Be strong and courageous

By: Monique Smith

Be strong and courageous

The Lord impressed upon my spirit today to flip to Joshua 1 during my morning quiet time with Him. The words in the scriptures encouraged me so much today and I wanted to encourage you as well. The devotional will be coming from Joshua 1: 1-9. (HCSB)

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses: ² “Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. ³ I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea.⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance. ⁷ Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. ⁸ This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. ⁹ Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The first thing that was pressed in my spirit was the fact that Moses had died. Moses was a great leader and many people looked up to him. Think about it, God gave him, specifically, the 10 commandments to give to the people. So I figure that when he died, it was pretty devastating for everyone. Now for Joshua, knowing that he had the responsibility to take on the load of leading everyone, the old task of Moses, I’m pretty sure he felt overwhelmed and under qualified to do such a task. And immediately out the gate, God gave him the task of leading the people over the Jordan river into a new land. Not only did God want Joshua to lead, he gave him a huge task right from the jump. God knew that Joshua’s flesh was weak and prone to be discouraged, so He reminded him THREE times, to be very strong and courageous! He continuously comforted him by telling him, that He would always be there. He would not forsake him. He tells Joshua to not be discouraged because He will be with him, wherever he goes.

For me many times, when I am made known of a new opportunity or God has placed me in a new position, I look forward to being able to be eased into my role….not jumping in head first. The ladder of the two has been happening with me currently in graduate school. Many things, such as the magnitude of class work, being an intern, and being a research assistant thus far has made me feel like I’m jumping head first into things that hold great weight.  I’ve been very unsure of my ability and knowledge to perform in these positions due to my “lack of training” in these areas. This experience has been very overwhelming for me at times and has made me question my ability and qualification for even being in graduate school. However, I am so thankful to God that He chose me to complete this task specifically. God chose me and tells me to be strong and courageous. It is not God’s will for me to be afraid, overwhelmed, frustrated, or unsure of myself. God told me that He is with me. He will NEVER leave me or forsake me. God has granted me this opportunity and equipped me for the journey. God reminds me to stand firm on His word and not lean to the left or the right, but be solid and stay on a straight path. In order to have success, God tells me to absorb the entire Word and recite it day and night. I must stay focused and consistent in my quiet time with Him and learning the Word. Only then will I prosper and succeed. God knows in this journey of school, things may LOOK frightening, unobtainable, overwhelming, and stressful BUT God has already given me every place where my foot trots. Simply by granting me admission into graduate school, God has given me the degree-- I just have to go through the motions to receive it. 

God also comforts my feelings when He reminds me that no one will be able to stand against me as long as I live! No one or nothing! Even when I feel attacked by others, I must remember that God is with me and no one can STAND against me. People can be against me all day, but they can’t STAND. You might be against me but you’re not standing! I may dislike that you are against me, but the thing is, I’m standing. And standing on the Word of God! What a solid foundation!
I just love the Word and how God is speaking directly to my weakness and reminding me to stay strong and courageous! He tells me that THREE times in the scriptures. That’s just amazing in itself. All God has to do is speak a thing one time and it is. (Let there be…. And it was…). However, God loves me SO much and knows my flesh is SO weak and easily dismayed that He reminds me and speaks to my spirit Three times and tells me to be strong and very courageous! Man that thang ministered to me! I was feeling so overwhelmed and feeling like I wanted to give up over the past few weeks, pertaining to school, but God’s sweet words to me are simply: Be strong and very courageous! I’m not to fear school, if I couldn’t do it, God wouldn’t have put me here! I graduated from UNC with HONORS, so of course God will help me graduate successfully from a Master’s program at my alma mater! Why am I worried? Why am I concerned?! God is with me! I don’t have to fret! Everything that I do is for God’s glory! Will He make Himself out to be a mockery? NO. So why would He put me in a place to fail?? He wouldn’t! Just as Joshua was promised his land would reach from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great Euphrates River…God will allow my reach and my ministry to far exceed my life goals that I have written. God has greater for me! This program and this place that I’m in now is only a preview to the GREATER that is to come! I thank God so much! He is so great and He loves me so much! He’s my best friend, my provider, my healer, my savior, my way maker, my counselor, my corrector, my peace, my EVERYTHING. God is everything to me! Thank you Jesus!


Prayer: DADDY, I’m so glad you love me. Man, you’re so great! Thank you for the Bible and thank you for leading me to this scripture passage today. It’s soooo cool that you think so much about me that you care when I feel overwhelmed. Lord, thank you for ministering to me and saying exactly what I needed to hear, even when I couldn’t verbalize my need to anyone else. Lord, I also thank you for the people around me who continuously encourage me. God, sometimes I feel that I’m not supposed to let others know I’m in need of encouragement, since I’m usually the one they seek for encouragement, but God, I thank you for sending those people my way….even when I don’t ask for them. God I love you and I want to be in a relationship with you forever! Thank you for never forsaking me and for promising to always be with me! You’re so cool and I love you. In Jesus name, amen.

Trouble

By: Monique Smith

Peachy peach. All goodie over here. That is exactly what I expected and continually expect about my walk with Christ. I fully expect that IF I walk in the Word and stay faithful that I will NOT experience any trials or tribulations. Even though the WORD clearly….I mean CLEARLY, tells me that I WILL. James 1:2- Consider it all joy,” James said, “when you encounter various trials…” Notice James said when and not if. Regardless of the absoluteness of this scripture, it STILL catches me off guard when an issue comes up in my life! I immediately begin asking God, “What did I do wrong?” “Did I not read the Bible enough?” “Are you mad at me for not praying every day?” “HELP!” Just like a devotional I read today stated, “When we encounter difficulties, it is easy to jump to conclusions. We may think God is mad at us or He is punishing us. We wonder if God is not blessing us because we’ve disappointed Him in some way. But all through the Bible we see that some of God’s closest friends experienced the darkest nights.” Think about it, JESUS suffered!!!!!! He did NO wrong!!! Nothing!!! The Bible also tells us in John 16:33- “….In this world you will have trouble, But take heart! I have overcome the world!” Don’t get me wrong, just because the Bible tells us that we will have trials, doesn’t mean we have to like the trial. Jesus didn’t even like it! “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will,” (Matthew 26:39). BUT we can take joy and heart in the fact that God is right there with us, feeling pain as well. I recently learned that just as easily as God can love, He can hurt. We can hurt God’s feelings and he feels pain, just like us. Thankfully, His Holy Spirit is right there to comfort us all! We just have to trust that God’s will is perfect. Simple as that.

So don’t worry, be happy. God is with you and will never leave or forsake you! He’s loving and He’s your best friend!

Prayer: God, thank you for the reality check your Word constantly brings me! You are so perfect and so great and I thank you for holding my hand every step of the way through my life. God, help me understand and remember that your will is perfect and will always lead me to an expected and great end. I love love love love love you! You are amazing! You are great! You are perfect! I trust you! You love me! Thank you so much for everything. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

THAT ULTIMATE KINGDOM SERIOUS FOCUS!

     Another glorious testament to the great life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; but this is one of characteristics that people hardly point out and honestly it’s tough to swallow. In this devotional I will point out how Jesus was so focused on the Kingdom of God and His purpose from God that He didn’t let anyone or anything stop Him!

The first scripture Luke 9:60

“Jesus said unto him, ‘Let the dead bury their dead; but go thou and preach the kingdom of God’”

     A little context/background. At this point of His life, Jesus was teaching the disciples and then a man said he wanted to join in to the movement. At any point of Christianity a new follower is always good. Jesus wanted to educate the people on what they’d really be signing up for, Jesus had no set comfortable area to lay His head and there was a lot of hard times ahead of Him, but then another man still persisted that he’d follow…until he almost blew it all in his next phrase(lol). The man told Jesus that he wanted to go bury his father first. Seemingly a reasonable request, he wanted to properly send off the man who had nurtured him through life and had a part in making him into the man he was at that moment. Yet Jesus told him basically to forget all that because it was over and instead pursue spreading the kingdom.

     Now my intention is not quite to get into the revelation of what exactly Jesus meant to let the dead bury the dead because surely there is a lot there to be dealt with and understood; but instead I want to draw our attention to that fact that Jesus would not let an emotionally driven situation stop Him (or the people that intend to be around Him) from proclaiming the gospel. Yet another example, Matthew 16:23

“But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men”

     Background/context. A few versus before Peter declared Jesus to be the son of God the very messiah and Jesus says He will build His church upon this revelation and said that Peter was hearing straight from God what other people weren’t hearing. Peter had to be feeling good…emotional actually…so shortly thereafter when Jesus begins to talk about the death and resurrection that He MUST endure. Peter told Him essentially “Nah bro I love you too much you can’t go through something like that” and thus we arrive at the verse we I pointed out. It seems harsh for Jesus to call Peter satan, ESPECIALLY since He gave Him so much praise a few verses earlier. However if Jesus fed into the emotional appeal that Peter offered Him, it would be a tougher assignment for Him to complete.

     In conclusion, I assert unto you to be focused on God! There will be all kind of distractions and reasons not to do what God has called you to do RIGHT NOW! Be careful of the emotional appeals that people offer you, whether it be that you’re assignment is hard, or they offer you a sad story these are also distractions. Don’t get me wrong, sad things happen, and the people around you that love you will tell you what they think is best for you and will keep you safe and doing well. But you must trust God above all others. You must focus on His will more than ANYTHING ELSE…over everything!

Over and Out J

"I Know I'm a Christian But I wanna "DO IT".... By Jackie Hill

This video popped up on my YouTube today, figure it could bless some folks!


She's just keeping it real.

Click here to watch video

By: Jackie Hill

Hold to God's Unchanging Hand

By: Donovan Parker

Song in my spirit - wanted to share. So it's an old hymn I remember from my youth.

I have been repeatedly singing it these last couple days. 

The most memorable lines in the chorus are "Build your hopes on things eternal; hold to God's Unchanging Hand. 

So I took a second to think about the message that the song provides. 

This is what's exciting to me ..

The songwriter uses the term "build" which is interesting for a number of reasons.  There are a couple things to note about building. We will go over as we go along.  

Before building, most people put together a detailed and scripted plan or blueprint of what they want the completed work to look like.  That's interesting because the mere fact that you have an expectation of completion is testament to the dominion and power you have in God to it coming to pass!

These next few things are crucial to your BUILD.

1. Foundation. Your BUILD has to have structure. It has to be able to withstand some weight.

In other words, the foundation or the base/basis for what you invest in must be structural because its necessary for support of the weight of the BUILD.  

2. Supplies. You'll need resources to complete your BUILD.  Don't worry, this is already covered.  Ever went shopping on the company budget? It feels a little different doesn't it? You have already been approved for ALL the resources you'll need - at no cost to you!

When I think of building something, I don't automatically think of building my "hopes, dreams, visions, etc."  However, to suggest that your hopes, aspirations, goals be rooted in eternal things is really powerful! 

Here's why..

God and His Word (John 1:1) ARE ETERNAL! Haha

When you BUILD (root, anchor, rest, meditate) on His promises ... myGod  - the results are sure. They can withstand. They sustain; they encourage; they motivate..

Anything that I can hope, think, or even imagine .. if I BUILD on the eternal (God and His Word) is decreed prosperous. Psalm 1:3 - planted, prosperous, un-withering.  

This brings me to the next point, when you have success in building you want to BUILD more!

Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God is able to do exceeding and abundantly more that we are able to ask or think! Why wouldn't you want to BUILD with assurance like that!? Your confidence should maxxxx! 

God desires relationship with us , so much so that He gives us the power to make such powerful things happen if we just lock in with Him.  He has even left us with the resources we need for our BUILD. His Word -> Salvation -> Access to the same eternal extension of grace! These are all in His hand! And there's nothing we could do to change that! His Hand is UNCHANGING ! The same blessings, promises, grace, and resources are ALWAYS available to us when we BUILD in Him.

I'll leave you with this thought..

BUILDING IS A CONSTRUCTIVE PROCESS!  

Continue to cultivate your methods of BUILDING by learning to trust Him more, talk to Him more, and LISTEN to Him more. Put your Faith in action by utilizing the resources He's already given you access to! 

For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. -Hebrews 3:4

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

We thank You that one of Your creations was soooo valuable to You that You granted access to the Eternal.  We can't even understand forever, but thank You for loving us that long!  Help us to operate in boldness with the resources You've given us access to AND BUILD with confidence those things You have already set aside for us. We love You, thank You, and praise You for an unchanging, unshakeable foundation to BUILD on. You are AMAZING!

In Jesus' Name,

AMEN.

It Aint For Everybody

By: Fred Reid

Short Version: Whatever gift, testimony, and knowledge you have won’ t work for/reach everybody! There are several people you will reach for Christ but don’t get so down on yourself if there are people that you just can’t affect (seemingly)

      So you love the Lord! You’re zealous for the kingdom and often you experience His presence and have an increased heart for people...bbuuttt somehow you can’t seem to introduce certain people to this new lifestyle that you are enjoying. You can see how they need Christ, the benefits that will come to their life if they just apply the knowledge that you have gained…but its just not clicking. So now you are at the point where you are questioning your methods….maybe you’re just not that good at witnessing, maybe you don’t know the right scriptures to use, maybe you aren’t being transparent enough.

      Well this devo is just in time for you! There are specific people that you CAN reach and instead of spending so much time getting frustrated with who you can’t reach you should focus on who you can reach and impact. Don’t get too caught up in tryna change EVERYBODY’s life..that’s not going to happen! Even Jesus couldn’t reach everybody and neither can you. So what are we to do when our testimony, and ministering falls on deaf ears?

Matt 10:14

“And whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when ye depart out of that house or city shake the dust from your feet”

     Essentially charge it to the game lol ok but seriously, if people aren’t trying to receive don’t get angry with them, frustrated with yourself (or God) just keep it moving! Too often Christians tend to get condescending when people aren’t receptive of the gospel. Or guilt trippy on the whole “well you’re on your way to hell” approach.  I really wish we’d stop that so I’m taking a stand lol But by no means am I saying just give up on people that don’t listen or receive this good news of Christ Jesus, because no matter how long you’ve been saved that’s out of your jurisdiction, you have no say in whether someone’s a lost cause or not. But I am a firm believer that the Father is not one to waste time. There is something that you should be learning at this point of rejected witness, something that is being developed in you so pay attention!

     A (seemingly) failed witness or missed opportunity really bothers me from time to time as well so as my brother in Christ Cliff Jones reminded me YEARS ago: one man plants another waters but God gives the increase! Maybe you are the planter that toils the soil and digs into it instead of the waterer that simply nurtures what’s already there. Either way it is the holy spirit that will bring about a spiritual increase and a changed life.  No matter how you slice it, your witness just aint for everybody.

Over and Out J

Why the Cross: What the cross has to do with past sexual sin

In His Image

 By: Deborah Ross

“I want a man who loves God, is a leader, is supportive, is respectful,  obedient to God, sensitive to the Holy Spirit, patient, has a fruit-bearing life, active in the church, ...” and so on and so on goes the list of several women about their ideal guy (concerning the spiritual and “soul-ish” aspects of their ideal guy).  I’ve never seen any of my brothers’ lists of their “dream girl” but I’m sure it’s filled with several amazing qualities much like those on my ladies’ lists.  I want to pose these questions to us though ladies: do we possess the qualities that a man, looking for a wife, wants?  Fellas, are you someone a lady wants to find her? And questions for us all: Do we possess the fruit of the spirit? Are we kind, loving, gentle, patient, joyous, self-controlled, forbearing, faithful, and peaceful?  Are we seeking to be purified, sanctified, and holy? Are we active in church, obedient to God, supportive, submissive to our leaders, serving people, serving God, leading when necessary, and sensitive to the Spirit?  Do we possess the qualities that we want our mates to have?  Now don’t just try to possess these qualities just to impress Mr. or Mrs. Right but desire these qualities simply because it pleases God.  Allow him to help you develop these things because that’s his plan for your life and it brings him glory.  Be matured in the areas where you need work just because of your love for God and your desire for a closer relationship with him.  Then Mr./Mrs. Right may come along. (But even if she or he doesn’t, as you become who God wants you to be and you understand who he is you will become content in him and satisfied with his plans/desires over your own.)  Matthew 6:33 ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (SN: now the context of this scripture is talking about not worrying about having the necessities of life. God knows what you need and will supply those things.  Instead of worrying seek first his kingdom; his rule, his authority, what he’ll have you to do and his righteousness; what is acceptable to God, how you can honor him and then these “things”; that God knows you need, will be added to you.  When you seek him first and his righteousness you’re not worried about what you don’t have.  You’re focused on God and as he brings you different gifts you are appreciative of the gifts instead of idolizing them or stressing about when you’re going to get them. )

Prayer:

Daddy, the qualities we want in our future mates are things that you require of us.  You want us to be filled with the fruit of the spirit, to be pure; serving, giving… help us to be the men and women you want us to be; loving, kind, gentle, joyous, self-controlled, faithful, longsuffering, full of peace, and patient.  We want the heart motive to be this way just because it brings you glory and it fulfills your purpose for our lives.  We thank you for the gifts that come along with seeking your plan, your kingdom, and your righteousness first, above all things.  We want a heart of appreciation for the gifts but a stronger appreciation, recognition and reverential fear for you, the giver.  We praise you because you are fearfully and wonderfully made and more awesome and fulfilling than anything else in this world.  Only you can completely fulfill us so help us to seek you to fill the emptiness in our lives.  Thank you; we love you! Amen.

P.S. (shameless plug) For my sistahs out there: I’ve started a book reading club and we just started reading a book that relates to what I was saying in this devotional.  It’s called Lady in Waiting and it’s about becoming God’s best; a woman of reckless abandonment to Jesus, purity, diligence, security, faith, contentment, conviction, patience, devotion, and faith.  The link to our FB page is http://www.facebook.com/groups/133153863555103/.  Check it out for more info =)  ~Deborah

Again??

By: Juan Tuset 

Earlier today, my pastor was talking about how the resurrection of Jesus was the most amazing miracle that God ever performed. Now, I've always been grateful for the resurrection (cuz it you know, saved me from eternal damnation and what not), but I never really considered it to be such a great miracle, definitely not THE greatest one simply because Jesus had brought other people back from the dead while He was here on earth.

My pastor went on to explain what was so amazing. Yes, Jesus had risen other people from the dead, but after Jesus was crucified, ALL the powers of darkness were working to keep Him in hell. That means every demon, every imp, and Satan himself were exerting ALL their power to keep Jesus from resurrecting. And He did anyway.

What does that mean for us? It means that all of the things coming at you have already been defeated. Debt, lack, sexual perversion, laziness, ALL these things. The gossiping demon, the seasonal allergies demon and the dandruff demon (I'm gonna open up and let yall know that them last 2 be coming at me hard) ALL these dudes just got their butt's whooped by our Father in heaven, our Big Brother Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that lives in you. Romans 8:11 (Amplified version) says: But if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.

The same Spirit that defeated EVERY SINGLE demon over 2000 years ago (and because there is no time in the Spirit realm, that beating is fresh in their memories) lives in you! God laid the smack down on ALL of them and has freely filled us with His smack down power!!! So whenever any circumstances or old sins try to come at you, don't murmur. Don't complain. Don't get frustrated.  Instead, rejoice and thank the God who ALWAYS causes you to triumph, look at whatever's trying to come at you and say, "Do you really want this AGAIN???"

Fullness of Life

Fullness of Life

By: Monique Smith

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 KJV)

While on twitter earlier today, I was reading a friend's tweets about relationships. One that stuck out to me was:" Singles don't miss out on anything because Jesus came to offer everything to anyone who believes, not just for married ppl @kingspark"- tweet by Sarah G. From Morgan Bates' sermon. 

After reading that tweet, God gave me this revelation. While being single, (which everyone is unless they are married, being in a relationship with God will provide you with anything you want and will quench any thirst you may have. This visual came to mind. Picture a cup that is full. You know the cup is full and you're enjoying it. Now we're going to look at the temptation of sexual sins. Lust comes and blurs your sight and distorts your depth perception. Across the way you see another cup. This cups looks good and looks more fun than you feel like your cup is. In fact it's one of those hard plastic colored cups, that changes colors. Lust makes you yearn for that cup and could tempt you to go to it. You choose to do so. However, once you get inside the cup, you realize that it's EMPTY. And the fullness that it presented it self to have was just an illusion. It was actually one of those freeze cups! (Google for image) It appeared to be fun and full... But once you get to it, you realize it's empty. Then that leaves you to ponder on how great it was when you were content and patient with the fullness you knew you had! 

Friends, don't let the enemy side sweep you! God wants what's best for you! 

For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalms 84:11 KJV)

God won't withhold anything that's GOOD for you in this season!! Don't be deceived. Be like Paul---I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret ⌊of being content⌋ — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. (Philippians 4:12 HCSB)-- Be content!

Prayer: God I love you. Help me to remain content.  Help me to remain focused and realize that I have abundant life in you at all times! There is nothing that I currently lack in my life because there is no good thing you are withholding from me in my current season! Help me grow in my relationship with you. I love you! In Jesus name, amen. 

Grace

 Grace

By: Monique Smith 

Last night after after attending a Lecrae concert in Durham, NC. I headed home to Erwin. While I was still on the highway, I decided to call in my order at Waffle House, so when I got there, it would be ready for pick up. I didn't want to make time to wait, because I was really tired AND hungry. About 15 min later, I pulled up to Waffle House, hopped out with my car still running and my lights on-- to run in, pay for my order, and head to my house. To my surprise, when I asked for my pick up order, no one behind the register knew what I was talking about. So they went to the back and found another employee to see if he had my order. He in fact had my order but forgot to inform the cooks to make it. He looked at me and said "Ma'am I am SO sorry! It's been a really rough night". I gave him a tiny fake smile and purposefully tried to look annoyed. Thankfully the Holy Spirit kicked me in my chest right after that, and I fixed my demeanor and engaged the guy in small talk with a genuine smile. It only took about 4 min for them to make my food and I wished him a great night and a better tomorrow. When I got in the car, God reminded me about the principal of Grace. 

At the concert, Lecrae said, "When I see people living life in complete disregard of Christ, I don't look at them and think... Look at that heathen! They are so filthy!... Instead I look at them and thank God. Because the only difference between me and them is GRACE. Who am I that God is mindful of me?!" 

Now I'm not saying that the Waffle House employee didn't have a relationship with Christ because he made a mistake and didn't place my order. That would be silly. The Holy Spirit just reminded me of Grace because of my attitude. WHO AM I to have a attitude or be rude toward someone who made a simple mistake, when God, who is PERFECT decides to give me Grace everyday when I make mistakes ALL the time! Grace is UNMERITED! I don't deserve NONE of it! But it's the ONLY thing that allows me to be presented holy and blameless to my Father! I was so blessed and in tears when that hit me last night. 

Prayer: God you are sooooo good and soooo amazing and sooooo perfect! Thank you for loving me in spite of my constant foolishness! God, continue to infiltrate me with your character and refine me to be person you want me to be. Thank you     for everything! I love you with my inner most being! Thank you for allowing me to accept YOUR life in place of my life! You're the best! In Jesus name, amen! 

Not Quite Yet

So this one is still about blessings and such and also about the timing but unlike most of messages we hear/read this one is about slowing it down and waiting for the right time. Which is also a blessing as it relates to ministry. No matter what your gift is it is IMPERATIVE that you operate on time, not too fast not too slow but just right.

There are plenty of examples of people getting ahead of themselves and somewhat ahead of God just because they realized they were gifted to do something. Or felt like God was calling them. These are the people that commit unbelievable acts for their position in the church, or end up teaching false doctrine or leading people away from God in any sort of way. I know, I know where’s the scripture to back me up.

John 2:4

          Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come

This is at the wedding when they wanted Jesus to do something about the lack of wine. Now this is gonna take a little context clues but journey with me if you will. At this point Jesus was a young adult, and since he was not a man this was actually more responsibility than usual for His age. I assert that He got this responsibility from great feats He’d done previous to this moment. I’m going somewhere with this I promise.

If in fact Jesus has been doing things that convinced these people that despite His young age He would be able to help them in this situation it would be safe to say that He was showing early signs of being someone anointed by God for a special purpose. The people had already began to elevate Him because He had shown to have good works, yet Jesus knew it wasn’t His time.

As I often say Jesus is the great example for everything we do. So even when we begin to show signs of our gift and God begins to bring forth evidence of the seed He’s planted in us, we must remain humble; and furthermore not get ahead of His timing. If you beginning preaching, teaching, or anything else of God too early you will be producing a corruptible seed. In other words you will be out before you are prepared to and thus not fully in the strength of God’s will. Bold assertion I know but peep this:

Mark 9:29 the disciples (the very chosen ones of Jesus) failed to cast a demon out; not because they didn’t believe, not because they weren’t chosen by Jesus; but because they weren’t prepared. (in this case fasting and praying)

Acts 19:15 the seven sons of Sceva were called out by a demon, “Jesus I know, Paul I know but who are you?” You don’t wanna end up like this! Yes there are amazing feats God wants to do through you and yes its great to have people supporting you that believe in you and what you’re doing. But until God tells you to get into action DON’T DO IT! There is time for preparation, to be an understudy, a time to be humble enough to go through the process and learn what God is teaching you. Even Jesus has to wait until He was both baptized by John AND fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and nights before He got into His ministry.  Don’t get ahead of yourself or God because you don’t know more than Him! Though He is outside of time He is not one to waste time, it is all necessary! It won’t go the way you expect but according to God’s will plan and purpose…it will be perfect!

Over and Out J

Go Get it…Again

Go get it! Is another one of those somewhat overly used churchy phrases lol but I figured it’d be a good attention getter. This one is about going back to get what the devil stole from you. You had it once so go back and regain it!

Scripture:

Proverbs 6:30-1

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; ³¹but if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house

Ok so from this we gleam that people don’t hate you if you steal out of desperation,  and there’s prolly more to that but that’s not my focus honestly lol verse 31 is. When he is found not only must he give  back what he’s caught with; but sevenfold more. As we all know satan comes to kill steal and destroy; so I encourage you through the power of God and this promise illustrated through his word that you go back and realize what the devil stole from you. What is your joy? Peace? Sense of security? A dream? Some hope? Whatever it is, in order for you to get it back the thief must be found! You can’t be restored, refunded, revived, or released UNTIL THE THIEF IS FOUND! You’ve got to get to the root and realize what person, situation, or event the enemy used to rob you. That may be a tough act to complete but the reward is worth it.

Once you’ve completed step one you are ready to reap the benny’s….but if the thief is out here stealing how/why would he have enough to give you back what he stole AND more? Its encouraging to see that the scripture says the thief must give up the substance of his house..meaning EVERYTHING he has just to make sure you get yours, but I find more joy, hope and strength in Hebrews 10:30

            For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense saith the Lord…

There’s more to that but all we need for this devo is that part…THE LORD WILL GIVE YOU BACK WHAT YOU ARE OWED!! What would God withhold from us? How much more will God give us for being bold enough to revisit situations we struggled with and reclaim victory in His name. How much MORE will He reward our discipline for not lashing out immaturely or carnally once we realize how we were wronged!

So go back my friends, find your thief DON’T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH IT! And EXPECT the Father to not only make sense of it but furthermore repaid you what you were stolen..seven times as much!

Over and Out J

Don’t Just Read the Bible!

By: Fred Reid

         If you read the title and thought this one was about applying what you read or making the Bible an example for your everyday life well then the jokes on you! Lol this one is actually about HOW to read the Bible, or at least some stuff that works for me! There’s so much good stuff in the Bible that once you start to read it you’ll be consumed in it! However it’s really easy to just stay on the surface of stories and miss a lot of the morals and lessons and revelation if you “read it like a library book”, so to make sure you don’t view reading the good book as a chore here are a few tips.

Read slowly and digest  

            Most of the scriptures have much, MUCH deeper meanings so after reading a few verses, or a chapter take time to make sure you understand what you’ve read. Think about how it can relate to a specific situation, what type of solution it brings. You can ask why; to make sure you understand. Why would this be included? Why is this important? Think of other similar scriptures that are related. This may cause you to re-read a lot of passages but at least you will have a good understanding of what you read; which I find makes it easier to memorize and apply it! Also, for those of you struggling to memorize, it helps to take notes or write down the scripture you have targeted, you remember 60% of what you read/hear AND write so use that you your advantage.

Make it real!          

            Don’t just read the story to get it over with, experience the story. Take like breaks and put yourself in the situation. How would you feel if Jesus told you lets go to the other side but then He fell asleep and there was a hurricane taking place? What would you say if taking a stand and being bold for God got you placed in a Lion’s den? Furthermore PAY ATTENTION TO TIME LAPSES IN STORIES! There’s a lot to be gained from a story by noticing how long it took for something to happen. It all seems to happen at once cuz its all right there on the page; but often there are days or months between verses. There’s a big difference between begin healed immediately versus being healed as you went on your way. Even if you have to read the time schedule and come back to that story after that time has passed to make it real do it! I don’t know if that was clear ssoo for example, when Paul was blinded and didn’t eat nor drink for 3 days I read up to that part of the story then didn’t come back and finish it for 3 days just to keep it on my mind that he couldn’t see and hadn’t eaten for all that time just to see what kind of stuff goes through your head. (yes it wasn’t as severe for me cuz I was still eating and stuff but judge me not lol)

In any case, take your time and understand what you read and make the story real by putting yourself in it and make the time schedule real/relatable and the bible will do way more for you than it is now! And when you are confused or don’t understand something pray for clarity and ask a respected pastor, minister, deacon, Christian friend of yours but ask somebody!! God’s people perish for lack of knowledge so get some!

Over and Out J

Get the Order Right!

By: Fred Reid

       As usual Jesus is the example for everything that we do for He has been through everything that we’ve been through or will go through, so this devotional is about understanding the order by which we receive spiritual elevation. Things happen in the spirit realm before they are manifested into the natural realm so be patient and encouraged!

If you’ve been to more than two church services in your life you’ve prolly heard someone say “name it, claim it” or “speak those things that be not as though they were” or “decree a thing and it shall be established” basically something along the lines of speaking faith to usher something into your life that you don’t have yet. Most of those phrases contain scripture and therefore are more factual than anything else in this world, however time has passed and you may not have most of the stuff you claimed or spoke about and may be in the process of doubting or even worst giving up on what you spoke. Don’t feel bad its natural and this devotional is just in time for you!

There are SEVERAL examples of someone “decreeing” a thing and it not happening until MUCH later…but it happened! (that’s enough right there to be excited about) In an effort to keep this devo short I’ll only use one example. Revelations 13:8 tells us that Jesus is the lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. Meaning even before the world was created Jesus SPIRITUALLY was slain for our sins; however it took hundreds of years for Him to even be born. After He was born He lived 33 years before actually being slain NATURALLY.

In essence what I’m attempting to stress to you is the things God has shown you, or the things you have prophesied over your life believing that God will manifest…WILL MANIFEST! The day God showed you, or spoke it over you or gave it to you to say you received it spiritually, now you must wait for it to manifest naturally. That’s why you feel confident that your current situation is not your end, your spirit man is literally ahead of time waiting for your body and money, and career, and family and car and schooling and friends and whatever else to catch up! Don’t get discouraged! You already have it just wait for it to manifest!

Over and Out J

Listening to God

By: Donovan Parker

So I read something that said prayer isn't always about talking, but sometimes about learning to listen to God.

I know I can do a better job of learning to pause and be sensitive to what God is telling me.  Many times we only go to God in prayer to SAY .. thank you, or to ASK .. 

The Bible says much about being able to go to God with concerns and asking of Him ..

But how important is listening to God?  Here's why listening is more important than talking ...

Matthew 4:4 says

"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

This tells us that we need to be able to listen to God for life! One of the ways we can do this is by staying in our Bibles and reading His written Word.  

Romans 10:17 

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Not only does listening benefit our life, but it also increases our faith!

That's two reasons WHY it's important to listen to God, but how do we become more sensitive to the other things of God in addition to His Word?

1 Corinthians 2:9-14 tells us that

the Holy Spirit is what reveals to us the things of God.  Since God is not a man, we can't understand Him as one! How many times do we try to make sense of God with our logic!?Won't work!! The Holy Spirit is what God equipped us with to listen to Him and understand His ways!

"What you put in, is what you'll get out .."  

In other words, as you go throughout life you have to somewhat make room for the Holy Spirit.  You can't comfortably put something into a space w/limited capabilities without making room for it.

As you make the Holy Spirit comfortable IN you, the more sensitive you become to the things of God.

I challenge YOU to make more room for the Holy Spirit! Clean house. Make Him comfortable IN you! Get into your Word more and make your body, mind, spirit inhabitable for Him!  It will be your life, and your faith will grow!

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for equipping us with everything we need to "hear" from you.  Help us to become more sensitive to You and Your ways as we grow toward You.  We thank You for the great things You have in store for us and pray we learn to listen to You for the fulfillment of Your will. Thank You for Your help and Your love.  Speak to us MORE and show us how to listen to what You're saying.

In Jesus' Name,

AMEN

Holy Is the Minimum (For the Ladies)

By: Monique Smith

    August 2008 was the month & year when I broke up with my last boyfriend.  So you guessed it…since then I had been single until March of this year.  That’s when the man I’ve been patiently waiting for asked my DADDY (the natural one and the spiritual one) permission to begin dating me.  I like to include that seemingly minute detail because having someone ask my Daddy to date me was on my “I wish that would happen to me, but probably never will ‘cause people don’t do stuff like that no more” list.  And then, God did what He does best, and granted the desire of my heart.

    Okay, so the point of this devotional is to share with y’all the list I made before I started my relationship with Juan. During the summer of 2012, I heard a sermon from First Lady Lashawn Thompson of World Overcomers Christian church about knowing what you want and not making compromises. I believe somewhere in her sermon she told the single ladies to make a list (if she didn’t say it, I heard it somewhere). At any rate, I made the below list.  In my phone, I titled it “Dream Guy” because these were the characteristics I wanted to see in whoever I would date next and I was NOT willing to compromise on any of them. At first, this list was hard to make because as you see, it is LONG and I knew I would probably be waiting a long time for God to prepare this gentleman…..but I realized my value was much more than dating someone who only met half of my standards, so I was up for the wait!

Leader

Committed to God
Romantic
Funny
Loving
Passionate
Takes initiative
Attractive/ Fine
Motivator
Balanced optimistic
A good listener
Caring
Trustworthy
Critical thinker
A willing potential father
Consistent
Dependable
Committed
Logical
A good driver
Financially savvy
Repenter
Musically inclined
Athletic/ like to play sports
Protector
Encourager
A friend
Bold
A family man
Educated
Sense of humor
Has a heart for the youth
Passion for ministry
Tall/taller than me
Sweet
Loves my family and blends well
God fearing
Mature
Wise
Strict on sin
Well tempered/ balanced
Excitable
Strong spirit
Conviction guides him
Virgin/practicing abstinence
Dress well/swag

    After I made my list over the summer, I didn’t go back to the list to remove things. I just left it alone. Of course with my eyes, I saw some cute dudes that I could have easily dated, but they did not meet 100% of the characteristics on my list.  I’m telling y’all, when you make your list DON’T compromise. Do not remove things to make your list fit the guy you like, your guy is supposed to fit your desires. I know many ladies like to get in the business of “fixing” dudes, but let that stuff go! Only God can change him boo! #REALTALK.  

    Anyways, during the Fall of 2012, I continued to enjoy my singleness. I wasn’t focused on any dudes at all. Of course, Juan was around. We would talk often and hang out, but I worked real hard at keeping him in the friend zone and not trying to magically make him my boyfriend in my head. Y’all know stuff like that is easy especially if you’re spending time with a dude often. So I had to pray against the foolishness of my mind to nip that in the bud before it started. So as I said, I was just enjoying my singleness….which is a whole ‘nother devotional in itself because that took a WHILE to get to that point. I admit, I used to be that girl praying day and night for God to send her a boyfriend because I didn’t “deserve” to be single and I had already “fixed” everything that was wrong with myself and I was ready to date…..smh…foolishness I told myself. Thank the Lord He knows me better!

    So long story short, in March Juan asked me to date him. (Quick background- We’ve been friends since Summer of 2007). After he asked me, I went home and the Holy Spirit reminded me of the list I made. I went through every characteristic to see if he truly matched up with everything on my list….and guess what, he did! So that is how this relationship that I’m in came to be. NOW, you must remember, after I made this list and asked God to grant me the desires of my heart, I was not out living a life contrary to the Word. God doesn’t bless disobedience. So If I wanted God to bless me, the LEAST I could do was to live a life pleasing to Him! I continued to live a holy lifestyle, seeking direction from God daily, and living on purpose. When God saw fit to bless me with a relationship, that’s when it happened.

    So to my single ladies, stay encouraged and wait patiently WHILE living on purpose!  : ) Blessings chicas! Love y’all!