Daily Devotional – 6/25/12 “Did you read it before you agreed to it?”

Are you aware that there is an agreement that we agree to when we become Christians? Well, if you attend or have ever attended a Baptist church, you’ve probably seen the Church Covenant on the Wall, right? Have you ever taken the time to read it? A covenant is defined as a solemn agreement that is binding on all parties and it is commonly found in religious contexts, where it refers to sacred agreements between God and human beings. Yea, the one that is hung in the church was man made but it was established from the covenant that God left for in Genesis 9:9, God said to Noah; “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you.” And this mean us and I don’t know who all reading this is “Baptist” Christians but if you’ve accepted Christ into your life and become a member of any church then you’ve agreed to the covenant that God left for us. Yea, we are all guilty of sometimes signing things without reading and I will be the first to admit that I’d never taken the time to read the covenant that I agreed to so many years ago but now is a very good time to start. I won’t elaborate on every part of it because it is self-explanatory but I felt the need to share it with you on today because the church, in this day and time, is going to hell faster than any sinner in the world and the only way to stop this downward spiral is to start back at the beginning. See, we’ve grown accustomed to going to church out of habit instead of making a habit out of going to church (you’ll get that later). We’ve got to get back to doing God’s will but we can’t do this without knowing what we’ve actually agreed to do. The first step is having a belief in God, confessing that we believe, being baptized and then doing our Christian duties. Oh, but we think once we get baptized in the water one Sunday we’ve done all we need to do. Baby, that water you’ve been dipped in has nothing to do with you receiving Salvation because if you don’t know what being baptized means, then you’re still lost. Yea, the preacher can lower you in that water 5 times but the bible says in Matthew 3:11, “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” See, once you’ve been baptized, God will allow the Holy Spirit to abide in you and having the Holy Spirit allows Him to intervene for you in those moments you need God but you’re not sure how to call him. Don’t believe me? Read Romans 8:26-27 which says “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” So take a moment and read the church covenant below and my prayer is that you’ll be just as enlighten as I’ve been.

Church Covenant
Having been led as we believe, by the spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.

We engage therefore by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love, to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality: to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the spread of the gospel through all nations.

We also engage to maintain family and secret devotion; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use on intoxicating drinks as a beverage, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.

We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay.

We moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.

And now unto Him, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, be power and glory forever. Amen.

To sum it up, when we become a Christian we become one body which means that no one in the church is higher or lower than the next person and it also means that no one should fall without having someone there to help them back up. See, when we agree to this covenant, we agree to love one another, participate in the up building of the church by studying God’s word, paying your tithes and by spreading the word to those outside of the church. We also agree to teach our children God’s word, devote prayer time to your family, fellowship with other believers, to be faithful in what we agree to do, be passionate about Godly business and become our brother/sister’s keeper. It is our responsibility to be an encouragement for one another without judgment and harsh criticism. We, as Christians, have to carry ourselves as such in order to save those that maybe lost and wandering without direction but we can’t do that if we can’t get along with those who are supposed to be already saved. Learn how to admit when you’ve made a mistake and apologize. Don’t hold grudges and stop running from the church every time someone makes you mad. Running only makes you tired and soon you’ll turn away from God when all you should have done was talk to the one who made you feel like running. I am not saying you should stay anywhere if it doesn’t feel right but if you decide to leave a church, you’re supposed to unite with another one as soon as possible. Allow God to move you from one church to another and not man because man will move you away from God’s path and if you’re not focused on the right thing, it may be too late when you notice. Study God’s word for yourself because you are the only one responsible for your ticket to Heaven.

Daily Devotional – 6/22/12 “Death isn’t punishment!”

On yesterday, a young man we grew up with passed away, then my Grams and one of my uncles got sick and they both had to be taken to the hospital and usually the first thing people say is, the devil is busy. Baby, the devil isnt busy just because sickness and death is roaming the streets, this is God working because death is a way we all have to go. I know it’s hard to understand why more folks are leaving and even many are young but it’s all in God’s doing. Yes, we all have to face death and even though we don’t know when it’s coming, it will sooner or later. However, there is a good side to dying because death takes away all the pain the world gave, it gives the kind of rest you couldn’t get on this side, it gives you a new body that hasn’t been scarred with surgeries, dialysis, chemo & radiation and it gets you in the priority line to meet God when he comes. Yea, stepping out the body on this side gives you back the smile you once had, removes the wrinkles from your skin, the scars from being stepped on and pushed down and gives you back the joy that you lost. Oh, stepping out the body on this side gives you peace that you’ve never felt before! See, when the soul leaves the body on this side, they wouldn’t come back here even if they had a choice.

Death isn’t a punishment for you but it’s a reward for those who have died. Jesus says in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.” So when death comes, God doesn’t want you to feel like you have no hope because he is your hope and he doesn’t want you to feel like you’re all alone because he’s always near. This is why he left his word for us to read and study for times such as these. This is why 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 says,
“And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus. And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master’s word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they’ll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.”

Death is something we all have to face so don’t give up. I’m praying for you my brother/sister who have grieved or is grieving now and I’m asking that God gives you the strength to carry on. Please know that God will never put too much pressure on you that he hasn’t made your shoulders and legs strong enough to handle. Let God in and he’ll hold you on the nights that crying won’t end and when your heart feels like its going to break. Let him do it for you! I’m trusting God to do whatever his will is in my family. My granddad has been laid on his sick bed for 3 years now and my grams is still trying to be strong and take care of everybody else. Now that she is on her sick bed I won’t be selfish to keep asking God to keep them here but I’m stepping aside to allow him to work. I’m asking for him to make it plain in my eyesight and to make me stronger in the process. Whatever it is, it is his will and his will shall be done. Let’s continue to pray for one another because we never know what each other is facing. You don’t have to call my name to pray for me because if your heart is right, the Holy Spirit will intercede; that means He will speak for you!

Daily Devotional – 6/20/12 “Just a word”

Hey guys, I havent posted in the last few days because I’ve been attending a class associated with the National Baptist Congress. However, I just had to stop by and drop this in someone’s spirit today who needs a word.

There was a man that stepped out of nowhere and spoke the world into existence. With his voice he commanded the creation of day & night, the Heavens & the Earth, the seas, grass, herbs, seeds, fruit trees, seasons and signs to tell the difference between the days & years and he even spoke the creation of the living animal. This same man created man out of dust and woman from the man’s rib. This man called God. Do you know him? Have you accepted him? Have you open the door to let him in?

Yes I know that while you were in the world you had to deal with temptations but now with the acceptance of Christ you got trials too but just hold on! See, with God you’re transformed from worldly temptations to trials because trials are God’s way of testing us and through these tests and trials we are taught talents that allows us to tolerate the torment of those who trespass against us so that we triumph over the trouble and get the treasure that turns tests into testimonies, toiling into teaching and tears into thankfulness.

So be thankful for the tests and for the trials that you go through because God won’t ever take you to a place that he hasn’t already prepared with an escape exit. He won’t take you down a road that doesn’t have road side assistance and he won’t ever back you up against a wall that doesn’t have a secret passage way out!

Daily Devotional – 6/15/12 “The devil thought he had me..”

Oh, but I faked to the right, slide to the left and did a quick dip and got away! See, the devil tries to get you and after so many tries, he’ll leave you alone and just when you think he is gone, he’ll attach himself to somebody close to you. Yea, you know how you get one child to acting right and then the other one starts acting crazy or when you’ve had some great months in your marriage and then all of a sudden your spouse starts acting like they need a strait jacket too. Well, I’ve served the devil his eviction notice this morning because there isn’t anything he can try that he hasn’t before and it didn’t work then and it surely won’t work now. So, when all hell is breaking loose in your home, folks on the job aren’t acting right, church members walking around dressed like sheep but really aren’t and family ties are starting to break; post this eviction notice on your door.

Notice of Immediate Eviction

Date of Notice:(insert your date) Mine: TODAY

Tenant in Possession: Devil {other names he goes by; Enemy, Backstabber, Liar, Deceiver, Fake Friend and Hater}

Leased Premises: My life, house, my family, my friends, my job(insert yours here)

You are in default of your lease because: You’ve overstayed your visit (insert yours here)

Reason for eviction:

You’ve been occupying my house for far too long and it’s time for you to go. You don’t have 30 days to move because your lease expires now. Don’t worry about packing your bags because I’ve already placed them on the street and all the things you say you’ve given me, you can have those as well, and they are out there too. No, you don’t owe me any back rent or utilities because it has all been taken care of by the new buyer. The security deposit, first and last month’s rent that you gave me, you can have all of that back too because you made it all look good in the beginning but I soon realized everything that glitters isn’t necessarily gold. No, you don’t have to clean or even paint because the new tenant will take care of all that. Oh, you don’t have to worry about leaving the keys or even trying to come in because the locks have already been changed. I know that you’ve enjoyed the time we’ve spent but me, not so much, so I can’t say the same. See, you came here with the intentions of destroying me but it didn’t work. You even sent folks, dressed in work clothes, to do your dirty work for you but they didn’t prosper either. Yea, I know you thought you had me when you saw me stumbling but that was just a temporary setback. See, I’ve found a new tenant to occupy my home and I didn’t even have to place an ad and He came with great references that I was even able to verify. He said I didn’t have to worry about all the damage you’d done because He’ll make it look brand new. He even patched the holes in the roof from where the rain started leaking during the storm. That closet you closed off, He opened it back up for me so that I’d have a place to pray. That bed I hardly slept in from the nights of pacing, he gave me new mattresses and now I sleep so peacefully. He even replaced the carpet that had been run down from my nights of toiling. So you go on, leave, there is nothing more here for you. Take all your crap with you; don’t leave anything behind as a reason to come back. Oh, but if you happen to stop by and you hear the music playing, that’ll be my praise party.

Who is this new tenant? You actually know him, you’ve met before and all you have to do is knock because he’ll answer the door. He’ll be the man giving out joy, peace and strength. He’ll be the one protecting me from the evil traps you’ll try to send my way and holding the umbrella when you send your storms my direction. He’ll be the one wiping the tears you had me shedding and giving me back the joy that you had taken away. Please don’t get me wrong, I must thank you for the time spent because it has made me stronger and wiser. It was because of you that I am now able to appreciate this new tenant better because I’ve always taken him for granted. Now, when folk talk about me, I have prayer to handle it. When the thunder starts I have faith that allows me to praise my way through. When obstacles are placed in my path, that is too high to go around, I now have strength to climb over them. I know you’re probably laughing, thinking that I’ll be back, that’s ok, he told me you’d say that but I’m not worried because I’m better than I was. Who is it! It’s my God. Yea, the one you’re thinking about; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Yes, he now resides here so I won’t be back to let you in because He’s now handling all my affairs and you have to go through Him to get to me. Don’t take all day removing your mess because He has folks watching, so grab your bags, hitch a ride and get off of my property!

If you have any questions, call Heaven; the line is never busy.

Signed: God’s chosen one!

Daily Devotional – 6/14/12 “Encourage yourself sometime!”

Why are you waiting for someone to encourage you to do what you know you should be doing? Momma shouldn’t have to encourage you to get your grown butt up and get a job, do it for yourself. Daddy shouldn’t have to encourage you to learn a trade; you should want to know these things for yourself. Your wife shouldn’t have to encourage you to lose some weight if it’s affecting your health, you should do it for yourself and your husband shouldn’t have to encourage you to keep yourself up, you should want this for yourself. You shouldn’t wait on encouragement from others because sometimes it’ll never come. Yea, I know you do most of the work at the job and no one ever recognizes you but don’t you know that God sees? Why do you think you keep getting blessed like that? God says in Luke 6:38, “Give and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full–pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” See, when you give to others, God will give to you and when you do for others, God will do for you! You don’t need the world’s reward to know that you’re doing a job well done because what man gives can be taken back but when God rewards you for the great things you’ve done, there isn’t anyone that can take it from you. Stop waiting to be lifted up by man because their hands and arms get tired and they’ll drop you but work so that you can be lifted by God because when he raises you up above all those who meant bad for you, the devil in hell can’t bring you down. Sometimes the folks giving you the most encouragement to keep going are the main ones placing obstacles in your path. Yea, they may be smiling in your face and congratulating you on your accomplishments but behind closed doors they are dropping salt on your name. This is why you have to be praying for your own life and for God to surround you with His protection because not all folks are who they claim to be. But when you’re praying for yourself, God is already working on your behalf and he’s aware of the games they’re playing. Why do you think God said He would make your enemies your footstool?

I shouldn’t have to tell you to pray for yourself because this should be an automatic thing. Why, because no one can pray for your situation better than you. See, you don’t have to wait on the Pastor to anoint you with oil for your healing because there is no power in the oil but the power lies in your faith to be healed. If you don’t believe in God’s healing power for your own body, no amount of praying the Pastor does will be sufficient. This is why Hebrews 11:6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” You don’t have to wait for Sunday to be at the altar in order for your prayers to be heard because God is always listening when you’re praying in the right spirit and without a hard heart, this is why 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Never stop praying.” You don’t have to be a bible scholar, a missionary or Evangelist to pray for yourself. Yea, it’s easy to go to others to pray for you but God needs to hear from you from time to time in order for him to know your voice. You say, but I don’t know how to pray, that’s ok because prayer is simply having a conversation with God and if you don’t know where to start, Matthew 6:9-13 says, “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” And then when you allow the Holy Spirit to take over, you’ll begin to pray yourself happy. Baby, encourage yourself sometime! Pray for yourself sometime!

When you know that you’ve done a great job, why do you wait to hear it from other folk, pat yourself on the back. You don’t have to wait for folk to tell you that you’re pretty when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror. Encourage yourself sometime! Who knows you better than yourself, besides God? Stop waiting on somebody to pull you up out of the pit, start climbing on your own. Besides, how would someone know you’re down there if they don’t see your head peeking up? Be a blessing to yourself sometime, this way you won’t get burnt out being a blessing to others. You should be your number 1 fan! Now, this doesn’t mean you should be self-centered and selfish but it means you should love yourself first because when you love yourself, you are then able to love others. With all this being said, I will sum this up by simply saying, encourage yourself sometime! Stop waiting on your boss or coworkers to tell you job well done because it may never be said. Stop waiting for church members to acknowledge all the work you do because some of them are jealous anyway, do the work because you want God’s reward. Stop waiting around for folks to congratulate you on accomplishing your goals, congratulate yourself. No one has to buy you a cake to celebrate your birthday, it’s your day, buy your own! Encouragement is enjoying the experience you’ve endured and exceeded especially since you effectually eliminated the enemy! So go on and encourage yourself because there isn’t anything wrong with tooting your own horn from time to time!