too this is why Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” or Job 4:8 which says, “As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.” Dishonesty is being deceitful that causes disappointment which destroys the destiny designed for you and delivers you to damnation that’ll make you a dancer in the devil’s den. Oh but honesty heals the hard hearted, halts hurt and humiliation, allows you to handle the hell that’ll show up and makes you honorable, helpful and humble and filled with the Holy Spirit as you prepare to make Heaven your home.

Daily Devotional – 4/4/13 “Let go!”

I don’t know who this is for but I simply stopped by to tell you to let it go! I don’t know what you are holding on too but whatever it is, it’s hindering you from doing what God has destined for your life. Don’t you know that stress that is tied around your neck is strangling you? Don’t you know that extra burden on your shoulders is weighing you down? Don’t you understand that this unhappiness you carry is making you ugly? Don’t you realize you’re struggling to stand in a puddle of water when it’s not even enough to drown you? Then why won’t you let go? You know that person you’re sleeping with doesn’t belong to you, let him or her go. That church or place of worship you attend is breaking you spiritually, let it go! That car is draining you financially, let it go! That job is killing you with the stress, let it go! Now, let me make one thing clear, I am not telling you to quit your job, sell your car, divorce your spouse or do something drastic but what I am saying is maybe you need to reevaluate some things. Your job – let go of those extra duties that aren’t yours to begin with. That car – stop dumping money into it and shop around for something else. That marriage – let go of the past stuff and fix it, if that’s what you want and if it isn’t then let go because if you aren’t willing to make it work then stop wasting each other’s time. Your broken heart – let go of the hurt that caused it to be broke in the first place because the only way to heal is to start healing but you can’t do that holding on or going back to the person who broke it in the first place especially if they haven’t changed. You spirituality – you’re responsible for it so let go of whatever it is that is keeping you from God’s will. Yea, I know you grew up in that church but baby, if you can’t go there and leave feeling refreshed, recharged and spiritually lifted then you need to let it go. Your past mistakes – let them go! Stop allowing them to hinder your future, if you aren’t making them anymore. So what if you used to be an addict, drink, smoke, lie, cheat, steal or walk the streets; if you don’t anymore then let it go and stop allowing it to label you now. You are not the mistakes of your past because 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” But before we can move to verse 17, it’s important that we know that 2 Corinthians 5:16 says, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.” This simply means, when Jesus died on the cross that night, He died in the flesh and we now behold Him as a Spirit because everything else is gone. Well, now that you’ve accepted Him we (folk, other Christians, blood bought believers, baptized sinners who are forgiven by the minute, sometimes a back slider, curser, liar and cheater) should no longer evaluate, appraise, look at, pay attention to, care about, calculate or value your flesh because it’ll sometimes let us down but we should look at, care about, pay attention to, value and evaluate the heart of one another. Yea, you’ll make mistakes and so will I but don’t love me by what I look like because it maybe a mask but love me by my heart. Don’t criticize me because of what you’ve heard but criticize me by my work. Don’t cast me out because of where I’ve been but pull me up because of where I’m going. Don’t be jealous because of who I am but come and go with me because of whose I am!

Let go of the person you used to be and be the person you are meant to be. Let go of that addiction, situation or circumstance that has you bound because if you look it’s not even locked. Let go of that and look at this… Isaiah 43:18-19 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

God got you!

Daily Devotional – 4/3/13 “I won’t complain, as much!”

I’ll be lying if I said I won’t complain because I might so I’ll just say I won’t complain as much. See, there’s no use in lying to God because He knows your heart. There’s really no excuse to lie to yourself because you know you. You know how you say, I’m going to stop cursing and you don’t even try too but the lie sounded good when you said it. So, just say you’ll work on stopping and then everyday try a little harder. If you know you’re not going to lose weight, then stop complaining about it and lying to the folks at the gym because they could care less. If you know you’re not going to stop eating all that fried food that has your blood pressure high, then stop complaining about it and lying to the doctor because he knows better which is why he keeps writing the prescriptions. Yea, your life should be worse, your situation could be darker, your test should be harder, you could be sicker, you should be dead and you could be richer but it’s not so complain a little less. You didn’t get enough sleep; it’s not our fault because we didn’t keep you up. Your account is in the negative, again it’s not our fault because we didn’t tell you to buy everybody in the house new clothes for Easter that’s now piled in the floor of their room or closet. Oh, your boo thang left; so sorry for you but if he or she was meant for you then they won’t run so let them go and stop complaining. And if the truth shall be told, you probably chased him/her when you got them so if they were running then what made you think they would stop now?

All I’m saying, things could be worse so be thankful and complain less until you have nothing to complain about. What should you be thankful for, I don’t know but I’m surely thankful that I have warm blood flowing through my veins, my eyes see, my ears hear, my mouth speaks, my legs and arms move when I want them too, I can feel the things I touch, I woke up to my family who are well and in their right mind, I still had a roof over my head that a fire didn’t destroy, I have a car that a drunk driver didn’t take, I have my grams, mother, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and even the same enemies that death didn’t get, I have a job when someone is still looking for one, I have a few dollars in my pocket and someone is begging for one, I have food to eat and someone is digging in trash looking for scraps, I have prayer that sustains me, a God that maintains me, joy that fills me, the Holy Spirit that intercedes for me, Jesus who died for me, repentance that cleans me and praise that goes ahead of me. When I want to complain I think about where I should have been. Even in the midst of my complaint, I think about where I could be and I become ashamed of myself. Yea, I will complain but not as much as yesterday until I can honestly say, I won’t complain. What about you?

Daily Devotional – 4/2/13 “God’s hospital of healing!”

I know you’ve been trying to find out how do you receive healing for your sin sick soul. You’ve been trying to figure out how to heal the holes that have been placed in your spirit or the scars from your knees because it seems like you keep praying with no answer. How do you remove the stains from all the tears you’ve cried or mend your broken heart after it keeps getting shattered? Well, let me tell you. You need to visit God’s hospital of healing. Yea, you read that right, God’s hospital of healing. There are many locations to serve you because there is one on almost every corner. They are open every Sunday, some Mondays and Wednesdays and sometimes on Saturday. There is usually no line or waiting and you don’t even need an appointment because all you have to do is go in, find you a seat and be ready to receive your healing. Where is this place? It’s called church. But before you go, you need to make sure the doctor you’ll be seeing is certified to handle your situation. How do you do that, you ask? Well, that’s simple because 1 John 4:1 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Now, in order for you to test the spirit to see if it’s actually of God, your spirit has to be right; you know God filled. (Maybe you should read that again) See, spirits tend to attract who they are so if your spirit is of peace then you’ll attract peaceful spirited people but honey, if your spirit is filled with hell because you’re messy and always stressing then you’ll attract the same type folk.

So, after you’ve made sure the doctor’s spirit is right you have to now trust God! Trust God and stop worrying about Dr. Pastor because his job is to teach you God’s word just like writing a prescription but salvation is your choice, just like filling the prescription and taking the medicine. Next you have to actually go to church in order to get the healing just like you have to go to the doctor’s office. Then you have to go in prepared to get your healing and that comes with studying God’s word on your own, just like you research when you’re self diagnosing yourself. Then you have to be ready to receive your healing because when the pastor anoints your body with oil, there isn’t any power in that oil but the power is in yours and the pastor’s faith and if you both believe that your healing shall be done, then it shall be (if it’s God’s will.) Finally, receive your healing by speaking it over yourself with the power that it’s already done because Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Yes, the hospital for your sin sick soul is open but you have to go the same way you have to go to the doctor’s office or ER. Try it for yourself and unlike the rising cost of medical bills, it’ll only cost you 10% (that’s tithing) which is much cheaper than visiting the ER. You will sin, but God forgives if you repent. You will have temptations but God can give you the strength to overcome them. You will have days of wanting to give up but God won’t allow you too. You may want to throw in the towel but just simply wave it while telling God thank you. Visit God’s hospital of healing for all you need because I can guarantee that no matter how bad you feel when you walk in, it can all be released with the power of God and the Holy Ghost, if you allow it to be done. When you’re sick, shout yourself well until you feel a shaking in your spirit. When you’re down, dance until you declare your deliverance. When you’re in pain, praise until you possess the power to push on! When you’re sad; sing until you’ve successfully snatched your smile back. When you’re broke, believe in the benefit of God’s blessings. You have the power and God has the prescription because Matthew 21:22 says, “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Daily Devotional – 4/1/13 “What now?”

You celebrated the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus on yesterday, what now? You probably got dressed and even got the kids or grandkids dressed all pretty in their spring colors but what now? You probably colored eggs, had an Easter egg hunt and cooked a grand meal but what now? You probably even went to church and let the kids recite an Easter speech but what now? You listened to the last 7 sayings from Jesus on the cross, you heard about the beatings He received, the mocking and the spitting that was done, the nails being driven in Jesus’ hands and feet, the sour wine He was given to drink, how He was buried in someone else’s grave and even how He rose early that Sunday morning but what now? Will you and the kids get all dressed up and be at church next Sunday? Did you explain to the kids that eggs and rabbits really don’t have significance to the real reason of Resurrection Sunday?

You do know that it’s not all about the baskets filled with candy because there was nothing sweet about the hell that Jesus endured. It’s not about the pretty dresses and bows, the new shoes or the purse that matched your outfit because clothes didn’t save Jesus from having thorns piercing His scalp or nails from being driven into His flesh. It’s not about the colored eggs or even the ham you cooked because all Jesus was given was sour wine to drink. It’s not even about the Easter speeches that we make the kids learn because if you don’t take them back to worship, the following Sunday, then how will they know the rest of God’s word? See, we spend so much time getting dressed up for a special occasion but why can’t every Sunday be a special occasion? Why can’t we treat every Sunday like its Easter when Jesus died just so we’d have a right to live even when we sin? Why can’t the churches be packed every Sunday? I mean, you celebrate your birthday all month, why can’t you celebrate the fact the Jesus died for our transgressions and rose just so we’d be able to live? After you’ve done all the celebrating, eating, drinking and fellowshipping on yesterday, what now? Will you forgive like Jesus did in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do?” Will you help somebody who doesn’t understand the salvation of the Lord like Jesus did in Luke 23:43; “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise?” Will you appreciate the relationships you have like Jesus did in John 19:26-27, “Woman, behold your son, behold your mother?” Will you stop acting like you’re the only one with trials every time you cry out like Jesus did in Matthew 27:46, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Will you realize that God is your everlasting water that will fulfill your thirst each time you cry out like Jesus did in John 19:28, “I am thirsty?” Will you rejoice in knowing that after this life is over, you have a place that is prepared for you, if you’ve lived right, and proclaim like Jesus did in John 19:30, “It is finished?” Will you say and mean it like Jesus said in Luke 23:46, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit?” Will you? After you’ve cleaned up the egg shells, threw away the candy paper, stacked up the baskets, hung up the Easter dresses and suits and taken down the Happy Easter signs, what now?