Daily Devotional – “There aren’t any losers with God!”

I may not be all that God has destined me to be, YET, but I am nothing like I use to be.  When I look at myself and where I am, in this life, I won’t be disappointed because God has anointed my walk and with his anointing comes trials but those trials leads to triumphs and with every triumphs comes my victory and  my victory makes me victorious!  So I’m good because I’m living.  I may not wear a $200 pair of shoes, but I can walk just fine in the ones I got for $19.99.  I may not be able to buy a $100 pair of jeans, but the ones I found at Goodwill for $4 fits me just as well.  I may not live in a $1.5 million dollar house, but where I am living is my home, so all is well.  See, I’ve found that the clothes and shoes folk wear, the car they drive, the house they live in and the money in their pocket won’t get them a free pass through Heaven’s gates.  Yea, you may look good but how is your heart?  Because Matthew 15:18 says “But the words you speak come from the heart–that’s what defiles you.”

So, I won’t wish for what others have because I don’t know what they went through to get it.  Just because I see you riding in a new car, I don’t know you’ve endured years of spousal abuse and the car was just another “sorry” gift.  No, I won’t wish for the clothes that you have on because while I’m wishing for that shirt, you’re out stealing it and just because I wasn’t there when you got, I’m still held accountable for receiving stolen goods.  No, I won’t wish for the husband you got because even though it may look like you all have the perfect marriage, behind closed doors, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. No, I won’t pray for yours because I am just fine with the blessings and the gifts that I have.  Instead I’ll keep praying for God to enlarge the territory that I already have or better yet, allow me the resources to keep what I already got.  So many times, we keep adding to the pile of mess we already got and before long we are hoarders.  If you consistently add bills on top of the ones you got, without paying a few of them off, you will soon find yourself in a world of trouble. If you keep adding air to a balloon, it’ll eventually pop.  Well, so will you if you keep adding stress to your life. 

You’ve got all these bills and you can’t even enjoy life because you’re spending almost every day working every hour that is offered just to keep your head above water.  Why work yourself to death for things you can’t enjoy? If you know you can’t afford it, change it.  If you know you don’t need it, cut it off.  Use better judgment with life matters. Reduce that cable bill that you’re paying over $200 for even though you’re never at home to watch it and you don’t have to open up a new credit card at Macy’s just because the cashier asks you too.  You know you have a wallet filled with ones now that you’re barely paying so why add fuel to an already burning fire?  You do know that stress can kill you, right? Then what good are your hands?  Ecclesiastes 9:10 says “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” Yea, I know that you’ve been on your job for 20 years and I assume they appreciate all you do, but you’re no good to them dead and as soon as they can, they’ll have an ad in the paper to re-hire.  Their business doesn’t stop because you did.  But had you chosen to lessen your load and release a lot of the stress that you’ve been under, you’d probably still be here.  Ecclesiastes 5:18 says “Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.” 

God has given you a life to live and he didn’t mean for you to work it away.  So go through all the trials and tribulations and get up with your arms high claiming the victory over your circumstance.  Say, I may be temporarily out of funds now but it won’t last.  Say, I may be without a car now but it won’t last.  Say, I may be without a job now but it won’t last.  Say, I may be arguing with my spouse now but it won’t last.  Say, I may be sick now but it won’t last.  Say, I may be grieving now but it won’t last.  2 Corinthians 4:17 states, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Isn’t that worth shouting about?  All the troubles that we face now are just preparing us for what God has already promised! And if that isn’t enough, the troubles you face make you stronger and wiser to face them, if they shall come again.  The next time trouble beckons you out to the middle of the ring, you’ll be ready and able to handle it, not because you’ve the champ in KO’s but because you’ve been prepped and prepared by the best trainer ever.  And even though you may get knocked to your knees in the first round, you got someone standing in your corner with his arms stretched out ready to be tagged in.  See, when you tag God into the ring, your battle then turns into rejoicing and with rejoicing come restoration and with restoration comes relief and relief brings rest.  Because once you’ve rested you’ll be ready for battle and after the battle comes victory.  You can’t claim victory without first winning the fight and with God, there are no losers.   

 

Daily Devotional – Is that a revolving door?

How can you expect your life to be sane when you have it open for any and everybody to walk through?  Your life shouldn’t have a revolving door for folks to walk in and out every time they feel the urge too. If every time the going gets hard and your spouse or significant other runs out faster than the money, they aren’t meant for you.  If every time you have a bad day and need someone to talk to and they can’t because they are talking to their friends, then they aren’t meant for you.  I’ve found the only places that have revolving doors are the places that expect you to keep coming back to use them.  You know like hotels, malls and grocery stores.  See, they’ve installed the doors that allow folk to go through quick and easy because they want you to keep coming back and if you’ve installed these types of doors in your life, then you attract those types of people.

We have to guard our lives against the evil of the world and the attacks of the devil and just because something is placed in our path, it doesn’t necessarily mean we have to pick it up to move on.  I’ve found that sometimes it’s better to just walk around it to avoid getting the problems that come along with it.  This starts by first guarding your heart.  Proverbs 4:23 says “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”  If you allow every man or woman, that comes into your life, to take a piece of your heart, eventually you won’t have anything left.  I’m often reminded of the saying, “If you place your heart in God, folk will have to go through God to get it,” and I’ve found that to be true.  But if you got it sitting out on the coffee table, like a bowl of candy, every time somebody walks by they take a piece of it.  Don’t believe me, leave some candy lying out and see what happens to it.  After folks, who have come for the wrong reason, leave, you’re left with a heart that’s missing pieces.  Have you ever put a puzzle together only to get down to the very end to find that some of the pieces are missing?  Now all of the hard work you put into completing the puzzle is wasted because with missing pieces, it’s incomplete.  It’s the same way with life.  If you’ve put years into a relationship and it leaves you with a broken heart, you feel incomplete.  Now, unlike a puzzle, you can’t buy another heart and start over but you can repair it before you jump into the next relationship because being incomplete can cause problems, a lot of messy problems. Because Matthew 15:18 says “But the words you speak come from the heart–that’s what defiles you.”

Let me explain what I mean and please excuse my language but we are all adults and some things need to be said.  If you dress like a whore (or hoe) then you invite people through your door that treats you like one.  You dress in skin-tight jeans, with your butt hanging out and then you have the nerve to get mad when a man grabs you or approaches you like a prostitute but you leave the house looking like one.  Another thing that bothers me is the fact that women, young and older, refer to themselves as a bitch but then get mad when someone else calls you one.  For those that don’t know the real definition,  a bitch is defined as a female canine, a malicious, unpleasant, selfish person, especially a woman; lewd woman; a person who performs demeaning tasks for another; servant or  convict who is in a homosexual relationship and/or dominant relationship willingly or unwillingly in the prison setting (www.dictionary.com).  Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve never been nor do I intend to be any of those things, so bitch will never be a name I’ll answer too. Just because I may have an attitude or think a little more about me than you do, it doesn’t place me in this category.  If you’re a single mom and you allow every man who whispers in your ear to come and lay up in your home, what kind of example are you setting for your children?  How can they really learn what a meaningful relationship is if yours change more than the days on the calendar?  Titus 2:3-4 says “Likewise, older women are to show their reverence for God by their behavior. They are not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples of goodness.  They should encourage the younger women to love their husbands, to love their children.”  How can you raise a woman if you are not willing and able to act like one?  It’s like me trying to teach Algebra, when I’ve never taken the class myself.  How can I expect others to understand what I’m teaching, if I haven’t learned it for myself?

Please don’t get me wrong because I am not telling you to close the door on life or stop living but I am saying that may be you should do some security checks.  You have to go through them at the airport, court-house; jail houses and even some jobs so why not screen the folk that you allow into your life?  Don’t you submit to an interview, background check and drug screening before getting a job then why should your life be any differently?  Your employer wants to know who they are hiring and you should want to know who you sleeping with.  You meet Joe on Saturday night at the club and talk to him all week, then on Friday night you invite him over to your house and he spends the night and never leaves.  Now you got him walking around with your teenage daughters and you know nothing about him. Or you meet Sandra through a mutual friend who has told you all the good things about her.  You go out on a few dates and you seem to hit it off because she has the same determination you have and you both have things in common.  She’s a mother and you’re a father, so you think this will work.  You invite her to move in, after a few months of dating, only to find out she acts like she has split personalities.  Now, had you taken the time to look pass the smile and the short skirts she wore, you probably could have pick up on some of the clues but you were blinded by the chatter of friends and the smell of her sweet perfume.  You set yourself up for heartache and then you want to cry “Why is the Lord forsaking me?”  Baby, God wasn’t in that mess when it started but now you want to call him when you it’s finished.  If you are looking for a husband or a wife, then stop! Don’t you realize that if God has already predestined your life then he already has your mate chosen?  Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  But he can’t send them if your way is blocked with run down cars that are on flat.  In order to receive a blessing, you have to remove those things that are keeping you from getting them.  Psalm 37:4 says “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  He didn’t say give him a list of your wants, he simply says put your heart in me and I’ll give you what your heart desires.  God wants you to be happy so that you can do his work.  You can’t spread his word if you are sitting in a corner crying over someone who wasn’t yours to begin with.  You can’t help those in need if you’re at the bar every night drinking away your sorrows.  But God said in Matthew 6:23 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” 

If you put God first in your life everything else will have to go through him and going through him protects you from getting hurt.  It’s like having unprotected sex and now a few weeks later, you’re crying because you might be pregnant but had you been protected first, then you wouldn’t have these fears later on.  Now, I’m not saying God is like unprotected sex, but you get my point!  If you protect yourself with God’s blood first, you won’t have fears later on.  You have to replace that revolving door that’s in your life and take up that mat that says anyone is welcome.  Your life is not meant to include everybody because everybody is not for you.  I told you yesterday that some folks closest to you are questioning how you got this and that even though they claim to be happy for you.  The best friend that you tell all your business too is secretly wishing to get where you are.  You know your friends are messy and they are the main ones causing the trouble in your house but you keep running to them.  They are giving you advice on how to get back at your husband, but I can bet you a paycheck they won’t do it to theirs and while they send you out to check his voice mail and text messages, their husband is never at home either, but you can’t talk her into doing it.  Child, you’d better wake up!  After your husband/wife is gone, that friend is too because I can guarantee she can no longer hang with you because you’re single and even though she tore up your home, she won’t allow you to break up hers.  Keep folks, including family, out your business.  Whatever happens inside your home ought to stay inside your home.  You’ll find that a whole lot of mess stops when you put your lips together and stop talking. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says “Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

Daily Devotional – 12/14/11 “My Storm Shower!”

You’re facing a tough time in your life right now because the holidays are upon us and it may be the first one without a loved one, you may have more bills that seem to be hitting you all at once, your car may be acting up, children acting like strangers in your home and to top it off you may be sick.  Now you’re wondering if God is allowing all of these things to happen to you because of past mistakes that you’ve made, because you didn’t pay your tithes on Sunday or because you had some evil thoughts going through your mind.  I also know that you’ve probably heard the saying that either you are going through a storm, getting ready to go through a storm or coming out of a storm because it’s a part of what has been promised before you were even born, right?  Well, have you ever stopped to think that maybe the storm you’re going through is not punishment for things you did when you were 15 but because God is simply washing off all of the stuff that have been thrown on you by your enemies? If you have done things that you know you shouldn’t have done and you’ve repented for them, why would God come back now to punish you?  The bible says in Isaiah 43:18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Yea, I know that you used to steal but that was just preparing you to steal away from other folks and have a one on one fellowship with God.  I know that you used to lie on folks but that was just prepping you to lie with the Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost.  I know that you used to step all over folk to get what you wanted but it was just preparing you to step out on Faith and believe in God’s word.  I know that you used to prey on folks to hurt them but that was just preparing you to now pray for folks.  Ezekiel 36:26 say “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”

I believe the things we go through, in our everyday life, are just God’s way of testing our faith, belief in him and our praise for him.  Just because it seems like you can never make ends meet now even though you were fine months ago, it doesn’t mean God has taken his hands off of you.  But he is simply trying to see if you will continue to trust that he’ll see you through.  You think that because your boyfriend left that it’s something you’ve done wrong and God must surely be punishing you, when you knew that God wasn’t anywhere in the relationship to begin with and if you be honest with yourself, you’ll see that while he was there he was more of a hindrance than a helpmate anyway, so it was time for him to be moved.  John 15:2 says “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  It was simply God’s way of removing the dead weight from your tree and now you have to stop trying to sew it back on because although the thread may hold for a moment, it won’t last and it’ll eventually break again.  God doesn’t have to keep track of the times you’ve made a mistake so that he’ll make you pay for them later, he doesn’t have to write down the number of times you cursed in one conversation or the many times you’ve lied to your parents because he doesn’t work that way.  John 15:3 says “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”    

So, the next time the rain starts falling in your life, as it will, stop acting like you’re being whooped by God.  After you’ve worked all day in the yard and you’re sweaty, musty and got dirt all over you, don’t you take a shower?  Well, after folks have lied on you, talked about you, drug your name through the dirt, pushed you into a small dusty grave, stabbed you in the front & the back and counted you out; God sends the rain for you to shower in.  See, he washes away the dirt that has been thrown on you when folk say you won’t ever be anything worthy of your name.  He washes away the blood from all the cuts and scrapes you got when your best friend stabbed you in your back because she was jealous of your blessings.  He washes away the mud from under your nails from climbing out of the ditch that your family pushed you in because they didn’t think you deserved the elevation God has placed on your life.  It doesn’t matter about the number of times you see trials and tribulations as long as you come out of them renewed.  Psalm 71:20 says “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.”  It doesn’t matter the number of times you get knocked down because God is only concerned about you standing back up.  If a baby decided to give up every time they fell, when learning to walk, I’d probably think they never would.  If you decided to give up every time you made a mistake, you probably wouldn’t be where you are.  Somebody you know, that’s probably close to you, doesn’t think you deserve the job you got, but look at God.  Somebody you know is still trying to figure out how you got approved for the car you got, but look at God working.  Somebody is wondering how you made it through cancer with the life you lived when others, they feel are better, died but look at God working this.  Somebody is questioning how you manage to still have money left over from paycheck to paycheck when all you do is shop but look at God working this thang!  Somebody is even trying to see how God could have picked somebody like you, who use to be on drugs, dancing in night clubs and sleeping with every man who could lay flat; clean you up and now you’re the minister of music at church but LOOK AT GOD WORKING THIS THANG OUT!  See, while they are trying to figure it out, God has already worked it out.  While they are counting your blessings, they are adding theirs to yours.  While they are counting you out, God is simply adding pegs to your footstool and lifting you higher! So go on and tell them to talk about you, lie on you, scandalize your name, try to ruin your relationship, and keep on digging that ditch for you because when it’s all over with God has you covered so all is surely well! Because when I no longer look at what I used to be or how I use to look, I see how I was meant to be.  I am who God has made me, so I will pray every day “Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word,” Psalm 119:37.  

“This storm is just a shower to cleanse me of the dirt that my haters throw on me.  I won’t be afraid to walk through the rain because when the SON shines, I’ll be renewed and through my renewal comes restoration and restoration is restoring me to my full potential so now I shine like pure gold!”

Daily Devotional – 12/13/11 “It’s all you!”

This morning when I rose I was so tired and it was almost like I hadn’t slept a wink, but I did.  I just couldn’t understand why I was feeling this way and then my best friend from work came in asking if I was in a better mood today than yesterday.  I had to stop and think because even though I didn’t realize the mood I was in, somebody did and it wasn’t fair to her.  See, many times we come into to work or even home with our issues on our face and in the way we walk and because we’ve been dealing with it for so long, we don’t even recognize it anymore.  We’ve become so accustom to the frown on our face or the cold demeanor in our attitude that we don’t call it an attitude, but it is and yet I’m reminded every day that things could be a whole lot worse.  I get upset at the kids about their bad grades but some mother or father is dealing with a teenager on drugs.  I wake up tired and complaining about my job when someone would love to be in my shoes because they’ve been without a job for over a year now.  I complain about the amount of bills that I have but I am the one that caused them so what’s to complain about?  I say the devil did this and that but if the truth should be told, some of this mess we got ourselves in.  The devil didn’t make you shop and run up your credit card bill, so stop blaming him for it.  The devil may have placed that fine man or woman in your path but he surely didn’t make you sleep with them.  Yea, the devil gets blamed for a lot of things but the only one that will keep you out of Heaven is you. 

Yea, I know that you think you got time to make it right and ask God for forgiveness for all the wrong you do each day, but what if you don’t?  You may find joy walking into stores and taking stuff that don’t belong to you but just as quickly as you can pop a tag on a shirt and stuff it into your purse, it’s the same way the Angel of Death can snatch the breath from your body.  At some point in time, you’ve got to make up in your mind that you want more from life than just what others can give or what you can take.  You are better than that no good boy (because he is not a man) that keeps leaving you every time some other girl whispers in his ear.  You are much better than that person that keeps putting his hands on you because he/she is neither mom nor dad.  You are much better than what folks call you.  I told my cousin the other day that it doesn’t matter what folk call you because the other thing that determines who or what you are is what you answer too.  1 Corinthians 6:11 says “Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Yea, you can call me out my name but that doesn’t mean that’s who I am.  You can talk about me all you please, but it doesn’t make me do the things you say I do.  It makes me feel good to know that folk talk about me because that means that I’m doing something right to make them notice.

I write these devotionals every day because this is the gift that God has given me.  Yea, I know I don’t have to write them just like I know that Jesus didn’t have to be tortured for our sins and I could easily close out my blog and go on about my daily life, like God isn’t trying to talk through me, but would it be fair to him when he sacrificed his Son so that I could have a life?  Yea, it would be easier because maybe then I wouldn’t have the devil on my doorstep every day, but when I started this walk I knew exactly what I was getting into because God prepared me.  Romans 8:29 says “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” See, he made my knees strong enough to handle the extra time I would need kneeled in prayer.  He made my eyes stronger to endure the extra reading time I would need studying his word.  He made my mind stronger to be able to get a better understanding of his word and he opened my ears and made them stronger to hear and receive when he is saying to me.  I’ve learned that God doesn’t choose the qualified but he qualifies those that he has chosen.  Don’t believe me?  Read on down to Romans 8:30 that says “And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.” Whew! These verses send chills over my body because they make me appreciate my gift so much more.  The same way you should appreciate yours.

I know that you are now wondering if you have been blessed with a gift, your answer is in Ephesians 1:11 which say “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” See, God chose you to be blessed with whatever gift he has given you because he knows you can handle it.  I know at times the going might get hard, but press on.  I know at times you may want to give up, but hold on.  I know at times, you want to throw in the towel, but fold that towel, wipe the sweat from your forehead and stick it back in your pocket and walk on.  I know that you may have been knocked down and the counter is almost to 10 but all you have to do is tag God in and he’ll finish the fight for you.  If you are still not convinced that you are worthy of the gift that he has given you, then read Romans 11:29 that say “God never changes his mind when he gives gifts or when he calls someone.” Why? Because he knows that you can handle it.  You are worthy because you are God’s child.  You don’t have to settle for the scraps and the leftovers because God has made you the lender and not the borrower.  Just because you have a little debt and you may be living paycheck to paycheck now, it doesn’t mean that’s the way it has to be.  Sit down and make a budget and stick to it.  Stop acting like you have something to prove to folk who are also struggling.  The only reason why you can’t see their struggle is because they know how to cover it up.  Yea, I may dress like I got money and I may even walk like it but that’s because I don’t have to look like my situation.  I may have cancer in my body but I don’t have to wear a shirt to broadcast it.  I may not have a job but that doesn’t mean I have to post it on Facebook every day.  I may even be without food but it doesn’t mean I have to look like it.  I’ve come to realize that God will send a blessing your way just when you least expect it.  When you are hungry, he’ll send a friend that will share her sandwich with you.  When you don’t have gas money, he’ll send a friend to pick you up.  When you need someone to talk to, he’ll send your neighbor by your house. When you feel like giving up, he’ll allow a movie to come on at the right time and on the station you just happen to be looking at and when you feel like God is not hearing your plea, he’ll send this devotional with a word that you need. 

So hold on my sister, hold on my brother!  Whatever you are facing at this very moment will get better.  I may not know what your situation is but I know a situation fixer.  I may not know what has you crying but I know a Man who can dry tears and he isn’t your boyfriend.  I may not know why your head is bowed or why your heart is broken but I know a Man who can fix what ails you and he isn’t a doctor.  I know a Man who can listen to your every plea and he isn’t a psychiatrist.  I know that friends may have walked out on you when times got hard but they weren’t your friends to begin with so let them walk.  Stop trying to hold on to something that isn’t yours to keep.  It’s like standing outside with a balloon in your hand and you know that you can barely hold it because it keeps slipping away but you keep trying.  Baby let go of the string and let it fly.  If it was meant to return to you then you would have been holding a boomerang instead.  Whatever is meant for you will be for you and they won’t leave.  Stop chasing after something that was never yours to begin with.  It’s as meaningless as a dog chasing the mail truck because you know they won’t ever catch it.  Whatever is meant for you is there always and never has to be looked for.  The only thing you are supposed to look for is a surprise that has been hidden and feelings shouldn’t be hidden.  If you have to wonder about anything or anyone, then you have your answer.  Let go of whatever is causing you pain because the only way for you to receive the blessing that God has, you have to make room for it.  Don’t you make room for the Christmas tree this time of year?  Then it may be time to make room for your blessing that you’ve been blocking all year-long.  Throw away the garbage and wipe away the dust and be ready and available for the blessing that is about to come into your life.  It’s been there all the time; God is just simply waiting on you to open the door.

Daily Devotional – 12/12/11 “You’ve got to endure to insure elevation!”

In the game of Monopoly, you have to pass GO before you move on and collect your $200 bonus, right?  Well, in my every day studying of God’s word, I’ve found this Christian journey to be almost the same because walking this path you’ll have to endure and go through stuff just like the things on the monopoly board in order to insure that you reach GO.  See, you’ll pass over railroad tracks called haters who may end up costing you unless you’ve already bought your ticket, you’ll land on other folk’s properties (by being in other folk’s business) and end up paying a price, you’ll land on chance or community chest and take a chance of whatever the situation ending up good or bad, you might end up in jail or may just be visiting and sometimes you’ll buy your own land and reap the benefits, if you use your money wisely and you may even land on boardwalk and receive an extra blessing.  But once you land on GO God rewards you again for your faithfulness because you endured through it all to make the full circle and now you stand with your head held up, ready to go again and every time you pass GO you receive an extra blessing in your bucket.  Isn’t that good news?  In Psalm 37: 5 it say “Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you.”

You know how you can be watching TV and the notification comes on that says “This is a test of the emergency broadcasting system?” because they are trying to make sure you are within range when an actual emergency happens to be able to hear how to remain safe.  Well, when a storm comes in your life, it is simply a test of God’s “Emergency Saving System” to see if you are within range in order to hear his instructions on how to remain safe when an emergency comes in your life.  See, a test is usually given, in school, to see if you have learned what has been taught and it is generally given at the end of the week in order for them to move you to the next chapter.  Well, when God sends a test, it’s the same way.  He is trying to see if you have learned anything from the storms you’ve already endured and if you are actually ready to move on to the next chapter, you know to be elevated.  See, the next chapter is the next level up and it’s harder than the one you’re currently on, so in order to be elevated up you’ve got to be able to endure while you’re down.  Somebody will miss that so let me explain.  If every time you run out of money before all the bills are paid, you get depressed, you aren’t ready for a new car note.  If every month you complain about how high your MLGW bill is in the house you’re in now, you aren’t ready for a bigger house.  If you constantly complain about the job you got, the car you drive and the home you live in then chile, you aren’t ready for the next one.  You have to be able to endure small things before you can be elevated to receive big things.  If we were able to handle everything that is put in our path, why would God make us babies first?  He makes us small so that we can be taught and tested to handle bigger things as they come.  When you’re a baby, you use a baby spoon to eat because the spoon can give you the right amount for the size of your mouth and stomach but as you get bigger so does the size of your spoon because now your mouth and stomach is big enough to handle the amount that is going in.  If you are not able to handle the amount of food on a teaspoon then how can you handle a tablespoon size serving?  This is all that God is trying to see when he sends a storm cloud your way.  If you run at the sound of thunder, you surely wouldn’t be able to handle the rain. But if you read Psalm 18:2 it says, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” 

If you trust and believe in God, he won’t leave you in your time of need. See, even though trouble has been promised to us while we walk on this side of the dirt, it is not to take us out.  God has our lives already destined and designed for us so we have to trust him when he says he will not leave nor forsake us.  God’s test is setting you up, not to fail, but to succeed and in succeeding you get success and with success comes victory and victory makes you victorious over the enemy. The storm is not sent to wash your feet from under you but the rain is simply being used to wash off all the dirt that has been thrown on you by your haters, your enemies, the folk that say you won’t be nothing, those that are wishing death on your life and those digging a dusty grave to throw you in.  So don’t run and hide every time the rain begins to pour because it’s just a storm and with any storm it has to end.  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 we are ready to be elevated!  I don’t know about you but every day I am asking God to enlarge my territory but in order for me to receive the increase, I have to be ready for it.  So, I’m weathering the storm and I keep getting up each time the enemy knocks me down because I’ve got my first aid kit in my purse (that’s God’s word) to bandage up any cut or bruise I get when I fall.  I’ve learned that it’s not about the times that you fall that God is concerned about just as long as you get back up better than you were when you fell because 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells me  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” So it doesn’t matter about my past sins because they don’t count against me no way!