Daily Devotional – 12/13/12 “My Soul Rejoices!”

Heavenly Father, on this day, as I come petitioning your throne, I want to thank you. Thank you God for allowing me to see a new day with the activities of each of my limbs, for the warm blood that’s flowing through my veins, for my heart that’s beating, my mind that’s regulated in the right way, for my eyes that see, for my lips and tongue that allow me to speak, for my ears that hear, for all my organs that are working together today so that I might be alive, for the appetite that I have and for the means to get food and for the pain that I feel because it further lets me know that I’m yet alive. God, I’ve got to thank you because when I could have been dead, you allowed me to live. When I should have been buried in my mess, you simply brushed off the dirt and told me to stand. When I thought my knees would buckle from the burdens on my shoulders, you gave me extra strength to walk on. When I thought I wasn’t worthy of your calling, you intensified my gift. When I shouldn’t have been surviving, you provided. When all I say was a dead end on my left, you made a path that made me go right. When I wanted to give up, I realized that it wasn’t one of the options to choose. When I should have been drowning in my tears, you simply used them to wash away the dirt that had been thrown on me by folks. When I could have been strung out on drugs, you gave me grandma who drug us to church. When I could have been a hard core alcoholic drunk, you gave me momma who was hard core and didn’t mind using the rod of correction. When I could have been a street walker, you gave me a granddaddy that walked in front of me to make sure I was walking right. When I could have been a high school dropout, you gave me uncles who would show up at the school just to check on me. When I could have been a single parent raising children in this mean world, you sent me a husband who is the head of his household. When I could have been diagnosed with cancer, you gave me a clean bill of health. When I could have been at the unemployment office, you gave me a job instead. When I could be standing at the bus stop in the cold, you gave me a car instead. When I should be working on Sundays, you gave me a job that will work around my schedule.

Oh, when I think about all the things that could have happen to me, the things that should of happened to me, the things that could have taken me out, the things that should of taken me out, the sickness that could have killed me, folks that could have hurt me, burdens that could have depressed me, struggles that could have overtaken me, grief that should have consumed me and pain that could of weakened me; my soul rejoices. When I think about the places that my gift will take me, the doors that my calling will open, the territory that my God will enlarge and the increase of joy and peace that I already have; my soul rejoices. When I think about the family and friends that God has surrounded me with, my soul rejoices. Oh, my soul rejoices for the good and the bad. My soul rejoices for the happiness and the sad. My soul rejoices today, it did on yesterday and it will on tomorrow. I shall not be defeated by anything or anyone because I declare on today that my soul shall rejoice in God’s goodness and that everything that I shall want and everything that I shall be; will come to pass. I claim it in my rejoicing soul!

Daily Devotional – 12/12/12 “Just give me the crumbs!”

Sounds crazy huh? But let me explain. In the bible starting in Luke 16:19; it speaks of Lazarus and the rich man. Now, Lazarus was a man, whose body was covered in sores and who used to lie at the gate of this rich man begging for the crumbs that fell from his table yet every day he ignored him. The time eventually came that Lazarus died but in his dying he was carried, by the angels, to the side of Abraham and the rich man also died and he was buried but in his dying he was destined for hell. For those that missed it let me break it down for you … In Larazus’ dying, you know the beggar who was covered in sores, he was carried by angels to Abraham’s side in glory but the rich man, you know the one that had it all, well in his dying he was buried in dirt and ended down in hell. Why? I’ll let the word tell you because in Luke 16:25 (After the rich man asked Abraham to allow Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his pain) Abraham responded, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.”

See, while you are so busy, down here, trying to build up your riches; you should be satisfied with the crumbs from God’s table because after it’s all said and done, those riches won’t save you. While you’re being stingy and won’t help nobody because you want to keep your paper stacked, you should be satisfied with the crumbs from your earnings because that means you’re helping folk. While you’re being selfish with the blessings that God has blessed you with, you should be satisfied with the crumbs that are left after you helped all you can. It’s like you’ve cooked dinner for your large family and by the time you get ready to eat there isn’t hardly anything left but instead of getting mad and angry, you look around at the joy of your family that has you surrounded in their love and then you realize those mere crumbs ended up being just enough for you. Am I saying that you shouldn’t want more or work to have more? No, but what I am saying is help somebody sometime. You don’t have to keep your whole sandwich to yourself when you know your coworker is hungry, share. You don’t have to ride to work alone when you know your friend needs a ride, offer. You don’t have to spend your last dime on getting another pair of shoes, you probably can do without anyway, help somebody. When you’re praying for God to enlarge your territory, ask God to give you the crumbs from his table because whether you know it or not, God’s table is huge and by the time you get through receiving the crumbs He has to share, you won’t have room to receive them all. Being rich doesn’t make you better than the next person but your heart does. You don’t have to give your all to show God that you’re worthy but sometimes all someone needs is the crumbs that you have to offer because although the crumbs may not be much to you, they are a whole lot more to someone who doesn’t have.

Daily Devotional – 12/7/12 “What have you been trained to do?”

On last night as I was watching Scandal, to most it was a surprise that Huck was the one who actually shot the president but then they showed a clip from next week’s show. Now, in this clip Olivia asked him why he did it and he simply replied, “I’m a trained killer.” See, when someone shows you who they are, you have to believe them. Let me break this thang down for you. When you start a new job, they have to train you, right? And in this training you are taught how to do your job, what not to do, what to say and what not to say and all that. When something new comes or even if an update is made, you are trained to learn the changes because you need them to do your job. And when you spend 8 or more hours a day, 5-6 or 7 days a week, you tend to become great at your job, don’t you? Now, after spending all this time doing this job, you could probably do it in your sleep and even years after you’ve left or retired, you can still remember it to the best of your ability and you don’t forget it and if you had to go back to it, you would. Why? Glad you asked! Because it’s been trained in you! It’s the same way with growing up in a house with an abusive father or mother. As a child, you grow up seeing this type of thing going on so naturally a girl believes this is the way a woman is supposed to be treated and a guy assumes this is the way a man is supposed to treat a woman so they become this as adults. Why, because it’s been trained in them. It’s the same with anything because when someone has been trained to be a killer, robber, child molester, rapist, abuser and user; that’s who they are. Will they change, yes but you have to understand, this type of training doesn’t go away; it’s just simply pushed to the back until something or someone triggers it. It’s like a recovering alcoholic becoming a bartender, a recovering cocaine user becoming a dealer, a child molester becoming a teacher, a bank robber becoming a bank teller and a wife abuser becoming a counselor in a woman’s shelter. All I’m saying is, don’t be surprised when you come home to find your TV gone when you knew you were living with a drug addict. Don’t be shocked when your husband knocks you upside the head when it’s what you’ve always allowed. Don’t be shocked when you see your brother on the news when you knew he robbed folks. It’s simple, when folks show you their character, their true colors and exactly who they are; believe them. Yea, I can take a red wall and cover it with wallpaper in order for it to appear new but when the paper starts to peel, it’s still the same red wall. If a person has showed you, numerous times before, that they can’t be trusted, they continue to hurt you with their words, they walk all over you and always run when the going gets tough; it’s what they are trained to do. Believe what you see, what you’ve been shown and who they show you that they are. Please understand what I’m saying and don’t take this the wrong way because some people can change but that trained mentality is still in the back of their mind and every day is a struggle, a very hard struggle to keep it that way. And if someone has truly changed, then they make an effort to stay in that change. If you don’t see the effort, you won’t see the change!

“But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; Stay away from every kind of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Daily Devotional – 12/6/12 “Shout it’s over!”

I had to pick back up on yesterday’s devotional because somebody is still too scared to shout it’s over. Yea, you’re sleeping with the enemy and too afraid to roll over to tell them it’s over. You’ve allowed your overgrown son to move back home and now he’s causing problems in your marriage and you’re too afraid to tell him it’s over. Your daughter keeps dropping off her kids at your house and it’s keeping you from having a life but you’re too afraid to tell her it’s over. Your sister keeps begging until she has the last dollar from your pocket and now you’re thirsty and can’t even buy a drink but you don’t want to hurt her feelings so you won’t tell her it’s over. You keep being used at work to do everybody’s work plus your own and you’re too scared to tell them it’s over. Baby, I told you yesterday that when you shout it’s over and you believe it; then the enemy has to flee. When you stop holding on to the stuff that’s weighing you down, you start rising. When you release the stuff that has you weighted down, you stop drowning. When you really start believing that all things are possible with God things starts to happen. Yea, you start having a little extra money, you start having a little extra energy, you start to smile more, you love more, you help more, you stop getting angry so fast, you speak to folks you don’t normally speak to, you go to worship service more, you get that promotion that you wanted, you have fewer pains in your body and you found the joy you had buried away. Yes, when YOU shout it’s over, things start to happen! Oh, I wish you’d stop being afraid to shout it’s over! You need to stand up and shout it’s over and then believe it to be. You can’t continue to go on in the situation that you’re in, so shout it’s over. You don’t have to keep facing the same hell day in and day out, so shout it’s over. That dark cloud that won’t go away, shout it’s over. The tears that you keep shedding at the hands of the person who is supposed to love you, shout it’s over. Being walked over by friends, shout it’s over. That depression and suicidal thoughts, shout it’s over! The sleepless nights, shout it’s over! The drug addiction and alcoholism, shout it’s over! The sleeping around and the adultery, shout it’s over. The stealing and robbing, shout it’s over. The pacing, the tossing and turning; shout it’s over. Oh, I claiming victory not defeat today and I am speaking life back into your dead situations. So, if you can’t shout it’s over; I am standing in the gap declaring today that you shall live and not die; you shall win and not lose; you shall dance and not doubt; you shall be healed and not sick, you shall be the lender and not the borrower, you shall be first and not last; you shall be greater than your problem! Oh, when you shout it’s over; you’re shouting that it will be and that it has to be over. Shout it’s over, let it go and then get on with your life and stop looking back. You are greater than the mess you’re in but you have to first believe it. Shout it’s over and then let it be. You can’t say it’s over and then keep going back to get it. It can be over if you allow it to be because you can only take what your hands, heart and mind will accept.

Daily Devotional – 12/5/12 “It’s Reaping time!”

What does this mean? Well reap means to obtain something, especially as a consequence of previous effort or action. Now consequence means something that follows as a result. So in Lakisha’s breaking down of this thang, reap simply means to obtain something for a previous thing you did or for a previous thing you went through. Yea, see you thought all that hell you’ve been through was for nothing but now it’s reaping time. Yea, you thought all that sickness that attacked your body was for nothing but now it’s reaping time. You thought all those dark nights when you were shooting drugs in your veins was for nothing but now it’s reaping time. When you were drowning your sorrows with the alcohol, you thought it for nothing but now it’s reaping time. When you thought that heartache was too much to bear, when you thought the crying would never end and the debt would never decrease; well I’m here to tell you that it’s reaping time. Yea, cancer took your hair but now you’re getting ready to reap some new hair. Yea, that man or that woman walked off with your smile but now you’re getting ready to reap God’s joy. Yea, the repo man may have taken your car but now you’re getting ready to reap a car that will be paid for. Yea, the bank may have foreclosed on your house but you’re getting ready to reap a home that you can now afford without struggling. Yea, the drug man or the liquor store may have taken all of your money and even your family but now you’re getting ready to reap deliverance. Yea, your old church may have broken your spirit but you’re getting ready to fellowship in a place where you’re going to reap the Holy Ghost. Oh, it’s reaping time saints. You need to stop wallowing in your situation and shout it’s over! See, when you shout it’s over and you believe it; then the enemy has to flee. When you stop holding on to the stuff that’s weighing you down, you start rising. When you release the stuff that has you weighted down, you stop drowning. When you start believing that all things are possible with God and you believe it, things starts to happen. When you empty out of all the bad stuff you then have room for some new stuff. When you remove the things that are blocking your blessings, you start to receive! Oh, I wish you’d stop being afraid to shout it’s over! The trials, the pain and heartache, the dark nights, the crying days, the depression, the suicidal thoughts, the unworthiness you feel, the hate and anger you have, the unemployment, the loneliness, the abuse, the pacing and whatever else you’re going through; I declare and decree that it’s over! It’s reaping time for God’s deliverance and salvation, for shouting and not sins, for dancing not doubting, for winning not losing, for being first not last, for being the lender not the borrower, for being healed not sick, for living not dying and for your purpose not your problems! Reap it but don’t keep it because the more you give the more God gives to you so when you are blessed be a blessing to others because God rewards those efforts!