Daily Devotional – 12/27/11 “What’s your New Year’s Resolution?”

It’s a few days before the New Year and you’re probably already making “resolutions” for 2012, right?  I am going to start a new diet and stick to it.  I am going to get on a budget and stick to it.  I am going to church every Sunday and I’m going to pay my tithes right.  I am going to let go of all the bull crap this year because it is a new year and new me!  I am not going to let folks use me this year, I am not going to let my baby daddy walk all over me and I’m going to start treating folks better.  But my question is, “Why wait until the New Year?”  All of these things can be done, right now.  You don’t have to wait until the year changes to change because you will be the same person on 1/1/12, right? 

If you have an addiction that you want to get rid of, do it now and stop saying that you can’t.  If you want to give up those cigarettes, put them down.  If you want to lose weight, then stop piling all the food on your plate.  If you know you can’t afford the house you’re in, move.  If you can’t afford the credit card charges, stop using them.  All of the things that you are declaring will be different in the New Year can actually start now.  A resolution is defined as an intention made or an expression of opinion.  But how do you know if you will even make it into the New Year?  Proverbs 27:1 says “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.”  You are waiting for the year to change and it could be worse than 2011, then what will you do?  If you have intentions on changing, then start now. James 4:14 says “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” So, why wait?

Watching the news and seeing the devastation that has changed some families’ lives over this Holiday Season, it lets me know that no one is promised the next hour.  One moment you are enjoying Christmas and the next, you’re watching your home be destroyed by fire.  One moment, you’re talking to your sister on the phone and the next; you’re identifying her body because a drunk driver took her life.  Why put off for tomorrow what you can do today?  Don’t wait until tomorrow to tell me you love me, because it might be too late.  Don’t wait until Sunday to get your praise on because you may not see it.  Don’t wait until momma is gone before you get your life in order because she just might out live you.  Don’t wait until you think it is the right time to join church, because there is never a right time.  Ephesians 5:15-17 says “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”  

God wants the best for you because if he didn’t he wouldn’t bless you every day.  I know that you think just because you’re struggling, there isn’t a blessing in it but I am here to tell you there is.  See, in your struggling you get strength and with strength comes stability and stability brings with it salvation.  Salvation is defined as somebody or something that protects or delivers another from harm, destruction, difficulty, or failure.  My Salvation, your salvation and our salvation is God.  Psalm 28:7 says “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”  I know that you think because death keeps attacking your family, that there isn’t a blessing in it but the bible says in Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  See in living you get heartache, but dying you gain a never-ending heartbeat.  In living you get mess but dying you get the Messiah.  In living you get pain but dying gives you never-ending praise.  In living you get sleepless nights but dying you gain rest.  In living you get strife but dying gives you shouting.  In living you get worldly stuff that can be taken but dying gives you a home that man’s hands didn’t touch.  In living you go through hell but dying gives you Heaven.

There isn’t anything wrong with making New Year Resolution but why do you have to wait?  Matthew 6:34 says “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Live for today and allow the present to be just that, a gift.  If you spend more time worried about changing in the New Year, you’ll forget about today.  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.”  Isn’t that enough to get you through?

Daily Devotional – 12/26/11 “The Day after Christmas!”

It was the night after Christmas, when all through the home, everybody was stirring, because momma was looking for a comb.

So she could wrap her hair and take her butt to bed, because the few glasses of egg nog went straight to her head.

The stockings were flung on the floor, but no one cares, because the candy and gifts were no longer there.

The boys were all in front of the TV with the Xbox on loud but the girls could care less because they were still floating on a cloud.

See, momma had gotten them the dolls they wanted, they couldn’t put them down, so no one in the house, for now, was walking with a frown.

They had all went to church on yesterday and gave God his due praise, for them being thankful and for their bodies he raised.

Momma made sure everybody knew the real reason for Christmas and it wasn’t a green tree, but about the birth of Jesus and all his good deeds.

She didn’t take Christmas lightly and she made sure they all knew the story; she wanted them to know that God got all the glory.

It wasn’t about the decorations, the lights or the money that we spend; but it is to celebrate the birth of a Man who would save us from our sin.

She explained to them how Mary and Joseph were chosen, as Jesus’ parents, by God and how he had placed the love for him in the top & bottom of their heart.

They read the story in Luke starting with Chapter One up until his birth in Chapter Two and she explained all of the things that his parents had to go through.

She wanted her children to know that Jesus is the real reason we celebrate and without him we’d be lost, because he sacrificed it all, it didn’t matter about the cost.

Jesus could have been selfish and thought about himself like some of us do, but he paid the cost for the sins he knew we would go through.

So, as you enjoy the leftover food and play around with the toys and such, thank God for Jesus, just because he loved us so much. 

When you are taking down the decorations and putting up the tree, thank God for Jesus because of him, we are free.

When you are returning the ugly sweater or the gift that you didn’t ask for, thank God for Jesus because he has more blessings in store.

When you want to be ungrateful because you didn’t get as much as you thought; thank God for Jesus because his pain was not for naught.

Naught means nothing but Jesus paid the ultimate price, just so we could all enjoy the blessings that God promised in this life.

God is waiting, he stands at the door ready to come into your life, and he’ll even give you the strength to handle this world’s strife.

But you’ve got to open the door and invite him in to stay and stop running when it’s a rainy and cloudy day.

Not all your days will be great, but God had made you strong enough to endure; so walk on with him because he’ll be around to carry you when you fall, I know this to be true.

Believe in God; trust him even when you don’t always do right, because God says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Daily Devotional – 12/25/11 “Your birth potential”

After Mary was chosen to carry God’s only Son, she had no idea that she was giving birth to such a Man as this.  A man who could heal folk’s illnesses by just a touch or a few words, give sight to the blind, feed a multitude with mere morsels and walked on water because he could; not to brag but to show you the power of faith. A man who could calm raging seas when folk was afraid, wipe out cities when there was hell leading the people and raise folk from the dead.  He was this type of Man to do all these things just to be sacrificed so that we could be free to sin and then is forgiven.  Mary had no idea the potential of the person she brought into this world but God did.

Just like Mary, you don’t know the potential your life has, but God does.  He knew before you were born what he had planned for your life, so you had birth potential. Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  He knows that you’ll be able to handle the tests that he sends your way and even the attacks by the enemies because he has approved them too.  That’s why everybody’s storm and testimony is different. If he wanted everybody’s trials, tribulations and tests to be the same, then he would send them to the world and not just to you.  See, God doesn’t send storms to take you out but it’s just to refresh you while you’re walking this journey because he knew that you would get dirty while going. The storms are just to refresh you which restore you to your original state before the storm which is usually greater than before.  He doesn’t want you to give up but he wants you to give whatever you’re going through to him. When Jesus walked into new places, he wasn’t always received but he had kingdom business to do, so he went anyway. He didn’t allow what folks said and how they treated him to deter him because he knew that once his work here was done, he’d have a much greater reward waiting. It’s like you giving your child a treat after they get a great report card or doing their chores. It’s the same with you because not every place and everybody will accept you, but work on. If you stopped every time somebody counted you out, you’d never have anything.  Go on because your reward from your Father is much greater than one anybody on Earth can give.

So, on the Christmas Day, remember the real reason. It’s not about the gifts that you gave the kids to open but it’s about the birth of a Man that never judged, could turn water to wine, open his mouth and thousands listened, had healing powers in his hem of the clothes he wore and even loved those he knew would betray him. Christmas is about fellowshipping and bringing families together. Gift giving is good, sometimes great, but to look upon the face of all my family members and friends, is one of the best. I thank God for Jesus and I thank him for allowing Jesus to be sacrificed for me. Even when I don’t say thank you, bow my head to pray and lift my arms to praise him, he stills! I thank God and today I say Happy Birthday to you, Jesus, and your work & struggle was/is not in vain!

Daily Devotional – 12/24/11 “This Journey!”

On this day many, many years ago, I would imagine Mary and Joseph were making the long, tiring trip to Bethlehem with the anticipation of the arrival of their baby son, Jesus. As the pains begin to hit Mary, Joseph searched for a place for them to lay as she labored. With all the inns being full, they ended up in an animal stable without so much as a place for the baby to lay but see that didn’t stop Mary from bringing forth God’s only Son. Because it didn’t matter about the location or the surroundings that determined Jesus’ gift because he was destined for greatness. Its the same way with us on this Christian journey. See, it doesn’t matter about your location, whether you’re up or down and it doesn’t really matter about your circumstances because God doesn’t call the qualified but he qualifies those he call. He can take a drug addict, alcoholic, whoremonger, adulterer, liar, backbiter and sinner; clean them up, put them through the fire, bring them out shining and then place them in a pulpit on Sundays to deliver his word.

God isn’t worried about where you are as long as you follow him. He doesn’t worry about who you are as long as you trust him. He doesn’t worry about where you came from as long as you believe in him. Even on this journey and the obstacles I sometimes face, I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now because it makes me who I am! This journey is mine and God made it just for me. Yea, I may have bad days but my good out weigh them. Yea, I may sometimes drink tears for water but my smiling days make the crying days bearable. Yea, I may have been lied on and talked about but that only adds pegs to my footstool that raises me above. Yea, I may have days with no money but God has never let me go to bed hungry. So see, your journey may have some bumps called haters to go over, so potholes called enemies to go around, some ice called lies to slide on and some dead-ends called mistakes that make you turn around but go on because it’s your journey!

See, God is in the renewing business and once you’ve been renewed, you’ll be refreshed and with refreshing comes restoration and with restoring comes a new shine that’ll make you look brand new. Then, all of the old things won’t matter because if you’re in Christ, you’re a new creature and all of the old things are passed away. It doesn’t matter that you were abused, because God can heal you. It doesn’t matter if you use to steal because God will forgive you. It doesn’t matter if you were raised in the projects because God will take the little that you got and turned it into a lot. It doesn’t matter about what folks say because God already has you’re future planned and not even the devil can change that. See, God doesn’t count the starters because he is only concerned about the finishers and it doesn’t matter if you’re last because with God in control, the last shall be first! God is that type of God and I’m glad to be in his number!

Daily Devotional – 12/23/11 “A dab of faith will do!”

While you are out getting your last minute gifts and things for dinner and entertaining, stop to help somebody.  I know that some of you might not have a lot so you are thinking how you can help, but a few dollars is a lot to somebody who is without.  I am reminded everyday looking at the news and reading Facebook that my life could be much harder than it is, but I am thankful that God is still in the blessing business.  See I could complain because I want more money than what I have, but somebody is standing on the street begging because they have none.  I could complain because I wanted to get more gifts but then I think about the many names that were on the Angel Tree because they really needed help.  I could complain about my home but what about the folks living under the overpasses or sleeping on the streets?  I could complain because I didn’t get to eat what I wanted for dinner last night, but somebody is digging through trash to get the scraps that someone threw away just to eat.  What do I have to complain about?  I could complain about family members but then I think about the families who are without loved ones for the first time this Holiday season.  I could complain about the pain in my body, but then I think about all that Jesus had to go through in order for us to be free and I realize, my complaining means I’m ungrateful.  God has given us all that we need, if we just have faith.  He didn’t say we needed a gallon jug of faith, but the bible said faith the size of a mustard seed is all you need.  Just imagine what a dab of faith could do for you?

The man at the pool of Bethesda was laid on his bed of affliction for 38 years (John 5:1-8), but we complain when we have a cold for 2 days.  The woman with an issue of blood toiled for 12 long years (Mark 5:25-34), but we complain when we hit our toe.  Blind Bartimaeus had no sight but he heard Jesus coming through Jericho (Mark 10:46-52) and he asked for healing and it was received, but we lay on our beds with sickness asking why God is punishing us.  Baby, God isn’t punishing you when sickness comes, but he is testing your faith.  See, the 3 people mentioned above were all healed, not because of the power Jesus had, but it was because of their faith.  Jesus said to all of them, “your faith has healed you.” Don’t believe me, read it for yourself.  When I watch my Uncle Larry anoint folks, who are going through pain, sickness, cancer, etc., with oil he always tells them that the oil has no power because the power is in their faith.  If you stand before your Pastor asking for him/her to pray over you and you don’t believe what you asking for, then you ask in vain.  The power of your healing and blessings are in your faith.  Faith, in the dictionary, is defined as confidence or trust in a person or thing but faith in the bible is defined as “the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1).” 

When we have faith, we know that no matter what we go through its only temporary but without faith we allow our struggles to overtake us.  When we have faith we see sickness as a temporary ailment but without faith we allow it to kill us.  When we have faith, we see the friends that walk off as God’s way of removing a stumbling block but without faith we see folks giving up on us.  When we have faith, when folk count us out we take it as a sign to work harder but without faith, we become what folk say we are.  2 Corinthians 5:7 says “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”  See, when you walk by faith, you continue to walk even after it looks like the road has ended.  Yea, you said I wouldn’t graduate high school but now I am a college graduate.  You said I wouldn’t amount too much after having a baby as a teenager, but now I am a successful career woman doing things on my own.  You said I’d always be a junkie, but God picked me up, washed me off and threw all my old sins away and made me brand new, now I only get a high from the Holy Ghost.  You said I’d never have anything because of who my momma & daddy were, but you forget who my Father was and now I’m your boss.

When it seems like giving up is your only option, look up.  When folks have knocked you down, get up.  When it seems like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, stand up.  When you’ve gotten down to the bottom of the barrel and it seems like there is nothing more, reach up.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says (The Message Bible) “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”  Isn’t that good news?  God is saying, you may see clouds now but keep looking because when the clouds break, the sun will shine.  Yea, I know you may have cancer and you’ve lost all your hair to the chemo, but it’s just shedding away the old in order to get the new.  I know you may be without a job but I am just preparing you for the blessing that is on the way.  I know that momma and daddy is gone, but I am just strengthening you for future battles.  So just hold on!  With faith comes fullness and when you’re full you’re filled with the Holy Ghost that allows you to fulfill all the things that God has destined for you.