Daily Devotional – 2/14/18 “Love is …”

On this Valentine Day, I will not spend the time telling you what you should or shouldn’t do or feel. Instead, I’ll share with you what the bible says about love.

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

-1 Corinthians 13:1-13

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Daily Devotional – 2/13/18 “I’m willing to wait!”

Here it is, Valentine’s Eve and while there are stores filled with teddy bears, candy shaped hearts, cards of love and flower shops and jewelry stores overflowing; the sad reality is, some of you haven’t felt loved in a long time. It’s not that you haven’t tried, you have but you still find yourself on the receiving end of hurt. You’ve fasted and prayed but still feeling fatigued and passed over. You’ve tried the relationship thing, sometimes giving the same person chance after chance and still nothing. You’ve tried to deal with the past demons who keep showing up but you can never seem to quiet their voices. You’ve even tried to forget the past mistakes but they keep popping up in your thoughts. Well beloved, before you make a rash decision tonight to accept the chocolate, respond to the “hey” text, take them up on their offer of dinner or open the door to your past; stop and think. Before you get under the influence of drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, lust and/or plain stupidity and do something you might regret; stop and think. You don’t need a warm body, a shabby promise or a generic gift to make you feel loved; love your doggone self.

Sure, it’s easy for me to say when I have a whole husband at home who loves me but baby, I love me too. Because the fact of the matter is, some of you have spouses too and yet you still don’t feel loved. And it may not have anything to do with said spouse, it could be an inward battle with self but aren’t you tired of fighting a battle you cannot win? If you are then maybe you ought to get like Jacob and stop fighting and instead cling desperately to God declaring, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” See, Jacob’s battle wasn’t about him winning against God because we all know God has the power to overcome us but his fight with God was simply testing Jacob’s ability to endure the struggle. Sure, it’s hard when you’re ready to be loved. It’s a struggle when you’re ready to be in a good, honest and worthy relationship but will you endure the struggle? Jacob endured the struggle and because he did, God changed his name to Israel, which means God rules. Will you hold on and wait until God permits for your name to be changed? Even if that means going through another Valentine’s Day alone, will you hold on until God blesses you? Because I’ve found that waiting, although it’s hard, has its purpose. So today, I will declare … “I am strong enough to wait on what I deserve because I’d rather wait for what’s mine than rush it and regret it!”

“I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. Psalm 130:5”

Daily Devotional – 2/12/18 “Prayer for Monday”


Our Father in Heaven,

God, today as I come to your throne asking for your will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today satisfying bread and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the relationships, vows and agreements with evil doers. Forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who have wounded us. Open our eyes to see the blessing in our circumstance and thank you for it. Allow us to hear you, even when our woes seems heavy and still have a voice to say thank you. Thank you for the pain, the heartache and the situations because they simply test our faith in you. Yes God, thank you for Monday because it lets me know I made it. Thank you for Monday because it allows me to taste the freshness of your anointing and feel the touch of your grace. Thank you for Monday because it tells me the enemy didn’t succeed in trying to close my mouth last night. Now, oh God, this Monday do some miraculous things in the lives of those who believe. Rain down sudden blessings of healing, unexpected checks and promotions. Cancel yearlong debts and restore some credit. Cast out addictions, suicidal thoughts and depression. Lower the cost of house and car maintenance. Elevate the minds of college students so that assignments are completed and bind peer pressure, sexual abuse and addictions. Refresh the men and women, in ministry, so they can continue to push on. This Monday, bring forth testimonies. This Monday, raise up a generation of David’s who are willing to kill the Goliaths. This Monday, raise up some Samuel’s and Elijah’s who will harken to your call. This Monday, release some Deborah’s and some Jael’s in the atmosphere who will boldly go into battle. This Monday, give the spirit of crying loud and sparing not. This Monday, bring forth the ministries who have been overlooked yet are covered in the oil. This Monday, release deliverance. This Monday restore hope and joy. This Monday, I need you to do it. And God, I thank you in advance, for all those reading this prayer who are about to experience you like never before. Thank you for what you are about to do for them. Thank you for the miracles they are about to see and feel. Thank you before it even happens. And thank you for hearing my prayer and honoring my request. God, it is in your name I pray.

AMEN.

Daily Devotional – 2/9/18 “Prayer for the weary”

Our Father in Heaven,

God, today as I come to your throne, I ask for your will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us bread that shall sustain us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the hands and the mouths of evil doers. Forgive us of our sins as we forgive those who have hurt us. Because it is then we live, breath and have our being in you. God, I thank you for everything before I ask for anything. Thank you for a regulated mind, for keeping power and protection. Thank you for the person reading this prayer who may be weary in body and spirit for it is they I need you to touch. It is the person who cannot stop the tears, the nightmares, the night sweats and anxiety attacks. It is the person who keeps looking for their morning joy because their weeping has gone on too long. It is for the person whose pain has become unbearable. It is for the person whose checking account is still in the negative and bills overdue. This prayer is for the person who encourages everybody yet barely holding on. Help today God. For the family who is grieving, the mother who had to bury a child, the child who had to bury a parent and the sibling who had to close the casket on a brother/sister. This prayer today is for the weary because I need you to blow fresh wind of peace. Even if the battle isn’t over, blow on them so they can bear it. Even if the sickness is not yet at its end, send strength so they can go on. Even if they have to suffer a little while longer, let them know their sacrifice isn’t in vain. Help today God for we shall not be defeated, we’ve come too far. Help today God because we shall not give up now. Help today God because victory has to be ours, we’ve been victims too long. Help today God, we shall not lose hope when our break is just beyond the break, our yes is behind the next no, our deliverance is about to delivered and our help is in you. God, I am believing it now because I know what I heard and you said, we shall not lack. I claim these things as though they are, for every person reading this. These things I ask in your name, for the weary body of believers, by faith that it is already done.

Amen

Daily Devotional – 2/8/18 “Declare, I got this!”

When Job was tested by Satan, he took everything (from Job) God allowed Him to take. All Job owned and employed, his children he had a part in creating and even the flesh from his body, hair from his head, tears from his eyes and breath from his body. Not only that but Satan took Job’s friends and threatened the very vows of marriage. This is what the devil does and he will use the smallest thing, in your thoughts and increase it. To you, it was just a memory of a mistake but to him, it can possibly be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. To you, it is just a twinge of doubt but to him, it will be the very thing that seeks to destroy your mind. To you, it’s that temporary moment you go through every now and then, but to him it’ll be what he uses to make you fearful about stepping out on faith. This is what the devil does and this is also why the bible shares in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” It doesn’t matter if you’re the strongest devotion leader, Satan will try you. You can be the best at your position, he will test you. You can be upright and blameless like Job but he will still attempt to discredit your faith. Beloved, you can have the strongest of foundation and Satan will still find the faintest of fault to make it crumble under pressure.

What do you do? You hold on. You speak life back into your situation. You talk yourself off the ledge. You have a conversation with God, even if it hurts. You trust, you believe and you know that God will never send you through something He will not get you out of. Oh, please understand, your escape plan may hurt but the pain will not last. When Jesus endured the cross, it was God’s escape plan and we all know how that worked out. You just have to trust God’s plan and know you got this. How do I know? I’ve been there. As a matter of fact, it was just this morning that Satan tried me by speaking doubt and fear but you know what I did? I started talking back letting him know, I still trust God and I got this! I started declaring, “Marcy (that’s my nickname), you got this girl.” “Marcy, keep pushing.” “Marcy, you can’t give up, folk counting on you.” And for somebody reading this, you got it too but you’ve got to start speaking it. So, what will you speak today? What pep talk will you have with self? Whatever it is, know that you’ve come this far by faith and there is no time to quit now because “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).”