Daily Devotional – 3/7/18 “What’s distracting you?”

Distraction, a noun, is defined as a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else AND extreme agitation of the mind or emotions. In Lakisha’s words, it’s the thing preventing you from doing what you know you should be doing. It’s that thing that shows up every time you’re happy, just to agitate your mind. It’s that thing that occurs, taking your attention away from completing your vision. It distracts you from seeing the God in your situation so you’ll only focus on the bad. It, she, he or they are those that know how to toy with your emotions and they are good at it. They know the right words to get you to open the door. They know the right place to touch to get you to pull back the covers and let them in. They know the exact moment to text, knowing you’ll respond. It’s that thing that looks and feels good but means no good. Distractions, how many of us have them? You don’t have to raise your hand but I need you to recognize and call out your distraction(s) because when you can be honest with yourself, you can deal with it. Because let’s be real with self for a moment and admit you know who or what your distraction is and why you still fall for it.

And the reason you still fall so easily for it, is because it still tickles your fancy, it’s comfortable, you know it and it is easy to get. Why do you think an addict, who has access to what they are addicted too, has a hard time getting clean? Why do you think it’s hard to focus on your new relationship when you are still being distracted by the remnants of the old one? You can’t even focus on your new place of worship because you keep checking to see what the old church is doing. You keep stalking your ex’s pages, looking at old text messages and going through old pictures. You still got emails when folk denied you and old medical records of when you used to be sick. Baby, if you don’t get rid of those distractions. A person losing weight cannot keep a refrigerator and freezer full of the old things they used to eat, it’s a distraction. In Luke 10:40, while Mary was at the feet of Jesus, bible shares that Martha was distracted by preparing dinner and when she spoke to Jesus, He replied in Luke 10:41-42, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Beloved, what’s distracting you?

Daily Devotional – 3/6/18 “Thank you for using me!”

I know this is going to be hard to stomach but you have to thank folk who took advantage of you. Read it again because I need it to sink in. You have to thank those who maliciously used you because it made you the strong person you are now. Those folk who abused you, thank them. Those who lied on you, thank them. Those who mishandled your gifts, thank them. Those who used you, thank them. Those who profited from your work, thank them. Thank them for doing it while you were in your suffering because now they have no rights to say they had a part in your elevation. Thank them for trying to corrupt your vision while you were trying to build your business because now they have no access to your brand. Thank them for trying to kill you then because now you realize, your life has meaning. Thank them for talking about you while nobody knew your name because now, they have nothing more to say. Thank them for telling the story of your past because it was them that got somebody to recognize the gift you really where. Thank them for walking out because it made room for you to see who was really meant to be there.

Beloved, thank those who took advantage of you. Give them their props for being the greatness you now are. Tip your hat to them, include them in your acknowledgements, call their name in your acceptance speech and dedicate your first book to them. Thank them for giving you the chance to see the wrong in order to appreciate the right. Thank the old spouse for not appreciating you, the old boss for undervaluing you, the old publisher for misusing you, the old doctor for misdiagnosing you, the old friends for walking out on you, the old co-workers who laughed at you and the old pastor for overlooking you. You even have to thank the past because had it not been for it, you never would have been able to look at your present with eyes of gratitude. Thank those who took advantage of you because whether you know it, you needed them. Here is my testimony. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives, Genesis 50:20.”

Daily Devotional – 3/5/18 “Real Rotation”

It is recommended to rotate the wheels on your car every 3000 to 5000 miles. Studies suggest rotating tires helps to even out the wear and tear. This is due to the weight of the front and rear axles being different, which causes uneven wear. Also, doing this can extend the useful life of the tire. Now, I thought about this as I tried to put it into a spiritual context. See, a car represents the carrier, the things that holds what you’re transporting. Tires represent the ability to move the carrier and handle the weight within the car, if aired properly. Spiritually, you are the car or carrier. You are the thing that holds, transports and protects what God has placed within you while you go from place to place. Friends, for the sake of this devotional, are the tires. They are the ones pumping you up, pushing you to get to where you need to go, rolling with you to ensure you make it and able to bear the weight of which you, the car, is carrying. Knowing this, I have to ask you a question, when was the last time you rotated your tires? No, not a wheel rotation but a real rotation because your ride, at this moment, could be rocky because of the tires (friends)? Maybe they’re worn out and it’s time for a rotation.

Understand, I am in no way saying discard your friends but maybe they can’t handle the weight of your anointing. This is why a real rotation is needed, sometimes. One where you take a, for real, look to check the pressure of your “tires.” And get this, sometimes you need to do a real rotation to see if the “tires” still want the position because it could be too much for them after you assumed they could handle it. Yes, they are great at being your best friend but this doesn’t mean they can handle the anointing that’s spilling from your cup. Sure, back in the day they were ready to ride with you to pull up and bust some windows, curse some folk out and talk bad on social media but are they ready to handle your cup of oil, cast out some demons, war in the spirit and cry loud? Beloved, everybody can’t handle the front. If I can be truthful, some cannot handle the rear either because they have to be able to see and handle what’s coming up on your rear and be able to sustain the impact. And just like the front, they may be tired and in need of a rotation. This is also why you need to have some spares ready in the event one of your tires go flat; somebody ready, willing and able to fill in the gap. All I am sharing is, it may be time for a real rotation.

Daily Devotional – 3/2/18 “My worth is nonnegotiable!”

When you go to an auction, the auctioneer usually sets a minimum opening bid on the item being auctioned. This minimum is generally set based on a percentage of the item’s fair market value and it is fixed, meaning there is no negotiating the starting bid. This is because the auctioneer has done their research and know the value of the item being sold. Then a person can choose to bid or not, it’s totally their choice. However, their decision is based on also knowing the value of the item and whether the lowest amount the auctioneer is willing to accept, fits. Now, if people go through all of this for the sale of material things, why in the heaven are you negotiating the worth of your virtue? You do realize not knowing your worth allows a person to lowball your value, right? Think about it. A man or woman is only going to give you what you willingly accept. And get this, they can know you’re valuable but why offer to pay you like top shelf when you’re willing to accept the knock off price? You have to know your worth and stick to it, even if there is a long period of time when no one is willing to buy.

As an author, I see electronic books priced from $5.99 to $13.99 and they sell. You know why? It’s because the author isn’t willing to compromise. Either a reader buys it or they don’t. So, why are you willing to compromise your worth? It’s doesn’t matter if you are selling something materialistic or if you are looking for a relationship, STOP LOWBALLING YOUR VALUE! My friend TJ Jefferson, a marketing specialist, recently wrote a book titled “Stop Being Disrespectful by Low-balling Your Fees: A guide to pricing your service-based business within industry standards,” where she says, “We aren’t making a real profit because we are significantly under charging for the services we provide.” STOP! You’ve got to know your worth, ma’am and sir. I don’t care if it’s a hair bow made out of dollar store ribbon, know what it is worth. And you doggone sure better know who you are and the value you can add to a relationship. Have the conversations and if they aren’t willing to pay it, respectfully decline. Sure, you can have negotiations but don’t go below your minimum. I don’t know about you but I know my worth and it is nonnegotiable. What about you?

Daily Devotional – 3/1/18 “Hush now and go!”

Life can get overwhelming. I started to put sometimes life gets overwhelming but then I realized, sometimes happens more often than we like. What do you do? What do you do when you are faced with an obstacle that looks too big to overcome or when you are met with an unexpected change that wasn’t on your vision board? What do you do when you go to sleep married and wake up a widow or lay down with child you can touch only to wake up to only memories? What do you do when the job lays you off, the doctor gives you grim news or your bank account is still negative no matter how many hours you work? What do you do when you can’t get along with your siblings and barely speaking? What do you do when life gets overwhelming? If you’re like me, your first answer is, the heck if I know; I’m just putting one foot in front of the other and looking better than I feel. The heck if I know, I’m still looking at the hell I can’t get out of or away from. Well, I got good and bad news. Bad news, I don’t have the answer. Good news is, I know somebody who does.

In Exodus, the Israelites were complaining because they’d listened to Moses and left Egypt and now Pharaoh is chasing them down yet Moses tells them in Exodus 14:13-14, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Understand, Moses was just as afraid but God told him to go forward because He already had a plan of escape and Moses held it in his hand. In other words, you need to hush and keep walking because the very thing to save you AND your family could be in the palm of your hand, the pit of your stomach, the never ceasing thoughts in your mind and your ability to form words. However, you have to go forward. Sure, Moses saw the Red Sea but he knew what he heard God say when He said in Exodus 14:15-16, “The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.” Beloved, hush now and go. Stand before your obstacle and raise your hand(s) with faith that God has given you the power to perform signs and wonders. It might not make sense but trust that God will work for you when you believe.