Daily Devotional – 6/28/18 “Trail Mix!”

I was looking at this bag of trail mix, laying on my desk. It has peanuts, M&M’s, almonds, cashews and raisins. Now, all of these things can be eaten separately and taste just as good but the blessing is; they taste even better when eaten together because you mix the sweet with the salty. I know you’re trying to figure out what this has to do with a devotional. I’ll tell you. We are all different. We each have different talents, looks, voices, hair styles and even clothing styles. We are all anointed, individually, which means we can stand alone. We have the ability to do things on our own like pray, fast, speak in tongue, sing, cast out and etc. But what happens when we all come together? Do you not see the blessing in all of us being on one accord? Do you know the things that can happen when we link our faith together? Bible shares in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!” But you know this, right?

What I am saying is, imagine what could happen if we all linked our faith and prayed instead of preyed. Imagine how greater we could be, as a body of believers, if we linked up and offered grace instead of gossiping. Just imagine how many folk could be saved, if we linked up and laid hands instead of laying down together. Imagine if we prayed on the altar, collectively for things to change in our community. What if we worked together and cried loud against the schemes of the enemy. Sure, we are good individually but can you imagine what could happen if we combined. Think about the healing that could take place if the elders of the church were on one accord. Imagine the people being saved from bondage, sickness and diseases, pits of hopelessness and valleys of fruitlessness and etc. if intercessors linked up with prophets, prophets with preachers, preachers with deacons, deacons with mothers, mothers with ushers, ushers with choir members, choir members with pew members, pew members with missionaries and missionaries with visionaries. Just imagine if we all blended our faith instead of fighting. Just imagine how greater we could be a body of believers if we mixed our faith like trail mix instead of separating like oil and water.

Daily Devotional – 6/27/18 “Don’t leave dirty!”

It will not always be like this. However, in the meanwhile, you might get dirty. Dirty? Yep! You might get dirty from people throwing dirt on your name. You might get dirty from folk who try to walk all over your assignment. You might get dirty when folk seek to do you wrong for doing what’s right. You might get dirty from lies being spread. You might get dirty from who you’ve associated yourself with. You might get dirty from who you’ve laid down with. You might get dirty simply for being collateral damage. You might get dirty beloved. But here’s a question for you. If you were not dirty, what would God have to clean? Understand, I am not suggesting you go out and get dirty but what I want you to get is, if you happen to get/be dirty; God can and will clean you up. Titus 3:3-7 says, “For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.”

Baby, it is not about you but God cleanses us because of His mercy towards us. However, you have to first, confess that you’re dirty; secondly, be willing to be cleaned and finally be obedient to the cleaning process because your cleaning process may not make sense to you. When Naaman was trying to be healed/cleansed of his leprosy, Elisha sent a message and told him to wash himself, seven times, in the Jordan. This made Naaman angry because he’d assumed Elisha would come out, stand before him and perform the healing by calling on God’s name and waving his hand. He had it all figured out and when it didn’t go according to his plan, he became angry. How many of you have become angry and missed out on your deliverance because it wasn’t what you were expecting? Had Naaman not been surrounded by folk who had the sense to tell him his wrong, he would have left there still dirty. Don’t leave dirty when the thing you need to cleanse you is within reach. Don’t leave dirty when the very thing you need only takes you stepping in. Don’t leave dirty when obedience has the ability to change your life.

Daily Devotional – 6/26/18 “When God speaks, obey!”

On the radio this morning, the bible challenge question asked, “What was Lot’s wife turned into?” The answer is a pillar of salt. As I drove, I wondered why salt. Of all things that could have happened to her, why salt. So, I went looking and I found that salt causes things not to grow because salt in soil decreases a plant’s available water and causes plant stress. What I also discovered is, salt in biblical days was used as a preservative and when it is used in this form, it keeps food from going bad and things from decaying. However, if you add too much salt to a thing, too much water is removed preventing that thing from producing and staying alive. Lot’s wife was turned into salt, a pillar of salt which meant she’d never produce again or survive. Harsh, wasn’t it? Well, she had been warned not to look back and she did. Not just a glance but looking back, in Hebrew is described as “regarded, considered and paid attention to.” In other words, she stopped and turned around to watch the city she’d called home burn; probably longing for the life she once had or with regret over Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed. Thus turning her into a pillar of salt.

Sometimes you will hesitate to leave the place God has commanded you to run from, even if it means you no good. Maybe it is because it’s where you are comfortable or have laid roots. Maybe he makes you feel good even though he is no good. Maybe she cooks like your grandma used too even though she has trust issues. Maybe it is the place that causes you to stay out of God’s will but it is where your family is. Maybe it causes you pain but it pays well. Nonetheless, has God commanded you to leave? If He has, go! Hear me, Lot’s wife wasn’t the only one who hesitated about leaving because Genesis 19:16 says, “But when Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and his two daughters. And they led them safely out of the city, because of the LORD’s compassion for them.” But she is the only one who looked back. Stop looking back at what God has moved you from. Stop looking at old pictures, inbox and text message threads. Stop looking at their social media pages. MOVE ON! When God gives directions, move because He will never remove you from a place that has potential to push you into purpose but He will snatch you from the very thing that causes you to stay stagnant in sin.

Daily Devotional – 6/25/18 “From religion to relationship”

I had the opportunity to preach a message on yesterday, “from religion to relationship,” and it made me realize the many of us who have yet to form a relationship with God. Oh, we got the look down but not the link. We talk religion but we are terrible at relationship and I think its fear of commitment. I know because it took me getting older to see all I really had was the pattern of church but no purpose. I would get up on Sundays and dress to look like church folk. Join in worship pretending as if I belonged but then I’d leave still full of hell but I had religion. I’d sing in the choir and turn around and cuss folk out but I had religion. I’d be involved in programs but I’d walk by somebody I didn’t like without speaking but I had religion. I’d gossip about the same folk I just worshiped with but I had religion. But having religion wasn’t getting me anywhere because I was being used by the enemy and I knew it. In the world, I was smiling and going home to my sunken place but I could play the part of religion well. I would sometimes cry myself to sleep because I was drowning in debt but I wore religion well. I got good at playing religion yet had I died, I probably couldn’t have even recognized Jesus. Here I was, faithful to religion but failing at having a relationship with God.

And if I can be honest you are the same. You got religion down but no relationship. This is why you can easily give up when suffering starts to hurt, why you don’t trust God like you should and the reason you can easily cheat with the enemy. There is no commitment because there is no relationship. If there was, you wouldn’t run when times get hard. Yesterday, I used the analogy of religion being like dating and relationship like marriage. When you are dating, it is easier for you break up because when you’re married, there is a piece of paper that binds you that usually takes a judge to dissolve and with dating, there isn’t. Sure, you believe in God but that’s just religion because if you were in a relationship, your belief would show. Why do you think there are exchanging of vows, rings and the last name in a marriage? You are now letting folks know you are in a committed relationship. Can folk tell you are in a relationship God? Is it evident by your walk, talk and living or are you still in the dating phase? At some point, you’ve got to commit and take this thang from just dating (religion) to marriage (relationship.) When you do, you reap the benefits of having your name changed to favor and a partner to be there when you need Him.