Daily Devotional – 4/24/12 “Missing the present!”

If I had to guess, I would imagine that most of you are sitting somewhere thinking about all the things you have to do this weekend, right? Or you’ve probably made a note of things you need to do tomorrow or by the end of the week but what are you doing right now? So many times we spend hours looking into the future that we are missing the present. Why are you worrying with next month’s bills when this month isn’t even over? Why are you concerning yourself with next year when this year is still going? Matthew 6:27 asks, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” Yea, I know that times maybe hard, kids might not be acting right, spouse acting retarded, folks on your job act like they’ve lost their minds and then to top it off, traffic has been bad the last few days causing you to be late but worrying won’t change it. So, let me tell you what to do: finish your work on today, get in your car, let the windows down, put on your favorite radio station and when your song comes on (you know you have like 40, right?) dance behind the wheel and enjoy yourself. Stop by your favorite dessert place and get you whatever you’ve been missing because you say you’re on a diet, go home and kick off your shoes, grab your favorite wine or beer and RELAX! Stop acting like the customers will leave just because you didn’t return all the calls from the voicemails you have at work. Stop acting like your family will starve because you didn’t stop to get dinner, let your husband or wife or one of them grown kids pick it up. Stop acting like God will cast you out because you missed bible study once; you’re entitled to a day off. The world won’t end because you take a moment to yourself but you might. Let go sometimes!

We’ve got so used to working to save for future retirement but what happens if you work your body into the grave before that time comes? You’re working 18 hour days trying to pay off a 30 year mortgage on a house that you won’t have time to enjoy if you don’t slow down. Stop focusing so much on the future because you’re missing your present. While you are working all that time trying to make sure your child has all his needs met, who’s attending to yours? Plus you’re missing them grow up and then they’ll have the nerve to resent you for it later on. Either somebody is mad because you don’t spend enough time with them or mad because you don’t have the means to buy them $100 pair of shoes. Baby, it’s a never-ending battle so stop trying to fight it. Life does go on but not forever. Slow down for a moment and enjoy the blessings you have in the present moment. Ok, so your marriage didn’t work, get over it and stop focusing on whether you’ll get remarried, enjoy your single life now. Your job didn’t last, ok, but draw your unemployment, go get some government assistance (you’ve paid for it) and relax while you look for another one. Your car quit, ok, but your legs haven’t, so stop worrying about next week and focus on getting there and home, today and you can always use the bus which is cheaper than gas anyway. Matthew 6:34 says, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Don’t add tomorrow’s and next week’s problems on top of todays because there will be time to focus on them.

And stop trying to save everybody! You are only responsible for children who are too young to worry about salvation for themselves but those grown folk are just that, grown. Stop worrying about your son going to jail, who is in the streets, because he knows that his actions have consequences. Stop worrying about your daughter who is letting that no good baby daddy run all over her, she has 2 feet that she can stand on, all you can do is help the babies that she has. Am I saying take your hands off, yes because when you take your hands off, they fall into God’s hands and his hands are much bigger and better to handle it. If you’ve raised your children with morals and on the foundation of God, he still has them until they decide to let them in. God hasn’t left them, even though they act like they never knew him because he’s still there. Folk have to go through their own share of mistakes to learn from them. Just because you tell them the fire is hot, they won’t believe it until they touch it for themselves and when they do, bandage them up, pray for them and let them go. Stop spending all your time crying for them to be saved because they have to save themselves. Stop spending all your time on your knees praying for them because God has heard you but he has to wait until they open the door. Pray for yourself sometimes. Cry for yourself sometimes. Take care of yourself ALL THE TIME. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you”

When you stop focusing on the future, you’ll see the goodness of God in the present that you’ve been missing. It’s alright to dream about the future but it does you no good if you never live to see it. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” God has a plan for your life and he won’t let you suffer in vain but you have to stop letting your suffering consume you because Luke 1:37 says, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Focus on your present because it gives you power to push through the problems on this world. Focus on your present because it gives you praise when pain is all you feel. Focus on your present because its peace will persuade you to pick up the pieces of your past and press on. Focus on your present because it pleases God who then pours out a profit’s reward from Heaven. Your present is a gift from God so unwrap it and then enjoy it.

Daily Devotional – 4/23/12 “Everything is not what it seems!”

Don’t you know the way you are viewing your situation isn’t the way God sees it? Yea, you see a problem but God sees an opportunity to praise. You see sickness but God is giving you a chance to shout. You see bills but God is showing you a blessing. You see friends that have walked off but God is cleansing your life of enemies. Stop thinking that everything that happens in your life is an attack by the devil or your enemy because sometimes God has to send a storm your way in order to remove some things that are hindering your walk and work for him. See, God has to sometimes shake you in order for you to put things back into perspective. You have to wonder why God allowed your boo to leave when you used to go to church on Sunday but now when you get up to get ready, he/she pulls you back in the bed to cuddle and now you’ve missed church. You have to question God about why he allowed your friends to be backstabbers when they designated Mondays as girls night when you used to teach bible study on Mondays. You used to be dependable and could be counted on when someone needed your help, your ear to listen or your shoulder to cry on but now your life is consumed with your new friend who always seems to have an emergency when someone else calls. Do you honestly have to ask why it seems like your prayers aren’t being answered when your fellowship with God is interrupted by somebody else who seems to have all of your time? You do know that God will allow a flood of tears to come in order to wash away the dust that has settled on your eyes in order for you to see things clearer? He will allow the wind of tribulation to blow hard in order to blow out the folks that are blocking your path to him. He will even allow a tornado of suffering to come in order to wipe out all of the unnecessary things that have taken his place in your life.

We’ve become so accustomed to allowing folks to be a priority in our lives and then God trailing far behind but don’t you know that when everyone is gone and the dust has settled, God will be the only constant that remains? God doesn’t run when the money runs out but so called friends do. God doesn’t talk about you when you’re going through trials but the folks on your job might. God doesn’t laugh when you cry, he doesn’t wish sickness over your life and he won’t knock you down just to see you bleed but your enemies will. So why is he at the end of the line? God should be first in everything you do because whatever goes through him surely won’t hurt you. It’s like going through the security checkpoint at the airport. They make sure your pockets are emptied before they move you through the metal detectors and they make you put your bags through this x-ray machine to ensure you don’t have any weapons or anything harmful that can hurt the others around you once you’re on the plane, it’s for your safety. Well, God is our metal detector and x-ray machine but how can he show you what’s harmful to you if you never make them go through it to see? You wouldn’t know the man you’re with is a cheater and low down dog because you didn’t make him go through the x-ray machine to check to see if his heart was capable of love. You wouldn’t know that women you’re with is crazy and will bust every window out of your car because you didn’t have her remove the stuff from her pockets and go through the metal detector. You wouldn’t know the friend you’re confiding all your business too is the one spreading your business because you didn’t let security check her out. You’ve got to have God as the head of your life, as the metal detector to your heart and the x-ray machine to your soul because he will be the only one the keeps you from getting hurt by man of this world. Stop looking at the things in your life as an attack to take you out but look at them as a learning lesson in order to keep you from making the same mistake again.

Yea, I know you thought this was the marriage for you but God didn’t and had you listened you wouldn’t be fighting the divorce battle now. Yea, I know you thought this was the job for you but God didn’t and had you stopped and look you wouldn’t be fighting the crowd at the unemployment office or temp service. Yea, I know you think this sickness is your death sentence but stop and let God show you the real reason he is putting you through it. If you would just take a moment and let the noise level go down, your mind to stop racing and your heart to stop beating so fast, God will tell or show you what he wants you to know. I used to wonder why my grandma would be up so late at night cleaning after everyone else was gone or in the bed but then I realized that while she is sweeping she is singing and talking to God because it was during those moments the house was quiet and she could concentrate fully on him. See, she didn’t have to worry about folks calling her name, asking her questions or interrupting her and God’s fellowship because everybody else had already went to bed. Then she could talk to him and tell him all about her problems and once she was done, she was rested enough to get rest. When you’ve given all of your problems over to God he releases them from your heart and the burdens from your shoulders in order for you to be able to stand in the midst of adversity without being tired, walk in the midst of the fire without getting burned, dance in the rain without it drowning you and love again without you being scared or hurt. When you allow God to be the head of your life, he’ll allow you to go through the storm but it won’t destroy your foundation. God will allow folks to walk in your life but he won’t let them walk all over you or over stay their welcome. God will even allow things to happen but those things will end once their season is over. God has to be the head of your life, the leader of your band, the CEO of your business, the head doctor and the top attorney on your case. He doesn’t need help and he won’t even charge you by the hour but you need to consult him first and the good thing about it, he can be paid in praise and worship.

So stop rushing God, will you? Say a prayer and leave your worries and burdens at the altar and wait. Don’t you know the bible says in Isaiah 40:31, “Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary?” See, in your waiting your strength is renewed and in this renewing process your weary soul is restored and in your restoration you received rest for your shaky spirit that has your faith wavering and once you’ve rested; you’ll be ready to work and when you work you plant seeds during your harvest in rich soil that allows your harvest to be plentiful once it is time to reap. But you have to wait and let God work because even when it seems like he isn’t there, he is because 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 says, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”

Daily Devotional – 4/20/12 “Favor for your labor!”

There was this young man who was in his last semester in college which was ironic because he never thought he’d be able to go because he knew his mom couldn’t afford it when she was barely making ends meet. But he worked hard through high school and as a result he was awarded a full scholarship to the college he always dreamed about. While there, his mom became ill so he had to take on a job to be able to send money home to help out. He worked full time at this small family owned restaurant near campus and he put in all the hours he could and he was a dependable. As he sat in his dorm room filling out his graduation packet he began to worry about finding a job that could support him, his mom and 2 sisters. He knew he would have to move back home, it seemed like his only option. So he bowed his head and as tears begin to stream down his face he prayed,

“Father God, I bow my head before you tonight first to thank you. I thank you for giving me your mercy that has sustained me on my rough nights which have been many. I thank you for giving me the wisdom and knowledge to excel through high school that has allowed me to become now a college graduate. I thank you for giving me the strength to be able to work to provide for my family and for always being a provider for them when I am not able. Now Lord, I ask that you guide me down the right path so that I can continue to be a worker for you and a provider for my family. I don’t know what you have planned for me but Lord, I’m ready to see it because I know that you won’t leave me after bringing me this far. Continue to cover me Lord and continue to crown my head with wisdom and my feet with strength to walk. Lord God, I trust you because you have never failed me and as long as you cover me, I’ll never fail you. In your name I pray. Amen.”

He got up from his desk, wiped his face and went to bed.

A few weeks later, as he stood in the place where his graduation would take place he zipped up his robe and place the cap on his head. He spun around in awe of the many blessings that God had already given him. His mom and sisters were able to travel and he was so happy to see the proudness in their eyes and the smiles on their lips. He smiled hard trying to cover up the worries in his eyes for the “what next” part of his life. As the ceremony went on and his name was finally called to receive his Bachelor Degree in Computer Technology, he was overcome with emotion. After the ceremony, while he waited for his family the owner from the restaurant he worked grabbed him and gave him the biggest hug. She told him how proud she was of him and she handed him an envelope and asked him to open it. When he did, he found a check for $10,000.00 and he gasped. She explained that she knew from the moment he came into the restaurant the favor God has placed on his life and because of that she had begun a savings account for him. As his graduation time drew near, the many customers and members of her family match what she had saved and it allowed her to present it to him on today. He grabbed her this time and gave her the biggest hug and he whispered, thank God for you. As she walked off, she told him to make her proud. As he wipes the tears that escaped from his eyes, a young woman approached him. She introduced herself as the head of the local FBI in the city and they were in need of his computer expertise. She explained that she had followed his college career and she was in awe of his strength. She also told him that all of his professors spoke highly of him and all gave outstanding recommendations. She went on to say the job would be local and it would pay him a substantial amount of money and benefits which included a housing allowance that would allow him to move his mother and sisters here as well. He opened his mouth but no words would come out. She gently patted his hands and told him, no words were necessary because his worked spoke for him. She handed him the packet of information and told him to take a 2 week vacation and report to work immediately afterwards. As she walked off, he simply said, “Only God!”

After he got back to his mom’s house, he went to bed early. He was shaken in the middle of the night and when he sat up; he found an envelope on the end of the bed. He picked it up and began to read. It said,

“My child, I heard your plea to me so I had to come and let you know that I would never leave you nor forsake you. See, when you started on this journey so long ago I knew how hard it would become but I knew that you were stronger and no matter what obstacles you faced, you took them all without every wavering in your faith and because of that I had to give you favor for your labor. I know that your mom’s sickness is hard but it’s just a test. I know that college was hard, but it was just a test. I know that providing for your family was hard, but it was just a test and although you were able to pass them all, it doesn’t mean your tests stop because they won’t and sometimes they will seem harder but you’ll be fine. You are made in my image and because of this you are capable of handling the fire that you’ll have to walk through but you won’t get burned, you’re be able to handle the unfriendly people you’ll meet without it knocking you off your path and you’ll be able to handle the rain when it pours but it won’t drown you. I know that you think the job offer is too good to be true but it is and it’s yours and because you have been faithful in your work for me, I’m giving you favor for your labor! God”

See, although you think that the work you doing won’t pay off, God is saying hold on just a little while longer because you’ll get favor for your labor. Just because you think that working 14 hour days, 6 days a week will kill you; hold on because you’ll soon get favor for your labor. Don’t you know when things happen to you out of nowhere, that’s God’s favor? When you receive a call from a job you applied for 8 months ago and had forgot about, that’s God’s favor. When your boss calls you into his office to promote you to a job you hadn’t even applied for and you think you aren’t qualified for, that’s God’s favor. When you get a bonus on your job for doing the work others complain about, that’s God’s favor. See, if you work for God he’ll work for you. Psalm 5:12 says, “For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” See, when you have God’s favor, it blocks the attacks of the enemy. When you have God’s favor, those folks on your job who have been trying to get you fired will be fired first. When you have God’s favor the stress that’s causing others on the job to bail, it won’t even affect you. Oh, when you have God’s favor you have protection and with God’s protection you have peace and with that peace come power and with this power you’ll be able to praise while others pity. With God’s favor, you’ll be rewarded for your labor for Psalm 90:17 says, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” When you have favor from God everything your hands touch will be blessed. When you touch the paycheck and it seems small to you, God will make it just enough to make all your ends meet. Don’t believe me, read Ephesians 1:11 which say, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.” See; even though it may not be clear to you, it’s surely clear enough to God, so hold on. You might be laboring in a situation and you’ve had thoughts of giving up and throwing in the towel, just hold on. It might not seem like you’re being blessed and your prayers are not being heard, but God is listening and he’s saying hold on because you’ll soon get favor for your labor.

Daily Devotional – 4/19/12 “It was already a mess!”

Now you know, yea you know that God isn’t in that mess that you’re in. While you’re praying for God to fix your relationship, it’s with someone else’s husband or wife. While you’re fasting for God to bless the new job you got by throwing your other coworker under the bus, he isn’t listening. You’re at the altar begging God to give you an increase on the tithe you just paid with money you stole from someone else, baby God won’t do that. See, if you are doing dirty things you are hesitant about doing Godly things because you’re scared that God will reveal it. John 3:20 says, “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed?” You know how you’re messing with Deacon Smoking Hot, so you start to distant yourself from church functions or how you can’t keep your eyes off Usher Jeans Tight, so you start going in through the back of the church? Yea, you don’t realize that why you’re in sin you’re out of salvation, do you? Well you are. There’s no way you can actually have your prayers heard when you’re not doing things decent and in order. God is in the blessing business and not the business of mess. You know the situation you’re in is messy and that’s why you enjoy it so much but don’t get mad when folks are talking about you. You have the nerve to get an attitude when you hear that folks have been talking about that mess of a relationship when you knew it was a mess to begin with. You knew that man was married with children before you started allowing him to slip in after your kids went to bed and out before they get up. You knew that she had a husband at home that’s why you were tipping at the pay by hour motels instead of going to her house. Then you have the nerve to bring them to church with you while you sing in the choir or serve on the deacon board. It doesn’t matter how great of a servant you are in God’s house because if you aren’t living by God’s word, on the outside of worship, then you aren’t actually serving God. Yea, you may be one of the city’s greatest choir directors but that’s doesn’t mean your ticket is stamped to Heaven. You may even be one of the smoothest Ushers but that doesn’t mean you’re ushering your way to God’s good side.

See, if you’ve taken the reins of being a teacher of God’s word then you also took the reins of being judged more harshly. Why, because you are supposed to be teaching to bring Souls to Christ and not reaching to bring satisfaction to yourself. Please don’t get me wrong, I am also judged harshly because I chose to accept the calling that God put on me when he gave me the task of writing a devotional for you to read each day. So in order for me to tell you, my views, on right vs. wrong, I have to be living right. Am I perfect, no but I’m striving every day to be better. Will I fall and make mistakes, yes but that’s why God forgives me but I shouldn’t make the same mistake twice. See, not all of the 524 friends I have on Facebook are Christians, so it’s my goal to show the God in me so that they would want to get to know him but I can’t do that shaking my tail in a club every Friday/Saturday night, sleeping with Tom, Dick, Harry and Sue, lying and stealing just because it feels good. I’ve got to live so that my light shines bright enough for you to see when it’s dark in your life. When a nonbeliever sees me, it’s my duty to let them see the God in me. When a sinner sees me, it’s my duty to show them that God can forgive. When a backslider sees me, it’s my duty to grab their hand to bring them back on the right side. It’s not my duty to knock you over the head with your wrongdoings but I am supposed to pray with you. It’s not my place to chastise you about the choices that you make but I am supposed to show you a better choice. If every time you see me and I’m dirty you won’t recognize me when I’m clean. If every time I talk to you and I’m cursing, why would you listen to me read a scripture?

We’ve got to stop with the mess and that way we won’t be mad when folks are talking about us because then they won’t have anything bad to talk about. Plus if you’re doing wrong, you have no reason to be mad when you knew the situation was messy to begin with. Women and men, stop settling for being someone’s sloppy seconds. If he/she can only text you, they have someone at home. If they don’t ever take you to their house, they have someone at home. If you get your Valentine’s gift the night before, they have someone at home. If they always get sick on Christmas, they have someone at home. If the only place y’all go is the movies or a restaurant in the back parts of MS, they have someone at home. Oh, please don’t think they are your soul mate and they are only in their marriage for the kids because that’s a lie and you know it. You are worthy of being more than hidden behind closed doors, dark tinted windows and in cheap motel rooms. Value yourself first so that you’re valued by others. Be who you are destined to be and not what you’re desired for because the question will be asked, “What makes you think that if someone cheats with you, they’ll be faithful to you once you got them?” It’s amazes me the things folks go through to get a man or woman and then stand in a church, at the altar, in a white dress/tuxedo proclaiming to love each other for better/worse, sickness/health, forsaking ALL others unto death do you part when they divorced the person they were with in order to marry you. How can you honestly expect God to bless a union he had no parts in? Oh, he/she is your soul mate? Child, please! Your soul mate isn’t cheating on his wife to be with you. Your soul mate isn’t lying to her husband to be with you. Your soul mate is all yours and you’ll know it. How will you know because a woman is made from the rib of HER man, she’ll know and man gives his rib, so he’ll know? The bible says in Genesis 2:22, “Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man,” and 1 Corinthians 11:9 says, “for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.” See, God brings you to the man and the woman who is all you need but you have to let God do it.

Don’t settle for being second best because you are worth more than that. This isn’t only for women but for men as well. God didn’t sanctify marriage so that it could be used loosely but he made 1 man for 1 woman and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Will marriage always be easy? No, not by any means! However, if you have the right relationship with the person you’re with, the bad times won’t be so bad because you’re in it together. Oh and don’t think that because you’re sleeping with a pastor and calling on God in the midst of your mess that you’ll be blessed because you’re not. The Pastor that has the nerve to be sleeping with you will get a far worse punishment from God. Let me say this, I don’t put my mouth on NOBODY because I don’t have the power or a reason to judge them. As for any Pastor, Missionary, Evangelist, sanctified musician, Usher, Sunday School teacher, deacon and/or pew member – if you stand and proclaim to teach God’s word and you’re not doing what you should be doing, my judgment won’t matter anyway compared to God’s because the word says in James 3:1, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” So you being worried about what other folks are saying don’t hold a light to the judgment God will give. Don’t put yourself in a messy situation because it’ll only leave you messy. Place yourself at the foot of God so that all that rains down will be blessings from him and the blessings of God can’t be taken away by man of the world. If there is anything in your life that makes you worry about the wrath of God, it’s messy and needs to be removed. Surround yourself with God things and good things follows. If you’re in the midst of crap, then expect to get covered in it when the crap hits the fan. Then, don’t blame others because you have a mind of your own. If it is a messy situation from the start, it’ll be messy when you leave!

Daily Devotional – 4/18/12 “It may not be all good but it all God!”

This morning I woke up like any other day, thankful just to be alive! Thankful because God gave me back everything that I had on yesterday even if I didn’t thank him for it. Thankful that in spite my doing, God still gave me a fresh anointing. Even feeling extra tired and with a pain in my arm, I’m still thankful. I had no intentions of having a bad morning but that doesn’t mean I was not intended to have one. See, it started with a letter about summer school for my daughter, which really put me in a bad mood because what makes her think I’d pay $200 for summer school when she had months of free education and didn’t take advantage of it. Then I had to be at work at 8:30 because of this breakfast meeting (I am our group’s top performer for the month) but traffic was backed up on the expressway. Then, I got almost to work and realized I’d left my badge at home. If anyone knows about FedEx you know that you can’t get in, around or through our buildings without your badge and it’s an act of Congress to get through security, just to work! Geesh! Needless to say, I got through security and even through the door and as I was walking up the stairs, a coworker passed and said Good Morning. Now, my first response was to ask her what’s so good about it but I didn’t because in those few seconds of her speaking it dawned on me, I didn’t have to ask what is good about today because that didn’t matter. What matters is what’s God about it because even though my day wasn’t good, it was God’s so I shouldn’t complain.

See, I never stopped to realize that all the things that happened were of God’s doing and not the enemy. Being tired means nothing because I’m alive. Having a pain in my arm means I can feel and yet tolerate it. The letter came as a way to spark a fire under this child of mine before school is out, giving her a heads up to get back on track. The traffic was a way of slowing me down or even to stop me from going into a trap that was set for me by the enemy. Leaving my badge was simply God saying even though the doors may be locked, I can still get you through them! Let me show you what God means. At our security gate, you have to scan your badge that then allows the arm to rise to let you through the gate but when I pulled in this morning, the arm was already up and all I had to do was drive through it. Then when I got to the door to the building, a young lady was right behind me to let me in and when I got to the door to our floor, the Admin was there and all I had to do was knock and she pushed a button that let me in. God is saying, “Keep walking because I got you!” Isn’t that amazing? When I think that a locked door means for me to stop, God is saying just wait until I open it because when God opens it, there’s not a man on Earth that can close them. (I’m inputting a shout here!) It may not be all good but it’s surely all God! I don’t have a reason to frown because the word says in Romans 8:28,“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” I have a purpose for this journey that I’m on, just like you have a purpose. I don’t know your purpose but I know that God has given you a gift because Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.” And that gift will make room for you but you have to use it because 2 Timothy 1:6 says, “You received a gift from God when I placed my hands on you [to ordain you]. Now I’m reminding you to fan that gift into flames.”

See, your gift is specific to you just like a custom made suit, which will only fit the person that it’s made for. Yea, someone else may be the same size as you but that doesn’t mean the suit that is made for you will fit them the way it fits you. That why your gift and your purpose is meant for you but you have to work and use your gift in order to find your purpose! No, not all the days that you’re on this Christian walk will be good but that’s ok because it’s all God. Don’t you know that no matter what you face, you can get through it? Don’t you know that no matter how bad your day seems, it can get better? Don’t you know that although you’re crying now, you won’t cry always and even though you’re hurting now, you won’t hurt always? Don’t you allow one bad day to turn into a bad week because that’ll only lead to a bad month which then turns into a bad year and before you know it, your attitude is bad and then what will you have? No one wants to be around someone whose attitude is always bad, whose mouth is always saying something bad and whose heart only carries bad love. Just because things didn’t start out great this morning, it doesn’t mean you can’t turn it around. Stop for a minute and simply say “Lord, do it!” but when you say it, say it with meaning and like he has already fixed the situation. Say it like you know that God knows because he does.

Your life may not be going good but you’re living so it’s all God! Your job may not be as good as you want but you have a check coming in and benefits so it’s all God! Your health may not be as good as you want it to be, but you’re walking on top of the dirt instead of the dirt being on top of you, so it’s all God! Your spouse may not rich but he provides, he may not be a mechanic but he fixes what’s broke and he may not be a GQ model but he is yours so it makes him God’s. Your wife may not be Rachel Ray but she can fix her family a meal, she may not be an accountant but she manages the bills, she may not be a race car driver but she can get off work, pick up the kids, take them to the doctor, go by the grocery store, cleaners, drop them off at practice and still get home to have dinner cooked before you get there and she may not be the Queen but she is the daughter of a King, so that makes her God’s. Don’t be too quick to count yourself out when you’re not having a good day because no matter how stressful life gets, it’s still all God. God can take the test that’s meant to knock you out and turn it into a testimony. He can take the hell that’s meant to kill you and turn it into your highway to heaven. He can take the stress that’s meant to push you down and turn it into a blessing to elevate you up. He can take the words from folk who spoke evil over your life and turn them into a bestselling book. He can take the scars from the knives that were stuck in your back from so called friends and the burns on your knees from steady prayer and turn you into a walking billboard showing God’s grace. See, your life may not be all good all the time but that’s alright because it’s all God. Your bad days may seem to outweigh your good days, but that’s alright because it’s all God. Your complaining may sometime get in the way of your praise, but that’s alright because it’s all God. You may not be where you think you ought to be but that’s alright because it’s all God. When it’s all over and done and your work down here is done, when your eyes are closed and the blood in your veins is cold, when your mouth no longer talks, your arms and legs won’t move and when all that will speak for you will be the memories of your living, take comfort in knowing that it’s still all God!