Daily Devotional – 10/29/18 “Pray specifically!”

On yesterday, while talking to my daughter and niece about prayer, I said to them they need to start praying, specifically. Specifically is defined as a way that is exact and clear or precise. See, when you pray, specifically, you tell God what it is you need, exactly. When you ask, specifically, you are being detailed in what you are expecting to get in return. In the middle of us talking, my husband calls and my daughter ask him to get her some hot fries and a dr. pepper from the store. I hang up from him and go back to our conversation. I tell them that a lot of times we send out a blanket prayer, “God bless me,” when God is already blessing us when He wakes us up, when He keeps us under His arm of protection, when He allows us to sleep in peace and etc. And sometimes, we find ourselves getting angry at God because we feel as though He isn’t giving us what we ask for. Well, what did you ask? In walks my husband. He hands my daughter a bag of hot fries and a dr. pepper. Her face forms into a frown. Why, well the hot fries he got wasn’t the hot fries she wanted. But get this, he got what she asked for because she wasn’t specific in her ask. Yes, she got what she asked for even if they weren’t what she wanted but had she asked, specifically, she would have gotten what she desired. What are you asking for?

Please understand something though, God will work with our prayers, however He will never give us something we aren’t ready for or capable of handling and He will not give us what doesn’t match with the purpose on our life. Nonetheless, you need to pray, specifically. In Mark 10:46, Bartimaeus is sitting on the side of the road yelling, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” Jesus heard him and called Bartimaeus to Him asking in Mark 10:51, What do you want Me to do for you?” In which he replies, ““Rabboni,” said the blind man, “I want to see again.”” Jesus needed to know what exactly Bartimaeus was in need of in order to meet His request. What are you asking of God and are you being specific? “God, I need you to come and see about me.” God does, every moment of our life, what specifically do you need Him to come and see about? “Oh Lord, have mercy on me?” God already has mercy on you, what else do you need? “God, bless our worship center.” God does, what else? “God, bless my finances.” God does when He doesn’t allow you to be without. Oh, you wanted Him to increase your finances? Oh, you wanted Him to heal the cancer and the migraines. Oh, you wanted that car or house? Oh, you wanted that kind of spouse? Oh, you wanted that type of blessing? Then baby, you need to pray, specifically.

Daily Devotional – 10/24/18 “But what do YOU say?”

People will sometimes use you against you. What do I mean? Abusive people, whether it be men or women, will use your fear of them against you. People who know you are in a desperate place will use that against you. You don’t have to believe me but need a place to stay and the person who can give you one needs a baby sitter. They will use you against you. When the folk on your job know you really need your job, they’ll use it against you. And when people know you’ve yet to rightly divide God’s word, they’ll use it against you too. There was a post someone made yesterday asking if women can be pastors. First off, I am sick of this conversation and it’s not because I am a woman assistant pastor but because we (Christians) like to pick and choose what we believe in when it fits us. Most of the folk who believe women can’t be preachers or pastors do so because somebody else instilled it in them. But to each its own. You not believing in me doesn’t stop God from using me. However, here’s something I want to point out. A lot of people who were commenting ‘no’ on the post yesterday referenced 1 Timothy 2:11-15 which says, “Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.”

Before you go any further, go back to 1 Timothy 2:1 and see what the first word is. Don’t have your bible? I’ll tell you. It says I as in Paul. Nowhere in this passage does Paul say God says. It’s Paul talking to Timothy and for those who will say he’s talking on the authority of God, well maybe you should know the word silence, as in women should learn in silence is translated as peaceable. In other words, women should learn in peace. As for the word submissively, Bible says in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” Get this though, this headship doesn’t change because a woman is your pastor. She is your pastor, your spiritual guide and your shepherd whose responsibility is to save and protect the sheep. A woman isn’t trying to assert her authority simple because she is pastor neither should a man. A pastor is God’s appointed shepherd for God says in Jeremiah 3:15, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” This scripture didn’t refer to a certain manner of person. Nevertheless, believe what you want but stop allowing people to use you against you. Stand up for yourself, fight for yourself, study for yourself and please do away with fear. Try and trust God for you.

Daily Devotional – 10/22/18 “Our youth is in trouble!”

Our youth is in trouble and here is a sad reality, most of them don’t have a relationship with God. I don’t care if they’ve been in the church since they were in diapers, if nobody is teaching them how to build a relationship with God, they don’t have one. And it is more than just dragging them to worship on Sunday morning, forcing them to sit in the back of the church during bible study because you didn’t have time to drop them off or telling them, when they face trouble, to pray. With the plight of our youth and young adults, prayer meetings need to start with them. Traditions, if they are no longer sufficient to handle the growing need of the church, throw them out because we need to get back to pure worship. The kind when deacons could pray and it sets the tone of service. When a Dr. Watts could slay the house long before some of these preachers started “slaying” service. When an altar call prayer could turn into an hour of worship and weeping. When the spirit was so heavy, no preaching was done because all folk wanted was to be under the Holy Spirit. Y’all our youth is in trouble and they are running from the church because so many Christians are worried about their rip jeans than their ripped relationship with God. They are being judged because of their tattoos and the turmoil they’re facing is being overlooked. Church folk are more concerned with their sexual orientation than whether they know what it means to be saved.

We are pushing our youth away due to the lack of sound doctrine and then get mad when they question about it. We are consistently having revivals but nobody is leaving restored or resuscitated let alone revived. Yet we’ll open up the door of the church at the funeral of another youth that has been gunned down, take in fifty youth who were driven to the altar by emotion but won’t take the time to follow-up with them, the next day. Our youth are in trouble. They are dying without knowing God, committing suicide because the weight of the world is heavy, being bullied and afraid to speak, being abused and thinking it’s loved, being sexually molested and covering up and facing mental illness, chalked up to acting out. Understand something, as a parent, I am not perfect and I know how hard it is to get and keep the youth in church yet I talk about Jesus, whether they want to hear it or not. I pray over their pillows and I walk around their rooms and I pray around their cars. I even pray about their friends, jobs and relationships. Even with me being the Asst. Pastor of a church, I don’t obligate them to that church because I want them to be connected to a place of worship that meets their needs. And my children are not perfect or all the way righteous but I will not stop praying because my grandma and momma didn’t stop praying for me. This is why we’ve got to intercede for them. They are facing more trouble than we ever did. So, will you take time today to pray for a youth/young adult? Will you call the name of a youth/young adult today? And if you want me too, send me their name and I shall go in prayer for them tonight at midnight. “In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted.” Psalm 77:2

Daily Devotional – 10/19/18 “There’s a reason!”

There is a reason. Yea, there is a reason God isn’t allowing the doors to open, right now. There is a reason God isn’t allowing the invitations to be extended. There is a reason God has you working but in the same place. What’s the reason, in order to increase your value. Think about it. You can create an outfit, write a book, develop a screenplay, preach heaven down, deliver folk with your mouth and your hands and nobody even knows your name. You can be the best in your city and still overlooked. Your work can be loved by a lot of people and it still goes nowhere. Yet, you keep working. You don’t give up, you keep creating because soon enough, you and your gifts will land in the right hands. And by the it happens, you’ll have your catalog stacked. By the time it makes it onto the right person’s desk, you’ll have plenty to offer. Why? Because God allowed you to not be seen until He increased the value of your gift. See, had you made it with the first book, you would have been eager to sell it and not gotten what it was worth. Had your first design made it, you would have sold your items for far cheaper than what they were worth. Had you been given access to the big stage, early in your preaching ministry, you would have messed things up. Oh but because God kept you sheltered while He increased your worth, YOU KNOW YOUR WORTH.


Beloved, I know you think you’re ready but if you jump out there too soon, folk will only pay you what they think your value is. And get this … you’ll accept it because you don’t think you can get any better. Well, I am here to tell you, that’s a lie, a whole lie and nothing but a lie. I know you’re ready for the increase in your finances. I know you look at other people’s books on the best seller list in anticipation of being there. I know you are admiring the conference fliers, longing for the day your picture is there. I know you are looking at your bank account, praying the day will come when you stop living paycheck to paycheck. I know you feel ready but don’t miss what God is trying to give you, in this moment. That’s why you have to wait until God says move. Wait, while God increases the value of your gifts. Wait, while God increases your worth. Wait, while God does the work because then nobody will be able to shortchange you without consequences. Don’t sell your rights because then you’ll have to fight to get them back. Instead hold them until people are fighting to get next to you. Then, they’ll pay what you’re worth and some! God is working on you and for you. Trust Him and His reasons.

“What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.” Luke 12:6-7 MSG