Christmas Gift

By: Monique Smith

Stone me if I’m the only one, but I am honestly so tired of hearing the story of Mary and Joseph every Christmas. Yea, I said it. I’m just tired of hearing it because it’s always the same. I personally have only heard one spin on the Christmas story my entire life and that sermon was explaining the meaning of the gifts the wise men brought, but otherwise, I’ve been hearing the same explanatory sermon my whole life. (Although, I do get pretty hype at this part: Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.—Luke 2:11-14. I knowwww the angels were JAMMING! All hype because the plan for redemption was manifesting on that day! Whoot!)

Anyways, I’m taking it upon myself (and the Spirit of God that’s within me, of course) to bring out a few different points this Christmas season from that Christmas text. So you all know how the wise men brought gifts to Jesus? They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And these men were said to be wise in those days. So now, for us, who have been diligently seeking God for wisdom, are wise men and women, considering that, today. So as wisemen and wisewomen of this day and age, what kind of gifts could we bring to Jesus? Here are a few that I feel would bring our big brother great joy.

1. Faithfulness: And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ...1 John

2. Commitment: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. John 4:7 (Stay committed to God and His will and do not be conformed to the desires of your flesh)

3. Authenticity: Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 (Don’t be a counterfeit believer)

4. Harvest: For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1 Thessalonians 1:9 (Are the people you interact with coming into closer relationship with Christ?)

5. Freshness: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Don’t be old, be fresh)

6. Lordship: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 1 Corinthians 6:19 (Allow God to be in complete control of your life….you’re not your own anyways…)

7. Confessions: Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9 (Be real to God, don’t hide things from Him)

8. Conversation: Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4: 6 (Daddy just wants us to talk to Him, throw Him a little convo up)

9. Patience: Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need. James 1: 4

10. Consistency: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.(1 Corinthians 15: 58) (This is a big’un! If we can remain consistent in bringing Him the gifts stated above and other things, we will be SET and on the right road to pleasing our Father.

So those are just a few things that I feel would be great gifts for our Father. Pray and read the Word and learn of other things you can offer up to Jesus on His birthday and throughout every other day of the year! J Enjoy your family this holiday season and more importantly, enjoy JESUS!

Prayer: God you are the greatest! Thank you for your love, peace, forgiveness, and new mercies each day! God, help me provide you with these gifts that will bring you joy with my life today and forever more. God I know that I cannot fully repay you for all that you have done, is doing, and will do for me, but I do want to show my gratefulness more. God I love you so much and you are so great! Thank you for sending Jesus and for the plan of redemption and thank you for this great holiday where I can spread the gospel to those who do not believe! I love you so much! In Jesus name, Amen.

“Messed up over and over and over AND over and OVER….. “

By: Monique Smith

Generational curses are so terrible but are oh so real! In my reading 1 Kings, I have been TRIPPING at the kings that have ran through Israel. I’m sitting here reading everything like, is this for real?! WHY are they doing the EXACT opposite of what God placed them in charge to do? ANDDDD if they saw the previous king get punished for that behavior…whyyyy would you go back and do it again?!

So if y’all have never read Kings before, basically it’s the information about the Kings who were over Israel and Judea and what they did while they were reigning. I have noticed a steady trend of generational curses, more so than I’ve ever noticed in the Bible before. Here’s a small excerpt from 1 Kings 16 & 17:

v.23- In the thirty-first year of Judah's King Asa, Omri became king over Israel;….Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he did more evil than all who were before him. He followed the example of Jeroboam son of Nebat…… vs. 29- Ahab SON of Omri became king over Israel…. But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him.

It goes on and on and on in Kings, and its really sickening. Outside of Bible world, just last night, generational curses reared its ugly head in my own family line. My younger cousin called me with family issues and in the background I heard her father yelling at her and being really boisterous. She later told me he was fighting her. She’s in high school. Her dad’s a grown man. The generational curse here: His dad abused his mom and was mean and yelled all the time. He’s just following suit. THIS IS A SHAME and should not be! I’m still having trouble grasping the idea that people repeat things that were traumatic to them!

But Thanks be to God that there is a way out! His name is Jesus and he fixes everything, all the time! Ways to break generational curses is to pray over the curse itself to be broken and then really analyze the sin/curse and cover yourself (or other individual) in prayer and scripture even more in those areas. Pray in the spirit! Just like the situation that happened to my little cousin last night, I don’t know HOW to pray for that because my mind is still in so much disbelief, but God knows exactly what is needed and Jesus, my homie, is at the right hand interceding and praying too! (Romans 8:26-27) “²⁶Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Prayer: God I love you! Help me identify bad patterns in my life that resemble the same bad patterns of my parents and other family members. I do not want to continually hurt you by being ignorant to any generational curses that I am passing along in my genes. Lord teach me how to pray and scriptures to read to help! You’re tha MAN! I love you! In Jesus name, amen!

Status: Impatient

By: Monique Smith

So if you follow me on twitter, you may have read my tweet the other day: “Its tough realizing how impatient I am & then after asking for more patience realizing my frustration with God in times to learn #conviction “

This is some true stuff and it was very much convicting when I realized that. Basically I am seeing areas of impatience in my life so much more now, because I am being placed in situations where I have to practice patience in pretty much ALL aspects of my life. At work, with coaching, personal life, spiritually,….just everywhere. Then when I notice those things, my first thought is: GOD, give me more patience!! I know I need to work on waiting on your will and allowing you to be Lord over everything in my life. Then the very second, I am faced with a situation that will TEACH ME MORE PATIENCE, I’m frustrated with God and ready for it to end. UGH.

James 1: 1-3 “My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, ³ because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.⁴ Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need .

From the scriptures, I KNOW that the situations that frustrate me HAVE to test my faith in order to GIVE ME patience, but sometimes I disregard the scriptures and rather stay in “darkness” and be upset with God that things aren’t going as smoothly as planned.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1 & 11 says “ There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven…..[God] has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put a sense of past and future in their minds, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.”

To me those scriptures are saying, regardless of the speed I want things to happened, there is a specific time for that to take place. God in his infinite wisdom has already pre-ordained the time for everything to happen in my life, and I may have a thought or idea of the future, but I will never be able to fully connect all the pieces to the puzzle!

God has promised me some big things in the future, that right now, I honestly am growing very impatient in waiting on because it just does not look like things will ever manifest. Even though I have many answered prayers that God came through on in the past, somehow I still lose sight of that in my rush to have everything when I want it. But I thank God so much, that He loves me in spite of myself. Just this week, God reminded me of some prayers I have been praying and He is showing me how certain things are connecting, right now, to make those things come to past. How great is it that we have a Dad who cares enough about us to do that for us! He saw my lack of faith and lack of patience last week, but He directed me to scripture and revealed some of His plan to me still. My goodness! I love that man! So y’all stay encouraged! Just know that if we want something from the Lord, it will take work and we have to step way out of our comfort zone.

Prayer: Lord, I love you! Help me accept these trials and situations that are in my life only to teach me patience. I am tired of getting frustrated with you, because I know you know what’s best. Sometimes, I just get so obsessed with myself and want what I want before you give it to me. Give me wisdom to realize the importance of patience and practical steps I can take to become less frustrated in this process. Lord I love you! In Jesus name, Amen.

Being in the Light

By: Monique Smith

I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 8:12

Jesus was speaking this truth right here. HE is the light of this world. He is simply saying, if you FOLLOW him, you will NOT walk in darkness, but in light. Unfortunately, many people who follow Christ some how are still in darkness sometimes. How so? Here goes. Have you ever been in a situation but always going back and forth about it, or constantly changing your opinion based on some different perspectives? I have. I’ve been 100% sure about something, but out of no where, someone comes with a new spin on the situation, and I change my mind, and then I’m back at square one. Confused. Darkness could be interpreted as confusion. God does not want us confused about His will. Since His yoke is easy and His burden is light, knowing what His will is for our life is simple. The struggle comes in when we are stubborn or selfish and try to insert some of our ideas into what God wants. Even though we KNOW that’s not His will for us, we entertain it anyways. Then we are left in darkness. We start fighting around trying to connect some dots of light in our life, to simulate the “light of the world”. Those dots can be: going to church, spending a little more time in our Bible, denying ourselves from fleshly desires, or even getting into an intense prayer regimen. BUT we are STILL in darkness because we are not completely following Christ in ALL aspects of our lives. Then we may get to a point where we try to avoid light in our lives, because we might even like being in the dark a little. This is a dangerous place to be. Very dangerous. So I just want to encourage you all, to rid the confusion from your lives. Get back to the balance that you once had and remain in the light. Have things become lopsided and disjointed in your life? Then it’s time to meet with God and have Him pour into you like only He can. Let him nurse you back to good health and equip you for the next phase of your journey.

Prayer: “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?” - Psalm 42:1-2. Help me Jesus to get back in your light. This confusion and darkness I’m in, is NOT it. In Jesus name, amen.

How you do dat dere?

By: Monique Smith

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you. . ..”

1 Peter 3:15

Man if God doesn’t challenge you with His word, I declar’! So let me give you a play by play. I JUST read this scripture this morning and was like “That’s a good scripture! I should write a devotional about it!” ….10 minutes later. A teacher walks to my desk and here is our conversation:

Me: Good morning! (Smiles)

Her: Good morning. You know, you ALWAYS look so happy! I don’t know what is it! But whatever you got, I want some of it”.

Me: (Chuckles) (Smiles)

Her: (Waits for a moment) then starts asking me a question related to why she visited in the first place. Then she walks away.

WAIT! I don’t know if you got that….but go back and read the scripture….it says ALWAYS be ready to give a defense. In other words, this basically means that we should always be ready to speak up and boldly proclaim the JOY that we have in the LORD! We have hope because of JESUS! He came, died, and rose so that we would have a chance to get back in proper relationship with Christ. The light that we have on the inside should shine so bright and attract people to us to ask us why we are so different and that gives us an easy moment to witness about God! People wonder how we live lives of holiness, how we remain calm and joyful in terrible situations, and we should be ready and not ashamed of the gospel (Romans 1:16). Well, I just wanted to encourage you all on that. Clearly I’m convicted. Whew. Y’all be blessed!

Prayer: Lord. Help me! You’re so great and wonderful and I boast in you to certain people, but give me MORE boldness and MORE opportunities to effectively witness of your love and mercy to everyone who you place in my ministry path! I love you so much God. In Jesus name, Amen.

Soooooo tell me what you want, what you really really want!

By Monique Smith

Spice girls? Yea. Sorry. Anyways.

1 King 3: 7-14

Let’s dig in.

In summary, God came to King Solomon in a dream and asked him what he wanted of God. Solomon proceeds by giving thanks and praises to God for everything He has already done and for the position he has placed him in. With that being said, Solomon also acknowledges his lack of experience in leadership and knows that he has been placed in charge of numerous people. So what does Solomon ask for from God? “…give your servant an obedient heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil…” (v.9). What follows next is simply amazing, but when we’re talking about God, what isn’t?

(v.10-14) “So God said to him, because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to understand justice, I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again”

(((……..But wait folks it doesn’t stop there…….)))

“IN ADDITION, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life.

IF

you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”

When I first read this passage, I honestly put myself in the text. With my job, I have leadership over a BUNCH of students and now even more leadership as a coach. Many times I find myself at church during alter prayers, speechless and thoughtless. Because many times I honestly did not know what to ask for. I’m not saying that everything in my life is all peachy cream, but I’ve gotten to a place where I just want God because I have so much already and have received so many blessings. I’m not sure how I got to the point of saying that…..ohhhh yes I do. I used to be OVERWHELMINGLY ungrateful and now I continually work on being thankful for everything and not getting more than I need most times. Anyways, I was extremely blessed when I saw the reward that Solomon received for his selfless request of the Lord. He got what he asked for and MORE. This passages demonstrates and witnesses to Ephesians 3:20, “....[God] is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”! How cool! BUT all of this is contingent, yet again on walking in the way of the Lord. Without doing that, you get zilch. Nada.

Prayer: Lord! YOU are so so so so so so so loving! You are so beautiful! Give us selfless hearts. Let us become third Lord! You first, other’s second, and I’m third. This is our prayer. In Jesus name!

Righteousness: The Whole Story

By: Fred Reid

Wattup folk?! Clearly I been away for far too long! But I’m bizack!! Today I’ma dive into righteousness, but you know how I do so its from a different persepective. It’s gon be a lot a scriptures so I prolly won’t be able to really go into it like that but hopefully it’ll be beneficial for ya’ll..Let’s get to it… (many are the affliciations of the righteous…)

Psalms 34:17 ‘the righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles’ key points: As a righteous person you have a DIRECT line to the Lord and more over he ACTS on what you cry out for! (hallelujah!) but notice that there are troubles associated with being righteous as well

Proverbs 10:30 ‘The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth” Key points: Righteous folk lives SHALL be established! You won’t be tossed to and fro and all over the place! It might seem like it but God is your anchor and foundation and everything will be built upon Him for he is unshakeable…wicked folks not so much lol

Matthew 13:43 ‘Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ Key Points: You’ve probably have to read the verses before to really understand this jawn, but its basically about what it will be like when Jesus comes back (I think lol)but basically a reward of being righteous is that you will make God look good! I’m bout that life!!!!!!

Matthew 23:28 ‘Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity’ Key Points: Again you’d prolly have to start at least around v 26 to make it more clear bbuutt this is about putting on to seem righteous in the eyes of man. And thus we learn that righteousness is something that starts and is sustained on the inside FIRST and begins to show outwardly.

1 Peter 4:18 ‘And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?’ Key points: WHOA THAT JOINT TIGHT BUT ITS RIGHT! Welp the main thing to take from this is that the righteous are saved! Scarely! But still saved! Sheesh

Matthew 5:10 ‘Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ Key Points: There is persecution associated with righteousness but there is also on going blessing for that!

Psalms 34:19 ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the LORD delivereth him out of them all’ Key Points: There is A LOT of persecution associated with being righteousness but God is greater than all’dat!

In synopsis, there is a good bit of struggling, and persecution associated with being righteous. You will stick out from the crowd and be targeted by the enemy because of it. This attack will be seen through people but remember it’s just the enemy tryna get atcha! And more importantly, NO MATTER WHAT YOU ARE DEALING WITH GOD IS GREATER AND WILL TURN IT IN TO SOMETHING GOOD FOR YOU! If you are His hehehe

Over and Out J

Black Friday

By: Monique Smith

Now from the title, you may think this devotional will be about the shopping antics of millions of people on the day after (some the day of) Thanksgiving. But no, tis quite different my friends. As I went to write this devotional this morning on 1 King 3: 7-14, the Lord quickly drew my mind to “Friday”, which has nothing to do with the text I wanted to write about! We have a few holidays in the US on Friday’s, one which is most important to us is “Good Friday”. But in light of the black Friday spirit, I actually feel like the names of these holidays should be switched. Think about it, outside us knowing the true value of Christ’s death, there is nothing good about someone being murdered. It’s actually sad and dull. Contrary to the hustle and bustle on black Friday, this Friday is actually the one that is good, because of the crazy savings you get. (Unless of course you shop in Fayetteville, then it may actually be a black Friday because you could get a black eye or shot in the mall….smh, I’m just sayin…. Lol).

ANYWAYS, the Bible tells us that “He was despised, and we didn’t value Him….He Himself bore our sicknesses….He carried our pains; ….He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities….He was oppressed and afflicted…..AND on top of that….”the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely” (Isaiah 53:3-10). All of this happened to Jesus and He did it all FOR us! What darker day could this be? To be beaten and crushed for some other people’s sins, who many times aren’t even appreciative of you?! AND have your dad rejoice in your sufferings? Whew man…. Now THAT’s what I call a ‘black Friday” . Instead of Jesus buying electronics or clothes, He bought US! No cash or credit needed, He purchased us with His blood! Instead of scouting out sales in the ads, he researched our records and knew we had all worked in sin and iniquity and He knew death was our reward, but He took that. He took that for us! HE did that for us! Romans 5:8 : ) Jesus is the bomb! I love that man!

Well, I just wanted to share that thought that came to my head. Hope y’all got something from it. Be blessed!

Prayer: Lord, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! I love love love you! I owe myself to you because you love me that much! Help me give myself completely away to you because I struggle. Oh man, I struggle. Lord, I love you with my whole heart but sometimes my mind is no where near you! Draw me closer! In Jesus name! Amen.

Futuristic Prayers

By: Monique Smith

Even though the world seems to be heading to its demise and Jesus is soon to appear, I just wanted to take a moment to encourage you all to pray for your futures. If you’re like me, you want your future to be WAY better than your past. So, you have to pray for it. Since we are all young adults, we may not really be thinking too much about marriage, homes, future jobs, ministry, or children, but in my opinion, now is the time to really pray for those things. After I learned about generational curses and how the enemy wants to continue the cycle of sin and struggles that you had in your life to your seed, I immediately started praying for my kids. Since I know I was addicted to porn and masturbation for MANY years, you best believe I’ve been praying against that for my kids. I don’t want them lil’ mugs to have to struggle with the same lustful spirits I dealt with or the homosexual thoughts that I’ve had before. Also, I’ve been praying for their health and for future gifts they may have as well. As a mother, I want to be able to effectively communicate the importance of having a relationship with Christ and prayer to them. When I see moms and their kids, I watch them. I discern their spirits and pray for the unconditional love and the compassion that I see some moms have.

As far as marriage goes, I’ve been praying against those things that I’ve witnessed that are negative in marriages. I want to be able to effectively communicate and truly love that man through anything. I’ve already made a declaration that I’m NEVER getting a divorce, so I’ve been praying for more wisdom and strength to withstand marital tests. In ministry, I want stamina and the ability to follow the spirit and boldness to proclaim the truth in ALL situations. I want to always be able to be convicted and be accountable to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I could go on and on about the things I pray about and will start praying about since I wrote this devotional. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not on my knees for hours praying about these things, a lot of my prayers are simple conversations with God throughout the day or in my down time. If I see something I like in a minister or with a couple, I immediately ask God to allow me to experience that or help me to live up to that standard, etc. So don’t leave this devotional feeling like praying for your future will be too overwhelming, because it’s not. Just remember to send something up for your future and be specific! Don’t say something like “I want a house with a nice family”, tell God exactly what you want and He will give you the desires of your heart IF it lines up with His will. (That “IF” in relation to things of God and Bible scriptures is something serious! Whew! Don’t get too hung up on the good stuff that you forget the conditions that apply!)

Prayer: God we love you! Thank for you PEACE that surpasses ALL understanding! Lord, thank you for transforming my mind and giving me self control! Lord, help me pray more! Help me be more specific about the things I want in my future! Help me to line up to your will for my life! God, I want everything I do, to resemble you! Help me to love more and to embrace the situations that you’ve placed me in! Thank you for purpose in my future! Help me to live up to that! I ask this is Jesus mighty name! Amen.

He knows

By: Monique Smith

“…For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of…” Matthew 6:8.

Remember when we were little….well, maybe we don’t remember, but here’s what happened. We weren’t able to speak, only cry. But our parents knew EXACTLY what we needed to appease our cries. They knew when we were hungry, when we were sleepy, when we had to boo-boo, everything! It’s so amazing to watch a parent tend to their child without even speaking. Even now, sometimes my parents know I’m having a bad day and need a little encouragement without even asking me! So let’s look at God. If our human parents know what we need before we ask, how much more does God know! How amazing! God doesn’t even necessarily need us to pray to Him to give us what we need, but He wants to hear our beautiful voices so sometimes He waits for us to call. I read this scripture today and I wanted to remind you all that GOD already KNOWS what you need, so BE EZZZZZZZZZE. Don’t stress! Let God handle the rest!

Prayer: God, I just don’t know WHAT more to say about you! With each and every scripture I read, you simply blow me away more and more! Lord, I love you! You are the captain of my life! The source of my strength! Thank you for knowing what I need before I ask you! You are all knowing, all powerful, all of EVERYTHING! Help me to see your power and your hand even more today than I have in the past! Love you so much! In Jesus name. Amen.

JUST WAIT…PATIENTLY!

By: Rickey Danielle

Ok! So I’m sure each of us has experienced some point in our lives where we were a little impatient. Whether that was with a family member, friend, significant other, or just pertaining to a certain situation at home, work, or school. There are certainly times where our patience tends to run slim. And although we may not want to admit it, there are times where we become impatient with God. Sometimes we tend to become impatient with God when it comes to those situations that we have been praying to Him about and asking Him to fix for us or help us to see a bit more clearly, but it seems like things have not changed. However, it is important to realize that sometimes God is just testing our faith. He wants to see how long we can hold on and trust that He will fix it for us like He said He would.

James 1:12 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.

So basically this scripture is telling us that if we can PATIENTLY endure testing and temptation, God will give us the crown of life that He has promised us because we love Him. As a result, we must learn how to increase our patience level. We tend to always want an immediate fix to our problems but think about it; if every time we had a problem or got ourselves into sticky situations and God always immediately fixed them for us, then how would we learn to have faith?? How would we learn to trust God?? Besides, sometimes God has to leave us in a situation for a little while so that we might learn from our mistakes and as a result be able to share what we have learned from that situation with our fellow brothers and sisters.

Romans 15:4 The scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

This scripture basically tells us that as we wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled, He has given us His word (the bible) to keep us encouraged. So whenever you are going through a situation and you are waiting for God to intercede, use His word as motivation to continue waiting patiently. Reading the word of God will remind you of just how AWESOME He is! It will remind you of all His promises and how He is GREATER than any situation that you might be going through. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask and think, but we must exercise our faith and wait patiently for Him to help us. Remember that God is patient with us even when we continually fall short, so we must be patient with Him when we ask for His help. Because He didn’t have to do it BUT He did!!!!! And for that I AM GRATEFUL!! So I challenge you all to be a little more patient with the people around you, the situations that you encounter, and especially with our God! Have faith and know that eventually things will work out!!

Love you all,

Rickey Danielle

“Same old same old”

By: Monique Smith

So for a while last year, I was a member at New Bethel Baptist Church in Durham and around offering time, I found myself getting frustrated every time. No, not because I didn’t want to shell out money to the Lord, but because of the “same old” scripture that was printed on the program EVERY week. Growing up Baptist, I understood the traditions and everything in between, but I could not for the life of me understand why they printed the same scripture each week. Then it hit me (about a year later lol), that reading something over and over and over again is a sure way to get something and to keep something in your spirit! Sounds like a “duh” statement, but it took me a while to come to that conclusion.

With that said, this will be my new way of scripture memory because it will feel like less of a homework assignment than my method of scripture memory before. Now before bed each night, I plan to read the same scripture each night until I am sure I know it. Before, I would work really hard and remember a scripture for Bible study, and unfortunately, soon forget it if I did not apply it to different situations. Now, I feel that this method will be effective.

So I know you all are wondering what scripture was and is still being printed on the church programs right…. Well here it is: 1 Chronicles 4:10. It’s the prayer of Jabez.

“And Jabez called upon the God of Isreal, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested”.

This scripture is such a great scripture and can instill so many things into your spirit. It can instill faith, hope, belief, trust, love, and probably any other good Godly thing you can think of.

· Faith: This scripture forces Jabez to have faith in God because prayers without faith are just thoughts being bounced off the ceiling. The Bible tells us “what things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).

· Hope: Romans 8: 24-25 tells us, “…but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently”. Jabez did not yet see the enlargement of his coast yet and that’s what encouraged him to hope and have faith for his prayer to come to past.

· Belief & Trust: Jabez had to believe and trust that God would come through and grant his request, because if not, then as mentioned earlier, it would be pointless to pray about it.

· Love: To me, this scripture instilled MORE love for God! To know and to read that God was faithful to grant Jabez the desires of his heart, allows me to rejoice and be confident that God will do the same for me! Why? Because God is UNCHANGEABLE! Malachi 3:6 says “For I am the Lord, I do not change….” And Hebrews 13:8 says” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”! What better news is this?! What greatness!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being the incredible God you are. Allow me to learn more about your character in the scriptures that I read. Lord, I thank you for your Word and the joy that I receive when I learn things from you! God you are so great and you are so worthy of my praise! Lord, help me with scripture memory and life application of your divine Word! I love you so so so much and will forever serve you! In your son Jesus name. Amen.

“….are you in good hands?”

By: Monique Smith

Good day! This week has been full of amazing blessings! Glory Glory! However, right now I want to focus on God’s amazing protection! My best friend trips on me every time I tell him about one of my traveling escapades, because he feels that I travel too much. I agree, but a lot of the traveling I do is necessary in order to fulfill all that is required of me. I honestly feel that in the future, my ministry will have me traveling a whole lot, because right now, it really doesn’t make sense to be on the road so much. I have to be preparing for something. ; ) In light of that, it is nothing but God’s grace and His protection that has kept me from car accidents and major car malfunctions while traveling thus far. So this leads us to the text for today. Psalm 91. Last year, this passage of scripture was in my spirit ALL the time. Like it was really everywhere! I would randomly open the Bible, and it would turn to that passage, I would turn the radio on, and a song would be playing about that passage, or I would just walk into someone’s dorm room, and see the scripture on a mug! (Crazy right!)

I was just going to point out one verse from the passage…..but I LOVE all the verses, so here goes my commentary on a few of them : )

V1. This passage starts so great! I had a vision of playing hide and seek, you know how when you used to hide under the bed, you thought you were good, no body could find you, since you were under the protection of the bed. But oh to be under the protection of the MOST HIGH and to be in his shadow….what could get to you!? Only those things that he allows because you are so hidden in Him! So you best believeeeee, if you are going through a trail, it is NECESSARY for the next level God wants to take you! Take courage!

V7. I really love vs 7. Even though everyone is falling apart around you, nothing bad will reach you! This makes me think on the faith that my mama instilled in me at a young age. Whenever hurricane season would come around, mama refused to let us fear the storm. She firmly believed that God wouldn’t let anything harm our house and that we would be protected because God was in charge. And sure enough, her faith never failed her! So regardless of the fact that everyone around you is failing, don’t worry, you will continue #winning #winning! This is further backed up in vs. 10.

V11. HERE IT IS: “For He will give HIS angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways”. Every time I am traveling long distances, this scripture always pops into my head! I feel like I can actually feel the angels riding along side of my car, making sure no other cars come near me and making sure I stay on the road! Sometimes when I am driving and I see car wrecks, I start praising! Other times, I just think about the many possibilities of wrecks, and I start praising! I am truly thankful! This scripture just makes me feel so special because God actually lends me some of His precious important angels to take care of me! Whooo!

V14-16. Not only is God doing the utmost in protecting us, He also promises to run and answer any call we have for Him and to rescue us if we happen to be in trouble AND give us HONOR on top of that! He also promises us long life and His salvation!!! Hold up, so JUST because we are devoted to God and love Him (which is our reasonable service Rm.12:1), HE does all this! I just can’t understand His goodness, but I LOVE it! I used to want to date a tall man who could wrap me in his arms and protect me….(lol naw honestly I didn’t actually desire that, I just said it because that’s what my friends wanted haha), BUT there is no man that will ever protect me like God will! So I’m thankful for that!

Prayer: God! I love you boo! You’re mmm mmm good!! You’re the best MAN ever! Thank you for protecting your kids in the loving way that you do! Help us see your angels protecting us more and more in our daily lives. Help us be more grateful for you as well! In Jesus name. Amen.

Unity Is Power

By: Rikey Danielle

Alright folks! So tonight I went to bible study at WOCC and I just thought that I would share my notes with you guys! Enjoy!

Philippians 2:1-2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Psalm 133: 1-3 How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Power
-means energy
-means ability - you don't appreciate ability until you don't have it - you can almost take these abilities for granted
-unity is an ability - it is something that you are able to do - sometimes you don’t appreciate that unity until its gone - unity is an ability - it is a power - unity will help you in relationships with your friends - in your businesses - with your children and with your marriages
-unity is an act of your will - it is something that you make up in your mind - "I am going to be united with this person" - when unity is important to you, you will be willing to place your beliefs or your ways aside in order to unite with someone else - it is an act that you will do because you know that unity is a powerful thing

What I took from this is that unity is a conscious decision that we must make. Of course we are not always going to agree with each other about certain things but when we get to a point where we are able to place our personal ideas and beliefs aside or when we are able to compromise with someone else in order to achieve unity, it is a sign of TRUE maturity.

Unity is...
-good: profitable, fertile
-pleasant: sweet (like a good song or good sweet melody, it moves you!) it takes you places that you wouldn't get to without it
-anointed: like the anointing that comes by birth - unity will anoint you from your highest place to your lowest place - from what you think to where you go - from what everyone sees to what nobody knows about you!
-powerful: "dew from Hermon falling on Mt. Zion” - this means from the far north to the far south - once unity is established it is practiced, experienced, and expected -unity can bridge any gap!! We have to see unity as an act of our will!

I like how Pastor Andy said that unity is practiced, experienced, and expected. It is important to remember that unity is not something that is just given to people. It is something that has to be practiced. You make that conscious effort to be unified with someone or a group of people and then you begin to practice doing that. Then once you experience how great it feels to be united with someone or a group of people, it begins to be something that you just automatically expect. It’s kind of like how we learn to walk; once we learn it just becomes something that we automatically do. We don’t remember how we learned to walk because it’s been practiced so much that it just becomes natural.

How is unity accomplished??
-if you are saved and you want to be like the Lord then make his joy complete by being like minded - this means thinking the same way - it means that we process information the same way - we need to get to a place where we think the same - it helps us to believe alike - I have to put myself in their shoes - if you are ever in a situation where someone is at fault and you are the one to decide their fate then you should quickly think to yourself, how would I want to be treated if I were this person? How much mercy would I want them to show me?
-we have to have the same love - we have to define love as sacrifice - we have to come to the same definition of love - when you love someone, you will sacrifice for that person - if you are only taking from someone then that is not love - agape love is the love of God - intensity - some people love more than others - he talked about how men need to love their wives - he talked about how men have a hard time loving - we got to have some type of intensity if we are going be unified
-one spirit: we need to have the same relationship with God - the same enthusiasm and passion for God – let’s come together!
-in purpose: what is your reason for being in that relationship or friendship? You have to have the same reason for being there or you will not be unified

So in short, in order for us to be unified with one person or a group of people, we must be like minded, have the same love, one spirit, and the same purpose. I hope that we can use this lesson in order to help us be a more unified group of friends. I also encourage you all to seek unity in the relationships that you have with other people. Especially people whom you might take interest in as far as being in a relationship. Look for someone that loves Christ just as much as you do so that you both may be unified as a couple. I don’t know about ya’ll but I want me a like-minded man! Lol! I want someone who has the same definition of love as me, someone who has the same passion and enthusiasm for God and most importantly, someone who is in the relationship with me for the same reason/s that I’m in the relationship with him. Fellas, ya’ll should look for this same common ground with potential female companions. Besides…UNITY is a POWERFUL thing!!

Love you guys!

Rickey Danielle