Archives for October 2016

Focus Verse: and I praise You because of the wonderful way You created me. Everything You do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt. Psalm 139:14 (CEV)

I received a message from one of my mentees sharing  that she was offended by something someone said about her personality. As we all have done in the past, she started to question who she was. An outgoing, positive and confident person, she started to feel bad for genuinely being herself.

Have you been there before? Feeling less adequate with who God created you to be. Trying to mask or conform to an image of what someone says you should be?

When we are secure in who we are, we have no problem with accepting others for who they are. Never let someone else impose their insecurities on you. God uniquely created you for a reason and the enemy’s’ plan is to do whatever He can to keep you from realizing that, and he will use whomever he can to do so.

As Christians, we should all have one goal and that is to advance the Kingdom of God. When we fail to understand that God created each and every one of us to accomplish that goal but in different ways because we are all different, we leave ourselves subject to advance the enemy’s goal.

Declare that you are going to be unapologetically you today and you will let accepts others for who they are.

Prayer: God, You make all things good! Thank You for making me the way you made me. I accept every part of who I am. Forgive me for the times I allowed the insecurities of others shape my image of myself. On this day, I will accept who You created me to be and embrace the beauty in others. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Often times we can find ourselves wanting to go back to a place that is familiar to us even if the circumstances in the new place are better. When Christ elevates you,  let Him do it. Enjoy this #throwback devotional that is reminding us to accept the new thing God is trying to do in our lives.

Accept The New Thing

Focus Verse: There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (AMP)

A few months ago, I had the privilege of going tubing for the very first time. While we were on the water, I was connected to someone else’s tube. During the beginning of our trip down the river, we didn’t have that many issues. One of us would get stuck on a rock every once in a while and we would have to work together to get off the rock to keep moving. However, once we got closer to where we were to get off things began to change.

Towards the end of our time on the river, we began to approach some very choppy water and were advised to untie our tubes for safety measures. The water could pull us in different directions causing us to fight against one another and the river; we obliged. It wasn’t until after we disconnected our tubes that I saw how freely I was able to maneuver the river.

Our walk with Christ can resemble this tubing experience. There comes a time where we as Christians have to disconnect from the people we have been attached to, for our safety. They may have been intended to be connected to us at a particular time in our walk but required to disconnect at some point, for a number of reasons. We may be going in two different directions in our walks. They may not have what it takes to help us maneuver the next phase of our life or vise versa. Or God may want us to experience the next phase of our life with Him alone. Whatever the case may be, as mature Christians, we have to know when to move on, and when to let go of people who are only in our lives for a season. There is a famous quote, “Some people come into your life for a season, and some come for a lifetime. Never mix seasonal people with lifetime expectations.”

Prayer: Father, You are the all knowing and all wise God. Thank You for the revelation and wisdom in this word. There are times in my life where I have allowed people to stay longer than they should have, forgive me. I never want to get in the way of the path You have predestined for my life. As I continue my walk with You, help me to be mindful of Ecclesiastes 3:1 and the season You have me in. In Jesus name, Amen!

Scripture Reading: I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 (NIV)

I was listening to a radio show, where the caller was expressing her frustration to the host regarding her husband gaining 60 lbs since they got married 7 years ago. The caller wanted advice on how to convince her husband he needed to lose weight in a loving way. This conversation reminded me of many I have had in the past with my father regarding his health, mainly with smoking cigarettes.

My father has smoked cigarettes for longer than I have been alive, 32+ years.  A few weeks ago, he called me with so much pride and excitement in his voice to share that he had been 4 days smoke- free, Praise God! To a regular person, that may not seem like such a big deal. But all things considered, 4 days smoke-free after 32+ years of smoking, that’s a HUGE deal.

Over the years, I can recall having countless conversations with my father about his health and needing to quit smoking. He has even attempted to do so a number of times in the past, and for whatever reason, he reverted back to his old ways. This change all boils down to my father wanting it bad enough for himself.

One of the biggest mistakes we make with our loved ones is we want to see change in them when we desire for them to change. We see a problem, know the solution, will communicate that to someone and expect them to move forward with the advise that was given right then. But as ideal as that situation sounds, often times it doesn’t work that way.

Our scripture reading comes from 1 Corinthians 3, where Paul is speaking on this exact topic. He is referencing to ministers and how we should accept them as instruments used by God. You too are to be a minister of God. But you never want to get in the way of what He wants to do in the life of someone else.

The process of change, often times, is birthed from a number of events or actions that multiple people contributed to. The reason that is, is because God will not share His glory, Isaiah 42:8. When you are the sole person that inspires change in someone else, there is the potential that you can become a god to them. This is why the word of God tells us in 1 Corinthians 3: 7, So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

The biggest things we can do to help someone that is in a destructive state is pray for them and believe that God is working on their behalf through a number of different avenues. And then love them wholeheartedly in their current state. We have to understand that God’s ways and plans are far beyond anything we can even comprehend, Isaiah 55:8-9. And trust Him to do what He is the expert in doing, changing lives.

Prayer: God, You are amazing. Thank You so much for this truth. I never what to get in the way of what You are doing or take any of Your glory. Forgive me for wanting to play God in the lives of my loved ones. Now, I ask You to remind me to remain faithful in prayer for them and love them with my whole heart right where they are. In Jesus name, Amen!

As we begin to encounter the season changes of fall and winter, seasons that are represenitive of everything old dying to prepare for the new, let us not forget the Lord’s promises for our lives. Dispite the season change, His Word will never get old and die! Enjoy this #throwback devotional that reminds us of just that.

My Promise Will Prevail

Focus Verse: Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Psalm 25:4 (NKJV)

Yesterday, I shared with you the importance of developing a solid relationship with Christ. That lesson was discovered through an unfavorable disassembly of a wooden boxspring. The process was brutal, to say the least. After about 45 minutes of relocating the box spring from its previous home in my house to my stairs and back with no success of getting it down the stairs, I was frustrated. Instantly I started to feel sorry for myself, wondering why things have to be so difficult for me. “I have other things that are more important than trying to move a box spring. God, why aren’t You making this easy for me? Help me out here, please? I wouldn’t have to deal with this if my situation was different. I don’t want to have to always call my friends to see if their husbands can help me move some furniture. I shouldn’t have to. AND IT’S NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY!” Sweating and too frustrated to even cry, I lifted the heavy box spring and took it back to my guestroom to disassemble it.

It wasn’t until this process started that I was able to see what God was trying to teach me. It was at this point that the lesson was clear.

So many times we ask God to teach us, work a miracle in our lives, allow us to see Him daily and show us what it is that He wants us to get out of a certain situation, but are we really in the posture that we can see when and what He is showing? Are we willing to go through the process required to see His hand moving? My consistent prayer, as it pertains to Breakfast With Tiffani, is that God will always give me practical material to share with His people. However, the only possible way for that prayer to be answered is to actually experience practical situations that teach me.

Joshua could preach about courage because he was faced with situations where his courage was built. Joseph can tell you a thing or two about forgiveness because he was tested in that area. Abraham is more than qualified to give advice on waiting on God’s promises.

What have you been praying about and in what ways has God been attempting to answer you? Are you allowing His to do so?

Prayer: What an amazing God You are. Father, thank You for the many lessons that you teach me on a regular basis. It is my true desire to see you daily. In moments where I feel weak, allow me to stop and position myself where I can see You. In the matchless name of Jesus, Amen!