Valued.

By: Monique Smith

I was listening to the radio earlier and wanted to share with you the revelation I received from that listening session.

The radio personality shared the following story:

There was a family who had two pet guinea pigs and they thought both were boys. Lo and behold, there was one boy and a girl. The obvious happens next, they reproduced and now many guinea pigs came into existence.  The family didn’t want all the new pigs, so they took them in a cage to a local pet store and put a “FREE” sign in front of the cage. For a solid week, the man took the pigs to the pet store and no one took them. Finally, the owner of the store encouraged him to put “$1” on the sign in front of the cage. The next person that walked into the pet store, bought the pigs.

Interesting right? Here is the revelation I got from that. In life, if we don’t place value on our abilities, belongings, our dreams, or ourselves, no one will appreciate or recognize those things. No one wants anything that is valueless.  It was not until a value was placed on the pigs that someone became interested. Friends, are you placing value on things in your life? Are you selling yourself and your morals short just to be in a relationship? From this story we realize if we do that, we are doing ourselves a huge disserve and actually not attracting anyone.  Are you second-guessing your abilities? Everyone else will also. Many times we may suffer from not wanting to seem cocky or boastful in ourselves, but having a confidence and sense of pride in our abilities encourage others to do the same. Why would anyone buy your music if you didn’t promote yourself with confidence? Are you rocking your fake Jordan’s like they are fake? Walking around looking sad and tacky. Put on some nice pants and a shirt with them and be confident in your swag. Others may not even notice they are fake if you rock them with confidence.  Lastly, are there dreams or visions you don’t fully believe? Of course if you doubt those things, others will as well. How will anyone ever believe you will open your own business when you can’t even talk about the idea confidently?

Friends, lets place value on things with our names on it. Don’t belittle anything. Value yourself. Value your dreams. Value your future.

Prayer: Hey Dad! Thank you for this great day! Everything worked according to your plan today and I am thankful for that! God thank you for reminding me to value things in my life. Please help me identify and correct areas in my life that I have deemed valueless. God, I want to look at these things the way you see them, with value. However God, help me in keeping a good balance when I begin placing more value on things. Help me not become vain or boastful or “cocky” with anything in my life. I do not want to be prideful, so help me keep pride at bay. Lord, I thank you for your loving kindness that is better than life! Hug brother Jesus for me! In Jesus name, amen.

Accusations: “How you gon’ act”

By: Monique Smith

Hey friends! In my study time, I’ve been reading Daniel and I am fascinated by this book thus far. It’s really cool to read the stories we learned about as a kid, as an adult and truly understand the context! I have so many devotional ideas blubbing on the inside but I wanted to share this quick thought with you.

If we are followers of Christ, we will be accused of doing things or being involved in something where the ultimate purpose of the accusations is to see us defeated or humiliated.

Let’s look at Daniel 6. In this chapter King Darius appoints 120 leaders over the kingdom.  Over them 3 administrators were named. Of those three, Daniel was one. However, Daniel was distinguished because he had the spirit of God in him. All of the leaders were beyond jealous of Daniel. The Bible didn’t say Daniel carried himself in a arrogant way or anything, so the people were jealous for no reason.  They kept trying to find fault in his lifestyle, but could come up with nothing. So they took it a step further. The leaders went to the King and encouraged him to make a decree that anyone who prays to any god, God, or anything other than the king for 30 days would be put in the lion’s den.

Everyone knew Daniel prayed to God daily so they encouraged the decree to get Daniel killed. Long story short, they found Daniel praying, King Darius tossed him in the lion’s den, and the next day Daniel was still alive because the angel of God shut the lion’s mouth.

When the King went to check on Daniel the next day, he called out to Daniel to see if he was alive. Daniel responded “May the king live forever…. I was found innocent before God…..and did not commit a crime against you, my king”.

Daniel’s response is the focus of this devotional. The bible tells us in Colossians 4:6- “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  Daniel could have fussed the King out, told him “Ahhhaha! Sucka, can’t kill me!”, and said all kinds of reckless out of control things, but He chose to be Christ like and respond with grace.

So to you friends, how you gon’ act when false accusations come your way? How did Jesus act? Let’s continually be mindful of our Father and Brother’s characteristics. : )

Prayer: God, I love you! You are the apple of my eye. The only true lover of my soul. God I appreciate your presence and the favor you have over my life. God, help me, my speech, and my thoughts when I am faced with false accusations.  God I don’t understand sometimes why I am picked on or called out, but help me control my flesh and not retaliate the way I want to. I want to be more like you, each and every day. I love you and praise you. In Jesus name, Amen.

First Fruits

By: Fred Reid

      Surprisingly this one isn’t about tithes and offering! Gotcha!! Instead it’s about your responsibility and the command we have to be fruitful. The title better reads, First, Fruits! The first thing you must do is learn to be fruitful. Thus scripture the for this devotional comes from Genesis 1:28:

“And God blessed them and God said unto them Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth”

      At this point God is speaking to Adam and Eve and His first command (not suggestion) is to be fruitful then multiply. Now I feel it is important to recognize that the game has changed since then in the fact that we are originally born in sin and must be saved first before this becomes our primary commandment; now back to our regularly scheduled programming already in session J.

      The sequential order of the commandment is paramount! We must be FRUTIFUL before we began to multiply; otherwise we will be passing on corruptible seeds that will only worsen with each generation and thus put us further and further away from the original plan of the seed. For instance, if an apple seed produced apples that were a little bit poisonous and people ignored that and kept replanting the seeds, the poison would increase with each germination and eventually we end up with a weapon instead of a delicious snack. Similarly, whatever you are doing that carries God’s name and thus His kingdom must be fruitful before He will allow it to multiply. Before you get the “well done my good and faithful servant” speech you have to properly take care of the few; then He will elevate you to ruler over many. That’s just simply how it works.

       What’s the contrast to this plan? If you skip over the fruitful part and just begin multiplying? There’s a scripture for that. Mark 11:12-14:

“And on the morrow when they were come from Bethany he was hungry ¹³ And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves he came if haply he might find anything thereon and when he came to it he found nothing but leaves for the time of figs was not yet ¹⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto it, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever.” And his disciples heard it.”

      So, Jesus cursed this fig tree because it was not fruitful. Notice the damage of fruitlessness, when people come looking for you to serve your purpose you are unable to; you have nothing to offer. Next, notice that it was not time YET for the figs to be produced. One of the key factors of fruitlessness is being out of season. Out of order, usually in my case, rushing. This was for/about me before I could ever tell anybody else about it. There is so much I want to do, and I’m looking for God to make a way and I get frustrated sometimes like this isn’t going the way I expected but He has shown me that I have not begun to be fruitful with what I have already. How can I be given increase; when there is no return on what I have? Instead the increase is IN me using what I currently have. There’s a scripture for that!

Matthew 25:14-30 is the story of the talents. I’ll allow you to look back over it real slow on your own time but a quick summary is, one servant was given 5 talents he invested and returned with 5 more talents (10 talents good business), another received 2 talents flipped those into 2 more (4 talents good bidness) a final servant got one talent and hid it and thus only had one talent when the ruler came back for a return (bad business, no business). These talents were given based on ability, this was the best they could handle. So we see the person that was already not able to hold/be trusted with as much talent proved it by hiding the one talent he did have! In the end his one talent was taken away and given to the one that had ten talents. Makes sense right? He’ll prolly turn that 11 into even more.

Anyways how does this relate? If you are asking God for more but still haven’t figured out how to work with what you already have to make THAT fruitful, how would you randomly make the increase He gives you fruitful? That’s not how the kingdom works. Jesus specifically says  the parable about the talents is about the kingdom of God. I don’t want anyone to feel discouraged though because there is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS hope in Christ. So, what do you do if you are the one talent having mug and you looking for more? There’s s scripture for that!

2 Kings 4:1-7. This scripture is about a woman that was behind in her finances and the tax folk were coming to take her sons, so she needed some increase for family! Elisha asked her WHAT DID SHE HAVE?! All she had was a little oil for a cake so she made it for him. As a result there was so much oil in her house that she could sell it to pay her debt. This serves as an example that whatever you DO have, find a way to give it to God and He will work it for an increase. Maybe you don’t have the job you want, but you have plenty of time on your hands, instead of spending ALL your time looking for jobs and feeling sad, find some time for God. Both praying, reading and singing, as well as helping other people around you. You will be surprised who he can connect you with and you’ll end up with a job you don’t even have to apply for. Maybe your money isn’t as swole as you would like, but you have great writing skills or organizational skills, PLANT THEM!! DON’T HIDE THEM!! Write stories for little kids, practice writing books, help organize church and community events! If you don’t use what you have God will give it to someone who will!

Over and out J

Rhema Word

By: Monique Smith

I absolutely love when God takes the time to speak directly to me or my situation through His word, especially when it seems to be “right on time”.  This, is referred to as a “Rhema Word”.

Can I teach a little today friends?

"In Greek, the word rhema means "an utterance." Therefore, the rhema word in Biblical terms refers to a portion of scripture that "speaks" to a believer. In most cases, a rhema word received while reading the Bible applies to a current situation or need. In essence, the rhema word is timely and extremely valuable in a Christian's walk with God." -Jamee Rae (sharefaith.com)

Here’s a clear example of how you will know you are experiencing this gift from God. Let’s say that since you were a child, you have been reading Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Then one day, when you are 20 years old, you flip open your Bible to Psalm 23:1 and it seems to jump out from the page at you! “The Lord IS MY shepherd, I shall not WANT!” The passage that you deemed “familiar” no longer seems that way. You receive a completely different understanding of that passage. The Word “arrests” your spirit, brings clarity to your situation, and provides divine insight. This my friends, is an amazing gift that we receive as being a part of God’s chosen generation!

Today at work, I read Colossians 4:6- “Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.”  Approximately five minutes after reading that scripture a situation occurred that challenged my ability to remain calm and peaceful.  My flesh quickly volunteered to react in an ungodly manner, however, my spirit was quickly reminded of the scripture I had just read minutes ago. God knew I needed that word in my spirit to prepare me for the atrocity  that was soon to follow.

(For y’all nosey folk (LOL), a parent sent me a nasty email in which I wanted to get buck and respond ungracefully to, but I was reminded of the scripture, phoned a friend (who wants to be a millionaire lol), and was able to make a wise decision concerning the email…which was to not respond).

So friends, I encourage you all to spend time with our Father daily so He can share all the great mysteries and cool things He has the ability to do.

Prayer: Father, I thank you for the grace, mercy, and love that you have shown me today. Lord, you are the love of my life and I never want to replace you with anyone or anything. God, I thank you for the ability to hear you through your Word. It is amazingly cool to have a strong connection with you and I pray you give me the desire and strength to improve our relationship. God, also, please comfort the hearts of everyone experiencing pain from losing a loved one. We know that the last enemy is death, and YOU have already defeated it! “Death, O Death…WHERE is your victory? Death, where is your sting! God we praise you and love you! Can’t wait till you come back and get us though! In Jesus name, Amen.

It's All about your perception

Hey everyone!

Check out this great video devotional by Pricilla Shirer!

http://vimeo.com/47491757

You Influence the Countenance of your Friends

By: Donovan Parker

I first heard the scripture - Proverbs 27:17 before an MVP Men's Conference at New Covenant Christian Church in the summer of 2012. The Scripture reads as such ...

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. -Proverbs 27:17

In my research of the term 'countenance' I came across the following definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary ...

1 obsolete : bearing, demeanor

2 a : calm expression b : mental composure c : look, expression

3 archaic a : aspect, semblance b : pretense

4 : face, visage; especially : the face as an indication of mood, emotion, or character

5 : bearing or expression that offers approval or sanction : moral support

In summation, as sort of a working definition, the term 'countenance' can be thought of as an external expression of internal influence.

Mood, emotion, and character each have to do with issues from within.

If we take and apply this particular definition to Proverbs 27:17, we know that you influence the being of your friend.  The reason why this is exciting is because the influence that you have is so great that not only will change occur internally, but it will be evidently EXPRESSED in the appearance.  

Most importantly, we must note that it is the contact of the iron with the iron that sharpeneth each.  Likewise it is the interactions and contact that we share with one another that elevate us in Christ.  

I am so fortunately blessed to have a body of brothers and sisters in Christ to grow alongside and fellowship with.  If I never express how encouraging it is to be in attendance with the like-minded - let me take this opportunity.  

To all those who shared moments in fellowship (whether on the court, at the crib, or even in passing), I appreciate you! 

Proceed in Christ knowing that your interactions with others affect their character, mood, and emotions.  Those will be reflected in their countenance.  YOU must make it your duty to be a reflection of Christ.

Dear Lord, 

Thank you Jesus for being the ultimate example of Victory by coming to earth in fleshly form to show us the way. Continue to help us become more like You. Thank You for the influence and dominion You've given us here on earth until Your second coming.  Extend our reach.  Thank You for allowing us to fellowship with one another.  You are PERFECT in ALL Your ways. Thank You for these and all of Your many blessings. Lord, we love You.

Amen.

Trust

By: Monique Smith The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the Lord will be happy. (Proverbs 16:20 HCSB) Life is tough and having faith sometimes is even more difficult, but it is a must when following Christ. Simply think about that phrase, "following Christ". It's not anything we tangibly do, as far as visibly seeing a man in front of us daily and walking where He walks. Even that statement is a faith proclamation! When our life is going good, it is so easy to trust God! We don't even think twice about it! But once situations come to challenge/increase our faith, that's when what we have seem to break down.  Romans 8:28 says- We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28 HCSB). Since this is a FACT, we must begin to understand all matters in light of this scripture. When we do so, that is when success will come from that matter and we will be happy! I love being happy! With all of that said, the crux of this devotional is: Trust in God is vital.  Prayer: God thank you for life! God you are so cool! All I have to do is ask you to help me serve you better! That's crazy! If it's faith I lack, then when I ask for it, you will give it to me. If its love I lack, you will provide me with that as well! So I'm asking you to fill me with those things I lack! Help me maintain and not grow weary also! Love you! In Jesus name, amen.