Daily Devotional – 1/30/19 “You have the power!”

When David got ready to fight Goliath, there were folk around him who’d already counted him out. “He’s too small.” “Who do he think he is?” “He’s no match for that giant.” “He’ll never make it.” He was even taunted by Goliath, who was bold enough to cross enemy lines to confront him. Goliath tells David in 1 Samuel 17:44, ““Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”” David responds, in 1 Samuel 17:45, “You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” You know how the story ends, right? David killed Goliath with a stone to the forehead. Afterwards, though (because the sermons usually stops there), David, bible shares, ran and stood on Goliath, took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head. Here’s what I don’t want you to miss. The Philistines didn’t move until after David had cut off Goliath’s head. Why am I sharing this? Two few reasons actually.


1. Some of you are more focused on what folk are saying and it’s causing you to lose sight of the task at hand. Let them talk, you’ve got a battle to win!
2. You may have knocked your opponent down and even killed him but those with him, won’t leave until you make a drastic move.

In other words, you need to let those who are bold enough to walk into your face/space to taunt/kill you, know you ain’t scared! I said what I said! No, you don’t have to cut off their head, like David but you might have to cross enemy lines, stand on their back and take their sword just in case! Look, God didn’t give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). It doesn’t matter that you don’t look the part, you got power. You may not have the armor but you got power. May have never fought in this kind of fight but you got power. Power from a God who never fails us! David’s power didn’t come from a sword, he didn’t have one. David’s power didn’t come from his armor, he didn’t have any. His power came from the God he worshipped, trusted, loved and served. You have the same power but you’ve got to stop listening to the hecklers and trust the God you serve because He’ll never place you in a battle He hasn’t equipped you for. Even if it happens to be a battle He’ll let you lose, He always has His reasons why. You have the power but you’ve got to believe it, tap into it then use it.

Daily Devotional – 1/29/19 “Don’t hush me!”

In Mark 10:46, there is a man named Bartimaeus who is sitting on the side of the road begging. Bible shares that he heard noise and asked those around him what was happening. They tell him, Jesus of Nazareth is passing by to which Bartimaeus begins to yell out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Now, what disturbed my spirit is what happened next. Those around him told him to be quiet. In fact, bible says, they admonished him or in other words reprimanded or tried to make him feel bad about calling Jesus. I preached on this Sunday but I needed to stop through and tell somebody, stop allowing folk to hush you, especially when it’s your life on the line. Stop allowing folk to make you feel bad about getting the help you need. It’s not them who is enduring the pain, it’s not them whose day is always dark, it’s not them that has to depend on folk just to survive and it’s not them suffering. Bartimaeus was blind yet he had enough faith to know that Jesus could heal him and had he listened when they said be quiet, he would have stayed in the shape he was in. And maybe the folk around him didn’t know any better or maybe they just didn’t want Bartimaeus healed because the thought a beggar wasn’t worthy.

Whatever the case, let me make this clear. We are all worthy of Jesus so don’t ever hush me when I’m calling on my help and stop allowing folk to hush you when the time is now for you to cry loud and spare not. Had Bartimaeus listened, he would have missed the opportunity to stand before Jesus. However, he didn’t because when folk told him to hush, he hollered louder and with his faith, he was immediately healed. How many of you are missing what you need because you’ve been listening to folk? The same folk who will not see you as anything more than your circumstance? You may know this but sickness doesn’t have a respect of person, disease will not skip you because you’re cute/handsome, storms will not keep bypassing you and neither will the enemy stop trying to stop you so whenever you get the chance to cry out to God, don’t be hushed. And if the folk around you will hush you, in the presence of Jesus, you need to let them go. If the folk around you will quiet your cry to Jesus, when you’re in need, you need to tell them goodbye. If they yell for you to be quiet when the healer, sustainer, waymaker and deliverer is near but not when you’re begging; you need to rethink those you keep company with. As for me, I don’t want those kinds of people around me. I need some folk who will join in, who will press with me through the crowd to get to the feet of Jesus, some friends who can holler when I can’t, some folk I can link my faith with when mine is getting weak and some folk who will encourage me, not rebuke me. You may be okay with the shape you’re in but I’m not so don’t hush me when the situation changer is near and I’m hollering to get His attention.

Sunday’s Sermon

Daily Devotional – 1/21/19 “Let us pray!”

Our Father in Heaven,

Your name is Holy on my tongue as I come petitioning your throne. God, give us, this day, daily bread that sustains us, strength that carries us and obedience that shall loose us from the hand of enemy. God, I thank you for waking me up with a stable mind, eyes that see, mouth that speak, activity of my body, a warm home, food, clothes, shoes, transportation, for family and friends, a job and for things being as well as they are. God, I thank you for never forgetting me even when I forsake you. Now God, as I pray for your people; forgive me of anything I’ve said or done that’s not like you. Increase in me that my prayer reaches your ears and by faith it’s already being done. For today, I come for healing of arthritis, migraine headaches, vertigo, high blood pressure, heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, leukemia, colon cancer, strokes, heart attacks, lupus, fibromyalgia, sickle-cell, kidney disease, liver disease, sinus problems, flu, clogged arteries, multiple sclerosis, ailments and diseases. God, deliver the broken-hearted, broken-spirited, low self-esteem, depressed and suicidal.

God, the government may be shut down but Heaven is still open and your word says, if I ask in faith, it shall be so I come asking for provision for all those affected. Increase God so they shall not be hunger, their gas tank never empty, bills are covered and their faith never waivers. For those who have poured out to help those in need, pay them back in increase. Then God, don’t stop there because I need you to bind the hands, stifle the tongue and heal the heart of the bully so they no longer hurt others. For the abuser, user and manipulator; snatch them out of their sin so they never hurt again. For the abused, avenge them God because your wrath is greater than ours. For the addicted, give them a heart to want to be delivered. For the hopeless, restore hope. For the downtrodden, pick them up and steady their walk. For the grieving, comfort. For those you’ve ordained to shepherd your people, give strength to stand in the midst of spiritual storms and chaos for it is your will that shall be done, not ours. And God, if it’s ours to endure, give us strength to withstand. If we have to go through the darkness, give us night-time vision and if we have to suffer the storm, cover us until you say it’s finished. Hear now, God this prayer as I humbly submit it to you. Amen.

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:13-14

Daily Devotional – 1/17/19 “Fasting is not for play!”

We are in a season of fasting and praying. Some of you may have already begun or about too but I need you to know, fasting is not to be played with. Fasting is real and it has the power to shift your entire being. Fasting isn’t something you do to be with the crowd. Fasting is between you and your God. Fasting isn’t something you attempt because you want to lose weight. Fasting is abstaining from something for a period of time as a way to cleanse your body, mind and spirit. Fasting isn’t something you do because you want to look Holy and to get God’s attention, real quick. Fasting is seeking God for something you can’t do on your own. Fasting is what you do for spirituality, strength, instruction, guidance and clarity with prayer, pure intentions, a clean heart and clean hands. Fasting isn’t for play because when you fast, the enemy amps up his attacks against you.

Bible says in Isaiah 58:1-5, “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins! Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me. ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers. What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?”

In other words, God says you look Holy but you really aren’t. You act righteous but you continually sin. You cry out to God to work on your behalf but your hands are covered with the blood of your brothers and sisters who you claim to love but kill off in group messages. You want God to be impressed by what you show people, not realizing He also sees what you do in the dark. Beloved, God isn’t moved by your ability to fast from food you don’t eat anyway. God isn’t moved by your fasting when you still fight and belittle people with your mouth and actions. In fact God says in Isaiah 58:4, “This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.” You want to know the real fasting that God wants? Read Isaiah 58:6-14 and stop playing! God isn’t pleased with the show but He’ll be moved by your true worship.