Our Father, whose name is sweet upon my ears, who comforts me in my lonely hour, who wipes my tears when no one can, who allows His spirit to abide in me when I can’t find words to say, whose hands can heal me and arms can hold me without touching my flesh, who gives me new mercies every day even when I’m not worthy, who puts life back into the body I sometimes take for granted, who gives me strength to stand when I should have fallen down, who gives me joy when I should be sad and depressed, who feeds me when I should be hungry, who protects me when I should be in danger, who uses me when I am just a filthy rag, who guides me even when I don’t follow direction … God; holy is thy name! And as I petition your throne this morning, I’ve got to thank you for being just who you said you would be. I’ve got to thank you for the folks who look to me for encouragement and for the gift of encouragement that you give me daily. God, I must thank you for it all because without you, I am nothing. Oh, God now I need a specific blessing for your people now because somebody is struggling in a battle that’s not even theirs to fight. They are still trying to change somebody who is not willing to change themselves. They are still tied to someone who is unequally yoked to them and it’s killing their spirit. They are holding on to some mess from their past and it’s tormenting their future. They can’t see the doors that you’ve opened for them because they are too concerned with the ones that have closed so God, I need you to deliver them now. Someone has been bound with the chains of depression, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, low hope, non-existence joy, overbearing guilt or grief, should haves and would haves; God, I need you to break them now. Someone is looking at what they’ve been through instead of realizing they are no longer there. Someone has tied themselves to the rock of past mistakes, past issues, past sickness, the name they used to be, the person they used to be and the things they used to do so God, I need you to shake the ropes loose. Then God, anoint their head and eyes in order to see and understand the change you’ve made in them. Regulate their mind to accept the change and move on. Anoint their shoulders and the muscles and bones in their body so that they can handle the stress and burdens better. Guide their hands and feet so that they no longer walk and do the same thing. Anoint their tongue so they no longer talk the same. Anoint their heart so they can love better. God, I need to you wash them and make them act and feel brand new so that even though their outer appearance doesn’t change, the change will be evident in their work. Oh, God; do it now. Someone is calling on you to change their situations, their circumstance, to calm their storm, to dry their tears, to remove the hurt from their hurt, to break down the walls they’ve put up that keeps ruining their relationships and to remove the blinders from their eyes so that they can see the evil that has surrounded them. God, do it now. Someone is crying out to you, God, I need you to see about them now. I decree and declare that on today burdens will be made lighter, heartache and broken spirits will be healed, enemies will be made footstools, backbiters will be changed, finances will be made better, debts will be lowered, sicknesses will be healed, paths will be smoother, obstacles lowered to go over, mountains easier to climb, valleys filled to swim across, fake friends will find fake friends, true friends will find true friends, robbers & murderers will be delivered, whoremongers will be changed, liars will be delivered, false prophets will be brought down, molesters and rapists will be found, missing children and adults will be brought home, abusive spouses will be held accountable for their actions, wayward children will act right, depression will cease, bullying will be no more, suicides will stop, soldiers will be brought home and our president will be safe and able to lead. God, I speak these things because you’ve given me the power to do so and I believe that it shall come to pass. Please, God, continue to allow your gift to manifest within me, continue to guide me so that my walk gets better and newer every day, continue to use me God so that my gift open doors to the many that needs to hear and read your word. Thank God for your mercy and for your grace. Amen.
Daily Devotional – 1/22/13 “What’s the point?”
I could complain about the things I don’t have but I won’t. I could scream over all the hell I’m going through but I shall not. I could be angry at the world but what’s the point? I could turn my back on God because it seems like the world would be better but I can’t, He’s been too good. I could turn to alcohol or drugs to drown my sorrows or I could even resort to stealing and robbing but what would be the point? Would it calm my stress, provide the things I need or even make me worry less? I mean, if complaining could stop our storms from raging, a lot of us would have been better off a long time ago; right? So, what’s the point in it? Would it ease your trouble mind, increase the money that’s in the bank or even decrease the bills you have or put gas in the tank? So, what’s the point of acting like the world owes you when you’re going through? Baby, you aren’t the only one having a temporary setback and if you think you are visit the homeless shelters that are filled to their capacity, the Mid-South Food Bank whose shelves are sometimes empty, walk the streets of your city and see the folks begging for food or visit the unemployment office and look at the folks who have been there since 5AM. Yea, I know that it’s getting harder to provide, food is so few that it’s hard to divide, children still begging even though you don’t have it to give and sometimes you think what’s the point if I even live. But if you think that’s bad, visit St. Jude or Lebonheur, the ICU floor in any Methodist or St. Francis Hospitals, stop by a funeral home and listen to the spouse whose burying their spouse of 50+ years, the children burying their only parent, the sister burying her only brother, the brother burying his only sister or the mother burying her only child. Still hasn’t hit home then visit a dialysis or chemo treatment center and see the folks who have to spend the majority of their week there. Yea, you’re having it hard but it could be harder and you’re walking closer to your breakthrough when it could be farther. Yea, you may not have a lot but have you missed a meal? Don’t you know that having some problems were part of the deal? Yea, when you accepted Christ into your life, you signed on for a few troubles; well that’s what Job 14:1 say and it didn’t list the time nor does it gives us the day. However, it says, “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble,” but if you go through with God, He’ll give you back what you lost double!
So, Chile, get out of that pity pit and wipe off that dirt, clean off your pants, wipe off your shirt; put your shoulders back and lift your head up high; point your face toward Heaven and raise your hands to the sky; now tell God thank you for your trials and your tests and ask for forgiveness when you don’t do your best; now lower your hands but stand up tall and get ready to go to war and refuse to fall; because God is your strength and you shall not be defeated, so claim your inheritance, accept your blessing and use your gift before your work on this side of the dirt is completed.
Daily Devotional – 1/21/13 “Be more specific!”
Yea, I know lately it seems like I’ve been all up in my feelings, well that’s because I have. See, I don’t know about you but I’m waiting on my change to come and I need it like yesterday and as I was sitting in church my uncle said that we need to be specific in our prayers and that really caught my attention. Now, I’m thinking how much more specific can I get if I’m crying that I need you Lord, right now? Then it dawned on me that God needs me to break this thang down for Him. Yea, I know you’re saying “but God knows my heart,” and yes why that may be true; He doesn’t understand your request especially when you start mumbling and your words start running together. See, we pray for God to come and see about us and when He comes and look (because we did say see), we start feeling like He isn’t answering our prayers. When we tell God we need some help in our finances, He gives you the strength to work a little overtime because you did say some help. When we tell God we need healing, He allows that headache to go away because you didn’t say what you needed to be healed. When we ask God to remove our enemies, He does just that because we didn’t ask Him to heal their spirit (which just may have made them a great friend). So, on today I am being specific in my prayer.
Our Father in Heaven,
As I petition your throne, I must first thank you. Thank you God for waking me up this morning with a mind that was still the same as it was when I laid down last night. Thank you that my eyes could see, my mouth could speak, my legs & arms worked and all my organs, muscles & veins are working together. Thank you for the warm water I had, the heat that is working in my home, for the food that I have in the refrigerator, for the clothes & shoes I had to choose from, for my car being where I parked it last night, for all of family & friends to be alive and well because I didn’t get a phone call, for my job that I still have because I could have been unemployed and for things being as well as they are. God, I thank you because even though I sometimes forget to thank you, you never forget about me. Now, God I come to you for healing; specific healing of migraine headaches, high blood pressure, heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, strokes, heart attacks, lupus, sickle cell, kidney disease, liver disease, sinus problems, flu, broken hearts, broken spirits and broken self-esteem. God, I come specifically asking for a financial increase and debt forgiveness to pay off student loans, car loans, title loans, check advances, bank loans, mortgages and personal loans. God, I come asking for personal healing for the person who finds joy in being a bully and hurting others with their hands and words. God, I ask that you remove the past mistakes from the heart of that husband who beats his wife and heal his spirit and heart so that he’ll never hit her again. For that wife who belittles her husband for the things he used to do, I ask that you heal her heart so that she can forgive and love again. For that child who was molested, heal their spirit so that they may trust again and then open their eyes to see evil before it reaches them. For that person who is struggling with the addiction to cocaine, heroin, marijuana, prescription pain pills, cigarettes and alcohol; God remove the taste from their tongue so that they never want it again. For that person whose hope is almost gone because they can’t seem to rise above the hell they’ve been in for a while now, God I ask that you refill their hope, right now! For the grieving families, I ask that you comfort them on those nights they are crying themselves to sleep and wipe the tears that fall in the midst of their day. For that young woman or man struggling to provide for their family, God I ask that you send the means they need to provide love, food, shelter and clothes. For me God, I ask that you cease my storm, strengthen my eyes, hands and legs so that I can work harder for you, intensify my gift so it opens doors for me, increase my book sales, erase debts, dry my tears, strengthen my family, heal arthritis and high blood pressure for my husband, remove the obstacles that keep my children from being who they could be, and make me more like you. God I need you to hear the specific pleas of those reading this and do it for them now. Do it like only you can as I humbly submit this prayer to you. Amen.
Daily Devotional – 1/18/13 “This may be just for me!”
But if you’re still hanging on to yesterday’s devotional because today seems even harder, still hold on. Yea, I know you probably got paid this week and you still don’t have any money in the bank, bill collectors still calling, children still begging, cable still off, car note still late and cell phone bill is hanging on by God’s grace but be still! I know you’re asking, “How can I possibly be still when all the crap is hitting the fan,” but didn’t I tell you that your darkest period is just before your day break? Well let me rephrase that so that you’ll understand it better … Your darkest time is just before your breakthrough. (I’ll give you a minute to shout). See, just when you feel like things can’t get worse, they might. Just when you think that bad luck is all you got, something else happens. Just when you feel like you’re at your wits end, it extends. And just when you think you’ve taken all you can take something else is added to you. However, you’re still standing which means all of the hell you’re going through is just a test of God’s faith and trust system (FATS). Yea! See, when God tested Job, He tested Job’s faith in Him. When He allowed the woman with an issue of blood to deal with her illness 12 years, He tested her faith. When He allowed Lazarus to die, He tested Mary’s faith in Him. When He told the blind man to go and wash his eyes in order to see again, He tested his faith in Him. So, you aren’t alone in this thang, you’re simply being tested. Oh and believe me when I say, I know exactly how hard the test is because I’m taking mine now. So, in the midst of my test I stopped by today to give you some pointers while taking yours.
- Pray
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Wake up and be thankful that you did
- Pray
- Be prepared with your supplies (Bible, pen and paper)
- Pray
- Trust God
- Pray
- Be still and listen to God’s commands
- Pray
- Stop questioning God’s commands
- Pray
- Follow God’s commands
- Pray
- Step out on Faith (That’s trusting God’s commands)
It doesn’t take much to get through your storm but you’ve got to stop complaining, whining, and being angry. Yea, I know you want to go and get your hair and nails done, grab a bite to eat with your friends, pay your bills on time or maybe even shop a little but you might not be able to right now but just hold on. Get yourself back on track by setting guidelines and a budget until you are able to do all those things but don’t feel sorry about yourself because you can’t. And please don’t think that I’m able to tell you all these things because I got it all together because baby I’m struggling too; I just don’t look like my problem. Why, because I refuse to be defeated. So, I’ll wash my own hair, paint my own nails and dust off a few of the clothes I haven’t worn in a while and keep it pushing until my change comes and my storm ends. Don’t give up, just hold on! God hasn’t left you, He’s simply waiting until your test is over and in doing so He placed people, like me, around you to give you some assistance when you may need a little help. So, take this small dose of devotion and walk on. Your breakthrough is coming and this is your study time, so stop rushing it because you may not be prepared for it yet.
Daily Devotional – 1/17/13 “It’s dark now but keep walking!”
I’m speaking to you on this morning. Yes, you, the one who is feeling hopeless because your situation looks dark. You, who feels all alone even though you’re surrounded by folk. You, who seem to be drowning even though the water you’re standing in isn’t very deep. You, who keeps going to church Sunday after Sunday and it seems like your storm may never end. You, who always pray for folk but it seems like your prayers aren’t getting through for yourself. You, who work every day and you still can’t seem to make A meet Z. You, who are trying to keep the faith but it seem to be growing thin. You, who are trying to tag God into your fight but you still feel the punches by your enemy. You, who do what the doctor say to do but sickness keeps attacking your body. You, who are trying to make your marriage work but you feel like a stranger in your own home. You, who are trying to deal with the grief of losing a loved one but death keeps beating you home. You, who keeps standing but keeps getting knocked down. You, who keeps going right but it still doesn’t work out. I simply stopped by during your day to let you know that although it looks dark now, you’ve got to keep going. Yea, I know you can’t see your way but feel your way through and keep walking. I know you may be stumbling over things but keep walking. You may even end up with a few bumps and bruises when it’s all over with but they won’t matter, so keep walking. Yea, I know that 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever,” but you’re asking what about now? Keep walking! I know that God has prepared a place for us in glory yet you need a blessing now but keep walking. Why should you keep walking when you’re tired of being tired, sick of being sick, fed up with going to hell and back every day, angry enough to hit something because every time you get your bucket filled the bottom falls out or just plain sick and tired? Because I am declaring, right now, that our break of day is on the way! Yes ma’am, yes sir; I am declaring victory over finances, sickness, hurt, anger, pain, trials and tribulations. And if you don’t believe it, then excuse me while I talk to myself because I am decreeing on today that whatever tactics, games and temptations that the devil sends will not prosper against me! I am decreeing that whatever debt I have will be erased because I shall be the lender and not the borrower. I am decreeing that whatever sickness or disease that may try to attack my body won’t succeed. I am declaring that I will be victorious on MY journey. I am declaring that nothing, no not one thing that my enemies will even try to do to me will come to past. Yea, my night has lasted a while now but I’m not giving up. My storm may have even gotten stronger but I’m not giving up. I will, I shall and I must keep walking because I can see the day light peeking through the darkness. Oh, I feel this thang this morning because somebody is on the verge of giving up but you can’t because you’re almost there. Somebody is on the end of their cliff but hold on because your breakthrough is coming. Somebody is even thinking about ending it all but put an end to the foolishness and hold on because your change is coming. Yea, I simply stop by to interrupt you for just a few minutes to let you know that even though it seems like this is your darkest hour, you’ve got to keep walking because day is on the way!
Lakisha, the Author 