Archives for May 2017

Bible Reading: Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want; for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. Philippians 4:11-13

For a while, this was something that I really struggled with, like really struggled. Often times, I would go back and forth with myself, questioning if I was really content or not. One day I felt like I was, but other days, not so much. I tried to read every “living a life of contentment” book I could find. Hoping that the next book would be the one, the one that would finally get me to a place where I consistently felt content.

And then one day the Lord spoke to me and said, “contentment is not a destination, it’s a decision.” Your choice to live a content life is not based on a feeling you have daily, but instead the decisions you make daily, in spite of how you feel. Here I was waiting to have this overwhelming feeling of contentment come over me, not realizing that all along, I was already living a life of contentment and it was evident in the daily decisions that I made.

Paul, in Philippians 4, was in a place that many of us have never experienced before, prison. I don’t know about you, but the feeling that I get when I hear the word “prison”, surely, isn’t contentment. As a matter of fact, it’s the complete opposite, discontentment. Despite Paul’s physical condition, he had gotten to a place where he was so in tune with following Christ, that despite how he may have felt from time to time, he had learned how to live a life of contentment. He had learned how to be fine with having a lot or having a little, being in prison or being a free man.

As human beings, we live eternally as a spirit, we have a soul, and we dwell in a body. Our soul is the part of our being where our emotions are housed. Emotions are God-giving feelings of pleasantness or unpleasantness. They are reactions to internal or external stimuli. Emotions are not good or bad; we make the choice whether we use emotions to honor Christ or to harm ourselves or others.

Emotions are an essential part of our personality. Life without emotions would be pretty uninteresting. If we did not have emotions, we would not experience anger or anxiety, but we also would not experience joy or love. God created us to experience a variety of emotions. Knowing this truth, we have to understand that our decisions can’t be based on how we feel, because how we feel, or our emotions, are spontaneous responses to our values and beliefs.

Because our feelings and emotions are spontaneous and are changing so often, we must learn to get to a place, like Paul, where we choose to be content in whatever state we are in, despite the way we feel or what may be going on externally.

Have you been struggling with contentment, warring back and forth with how you feel and juggling different emotions? Do you, like myself, feel content some days and then discontentment others? Make a decision today, that you are not going to entertain those feelings and thoughts of discontentment that arise, but instead, you will choose to be content and base your contentment on the truth of God!

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for Your truth. At times, I feel good and other, not so much. Thank you for revealing to me that my position of contentment is not based on how I feel, but a decision that I make daily, based on Your Word for me. Forgive me for not always looking to You, but instead sometimes allowing my feelings to control my actions. By Your power, I declare today, that I will walk in contentment, in Jesus name I Pray, Amen!

*Note- Today’s Devo, is a repost from a previous one.*

Focus Verse: Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:5 (NIV)

We are going into the second half of the year and so many things have happened since January 1, 2017. A number of people are experiencing transition. New relationships have begun, old ones have ended. Some have started new careers and business. While others call new locations home.

And then there are those of us who have witnessed the transition of others, eagerly encouraging and cheering those close to us along. We continue moving in the direction we hear God calling us to while not fully understanding or seeing the full picture.

Are you too at that place? You recognize that God is doing some amazing things in your life right now, even though you don’t fully understand it all.

Can I give you a bit of encouragement? It’s ok. It’s ok that you don’t understand. It’s ok that you don’t have a clear vision of where you are going. It’s ok that you don’t have it all figured out. It is perfectly ok.

Blessings to those of you who are in your stride and moving full speed ahead through 2017, but to those of you who just don’t know, you are not alone.

As we go into the second part of this year, I encourage you to leave behind the pressure of KNOWING and embrace the UNKNOWN, while trusting The One who is all knowing; because not knowing is ok!

Prayer: Father God, this year had been filled with so many ups and downs. Sometimes it’s hard to see ahead of me and sometimes I feel pressured into figuring everything out. Thank You for reminding me that it’s not my job to try to figure it out, but to just trust You. Help me to remember as long as I know who, I don’t have to worry about how, because You already have that covered. I put all of my trust in You and fully embrace the unknown so that You can be fully manifested in my life. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

Focus Scripture: For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20

“You don’t have to compete for what’s already yours.” –God

Last year was a really emotionally draining year for me. My faith was, and still is currently being tested. Many times, I found myself questioning if I even wanted to continue to believe and fight for the promises of God in my life.

One particular time, I recall myself getting anxious and conjuring a plan that, I thought would speed up the process, because God was just taking entirely too long. As I was replaying the plan in my mind the Holy Spirit said, “Just rest, you don’t have to compete for what’s already yours.”

How many times have you found yourself plotting and scheming, trying to get things to happen the way you want them to, while foolishly tricking yourself into thinking that you are innocently helping God?

We can’t put a deadline on God’s promises for our lives. After all, they aren’t ours, to begin with. Our life is not our own and we were bought with a price, declares 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. God’s promise before God’s timing is not God’s promise.

A lot of the pain and anxiety we experience in our life, we bring on ourselves because of our eagerness to do what we want. And God is saying, “I never intended for you to have to go through that. But because you were so adamant about it and I am a gentle God, I allowed it, but that doesn’t mean I was in it.”

Declare on today that you will stop giving in to the desires to compete and try to force God’s hand. God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23:19

Repeat after me: I don’t have to worry about what I see because I know what You said.  

Prayer: Dear God, You are all powerful and all knowing. Thank You for your faithfulness towards me. There are times that I want to get ahead of You because I feel like You aren’t working fast enough, please forgive me. Allow me to remember that Your time is best. God, I declare on today that I will walk by faith and see with my spiritual eyes. I will not worry about what I see because I know what You said. It is in Your son Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26 (NKJV)

When Jesus was preparing the Disciples for His departure, He shared with them that when He leaves, the Father will send the Holy Spirit to be their Helper. Jesus knew that when He left, the World would be lost without divine guidance. And the same thing He shared with the Disciples, is true for you too.

Jesus wants to help you!

There are so many great things that God has in store for you. Some of which you may be seeking and questioning. But who are you asking? From where are you seeking guidance? The Holy Spirit is the only one that can reveal to you what the Father’s desire is for you.

It is wise to seek counsel from wise individuals, for direction and guidance, the bible encourages that. (See Proverbs 19:20) However, directly following that verse is a reminder that although we may have plans and seek counsel regarding them, God should be our ultimate counsel:

There are many plans in a man’s heart,
Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand. Proverbs 19:21

It is the Holy Spirit’s job to reveal to you everything that the Father wants to share with you. (See John 16:13) It is not God’s desire to conceal from you His will for your life. He desires nothing more than for you to operate in it.

I challenge you today, whatever you are seeking direction and guidance for, ask God what His will and desire is for you in that area of your life. And then WAIT to see what He says.

Prayer: Father God, thank You so much for sending the Holy Spirit to help me. There are so many plans and dreams that I desire to achieve, but if they are not Your will for my life, I don’t want it. Lord, there are so many times that I have consulted everyone else except for You, please forgive me. Help me to remember that You are my ultimate counsel. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

Focus Scripture: Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4

Bible Reading: Psalms 37: 3-7

“So God, make me your example.

Make me a miracle.

I’ll be the miracle.”

I was listening to Tasha Cobbs’ Sense It, usually one of my favorite songs. But not on this day. Today, I wasn’t feeling it. “I don’t want to be the miracle, I don’t want to be Your example, I was wrong, I just want to be regular. I don’t want to be used.” These are the words that I spoke to God.

“I remember” is what I heard whispered back to me. We may forget, but God never forgets the prayers that we pray. Back in 2005, I prayed and asked God to use me to break generational curses in my family. I told Him, I didn’t care how long it took, but His Kingdom would be restored in my family.

What are you believing God for? Have you been praying and waiting and praying some more? Have you, like myself, found yourself frustrated with God, because He is not moving at the speed you think He should?

When our heart’s desire is to do that which is pleasing to God, when we commit our ways to Him and trust Him, His word says He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5). Will it take some time? Yup. Will it be easy? Nope. But will it be worth it? ABSOLUTELY! This is why God instructs us, in verses 7, to rest and wait patiently for Him. Do you actually think the enemy is going to let you off the hook without a fight? We are talking about Kingdom impact here! When we delight in God, He places those things that we should desire in our heart, and that’s when His desires will begin to become our desires.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for reminding me that You haven’t forgotten about me, just as Your word says, You will never leave me nor forsake me. Forgive me Father, for allowing the way I feel to interfere with what I know to be true. You are for me, and You are working everything out for my good, because I love You and You called me for a purpose. I will continue to delight, trust and rest in You. It is in your son, Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

*Note- Today’s Devo, is a repost from a previous one.*

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4:37

The fair came to my neighborhood this past weekend. As I was watching all the rides, games and excitement of the people, one particular ride caught me eye.

The Ferris Wheel. It is a massive ride, so how could one not notice it? If you have ever ridden a Ferris Wheel before, you know that it can be somewhat unexciting at first. This is one of the few rides that everyone can’t get on all at one time, once you get on, you must wait until everyone else gets on before the ride actually starts.

So you find yourself in sort of a holding pattern, excited when the ride begins, but suddenly disappointed when it comes to a stop to allow the other riders to get on.

Have you ever experienced this feeling before? Where you were once excited about something, but after months maybe even years of feeling like the Ferris Wheel in your life has stopped, everything just became uneventful?

Let’s consider The Shunammite Woman in 2 Kings. As we read the passage, we learn some things about her. She is a caring woman who thinks of the needs of others and devotes her life to serving. She and her husband have committed to serving, Elisha, the Man of God when he comes into town. Because of this, Elisha wants to do something for the woman. We, later on, find out that she does not have a child but we know that it is something that she desires or desired in the past, see verse 16.

Elisha promised the woman a son within a year’s time and sure enough, she bore a son. The Ferris Wheel of her life that once felt like it had come to a stop began to move again.

The Bible tells us that her son grew up, but one day, we learn that her Ferris Wheel once again came to a stop when her son dies, vs 20.

Maybe you can imagine, going through your life with dreams and goals, things that you want to accomplish, only to realize that you are still waiting on your Farris Wheel to start up again. Then once it does, and seems to be consistently moving, it stops again. How frustrating? Let’s look at how The Shunammite Woman handled her frustration.

In verse 22, we see immediately that she went right back to where her blessing came from. She didn’t waste time talking to people who couldn’t do anything about her situation, but she went straight to Elisha. As we continue to read the passage we see after a number of attempts, Elisha was able to bring the boy back to life. And once again, her Ferris Wheel began again.

Where are you on your Ferris Wheel of life? Is your Ferris Wheel currently moving or has it come to a stop? How long have you been in that position? What are you doing while you are there? I would encourage you to meditate on this passage and see how it parallels with your life?  What can you learn from The Shunammite Woman?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You so much for your faithfulness towards me. Even when there are times that I may have forgotten or chose to move on in my life. There are times in my life where I feel like my Ferris Wheel has stopped in place. Help me to remember that just because my life appears to come to a stop doesn’t mean that it has stopped. Allow me to keep my eyes on you. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!