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

Daily Devotional – 10/18/18 “Don’t lose hope!”

Growing up, when we’d get sick, Grandma would always have a remedy for what ailed you. Grandma was from an era where they created what they couldn’t buy. She’d have a remedy for a baby with colic, a cold/flu, fever and even constipation. When anything happened to you, you go to Grandma and let her look at it because she’ll know what it is. Anybody remember Father John cough medicine? It is probably the nastiest but it works. It takes you a minute to take it because it makes you question whether it even worth it, but it works. It’s hard to swallow but it works. It brings tears to your eyes but it works. I was thinking about this on last night and I realized, sometimes what Grandma would give us to alleviate our pain wasn’t always good to us but it was good for us. Similar to death. I know you’re trying to figure out how I compare the two but go with me. See, death is hard as it snatches air from your lungs, it brings tears to your eyes and it’s hard to stomach but it’s for the good. Good for who? The person who has experienced death. See, bible shares in 2 Corinthians 5:1-8, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee He has given us His Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”

Death is hard to us but it is also good for us as it is not that we (your mom, dad, sister, brother, child, cousin or friend) long to die but we take comfort in knowing that when we have to die; this earthly body is swallowed up, taken away from this world where our soul can be at rest and we now reside with the Lord. Yes, it’s hard to stomach and it makes you question if it is worth it, but it is. For in death there is no more. No more sickness, disease, heart-break and let downs. In death, although those of us who are left behind mourn, we should do so without losing hope. We should grieve but not grudgingly or with complaint. And understand, those of you who are reading this. I am not sharing this out of emotion but I am sharing this for those of you who need a little encouragement this day. Those of you who are angry at God for doing nothing wrong. Those of you who has had to drag the heaviness of grief, day after day. Those of you who feel like there is no one to talk to about it. Those of you who still grieve like it happened yesterday and it’s been years. There is hope, even in your grief and I am praying for you, praying that your faith does not fail you. Yes, death is a hard portion to stomach but it is also something we cannot stop. Yet, I am praying. Praying for you to make it through.

Daily Devotional – 10/17/18 “The day of small things!”

Did I tell you that Kisha’s Daily Devotional blog is up for an award? Yes, we are in the top 3 for the Best in Black Awards. I am up against two amazing bloggers and whether I win or not, I am simply grateful for all the votes, shares and followers of this blog. See, this started out as just me sharing my thoughts on Facebook. At the time, there was a minimum to the amount of words you could post so I ventured out to a blog. I’d never done one before but I knew people needed a “Dose of Devotion.” Sure, my devotionals started out long and wordy and with few people reading them but here we are, seven years, 1,596 blog posts, 745 blog followers and a multitude of devotion later. Some of my blogs are being shared in places I probably don’t even know about, they are being viewed all over the world and encouraging to a body of believers; most I don’t know personally. And it is all by God’s grace. Why am I sharing this? Because I need you to have faith in what God has led you to do. I don’t care how small it seems, at the moment, keep pushing. It doesn’t matter if you only get two likes and one comment, keep sharing. I don’t care if you have never preached outside your home church, keep preaching. If you only sale two items or books a week (or month), keep selling. If you have never been invited to share the big stage, keep practicing until it comes. It will pay off.

The question was asked in Zechariah 4:10, “For who has despised the day of small things?” Oh, it doesn’t stop there because the verse continues with, “But these seven eyes of the LORD, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Why are you despising your small beginning when the Lord is rejoicing over you simply being obedient to His call? Why are you despising your small beginning when your sacrifice will pay off, after a while? This verse says, the Lord rejoiced when He saw the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand. You know why? Number one, it meant work was being done and number two, it meant Zerubbabel was taking the time to ensure the work was right. See, you can look at something and to the naked eye, it looks straight yet, in measuring you find out it’s not as straight as it portrays to be. Thus a plumb line. Here, a plumb line was a cord with weight on the end used to find the depth of water and to make sure vertical structures are straight and true. Sure, it may cause the work to be slow but at least it’ll be right. Beloved, take your time. Don’t despise the slow start, make sure it’s right. Take your time and stop getting frustrated over the time it’s taking for you to grow. Make sure it’s right. Don’t despise your small thing because it may just detour your big thing.

Daily Devotional – 10/16/18 “Who are you?”

I watched the movie “Nappily Ever After,” on Netflix last night. Good movie. I absolutely loved the fact, the ending (without giving the movie away) wasn’t like all movies that ends unrealistically. I say this because not every reality ends happily ever after. For those of you who have never heard of this movie, it’s about Violet who has been raised to believe she needs to always be perfect, especially when it comes to her hair. She’s get up extra early to make sure her boyfriend woke up to her being “perfect.” She thought she was giving him what he wanted until he told her, being with her felt like they’d been on their first date for two years. The movie showed how men would stop and look at her when she was perfect but didn’t even bat an eye when she was going through an identity crisis. Reality hit her in the face and it made her take a step back. Won’t life do you like this? But here is what I got from the movie. It wasn’t that men were looking at when she was “perfect” and ignoring her when she wasn’t. They were looking because when she was “perfect” she was bold yet imperfect, she walked as if life was dragging her. In her pursuit for perfection, she was unapologetic and she walked with her head held high but at the first sign of crisis, she folded.

You want to know why? Because she didn’t know the person behind the hair and makeup and when she removed those things, she was forced to come face to face with who she really was. And because she didn’t know her, she didn’t know how to love and embrace her. And for some of us, we are in the same shoes. You’ve had the façade up for so long, pretending to be strong but if the right gust of wind come, it will knock you clean over. You jump from relationship to relationship because you don’t know your identity of singleness to even cuddle it. You walk around smiling, inwardly broken. Helpful to everybody else because you’re afraid of admitting you need help too. You accept every invitation, go to every party, dressing up and playing the part because truth is, you’re afraid of the voices when you’re by yourself and it’s quiet. You don’t know you and that’s dangerous. You don’t know you and that’s detrimental to who you can become. Who are you? No, I mean for real, who are you? When the wig and makeup is off, who are you? When the suit is thrown across the bed, who are you? When the lights are off, who are you? When the church doors are closed, who are you? Without social media, who are you? Without your title, awards and accolades who are you? Do you even know? Bible shares in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”