Daily Devotional – 1/19/12 “Hell on Earth but Heaven’s reward!”

Have you ever wondered why your Christian walk is so much harder than the road you walked in the world? When in the world you never had hurdles to jump or obstacles in your way because everything seemed easier, right? Are you wondering if things would be better if you just went back to your old ways? Well, I am here to tell you no. Why? Because even though things seem easy, in the world, you were paying a cost for them. The devil doesn’t give you anything he doesn’t plan on making you pay for. Yea, you were sleeping with someone else’s husband who was paying your bills and such and then you went to the doctor to find out you have a STD you can’t get rid of and now you’ll have to tell every guy you’re with from now on – you paid the cost. Yea, you were a big drug dealer with money in your pocket, cars in the driveway, expensive clothes, shoes and the expensive lawyer that could get you out of trouble but then you get caught by the police and now you’re in the hottest water you’ve ever been in and the judge sentences you to 20 years in prison – you paid the cost. See, nothing is free and if it seems too good to be true, it may just be. When you decide to let God into your life and you read the bible, he shows you that this walk won’t be easy but God says in Isaiah 45:2, “I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” With God in front of you, your obstacles won’t seem as bad. Yea, you may stumble over some rocks from the leveling of the mountains, but your wounds, they’ll heal. You may encounter scrap metal in your skin from the breaking down of the gates, but they’ll heal.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing that you go through that is meant to take you out, if you got God walking in front of you. You never see the President first because you always see his Secret Service Men who are trained and hired to protect him. Well, it’s the same with God. When you accepted God’s calling on your life, he was hired and trained to protect you so you are supposed to live a life that allows him to be seen first in all you do. But, if every time I pass you and you are complaining, God is not the lead. If every time I ask you for something and you tell me no out of spite, God is not the lead. If I call you for guidance and prayer and all you got to offer is gossip, God is not the lead. If every time there is work to be done at church and you’re a hindrance, God is not the lead. If God is not the lead then you’re walking this path by yourself which is the reason you stumble so easily. But if you took the time to pray for folks as much as you gossip, love more than you hate, speak the truth more than lies and help folk because it’s the right thing to do, then your walk wouldn’t be so hard and even when you fall you can get back up. I know that when you do right, the enemy is busier but it doesn’t mean that God is not there. Psalm 138:7 says “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.” See, with God as your protector, danger may come but it won’t take you out. Who do you think kept you all those nights when you went home with men you barely knew? Who do you think covered you when you were too drunk to drive but you made it home? Who do you think protected you from the car crash that was supposed to claim your life? Who do you think gave you strength when momma, daddy, husband or wife died and you didn’t think you could go on? Who do you think made that position for you even though you didn’t qualify on paper? Who do you think maintains your lifestyle even though you don’t make enough for a too touch b? The bible says in Psalm 20:6 “Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.” Anoint means to dedicate to the service of God and if you’re dedicated to him and his service, then he is speaking about you. When God said in 1st Chronicles 16:22 “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm,” he wasn’t just speaking about Pastors, Bishops and Elders, but he was speaking about you too, if you have decided your life to him. So when danger comes, God is there protecting you because that’s what you’ve hired him to do.

So when folk put their mouth on you let them talk because God got it covered. When you say I’m acting Holier than thou just because I put up “Godly” statuses, speak a few scriptures here and there or sometimes pray for you, you’re putting your mouth on me. When you defame my name by spreading lies and gossip, you’re putting your mouth on me. When you talk about Pastor So & So, you’re putting your mouth on God’s anointed. When you talk about Deacon Do Right, you’re putting your mouth on God’s anointed. When you talk about Sis Shirley’s clothes and hair, you are putting your mouth on God’s anointed. No matter how a person lives outside of worship service, it isn’t for you to judge them. But who are you anyway? Psalm 28:8 says “The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.” Now, a fortress is something that is impenetrable or acts as protection which means that even though your enemies may shoot arrows meant for your suffering, God won’t allow then to get through. Even though folks throw rocks your way trying to knock you off the pedestal that God has placed you on, he won’t allow them to make it through and he’ll continue to strengthen you to stand. See, God is your protector and Psalm 29:11 says “The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.” I don’t know about you but there’s something about the peace of God that won’t allow you to shed a tear even when you’re hurting. The peace of God will allow you to remain calm in a situation that used to make you act a fool. The peace of God will give you understanding at a time you thought you couldn’t do it. The peace of God will allow you to sleep when all hell is breaking loose around you. The peace of God will allow you to smile when you should be crying and living when you should be dying. The peace of God will have you looking healthy even when you battling cancer. This same peace will allow you to rock a bald head when the chemo has taken your hair. God just works that way!

Romans 8:18 says “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” So even when it seems like the world is closing in on you, hold on! You may be going through hell now but heaven is worth it. You may be suffering now, but heaven is worth it. 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!”

Daily Devotional – 1/18/12 “Who’s praying for you?”

Why do I wait for you to pray for me when I can pray for myself? Why do I wait for you to encourage me when I can encourage myself? Why do I have to feel guilty over my blessings when God has found enough favor in me to give them to me? Chile favor isn’t fair but it’s surely right! I may not be where I should be in this Christian walk but I not where I used to be. See, when I ask you to pray for me, you may just be praying for my downfall. When I ask you to pray for my healing, you may just be praying for me to get sicker. When I ask you to pray with me, you may just be praying against me, so I think I’d better be careful about whom I ask to pray for me. Just because you go to church every Sunday doesn’t mean your prayers are getting through especially when you’re standing at the altar with hate in your heart for folk, when the bible says in 1 John 3:15 “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” So, how can you pray for me when you really should be praying for yourself?

Praying is communicating with God and if you never pray then how can he know your voice? The bible says in John 15:7, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” See, when you have God in your heart, whatever you ask in prayer will be given, but you have to pray and seek God’s face and turn from your wicked ways, then God will hear from heaven (2 Chronicles 7:14). It doesn’t matter when you pray or even where you are but pray. How do you pray? It’s simple. Romans 8:26-27 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.” See, when you’re in the spirit, the right spirit, the Spirit will step in on your behalf. Have you ever been talking to the Lord and you seem to get caught up in it, the tears start rolling down your face and now your prayer has made you happy? This is the spirit interceding on your behalf. When you pray for the right reasons and with the right heart, all you have to do is open your mouth and let the spirit do the work. Now, Matthew 6:7 says “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.” Which means, you don’t have to keep asking God for the car you want, he heard you the first time, now give him time to answer. You don’t have to keep praying for your husband or wife to come, God got it, now wait for him to send them. You don’t have to keep bothering him with the same prayer because if you ask in faith, then you should speak as if it’s already done. Next, you have to pray humbly, from the heart and with your own words. Don’t try to pray like Deacon Surely or Sister Purely because then your prayer is not sincere. When you pray from you and for you, God hears. Psalm 34:17 says “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”

You have to pray for yourself sometime. Don’t get me wrong because there is nothing wrong with praying with others or even in a group because the word says in Matthew 18:19, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.” But God also wants us to sometimes pray by ourselves. Why? Because we can sometimes get caught up in other folks prayers that we forget about our own and because, again, not everyone is praying on your behalf for good and also because God may just want you to keep your business to yourself. Matthew 6:6 says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” It’s not always about praying in church on Sunday morning that allows God to hear you because he can hear you, better, when you’re alone. God said if you pray in front of folks because you want to be seen then you’ve already received your reward (from folk here) but if you pray righteously, humbly and with a clean heart, then your rewards are waiting on you in heaven. See, God really doesn’t need your prayers in order to know what you want, because he knows what you need before you even open your mouth but he still says you have to pray right. Stop waiting around for the Pastor to visit you in the hospital to pray for healing, when God says ask and it shall be given. Stop waiting for your momma or daddy to pray for your breakthrough from drugs, when you have to be the one to turn it loose. Stop praying for God to remove your abusive husband/wife, when all you have to do is move and when you move, God’s protection surrounds you! Stop asking God for a better job, house or car when you never apply for one. You keep asking God to let you win the lottery but you never buy a ticket. Philippians 4:6 says “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today 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 the evil one.
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:9-15

Daily Devotional – 1/17/12 “Rise above!”

I am reminded of the story of the old goat that fell in the old dug well while his owner was away and when the owner returned and realized he couldn’t get him out, he decided he would bury him. So, he started throwing dirt down on the goat but what the man didn’t realize was the goat was shaking off the dirt and packing it under his feet and each time he did, he rose higher and higher until he was able to walk straight out of the hole. This made me realize that when folks of this world decide they will bury you with lies, backbiting, back stabbing, hate and envy; you have to shake that off and pack it under your feet. When kids aren’t acting right, shake it off and pack it under your feet. When your husband or wife won’t do what is right, no matter how hard you try, shake it off and pack it under your feet. When the job keeps overlooking you for the position you keep training other folk for, shake it off and pack it under your feet. See, when you shake off the dirt that is thrown on you by haters, you’re creating a platform for you to stand on and when you step on this platform, you’re able to rise higher than your enemies. Every time you shake off hurt, you’re rising higher. Every time you shake off ungratefulness, you’re rising higher. Every time you shake off jealousy from your own family members, you’re rising higher. Just because you were raised below the poverty line, it doesn’t mean you have to stay there – rise above it. Just because daddy left and acted like you didn’t exist when he had another family, it doesn’t mean you’re less than a man or that you deserve to be treated any kind of way by any kind of man – rise above it! Just because the guidance counselor said you wouldn’t amount to nothing because of your test grades don’t mean you just give up – rise above it! Just because you used to be a drug addict, alcoholic, whoremonger or an abuser it doesn’t mean you have to continue – rise above it. Isaiah 40:31 says “but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

See, God says, you shall mount up which means you climb up onto something and when you climb up you got wings, but not just any wings, but eagle wings that allows you to soar above all those things below that wants to cause you harm. Isn’t that great news? You have the necessary things needed to move you above all the things that tries to block your way, so why aren’t you rising? Your job offers tuition reimbursement but you’re too scared to go back to school because you’re listening to co-workers who say it’ll be too hard and now you’re stuck in the same position for 20 years. Your marriage is going great and you’re about to celebrate 10 years together but because your friend’s marriage isn’t going good, you go home to cause trouble in yours now you’re headed for divorce court. You got a little money saved, just in case, but because your sister is always shopping, you try to keep up by going into debt and now you’re headed for bankruptcy. You’re allowing folks to clip your wings which keep you from rising and soaring above to higher heights and you wonder why you’re not prospering. Just because the folks on the job always complain about every little thing, it doesn’t mean to you have join in but when you do, your wings are clipped. Philippians 2:14says “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Just because the church folk are always trying to keep an eye on Pastor to see what he’s doing and then gossip about it at Wednesday night bible study it doesn’t mean you have to take a part in it and when you do, your wings are clipped. Proverbs 18:7 says “The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.” When someone makes you mad or angry and you try to get back at them instead of forgiving, you clip your own wings. James 1:20 says “for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

You are capable of rising above all adversity, pain, hurt, strife, circumstances and situations, if you choose too. God said, you shall renew your strength and mount up on wings like eagles, he didn’t say you might but he said you shall. So, why won’t you believe it? You have to renew your strength the same way you have to renew a lease, car tags and/or driver license but you don’t have to stand in a long line to do it. Renewing is simply making something new. See, when you’ve battled something so long, you need your strength renewed. When you’ve struggled to make A touch B, your strength needs to be renewed. When you keep getting pushed back and knocked off your feet, you need your strength renewed. Why do you think boxers and fighters only go a certain amount of time in the ring before the bell sounds and they take a break? They are renewing their strength. God won’t allow you to consistently go through a storm without a reason behind it and without the right amount of strength to get you through it. If you lift weights in the gym, after a certain amount of time, you’d probably increase the amount of weight you actually lift because you’ve gotten use to that size, right? Well, going through this Christian life is the same thing. Let me explain. God sends you through the storm, for a few months, carrying a 15lb weight on your shoulder and at first it’s so heavy you wobble when you walk but after a certain amount of time of carrying this weight, your legs and arms get accustom to carrying it, so now it’s not so heavy. Then you come out of your storm to reap the reward of the Son, you’re renewing your strength and the next time you get ready to go into your storm, your weight will be a little heavier because God knows you can handle it and each time you go through you rise a little higher. Now, don’t put your own pedestal down in order to raise yourself up without the help of God because we tend to mess up and when we raise ourselves, man can knock us down but when God raises us, man can’t do a thing about it without first going through God. Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” You can rise above the harsh remarks, the abuse, the constant struggling, your enemies and hate but you have to go on through the rain and come out clean and refreshed because once you’ve been refreshed you’ve been renewed and through renewal comes endurance and enduring gives us assurance that you are ready to be elevated! Rise above because God is setting you up, not to fail, but to succeed and in your success comes victory and victory makes you victorious over the enemy

Daily Devotional – 1/16/12 “God never fades!”

One thing I’ve learned, in this life, is that the color of your clothes, the color in your hair, the love for something or someone and even ink from paper may sometimes fade but the grace and mercy of God never does! Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” See, even when the love fades from your marriage, God is still there. When the color fades from your favorite black dress, God doesn’t. When the black fades from hair and is replaced by gray, God never fades. Stop allowing storms to control your life! When the rain starts falling and the thunder is loud enough to rock the ground, hold on! When the tornado comes and wipes out your possessions, with God, you still got a strong foundation on which to rebuild, so don’t start wavering in this fight. Strap on your battle gear, tighten your shoe strings and let the word, God’s word, do the work! Start by trusting, believing, and having faith that God will do just what he said he’ll do and when all else fails and/or fades, God will be right there.

You’re struggling in your marriage, not because God has forsaken you but because the person you’re telling your business too is the one that is keeping up the mess! If the truth shall be told, they want what you got and why you are wondering whose telling your spouse all your business, you’d better open your eyes to who you’re telling your business too. You’re struggling on your job because your mouth keeps putting you in a place you can’t get yourself out of. You know, it’s writing a check your butt can’t cash. You’re trying to show that you’re better and smarter than most of your coworkers and now you’ve been placed over a project and don’t have a clue where to start. Now, you could possibly lose your job but maybe if you would keep your mouth sometimes, you’d stay out of harm’s way. You are worried about bills but you’re still shopping. You got problems but you won’t turn to the problem solver. You got pain but won’t turn to the healer! You’ve fallen but you won’t reach up to the one person that can pull you up. God is waiting at the door, knocking and all you have to do is let him in. God says oh ye of little faith why are you afraid (Matthew 8:26)? When the door is shut in your face, didn’t I give you hands to knock with? When folk talk about you, didn’t I give you knees to pray with? When you mess up, sin, hate on folk and lie, didn’t I give you a mind to think and a mouth to repent with? When folk speak death over your life and circumstance, didn’t I give you a tongue to speak life with? When money is low aren’t I a provider? When times are hard aren’t I able to carry you? When folk leave am I not there for you? When sickness comes aren’t I a healer? When the car stops don’t I give you legs and strength to walk with? So then why do you doubt and why are you so afraid? Why don’t you have faith that I’ll bring you through? You got faith that the IRS will do you right come tax time but you don’t have faith that I will do you right all the time. Oh ye of little faith! If you would just trust in me like you trust in the chair you sit in daily to hold you up, your walk would be better, your talk would be greater, your living would be living and your hands would do better giving. Oh ye of little faith! Matthew 17:20 says “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

With God, all things are possible. When you doubt God and when you worry it’s like asking God if this is possible or even can I actually do this but Mark 9:23 says “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” If you believe it then you can achieve. If you don’t have the believeth of yourself within yourself, how can you make someone else believe it? You have to be a salesman of yourself, so that everyone that comes into contact with you buys what you’re selling. But, if you’ve placed your gift on the back shelf, hidden from the view of the people you’re trying to convince, you’ll never make a sale. Believe in you and keep God first and all that comes behind it will be a blessing and then and only then it won’t be allowed to hurt you. Yea, hurt will still come but it won’t affect you like it use too. When you have God first, when your boo leaves, you’ll be able to handle it. When the money runs out before payday, you’ll still be able to handle it. When you have God first you can handle whatever test that comes your way because when you have God you have salvation and with salvation you have strength and with strength you’re strong enough to handle situations. Trust God because he will never fail nor fade. 1 Peter 1:25 says “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

Daily Devotional – 1/13/12 “What do you do?”

What do you do when the enemy is attacking on every side? What do you do when you take 2 steps forward only to get pushed 4 back? What do you do when you seem to be surrounded by walls or facing closed doors? I’ll tell you what to do… For that enemy, put on your war clothes and fight because the battle is not yours, it’s the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:15). When you get pushed back, you didn’t get pushed out so keep going. Proverbs 24:16 says “Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up. But when trouble strikes the wicked, that’s the end of them.” When you are surrounded by walls, keeping walking because you are bound to find an opening and when you face closed doors, keeping knocking until one opens. The bible says in Luke 11:9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

See, God’s word says when I’m down he’ll pick me up. When I lean, he’ll be my leaning post. When my way is dark, he’ll be a light unto my path. When I can’t go any longer, he’ll carry me. He’ll be mother when she’s gone, a daddy when he’s gone, friend when they walk away, healer when I’m sick, food when I’m hungry, water (living water) when I’m thirsty, a keeper when I can’t keep myself, a provider when I can’t make ends meets, a comforter in my lonely hour, shelter in my storm, bowed head raiser, a tear wiper, a mind regulator, heart fixer, pain reliever, a bridge over troubled water and a burden bearer! So why should I worry about things of this world? Bills will remain, lying never dies, and folk will still talk about you, and wish bad on your life, stick knives in your back & folk will hurt you! So my trust is in God, this way those who I trust will have gone through him to get to me and when they get to me and try to hurt me, God won’t allow them too. If I place my heart in God, they have to go through God to get it, then they won’t be able to break it. So, if I stand for God, he’ll stand for me. If I kneel down for God, he’ll kneel down to get me when I fall. If I go for God, he’ll go for me, no matter how far it is. So, I’m covered on every side, on my going and my coming, I’m covered! When the enemy attacks, yes it’s hard, but I’m covered.

When you’re in darkness read John 14:6, that says, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When you feel defeated, read Ecclesiastes 9:11, “Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.” When your rope is breaking-God says reach beyond the break/hold on. When your obstacles get taller-God says I may not move them but I’ll give u strength to climb. Blessings don’t come without the test of endurance. So endure because it won’t last long. Believe in God and trust him to do just what he said he would!

Even on my bad days I’m great because God gives me grace and with grace comes mercy and with mercy comes hope and with hope comes faith and faith brings rejoicing and rejoicing paves the way for my recovery and once I recover I am rejuvenated and through my rejuvenation, I am redeemed and through God’s redemption I get restoration and restoration restores all the devil stole from me!</blockquote>