Daily Devotional – 10/17/11 “Destination …. Heaven or Hell?”

Have you ever gotten in your car, on the bus, train or purchased a plane ticket with no destination in mind?  Are you even allowed to purchase such tickets?  Without a destination in mind it generally means you are going nowhere.  Now, I don’t mean the types of drives you take to clear your mind because those are sometimes needed.  I’m speaking of aimlessly walking around with no place to go.  It’s just like walking around in a circle, all you get is dizzy. 

Well living in this world without a definite destination is the exact same way.  You’ve heard the saying, “it makes no sense to live in Hell just to die and go to Hell.”  But if you haven’t accepted Christ in your life or if you haven’t repented of your sins and kept God’s commandments, then this is surely where you are headed.  Don’t get me wrong, you can also be a Christian and headed to Hell.  Don’t believe me?  Let me show you. 

  • Matthew 5:22 “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca (worthless), shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
  • Matthew 18:9, “And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
  • Mark 9:43 “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.”
  • John 14:16 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” No God, no glory!

So you see, just because you say you’re a Christian doesn’t automatically grant you a ticket to Heaven because your actions and your mouth can get CANCELLED stamped right across it. 

In John 10:9, Jesus says “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.”  Going through Jesus is just like going through a metal detector at the airport.  When you get there you have to empty your pockets, put your bags on the scanner and sometimes take off your shoes.  If anything is found they feel is questionable or has been prohibited it keeps you from going through.  Getting through Jesus is the same way.  If, when you get to the gate, you’re still holding on to grudges you’ve had for the past 15 years against momma/daddy; you won’t get through (Ephesians 4:31-32).  If, when you get to the gate, your pockets are filled with money and valuables that you’re stolen, you won’t get through (Exodus 20:15).  If, when you get to the gates, you’re drunk (& I don’t mean with the Holy Ghost), you won’t get through (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). 

All these things (and more) keep you from passing through the gates to get to Heaven.  But they can all be rectified if you let go and let God.  Why are you holding grudges when they only hurt you?  Usually the person you’re mad at has forgotten about the issue and has moved on.  You’re still mad at the job that fired you 2 years ago instead of moving on to one that God has for you but your eyes can’t see it because all they see is red.  You’re still mad at your ex-boyfriend because he wouldn’t have a baby with you but got the next girl pregnant that you can’t see that he is a deadbeat dad.  You’re mad at the car dealership because they couldn’t get you approved that you can’t even see that all they sell is lemons.  Wake up and loose those strongholds that are keeping you from reaping the benefits of being a child of a King.  If your marriage isn’t working and you’re no good spouse continues to cheat, divorce them.  If your job is constantly showing you the signs that they may not be open much longer, find a new one!  If your friends are never there when you need them but quick to call you in a crisis, find some new ones!  If you know you can’t afford the house you’re staying in, move!  If the only pleasure your spouse gets is by knocking you upside the head, leave them!

You’re so boggled down with baggage that if you had to go to the airport you’d have $1500 in extra fees.  Child, let it go!  You can’t expect your new marriage to work if you keep comparing it to the old one.  You can’t expect to enjoy your new job if you keep complaining about the old one.  You won’t find joy at your new church if you came in messy from your old one.  Just because things have happened in your past it doesn’t determine your future.  Just because you use to be a drug addict doesn’t make you one now if it’s in the past.  Just because you use to be a whoremonger doesn’t make you one now, if it’s in the past.  Just because you use to be a thief doesn’t make you one now, if it’s in the past.  The past cannot be changed so leave it there.  Learn from your mistakes and move on! Repent for your sins and move on! Stop allowing the chains of yesterday to pull you from the peace of today.  Stop allowing the devil access to your house.  He doesn’t have legs so either you bring him or you let him in.  Either way if he is there, put him out.  You have to decide to accept the joy that God is handing out because he won’t beg you to take it. 

God has already made a destination for you, but it’s up to you to get there.  John 14:2-3 says “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” You, and only you, can decide what is stamped on your ticket.  It doesn’t matter if you go when folks call if you complain the entire time.  If doesn’t matter how much you give if your heart is not pure in your giving.  It doesn’t matter how many extra mouths you feed if you brag about it to everyone and it surely doesn’t matter how much money you put in church if you only do it to boast.  God doesn’t need you to keep count because his records are always up to date.  You need to make sure you’re headed in the right direction in order to get to the right destination because the GPS in the car won’t be of any use to you then.  A ticket from Delta won’t be any good on God’s Airline. 

Daily Devotional – 10/16/11 “Where is your seed sown?”

When a farmer prepares to plant a crop, where he chooses to plant his seeds determines the usability of his crops. When his seeds are planted on rich soil his harvest usually comes out better than he could have ever expected. But if he sows on dry, brittle ground his crops are usually withered
and not usable or sometimes there is no growth at all.

We, as Christians, are the same way. In the book of Mark, it talks about the four (4) different ways your sowing can be affected and how your location can vary your growth. The farmer is God sowing his seed, which is his  word, into each of us. (Mark 4:14). How we grow, in this Christian walk, depends on where we are planted.

Type 1: Mark 4:4 “As he  was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.” As God plants the seed, some fall by the wayside nowhere near
fertile ground, allowing the devil the chance to swoop in. You go to church on Sunday dressed in your best suit, sing in the choir and dance/shout with the best of them. As soon as you get to your car somebody calls and all the Holy Ghost you once had is gone because you are out cursing a sailor on your way home. You went to Sunday School this morning for the first time in months, the teaching touched on exactly what you needed to hear and for once, you are glad that you came. When the class is dismissed you leave out feeling good and ready to get your praise on. But as soon as you turn the corner, you see Sis. Sally and remember you don’t like her because of something you heard 10 years ago and there you go cussing under your breath about the dress and shoes she has on, “Hmph, she thinks she looks good.” The word was given to you but just as quick as you received it, you allowed the devil the chance to snatch it right away. Mark 4:15, states “Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it,  Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.”  Are you this type of seed?

Type 2: Mark 4:5-6 “Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow, But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.” You become active in the church, joining the Usher board, volunteering in the kitchen and you go to bible study
on every Wednesday night. You can’t wait to tell people about your church home and all the good things that you are learning from your Pastor. All of a sudden, trouble attacks you. You get sickness in your body, car is acting up and money seems to run out before all the bills are paid; you start wondering if maybe God is punishing you. The devil shows up with a glimpse of how green
the grass is on his side and there you go jumping the fence. At the first sign of water seeping into your boat, you jump overboard instead of using your life jacket that has been given to you. Instead of praying and praising your way through you give up. Instead of using your towel as a kneeling pad to pray, you throw it in. God never promised that all your days would be sunny.   But maybe you’re this type.  Mark 4:16-17 “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since  they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”

No, type 2 isn’t you either? Then you maybe you’re Type 3: Mark 4:7 “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.” You’ve
been going through some things in the world and finally decide you want to join church, to give your life to Christ. You visit this church and the service is on fire and it seems like the preacher is talking directly to you. When the doors of the church are open you almost run down the aisle. You’re ready,
willing and able to do all that the Lord commands of you. You come back the next Sunday and the Sunday after that and you’re feeling great. Then you meet Sis. Talk A. Lot and y’all begin to gossip after church while walking to the car. She tells you the ins and the outs of the church. She lets you know who is sleeping with who and what the folk are saying about the Pastor. You’re so deep into her mouth, you can almost see her tonsils and you’ve yet to realize that maybe this is the devil working. But nooo! You start playing back what she is saying and your Sunday morning worship services are now replaced with sleeping late. You’ve allowed the devil to push you right out of fellowship with God.  Instead of you steering her gossiping lips away from your ears and focus on the message instead of the mess, you’ve found yourself being pushed back into the world. Which ground will you be planted? Are you this type?  Mark 4:18-19 says, “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

If you’ve answered no to the previous three, then surely this is you. Type 4: Mark 4:8 “Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” You go to Sunday School, morning worship service, some bible study, you help those in need, volunteer where you are needed, pick up folk for church, chairperson of
annual days and pay your tithes. You read and study God’s word and you accept the calling that he has placed on your life. When the storm comes you put on your raincoat and rain boots and prepare to ride it out. When death attacks your family, you know that God’s word says there is a time and place for all things (Ecclesiastes 3), so all is well. When the doctor knocks you down with the talk
of disease, you know that you’re down but not out, so all is well. When folk walk away, you know that God said he would be there whenever you need him, so all is well! You take the gifts that God has given, sow them and you reap a plentiful harvest. You take the word that you learn and use it for others who may need it. You make mistakes because you’re not perfect but you know that if you sin
and ask for forgiveness, God will give it to you. Is this you? Are you a dependable Christian that doesn’t run when the fire gets too hot but instead goes in and comes out shining like pure gold? Do you pray for your enemies and those that wish bad on your life? Do you use the haters as your motivators? If yes, then you are a type 4 kind of seed, the kind that God ordains as carriers
of his word. Will you run for God? Will you go if you have to go by yourself?  For I’ve found that if you Remain faithful,  you’ll receive favor from God! Isn’t that good news?

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together
and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it
will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38“

Daily Devotional – 10/15/11 “Better late than never”

You start a book, home project, weight loss goal or even school with your mind up that you’ll finish.  You start off great and everything is exactly where you need it to be.  Then stuff happens!  The kids need you to take them somewhere, your money gets funny, you go out with friends & eat way more than you should or the task at hand gets to be a bit much.  All of a sudden, your plans have taken a back seat.  You get discouraged because you started something and just can’t seem to finish it. 

But I’ve learned that it is not about the starters but about the finishers.  In a race, many people begin at the beginning bell, but during the race some get sick, some catch a cramp in their leg and some gets too tired to make it to the end.  However, when the time comes to crown a winner, the announcer never says anything about all of those who were counted out because they are only concerned about the ones who crossed the finish line.  In the bible, it states “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

See, it doesn’t matter when you finish, just as long as you do.  It’s the same as saying, it doesn’t matter how many times you fall just as long as you get back up.  The devil will come into your life as many times as you allow him too.  Each time he shows up, his goal is to destroy you.  Yes, he may seem like he is winning in the beginning when it seems like all hell is breaking loose. You know the times when the kids you’ve raised don’t even look the same to you, your checking account stays in the red even when you’re working all the overtime that is offered or your body is attacked by sickness at every turn.  But if you stay the course (God’s course) and praise your way through, you will come out victorious every time.  God never promised that all your days would be good but that he would be there to see you through them.  If you don’t believe me, read the story of Job.  Even after all he’d endured, his faith never wavered and his trust in God never failed.  When his storm was over, all the devil had taken was replaced with twice as much as he had before. (Job 42:10) Because he completed the race, his reward was worth what he had to endure.    

So, find time to finish that book or the home improvement project.  Go to the gym or add a 30 minute walk on your lunch break to reach your weight loss goal.  Schedule some time to finish the classes that you’ve started at the local college.  Finish what you’ve started because it’s never too late.  What if God gave up on us the way we give up on things?  How would our life be?  It would be like God giving you the strength to climb a mountain but in the middle he removes that same strength and now you’re stuck there.  It is a bad situation to be in, huh?  Aren’t you glad God doesn’t work that way?

I tell the kids, all the time, that turning their homework in late is wrong.  However, turning it in late is better than not turning it in at all (but shh… don’t tell them that!) Finishing the race or the goal that you’ve set matters!  It doesn’t matter when you finish just as long as you do.  It also doesn’t matter if you’re last just as long as you finish.  Matthew 20:16, states “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The saying is true, it is better late than never!

Daily Devotional – 10/14/11 “To tithe or not to tithe”

The pastor stands before the congregation in the midst of the service and says, “I need every Christian in this house, if you love the Lord, to give me $100.00!”  You’re sitting there with your grocery money in your pocket and think that if you don’t give, it may show others that you don’t really love God, so you give.  Then Monday comes and you are without grocery and the last $100 that you had.  You call the church and they say, we will have to take it before the deacon board and get back with you, while you are your family go hungry.  Baby, if God wanted you to give your last few dollars to the pastor he would have told you himself and you would not be without.  See, God won’t ever put you in a position of being without if you are doing what HE ask.  Don’t be foolish! If you’ve already paid your tithes, you have done what God has asked.

We have gotten away from studying God’s word for ourselves.  We think that if Passa said it, it must be true.  But little do you know that same Passa can be leading you straight to Hell and you haven’t even realized it.  You don’t see if until you get to church one Sunday and his position is vacated.  2 Timothy 2:15 states, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Malachi 3:10 states “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”  Bring the whole tithe, the 10% of your earnings to God’s house and watch him show out in your house.  He doesn’t say bring me all that you have, but just a small portion so that my house can be fed.  We fall into the greediness of the world and the Pastors who stand before you Sunday after Sunday begging, “God said for each of you to give me $20”. Stop it! God hasn’t said any mess like that! We want to feel honored when the Pastor of 15,000 members know our name because we are one of the biggest giver.  But let sickness attack you or a family member and see who shows up at the hospital.  Let death knock at your door and see who stands to do the eulogy.  You get the same privileges as any other paying member.  Just because you are giving your all to the church doesn’t mean they will give their all to you.  If you are doing what God has asked you to do by paying your tithes every Sunday, every other Sunday or once per month, you should be able to see Pastor’s face when you’re on your bed of affliction or going through.  You shouldn’t have to be a gold member to get counseling or even a word of prayer over your life.  

Leviticus 26:3-5 states, “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.”  In other words, if you do what I ask and keep my commandments, you shall not be without because God has promised that your land will bear food for you to eat and safety in your place.  The land in which he speaks doesn’t just mean land where fruit is planted; it means the land where you are planted because you yield the fruit.  It is like I said before; when you become a Christian you are rooted in God.  In order to yield fruit worthy to be eaten you have to supply it with the nutrients and water that it needs to grow.  This means, you need to study God’s word and feed it into your soul so that the fruit that is yielded from you are worthy of him. Psalm 67:6 states, “Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.”

You have to choose to tithe.  We all know that it is in God’s word because Proverbs 3:9 states, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income.” God doesn’t have to use the Pastor to tell you what you need to pay because it’s already there in his word.  Your tithes should be taken out first before anything else is done.  If you remove it from the bank or your check registry first then you’ll know what is left to work with.  Once you get into a habit of paying your tithes, you won’t even notice it and it will become second nature.  If you choose to give over your tithes, then do so.  But do it with a cheerful heart and not because of what someone will think or because you feel obligated too.  Trust me; God won’t punish you because you didn’t throw $50 on the altar when asked at church.  Now, the devil may come along with a few of his tricks to make you think that but God doesn’t work that way, he is not a messy God. 

Stop allowing folk to talk you out of doing what is right.  “Girl, you know that money is going to the Passa cause look at the car he driving.”  “Man, why you paying money to that church when it ain’t nothing but a rip off, they ain’t nothing but a business!” Or you talk yourself out of it by saying, “God knows my heart!” or “I want to give but I needed these shoes I saw last week.”  A church has to run as a business in order to get business done.  They have bills to pay just like any household.  Why does the Pastor have to be using tithing money to pay his car note when he gets a salary just like any other employee?  However, if the Pastor or member of any church is doing wrong by the church and its money, it is up to God to handle that not us.  We are too busy trying to do God’s job that we miss out on our own blessings.  You’re so busy worried about what the church is doing with the money that you aren’t following what God has asked you to do. 

If you’re going to pay tithes, do so but without complaining.  If you are not going to pay tithes, don’t but without complaining.  I don’t need to hear why you are or are not paying tithes because it’s between you and God.  I won’t be standing next to you on judgment day.  I can’t answer for you and you can’t answer for me.  You do you and I’ll do me!

2 Corinthians 9:7 , “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Daily Devotional – 10/13/11 “What if God .. “

 I can’t speak for you but I’m shonuff glad God doesn’t bless us based on our works for him!  Most of us would be complainers, whiners, backstabbers, enemies of our brother & sisters, gossipers – WAIT, we do that now don’t we?  We ride with our bibles in the car but can’t give someone a ride because they may get dirt in our car.  We shout with the best of them on Sunday morning & then curse out momma on Sunday evening.  We can speak scriptures better than anybody and gossip about the Pastor in the same breath!  Chile, God won’t bless OUR mess.

If God blessed us based on how we serve him, most of us would be tore up from the floor up!  We stay out all night on Saturday drinking & dancing and then roll our eyes when church runs over a little.  We stand at altar call with our eyes closed because we are tired instead of praying.  You sit back and text all during service and then wonder why you’re not understanding God’s word.  You ask the Pastor to anoint your head with oil because of the pain in your body and then say that he has no power when the pain won’t leave.  Chile, there is no power in the oil, the power is in your faith!  The pastor can pray over your body day after day but if you don’t have the faith and belief that you can be healed, healing won’t come.  Mark 9:23 states, ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

If God blessed us based on how we treat others, most of us wouldn’t have a pot to _________ in and a window to throw it out of.  You disrespect your parents when God commands us to honor thy father and mother (Ephesians 6:2) and then wonder why we are constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul.  You keep wishing bad for and lying on your coworker because you’re jealous of their blessings and then wonder why you can’t be promoted when Exodus 20:16 states, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”  You keep wishing sickness on your brother but then wonder why you can’t get relief for your migraines. Job 4:8 states, “My experience shows that those who plant trouble and cultivate evil will harvest the same.”

You’ve got to know that God won’t bless you in your mess.  At some point in time you’ve got to get up out of your pity party and do for yourself.  You can’t be mad at your sister because she won’t keep taking from her family to give to you when you are able to work.  You can’t keep saying that daddy hasn’t done anything for me when you’re still living under his roof and paying no bills.  You can’t keep being mad at your spouse when they say something about your friends being at the house everyday eating up the food you’ve worked hard to get for your family.  Stop wallowing in could haves or should haves.  The past is the past.  Today is the present and should not be taken for granted.  With cancer affecting more families and death claiming more family members it’s time now to get to know the Lord. 

It makes no sense to buy a plane ticket with no destination.  It’s the same with dying.  It’s crazy for you to live in Hell all your life and then die and go to Hell when God has promised you a life in paradise, if you choose him.  Get your ticket and make sure it has been stamped with the right destination because waiting until the last minute may prove to be an ultimate mistake.  You would hate to get to the gates and then can’t pass through the metal detectors because you’re carrying the wrong stuff.  Let go and let God!