Daily Devotional – 9/7/11 “You asked, didn’t you?”

You ask God to bind your enemies and then you get mad when so-called friends aren’t around anymore.  You ask God for an increase in money & then complain when overtime is offered.  You ask for a car because you’re tired of asking for a ride and/or walking & then complain about the gas prices.   You asked for a mate & then complain because they call too much.  You ask God for healing and then complain about the medicine you got to take.  You ask God for guidance and then second guess the path that he sets before you.  You ask God for a sign and then ignore it.   You ask God to open doors for you and then you’re too scared to walk through them.  You ask God to move your mountain/obstacle that’s in your way and you’re still turning back to it.  You ask God for help and then you still worry!

Baby, make up your mind, even God is confused!  Either let God do it or stop worrying him.  There is no need for the both of you to work on it.  I know the saying is 2 heads are better than one, but not in this case! God doesn’t need your help, just your praise & thanks! 

He got his part covered, work on yours!!

Daily Devotional – 9/6/11 “Gee-sus!”

Jesus is the name you call when your life is going good.  When all your bills are paid you say Thank you Jesus! When your family & friends are acting right, you say Jesus I love you.  When you got money in the bank, gas in the car, kids getting good grades, husband/wife is loving – you say Jesus I thank you.  When there is no ache in your body, you stand in church whispering Jesus. 

But oh, when all hell breaks loose in your house & God has to bring you back down a notch; you fall on your face screaming Gee-sus, Lord I need you! When there is no food, no gas money, no friends around to call; you stand at the altar on Sunday hollering Gee-sus, Lord have mercy!  When you’ve drank too much and don’t know how you made it home, you cry Gee-sus if you just let me make it through I’ll never drink like that again!  When sickness comes, it’s Gee-sus!  When death hits your family, it’s Gee-sus!  When husband stops coming home; wife won’t act right; it’s Gee-sus!  When job is gone and trouble seems never ending, it’s Gee-sus!  When you’ve tried it all on your own & it’s no longer working, it’s Gee-sus!  When your umbrella can no longer hold off the rain of your storm, it’s Gee-sus!  When you’re drinking tears for water, it’s Gee-sus!  When you pace the floor at night, it’s Gee-sus!

Chile, Jesus isn’t concerned about how you call as long as you do! But you’ve got to call him in the good that way he’ll know your voice when you are calling him in the bad!  Gee-sus or Jesus! Just call him & he’ll show up & show out every time!

Daily Devotional – 9/5/11 “Hold on!”

You study your bible but it seems like you can’t hear God’s voice. You go to church every Sunday but it seems like the more right you do the more wrong shows up. You go to bible study & prayer meeting, but it seems like your prayers are not being heard. You’re doing the best you can but at every turn your crying is outweighing your laughing, heartache is overshadowing your happiness, pity is replacing your praising & strife is taking over where shouting once reigned.

You’re trying to reach for Heaven but Hell is on your back! So what do you? Do you leave God’s word because the world seems better? Do you back slide because the temptations you’re facing are too hard to ignore?

I’m here to tell you to hold on! Even though your rope may be breaking, find strength to reach beyond that break! Put your feet on the side of the cliff that you’re hanging over and push yourself up. Even though you maybe tired and sweat is dripping from your brow, hold on! But, If you’re at a point where you can’t hold on, let go with the faith that you’ll land safely where God has prepared for you. If your job is stressing you out, move! If your bills outweigh your money, downsize! If your kids aren’t acting right, parent them! If folk are talking about you, so what! They talked about Jesus but he still endured & died in order for us to be free. If there’s anything that holds you down, release it! If you’re in an abusive relationship, get out!

Don’t think that God will maintain the mess you’re in. It’s time now for you to get YOU right. Can’t nobody do you like Jesus but can’t nobody answer to Jesus for you but you. God does hear & answer prayers but he has to also know your voice. Talk to him consistently! Believe in what you’re asking for and know that it’s already done.

2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people who are called by MY name should humble themselves, pray & seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from Heaven, will forgive their sins and heal their lands.

Daily Devotional – 9/4/11 “Am I a Christian?”

I am a Christian, can’t you see that? I go to church on Sunday even though I get there late, sometimes hung-over.  I may not wave my hands or give God praise like he is due, but at least I’m there.  Isn’t that good enough? I might gossip and talk about folk I say are my friends, but that’s alright, God said he’d forgive me.  I hate on people’s blessing because I feel like I should be getting blessed too, but that’s alright too, because God said he’d forgive me.  Doesn’t that still make me a Christian?

I sometime take my blessings for granted, I even misuse people; my friends, family, sisters and my brothers. I’m supposed to be my brother’s keeper, to be there when they need me but I’ll spread their business faster than a gardener planting seeds. I’m supposed to pick up those that fall, pray for those that are lost; but usually I’m only on “Christian duty” when it is convenient for me.  Isn’t that ok? Won’t God forgive me for it? I am supposed to pay tithes from the job that I am blessed with, but I saw this pair of shoes that I just had to have so I’ll pay God later.  Chile, God knows my heart!  I saw this man begging and even though I had the extra money, I decided not to give because he should get a job too. Humph, God didn’t say be a fool! But I am a Christian, can’t you see?

Who am I to choose when it’s ok to do God’s will? When he’ll see me through any situation, if I would just keep still. Who am I to choose what Sunday I go to give God praise; when God was the one that lifted me, my bowed down head he raised. Who am I to be a “fair weather” Christian, a some-timer for God; when he is the one that has kept me, all my problems he solved.

Will it be too late for me to change, will I have enough time? Or will it be too late for me to let my light of God shine? Will I get the opportunity a change before my time on this earth ends, will I be able to apologize to my family, say I love you to my friends? Will God give me the chance to show him that I am walking his path?  I guess I’d better start today, this moment to be the Christian that God has ordained me to be.  I am a Christian, you will see!

Daily Devotional – 9/3/11 – “Pressing your way”

(Luke 8:43-47) There was a woman in the bible that had an issue of blood for 12 years.  No matter what she tried and after spending all her money at doctors who couldn’t give her relief, she was at her end.  But then she heard that Jesus was passing through her town.  She knew that she had to get to him, for if she could just be in his presence, if she could just touch the hem of his clothing (garment), she KNEW she would be healed.  So she pressed! Through the crowd, she pressed! Through folk saying she couldn’t, she pressed! With folk trying to hold her back, she pressed! And even with all of the people around him, Jesus felt her.  Not because she had touched him so hard, but because she had the faith to know that IF she pressed her way, her healing would come!

Isn’t that what we, as Christians, should do? When our life becomes hard, bills become more than we can bear, body is aching with pain, marriage isn’t going right, friends stabbing you in the back, family isn’t loving no more – shouldn’t we press towards Jesus?  When you don’t have a job, no food in the cabinets, no money in the bank, shouldn’t we press our way through? When folk say no, when man says death- shouldn’t we press our way through?

Shouldn’t we have that same determination to want to receive our healing?  Shouldn’t we have the same faith? That kind of wonder working faith that sends somebody when you’re hungry, a check comes in the mail that you wasn’t expecting or a call about a job that you had given up on.  

If her faith gave her healing from 12 years of suffering, imagine what your faith can do? But you’ve got to get up & press your way through your bad situation. Don’t throw in the towel when time gets hard.  Wrap it around your head to catch the sweat and press on!