Daily Devotion

You are Responsible for Your Own Salvation

 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Isaiah 53:6

 

I got my little brother to download a lot of old cds for me.  I'm not sure if y'all remember, but there is this song by Helen Baylor, where she is giving her testimony about her life.  How she went from growing up in church, getting saved and living for Christ then went in the totally opposite direction.  She was in the nightclubs at 12, started singing for major acts and got involved with wrong crowd.  She started doing drugs.  But she always reiterates the fact that she "had a praying grandmother."  But notice when she got down to her lowest point how she called on God for herself; the devil was rebuked and she turned her life around.  Now don't stop praying for people, because this story shows that there is hope for everyone.  On the eve of the new year, have you assured your own salvation?  I love you and be safe!!!  Happy New Year!

 

That if thou(meaning YOU) shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  Romans 10:9-10

Daily Devotion

Sacrifices

 

"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."  John 19:30

 

How do you tell the person you love that you are willing to do anything in the world for them?  That you are there for them through thick and thin.  That you can carry their load, and relieve their pains. (Matthew 11:28)  That you only want to love them with all your heart, and pray that they love others the same way. (Matthew 19:19)  That they go forth and tell others about your love, and preach the good news, the way to salvation and righteousness. (Acts 8:25)

 

You die for them. "he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." Philippians 2:8 Like a lamb ready for slaughter, He died. When they did not hear anything, believe anything, receive anything, they receive that you and others were willing to deliver that message to them.  They see that you loved them more than life itself, and that you died so that they might live.  They see that others were willing to die because of you and your love.  They see how they were willing to live in dire and destitute situations in order to spread the good news of salvation.  For through Him, we are all now redeemed and the sons and daughters of the Father. 'When the centurion who stood facing Jesus saw how he had cried out and breathed his last, he said, "This man certainly was the Son of God!"' Mark 15:39 Then, hopefully, they love you back.

 

Love God, and love Christ.

 

"And see a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.  1 Peter 2:24

 

Merry CHRISTmas!

Daily Devotion

Cutting off the Dead Part 

"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."  John 15:2 

Have you ever noticed if you prune the dead leaves off of a plant how much it grows and blossoms?  Or for you ladies, if you cut your hair (for maintenance) how it seems to grow much faster?  Even in diabetic patients that have to have an appendage amputated, how they seem to do much better physically after the part that has died is gone?  I know that ever since I have been on a "search and destroy" mission for my split ends how much faster my hair grows. 

Death, or in this case, negativity infects everything it touches. It starts at one point and then it spreads. Like cancer if untreated, it spreads to the next most vulnerable spot.  Split ends in hair can eventually cause baldness if ignored. So imagine what happens if you are spiritually dead and ignore your need for God. If you are not nourishing your heart and soul, if you do not know Jesus and love Him, do you really want to know what the consequences are?  Do you really want to know what kinds of social, physical, financial, moral, and spiritual ills you leave yourself to become a victim to? You cannot be physically well without being spiritually well too. We were made to be fruitful—to blossom and produce good fruit—in particular here the good fruits of the spirit. (Genesis 1:28)  We are also to allow our seeds to be shared with others (the Word of God), thus planting good fruit in them and continuing the cycle. 

Jesus says above that the dead parts—the parts that don't produce fruit are cut off, taken away.  And even those that produce fruit are pruned—perfected—in order to bear more fruit.  But in the very next verse Jesus says that by receiving His message, we have been pruned.  "You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you."  John 15:2   But it does not end there:  we must stay alive—stay spiritually well by continuing to seek Him and abide in Him.  So stay alive, keep allowing God to prune you, and grow you for His divine purpose. 

"Abide in me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch cannot produce fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Unless a person abides in me, he is thrown away like a pruned branch and dries up. People gather such branches, throw them into a fire, and they are burned up. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you will receive it. This is how my Father is glorified, when you produce a lot of fruit and so prove to be my disciples."  John 15:4-8

Daily Devotion #2

You Don't Know Me NOW

 

' "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him.'  Mark 6:3

 

I'm going to bed but I had to finish this.  My own personal devotion mentioned this today, actually the reference in Matthew.  But its so relevant, because I am not the person I used to be, not in high school, college, last year, last month, last week or even yesterday. As living beings, we are in a constant, ever-changing state. Anyone who is in Christ becomes a new person, born of His glory.

 

I am not the same Marquita.  Through countless trials and situations, I have become a different person.  Therefore, you cannot hold me to things I did before, you cannot assume that I still like the same things, you cannot believe that I think the same.

 
Take Paul for example.  He was one of the BIGGEST persecutors of Christians ever mentioned.  Saul, as was his name before, used to go around to the synagogues and "wrangle up" Jews that believed in Christ and deliver them for imprisonment and execution.  Christians had to hide and live in secret places.  They could not worship God publicly. When I visited Turkey, I got to walk through part of one of their underground cities in Cappadocia.  Can you imagine living UNDERGROUND so that you can freely practice your faith?  Constantly hiding and fearing for your life, unless you were caught?

 

Here in Acts 9:21 the Jews we baffled at his preaching and zest for Christ:  'All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?"'  Then he himself says in Galatians 1:13-14 of his former life:  "You heard about the way I once lived when I followed the Jewish religion. You heard how I violently persecuted God's church and tried to destroy it. You also heard how I was far ahead of other Jews in my age group in following the Jewish religion. I had become that fanatical for the traditions of my ancestors."  But then the most important part--the part that matters is this: "But God, who appointed me before I was born and who called me by his kindness, was pleased to show me his Son. He did this so that I would tell people who are not Jewish that his Son is the Good News..." Galatians 1:15-16  And because people did not know the new Saul also known as Paul anymore, they still went back to his past.  But because he was a convert, because Jesus himself intervened and revealed Himself to Paul, many were brought to Christ and gave Him the glory. 'The only thing they kept hearing was this: "The man who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy!". Galatians 1:23 Because if God can change the very person that tried to and succeeded in killing His followers, then turn around and use him to bring others to Christ, what can God do for you!

 

You don't know me anymore.  There is a new me.

 

"So they kept glorifying God for what had happened to me."  Galatians 1:24

Daily Devotion

Investing 101 

"By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him."  1 John 4:9 

God loves you and believes in you.  His love is like a parent that is willing to give all they have so that their child can have a better future and life than they had.  Actually it's beyond that.  God sent part of himself to be born into the world to save people that were not originally entitled to His promises.  Yes the Bible mentions many people that believed in God that were not Hebrew, but He made His love known globally at Jesus' sacrifice.  Do you know anybody like that, willing to die so that you can be saved?   

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32 

Trusting God and believing in Christ is a GUARANTEED high yield.  In layman's terms:  if you believe God and trust Him, you are guaranteed to receive the highest return: eternal life. There is nothing better than that; money can't buy you eternal happiness. Much like investing in stocks, if you try to change what you believe or "sell or buy" each day, you are definitely gonna lose out because the stock market, like life, is volatile. If you believe in God one day, then change your mind the next, quite possibly you may miss the opportunity to return to Him. Things come each day to cause your profits to tank. (1 Peter 1:6)  But it is always the long term investor that profits the greatest.  If you invest time, love, money, and dedication in your relationship with God, you will benefit much.  You will see dividends of peace, love, grace, mercy, favor, and blessings from all around. (2 Thess. 2:16) 

God has already invested greatly in your life and future life.  Why not start investing in your own life and the lives of others by sharing His love and His word? 

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."  2 Corinthians 9:6

Daily Devotion

You are Never Too _______ to Learn

 

Everything written long ago was written to teach us so that we would have confidence through the endurance and encouragement which the Scriptures give us.  Romans 15:4

 

I left that blank because people have all sorts of excuses about learning new things.  I have long believed that you should learn something everyday. You can learn something from anyone if you are willing to try.  Don't rule someone out because they are young; don't ignore someone because they seem incompetent or don't live as well as you do. 

 

For example, I find it so interesting that children regardless of their age love unconditionally.  You could have the world's worst mother but still love her in spite.  What I learned from it is that this illustrates the agape love--regardless, no matter what you do kind of love that God has for us. 

 

You have to allow yourself to be fertile enough to let someone plant seeds in your mind and heart--now, don't take that to mean let anything someone says be taken as a lesson--that's where discernment and wisdom come in.  Actually, you need both of those in order to know what to listen to in the first place. "But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true--it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ." 1 John 2:27  Yield to the Holy Spirit and learn something and share it!

 

"Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning."  Proverbs 9:9

Daily Devotion

Ye of Little Faith

 

Stop letting your mind cripple you and believe, have faith I tell you!! Six different times in the book of Matthew Jesus says to the disciples "O Ye of Little Faith."  In Matthew 8:26 during the storm on the sea Jesus says:  'He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.'  In Matthew 14:31 when Peter began to sink as he walked out on the water to Jesus, he cried out for Jesus' help.  'Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"'  In Matthew 17:14-20, Jesus meets a man with a possibly schizophrenic child; the man took his son to the Disciples and they could not heal  him.  Jesus says "O faithless and perverse generation.." in Matthew 17:17.  I hope you're getting the central theme--a lack of faith and unbelief open the doorway for fear to take over. Its like on TV when the teenager is only having a few friends over, they open the door and in comes the party... 

 

2 Timothy 1:7 says "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  God did not give fear to us; rather, we inherited it after Pandora's box was open at Adam's sin.  Because we are but flesh, we fear, we get scared, we get afraid.  And because our minds are inclined to rational reason, we doubt what we do not see, we do not believe what God tells us.  We do not believe, therefore we do not have faith.  Jesus reprimanded the Disciples after they failed to believe in the abilities He gave to them:  "And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."(Matthew 17:20)

 

I had a beautiful experience today.  Y'all know I have been applying to seminary, and I found out yesterday that one of the scholarships I am applying for had the date bumped up for the deadline for the essay.  It was only God, because of my anal tendencies--the paper I had originally printed looked raggedy to me, lol--that I went back on the website to print another application.  I learned that the essay and scholarship application are now due January 15 instead of February 1.  So obviously I'm going to crack down and crank it out.  But I called the admissions office and God spoke to me directly through the woman that answered the phone.  I called to clarify and make sure that the information I had was correct, because I could no longer find the original application that I have.  I of course lately had been letting doubt and unbelief because of all the uncertainties in my life dictate what I have been doing--like not writing my devotions and slacking on my applications.  (I'm glad to say that I am nearly done with the exception of recommendations by the way, . It was only God that I called today, because He knew He needed to get me directly on the line.  She only started working there this week, and she was only in the office because no one else was there--she is a MTh or ThD student.  There are no coincidences people!  So she told me her testimony of how God moved her to Atlanta to go to Emory--she missed the original deadline; God told her to keep pressing and apply even after the deadline and was accepted anyway. She had to defer for a year because she did not have the money to attend, but then God told her to pack as much as she could in her car and just go and drive to Atlanta.  She was afraid and skeptical but obedient. Of course when she got there, she had the money to go to school.  Then the next year, she was uncertain of finances for school again, and was gonna pack her car and go back to New Haven, but of course God made a way for her.  I told her I don't like saying I'm afraid and uncertain because we are supposed to--and she immediately went in on me.  Like I'm telling you, she said that because we are human--we are flesh, we get scared--which is very true. By that time, I was crying, because at that moment, I needed that word from Him; God knows us and what we need--He promises to supply them, right? I then realized before she could say it, we can have fear and faith--its just we have to believe in God and not doubt His word because He gave us proof--The Bible!  We must trust God and know that what He told us will come true.

 

Trusting God trumps being afraid any day if you believe and have faith. God's promises and His word do not return void.  Its a guaranteed investment.

 

"So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."  Isaiah 55:11

Daily Devotion #2

Crying Out

 

"Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my cries for help! Don't ignore my tears. For I am your guest--a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me."  Psalm 39:12

 

God hears us when we cry.  Whether we believe it or not, He does.  But do you listen when He answers?  I know I have not always listened.  In fact, I have ignored Him many times and Lord KNOWS I have cried many many times at my disobedience.  Ask yourself, how can you cry out to God for help, but when He answers you and tells you what to do, you do nothing?  Psalm 56:8 says "You have taken account of my wanderings; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?"  So this lets us know that God takes account of our cries, He hears us.  Is the wax cleaned out of your ears that you can actually take heed and be obedient?  Sometimes you must take a step away from all the noise, go to a quiet place--be it physical or in your mind--to actually hear God answer your cries--actually give yourself a chance to listen intently for His reply. (Matthew 6:6)  He tells us that He would answer our prayers--"All things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Matthew 21:22)  So cry out to God, bring your case before Him again and again, like the widow, and listen for His voice. (Luke 18:2-8)  Clean your ears--all three of them.  Open your heart to receive what He tells you and follow through.  I cry out to Him all the time and I feel so much better because I know that He has not guided me wrong.

 

"O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief."  Psalm 143:1

 

Daily Devotion

Standing Alone in the Rain

 

"He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed."  Psalm 107:29

 

Sometimes we have those days, weeks, months or even years when it just seems like things are not going as we would like.  It seems like those days that nothing can put us at ease.  I'm feeling somewhat out of it; don't get me wrong, I love Christmas because I love to give.  But right now, I just cannot give as I would like.  Plus, I've been thinking of all the things that have happened this year, gains and losses and I just don't feel the spirit.  But because I know God will cause this rain to pass, and He can give me the peace I need if I only just wait on Him, I'm okay.  In spite, God has blessed me, and He has moved some MAJOR storms out of my life.  Sometimes its good to stand or sit in the rain, because its a refreshing cleanse.  Let God's word rain on your soul and endure.  Good night!!

 

"You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them."  Psalm 89:9

Daily Devotion

A Two-Sided X-Ray

 

"Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness."  1 Kings 10:9

 

King Solomon is known for asking God for wisdom and discernment over all the things he could have asked for.  More familiar is the story of the two mothers, one whose baby died and stole another woman's baby.  The true mother of the child would rather give her child up than to see any harm come to him.  To discern which mother was genuinely the mother of the child, Solomon had to look at both mother's reactions and recognize the behaviors of the real mother.

 

I'm gonna be brief: sometimes we need to stand in front of that x-ray machine and look deep within ourselves at our own imperfections, at our own shortcomings, before we dwell on those of others.  I'm sure if a two-sided x-ray existed it would greatly revolutionize health care--because you would be able to see what is causing your ailment, be it bitterness, anger, jealousy, or just plain stupidity. Usually you don't know what you are looking at until someone points it out to you--usually in judgment.  But if we all took a little time to examine ourselves, we could save ourselves money, sanity, and heartache. Remember who the ultimate judge is...so don't lie to yourself and look within.  I'm going to bed now so I won't throw my computer for my negligence to save my essay on one of my applications!!

 

Be blessed.

Daily Devotion

The Product of Complaining

 

 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar."  Psalm 42:5-6

 

There are three occurrences of the same wording above in Psalms...kinda ironic right?  Read what it says about complaining ad feeling sorry for yourself!

 

Okay, when I was little, I loved growing things.  Any flower, plant, vegetable, you name it, I probably tried to grow it.  See, I love trying new things and mastering them.  Actually, I would love to have a little garden/planter box out here except I have birds, cats, and jumbo country spiders to get angry about.  So anyway, one time, I had some cucumber seeds.  I planted them and pretty much left them alone.  I complained that they were not growing and maybe were just duds.  Before I knew it, I had baby cucumbers growing and starting to get big.  Then one day I noticed a big chunk was missing out of one of em--I think I had three--and holes in the other ones.  Moral:  quit complaining!  Everything takes time.  Nothing is overnight, except weeds.  And you don't want weeds growing up in your garden. 

 

Like in the Parable of the Planter, the seeds that fell among weeds choked.  When we complain, we choke ourselves.  Of course not literally people.  But of course everything that is literal can manifest itself in the physical.  We miss out on the opportunity to grow and exercise our faith by complaining.  We miss out on the chance to look at the situation from another perspective and try again.  We miss out on the chance just look and see what God protected us from!  I looked up synonyms of complain--and there were over 50 words that meant the same thing!  That's a shame, that the English language promotes complaining rather than finding a way out of the situation.  Its terrible that people always find the negative in a situation rather than look on the bright side--most obviously the fact that you are still alive to live another day and figure out how to get past whatever is troubling you.  I wish I could do a study to prove that people with negative dispositions are more likely to have more pain and suffer more.  I have a living example...   I proved the opposite--I and the positive lights in my life believed that I would recover miraculously and I did just that.  My brother's kidney started making urine within the hour of being put in my body!  That and of course speaking the word of God over both of us...in fact I remind myself how God has made a way in many impossible situations as a constant reminder that the bad is only temporary and what my eternal promise provides...you should try it!  Try to be content in spite, be happy because that is something you choose to do!  You can choose to complain, and plant those seeds and see what you reap!

"The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." Lamentations 3:24

Daily Devotion

Be Careful What You Ask For

 

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."  Mark 11:24

 

I just wrote something that really made me think.  I said--quoting myself haha--"I now realize if you beg God for something hard enough, He will give it to you but sometimes things are much harder and teach you those critical lessons."  I expand that to say, sometimes we ask for stuff we weren't meant to have, because we really think we need them and God fulfills His promise to provide our needs.

 

I do not believe I was supposed to come back to Charleston--but because we have the free will to choose, and mouths to pray, we sometimes get things that God will work out for our good. (Romans 8:28)  See, I have gone through a great deal of difficulties--COUNTLESS attacks against my health, my body, my spirit, my mind, and my faith.  Now that goes without saying that had I gone to California instead, I would not have undergone some great challenges there to get me to this same central point--going about life His way, walking in His will, yielding to His voice.  Because we are told in my verse--one of my favorites :D, that God will work together all things for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.  I believe that if I had chosen Tampa, New Orleans, Norfolk, Timbuktu, or San Diego--my original destination, that God would have made me see it His way regardless.  But I say be careful what you ask for because in all of this, I have asked for  Patience, Strength, Endurance, Favor, Guidance, Direction, Wisdom and His Love among other things.  To get Patience, I have had to wait for a job to come through so that I can move away and I had to realize, truly realize God's purpose for me here, and in life, in the process.  For Strength and Endurance I have had to have strength for everyone else, including myself through illness, pain, heartache, and death, and I have had to endure less than favorable circumstances at work and in other situations to realize that God can carry it all.(1 Peter 5:7)  For running my big mouth some more lol and asking for Guidance and Direction, I had to obey when no one else's advice made sense, when no one could help me, and the only voice that was clear was His.  For Wisdom!!!  I can't even EXPLAIN!  Because sometimes I don't know where these devotions come from!  Somebody could say something, just one thing and I write.  I may say one thing and I write.  And praying for God's love---and this is ongoing---to love yourself when you never knew how, to love others when you didn't love yourself....

 

"But you, man of God, must flee from all these things. Instead, you must pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness."  1 Timothy 6:11

 

Be careful what you ask for!  Because God does hold true to His promises!  Good night!

Daily Devotion #2

The Problem with Egos

Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

I love Beyonce’s “Ego”. But just in reflection of some recent happenings, it just made me realize how much I can’t stand arrogant and selfish people! You know that person who always has something to say and thinks that everybody wants to hear what they have to say. The person who believes that their way is the right way and refuses to see it anyone else’s way—yep, that’s who I’m talking about. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a unique opinion about something, just don’t force it on me. I also just realized that this is something I have been guilty of in the past; now, I give you my opinion and you can do whatever you wish with it—I’ll listen to yours too, no matter how wrong I think it may be, lol. :D

The problem with having an ego problem is that it really is only misguided and foolish pride, selfishness, and arrogance. The saying “Too much of anything is bad” has never been wrong. Too much pride leaves you looking, excuse my bluntness, stupid. Okay, there is nothing wrong with being CONFIDENT in your abilities; there is a difference. Self-assured versus overbearing sense of self-importance or superiority to others—definitely different. I think it must hurt more for arrogant and prideful people to fall; I imagine that fall is a lot higher and harder than for a humble person.

Many scriptures speak against arrogance, selfishness, and pride (by the way, all are synonyms of egotistical). For example Hannah prayed in 1 Samuel 2:3, "Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don't speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions.” In James 4:16 bragging and arrogance are considered evil. I don’t know why this was on my mind, but if you suffer from what I like to call ‘smellingyourownfunkitis’, I suggest you take these pills every day until you recover or else you will get hit with a case of ‘gettingknockedbacktoreality’ by life.

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2

Daily Devotion

Distractions Everywhere

But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." Luke 10:40

Hey folks, I apologize for the lack of devotions lately. Being sick is not something I enjoy and this week has been tough. Fortunately, I feel somewhat better and I have been able to stay focused a little better than I had been able to the last two days. Obviously, I allowed how I was feeling to distract me from my responsibilities. But don’t we all do that sometimes?

Referencing the scripture above and the context of Martha’s statement, Jesus and the disciples were heading to Jerusalem (Luke 10:38). They stopped in Martha and Mary’s village, and stayed there. Martha immediately busied herself with cooking, preparing and serving while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. Martha proceeds to complain in the above verse, but notice she was distracted. Jesus didn’t tell her to cook!

Distractions can come in any form. You can even get distracted by volunteering for something—like Martha, who took it upon herself to make a big dinner—that was not even asked of you! The only real way that we can overcome distractions is by seeing them for what they are, casting them down, and asking God to continue to reveal them to us. The sooner we recognize them for what they are, the sooner we can redirect our thinking and focus on whatever it is that we truly need to be doing!

“I'm saying this for your benefit, not to restrict you. I'm showing you how to live a noble life of devotion to the Lord without being distracted by other things.” 1 Corinthians 7:35

Daily Devotion

A Conundrum of Thoughts--Clear 'Em Out

 

'And again, I will put my trust in him...'  Hebrews 2:13

 

Has your mind ever been everywhere but nowhere at the same time?  Like thinking about bits and pieces of everything or the things that you wish were going on in your life but are not.  Even at those times, that imp confusion tries to break in but can't.  You may be like me, knowing the next step but procrastinating in taking it, because even after you take that step, you are not sure that it is the right way for you to go.  Its like being the middle of a labyrinth (a maze people lol) and there are infinite paths all around you to take but you are not sure.  It is really at these times that we should seek God in every possible way we can.

 

If you knew me before I went to college, and as I prepared to go, I knew one thing for sure that I would never return to SC.  But we should never say never because we never know what points we have to meet and pass, what stones we have to step over to get to that next point or what unexpected turns we may face.  I went to church today, and although the sermon cast light on lots of things that will help me in my ministry and counseling aspirations, my mind was not there.  It was simply lost in the sea of thoughts surfing through my mind. As I write this right now, I know that my only consolation is turning to God, inclining my ear to His voice and trusting that He will make all wrongs right.

 

The only way to truly seek God is to pray and open yourself up to listening.  Whether you have to clear your room, clear your house, or just go to the place where you can be totally alone and in God's presence, you should do that.  I know that now, more than ever that we have to truly face ourselves head on and go to God in all things.  Even if you have to meditate on the same scripture, do like Isaiah says in 8:17 and "And I will wait for the LORD who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him."  Even right now, where things are just so uncertain, I know that God has not failed me yet.  In due time you will see what He wants you to see and you will do--if you obey--what He wants you to do.

 

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.  Habakkuk 2:3

Daily Devotion

Can you Get up?

 

"But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."  Luke 5;24

 

I found a cd that one of my big sisters made me, some songs to help me get through.  You remember Donnie McClurkin's song "We Fall Down"?  The specific part I really understood today was that "a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up".  Everyone that Jesus healed, they listened to His word and believed.  They were obedient.  The paralytic person in the verse above was told to get up--because the evil Pharisees doubted and questioned Jesus' authority for forgive sins.  Walking in faith is a multifaceted thing--you must be obedient that God is directing you in the way He wants you to go and that if you follow through that there is something good on the other side.  You must believe that whatever you are having faith in God for will come to pass.  You must act--because faith without works is dead. (James 2:20)  Some of Jesus' disciples were the most reviled people--Matthew was a tax collector! Paul persecuted and killed Christians.  But because they chose to get up and walk in faith, their sins were forgiven.

 

So Get UP!

 

Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."  Acts 3:6

Daily Devotion

The God Complex

 

You told yourself,
       "I will go up to heaven.
    I will put my throne
       above God's stars.
    I will sit on the mountain of the gods,
       on the slopes of the sacred mountain.
 ¹⁴ I will go up above the tops of the clouds.
       I will be like God Most High."  Isaiah 14:12-14

 

 

The only person you can change is yourself, and even that is not an overnight process. 

 

I searched online for where the fall of Lucifer was mentioned in the Bible--meaning "Morning Star"  and if I remember my root words correctly luc is latin for light.  I wanted to know where we got this notion from of wanting to be in control, wanting to change other people and things to our liking.  But in Genesis 3, when Mankind falls, it is because the seed is planted by the serpent that we should want to be like God, we should want to be in control.  Becausse God is the only one who can change anyone and anything.  That was a powerful epiphany for me because I would like to believe sometimes that if I pray hard enough and long enough, the bad things that people do and say will stop.  I mislead myself into believing that my influence can help them change for the better--and I know I am not alone in feeling this way!  Countless times we wish for people to change and they never do.  We wish for them to magically wake up one day  a different person but that is not going to happen unless they decide to yield to God.  They must decide to stop anything they are doing bad and allow God to make it good.  This God complex has caused a lot of trouble for everyone. 

 

Across history for echelons, there has been a central belief in a primary God, ruler of all things.  A ruler(not the measuring stick lol) controls all that he is in charge of; therefore God being in charge of all things rules over all.  The devil wanted to be like God, so when he was banished and cast down from heaven, he sought to establish control over us here on earth.  Knowing this now, we must not allow him to deceive us into thinking we can control anything or anyone.  We were given the right to choose, so choose to ignore the devil and yield all to God.  Love is the key to it all!

 

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;  2 Corinthians 5:14

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God loves you...He blesses you with another day so make the most of it!


Marquita B. Priester

Daily Devotion #2

Are YOU Ready to Cash that Check??

The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. John 5:7-9

Okay, when you get a paycheck, you are being paid for your services. You have faith that when you go to the bank to cash that check that you get money for it. To reap the benefits, you have to put in some sort of effort, right? It’s the same with blessings, miracles, and deliverance. You have to work your faith to cash the check of righteousness and bountiful harvest. Just like the man in John 4:50 whose son was dying, when he believed what Jesus told him, he worked his faith. He went the distance because he believed in Jesus’ abilities. And surely enough at the very instant he received Jesus’ word and believed, his son was healed! (John 4:52-53)

Well I’m happy to say that I am cashing a check today. I have been believing God for several things to come to pass in my life. As you know I have not been happy at work, not having consistent work and all. So before I got out of my car this morning, I told God thank you that I would have a good day and that He would open the doors and windows for me to find satisfying work until He decided to move me to my next task. So after my meetings, I went over to my mother at work’s desk and asked her how could I find out about the work of the other departments. I went and looked at the org charts based on the titles of their branches. I emailed over 20 branches my resume and why I wanted to have a rotation. I started getting replies before I had finished emailing them all. After I went to the restroom and before I went by one of the branch heads offices, I just so happened to see one of the names of the people I emailed on the door. I saw the door was open, spoke and introduced myself. I went in and talked with her. Low and behold, she has an ABUNDANCE of projects for me to work on and they are things I studied/researched in school! Talk about expeditious movement on my behalf, all because I believed!! Then after I had talked to a few more people, I get back to my desk, check my personal email, and saw that I have been selected as one of the best candidates for a job in Atlanta! Even if I don’t get the job, I know God is preparing to open that garage door—that’s right that’s the kind of blessings I’m expecting; I don’t know about you! If He doesn’t, I am right here pushing along because He has already given me an inch to see out of. But if I had simply given up and resolved to failure and disappointment, I am certain that I would not have received that blessing and spark of encouragement today. So before you give up on God and forfeit your earnings, is there some way you can exercise and work your faith on your own behalf? Even though its nowhere in the Bible, I do believe that if you help yourself—put some faith work in it—God will definitely help you! I’m definitely smiling today and the devil can’t steal my joy! I’m on alert lol.

“What do you mean, 'If I can'?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” Mark 9:23

Daily Devotion

Speaking to the Taboo Elephants in the Room

“Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. Whatever you have whispered in private rooms will be shouted from the housetops.” Luke 12:3

Hello everybody! I hope you are having a great day. Today is World AIDS Day. And I miss my school, Clark. There was always some awareness program about the effect of HIV/AIDS in our community. I have increasingly noticed how our traditional churches and even in our households that there are still some things that are not talked about. How can you ignore something that affects your brother and sister? How can you not care? Increasingly our country has become over the last 10 years the haven for political correctness and that includes ignoring very important issues. That’s not of God! Jesus did not do that!

In fact, Jesus went out and healed the lepers.(Mark 1:40) He went and ate with the sick, the poor, and the sinners.(Matthew 26:6-7) Matter of fact, everyone Jesus healed was sick, everyone Jesus delivered had a demon or something causing them ailment! Lepers were outcasts of society; much like our own AIDS stricken people. He communed with prostitutes, adulterers, and many people of questionable character. (Luke 7:37) But at the end of the day, they were sinners, just like you and me. Quit ignoring them, and spread knowledge. Be like Jesus who loves us all.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

Daily Devotion

When Only a Divine Intervention Can

"The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." 1 Samuel 17:37
David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:45-47

Thinking back to when I was growing up, I always told myself, "I'm going to college, gonna graduate, and be successful." And of course along comes the king of all haters, you know him, you love to hate him, you can't stand to be around him, the devil. He throws all kinds of doubt-filled words and terrible situations my way to distract me. But I still remember saying, I will finish school. And what did I do—finish school. When most would have given up, I stayed and worked hard. When people would have taken time off to recover, I went to Turkey. When most would have come up with excuses, I cried out to God. Only divine intervention can keep you focused when everything you know has been obliterated. Because as Isaiah 38:17 says, "Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish." And it was—I'm much stronger and now God is equipping me for His work.

Take my new nephew Josiah(Smile Esha, Mimi, and Ms. Sylvia; I couldn't help it).(I have got nieces and nephews out the ying yang now lol) I tell you he is a trooper! He has been fighting for 9 months to get here and he gets stronger and stronger each day he is here. But I know something that most doctors and atheistic people don't know, that God put His hand on Josiah and Josiah grabbed tight with His little hands. Like my own baby brother--they both inspire me, who fought that same fight, he said in his little mind, "I have too much to do, too many people to meet, and I am coming. So devil leave me alone!" When no one else can do it, God does it. He continues to provide, He continues to win. Like in John 16:33, Jesus says that He has ALREADY overcome the world—so you can guarantee with faith and trusting and yielding that God has already taken care of it. This is not to say that it isn't hard, but you can trust that God still knows how to straighten out situations that seem irreversible.

Put your comfort in this scripture:

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:5
"My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." Psalm 119:50

Daily Devotion

The Tortoise and the Hare

 

But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience.  Luke 8:15

 

I love folk tales.  Because they not only teach realistic lessons about life, but they do it in a lighthearted way.  I hope that you had a great thanksgiving and gave God all the thanks that is due to Him.  The tortoise ended up beating the hare in that story, and patience truly does deem you the winner over whatever ills you may face.  It is a hard lesson--Lord I am preaching to myself :D--but as in Luke 21:19, "By your steadfastness and patient endurance you shall win the true life of your souls."  That includes all the blessings you seek and the guidance needed to make the best decisions.  Like the seed that fell on fertile soil, blessings are harvested with patience.  Nothing happens overnight.  Growth is not on fast forward, and neither is progress.  As the saying goes, progress is a slow process.  The only way to get that growth and get to that harvest is to water and feed your seeds with the proper foods: reinforcing scriptures, people placed in your life with wisdom and insight, and spending time in God's presence.  So feed your need for God!

 

"May the Lord direct your hearts into [realizing and showing] the love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ and in waiting for His return."  2 Thessalonians 3: 5

Daily Devotion

What is your reason for Thanksgiving?

 

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].  1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I know that I am thankful to be alive.  Just last year, I was fighting to salvage my last 12% of kidney function, sleeping nearly 12 hours just to be up and work, and wasting away.  But look at me now and tell me God ain't good!  Of course I have experienced ups and downs, but I must truly say that this has been one of the best years of my life.  I claimed on the last day of 2008 that 2009 would be my year--I have had many things to happen to challenge that declaration.  But I must earnestly say that God has held me down and had my back even when those I always thought would be there have not.  I have had my life nearly taken several times, lost those dear to me, and been under nearly insurmountable amounts of stress.  But I am thankful for God because I have gotten through!  I now know and embrace His calling on my life and plan to do what He tells me.  I now have the undaunting faith that He will always provide!  I pray that you too have experienced that kind of faith and God's faithfulness.  But I ask, what are you thankful for?  What has God done for you that you can thank Him for every single day?  Health, wealth, love?  What ever it is, be sure to give God all the praise and glory all the time.

 

Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9: 11

I give thanks to Him Who has granted me [the needed] strength and made me able [for this], Christ Jesus our Lord, because He has judged and counted me faithful and trustworthy, appointing me to [this stewardship of] the ministry. 1 Timothy 1: 12

Daily Devotion

Appreciating the Quiet

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39

Sometimes our minds get to running so far off course that we get ourselves into trouble. I realized that today is a quiet day, and I was just calm and quiet, no worries kind of day. But I kept getting thoughts in my head, annoying thoughts dead set on destroying my peace. Fortunately I recognized it and went outside into my car for my break, read a little, and took a nap. Put those thoughts to bed so that I could appreciate the calm and quiet that God has given me.

The context of the scripture above is like so: Jesus had just gotten finished preaching to the multitude and decided to leave and travel across the lake. There were other ships around with them. All of the sudden, a windstorm, and I assume much like our hurricanes came upon them. The waves were beating against the ship and caused the ship to fill with water. The disciples, who had not quite understood and appreciated the miracles Jesus had just performed, were quickly frightened and fearful. They go to Jesus, who is sleeping in the bottom of the ship, and probably cry out in fear at His lack of concern about the storm. See this is the learning point here. Jesus is the Son of God, so why would the Master of All be afraid of some little storm? He had just performed great miracles in healing the diseases and casting out demons of the crowds that He had encountered, so why would he be concerned with a few waves?(Mark 3-4) But we look at the “waves” and go ballistic! We lose all faith and are barely able to weather a light shower.

Even in times of damp ground and peace, we look and anticipate bad. So what happens, we get it! I am glad God allowed me to recognize what the devil was doing. I am on alert because he does get crafty and try to sneak up on us, but I recognize the power in changing your thoughts by speaking out loud. I said, I am going to take a nap and instantly the thoughts were gone. He was trying to make me find something to negatively meditate on. He was trying to make me find a fault with anything today and I must say that I am glad for my progress because I karate-kicked that fool! I embrace the great calm that God has given me and want to relish in it. Because not a single man or woman alive can give that to you, you should appreciate those points of peace and quiet. Be on guard because that great imp is always gearing up for ways to attack you. Be blessed and let God’s peace fall on you today!

“You rule the swelling of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them.” Psalm 89:9

Daily Devotion #2

Having Faith in the Name

"And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all." Acts 3:16

Growing up, among many things I did not like about myself, I could not stand my names. I looked up my first name often to find no meaning; it was not a typical name. As I got older, I realized that my name instantly cast me into a box—definitely African American. For the life of me I did not understand where they came from or who thought of them. My momma was always the one to correct people when they mispronounced it. I had this one teacher…all my EC alumni know how…who absolutely annihilated my name every single time she called on me. From Maqwista Piester to her having to think of a monkey—picture that right—to pronounce it right, I am certain she hasn't forgotten it. Despite that, I excelled in her class and even had to teach my classmates when she could not effectively explain a topic. It was not until I went on this journey of embracing me and everything about me, including my name, that I learned to accept it for what it is, and that I, not anyone else defined it. Even better, I really embraced it just this Saturday, as Miss Black SC USA 2009 told me and my fellow queens how she came upon the name for her company. I'm sure everyone has heard or read the story of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon, how she sought wisdom from a place that took 9 months for her to travel to.

What I learned that nearly brought tears to my eyes was that her name was Makeda, or Maqueda and a host of others in different interpretations. It took me learning that to learn so much more about God. We are supposed to have faith when we call on that glorious name of Jesus that we can expect to receive whatever we ask for. We can expect that we will bless us, deliver us, heal us, save us, carry our burdens, and that oh so difficult thing change us. Nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is outside of the realms of His power. So embrace who God made you to be, and define your name, because in His name, all things are possible!

"I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him." John 5:43

Daily Devotion

Kill the Victim

"But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57
"The one who loves us gives us an overwhelming victory in all these difficulties." Romans 8:37

I was having a conversation with one of my friends last night and was told that I can play the victim role very well. I was like no I don't—naturally! But that got me to thinking, I remember my ex-boyfriend saying on a regular basis that I played on his sympathy. And that is not what I want to do! I realized that I must immediately stop this. I don't want pity, I want compassion. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, I want encouragement to keep striving and occasionally someone to vent to and share my burdens with. We must stop allowing ourselves to be victims—whether subliminally or explicitly. Bad things happen to everyone—good and bad although as good people we like to believe that we are uniquely plagued by ill-intended events. The difference should be in how we react.

As I look for the definition of victory, several things popped up first: there are many churches that have victory in their name. Most associate victory with our war-centered world; in fact, war is the perfect thing to associate victory with. We have a war over our emotions, thoughts, and carnal desires. We go to war against the battle of the bulge, sickness and diseases, and ignorance every day. The hard part is that in more difficult situations, we do not always remember the promises and affirmations that are given to us. Romans 8:37 says that we are MORE than conquerors. Not less, not equal to, but more than. That means we cannot keep making every situation about us. We cannot continue to act as if every wrong in our lives are personal attacks. We cannot continue to be the victim! As in Colossians 2:8, "Be careful not to let anyone rob you [of this faith] through a shallow and misleading philosophy. Such a person follows human traditions and the world's way of doing things rather than following Christ." Don't be so vain and wrapped up in your own problems that you allow yourselves to be victimized. Don't let the devil mislead you to think that you should not be suffering because as in one of my favorite verses, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation."

Suffering brings refinement, but if you keep victimizing yourself—because that's what you do when you continue to feel sorry for yourself, you put yourself in a continual loop. Kill the victim and like Job, come out as gold! "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." Job 23:10

"The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honor to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ appears again." 1 Peter 1:7

Daily Devotion

The Crooked Pointing Finger of Blame

 

"All of us make a lot of mistakes. If someone doesn't make any mistakes when he speaks, he would be perfect. He would be able to control everything he does."  James 3:2

 

It always seems easier to point our fingers at someone else when things are going haywire in our lives.  We do not like being responsible for anything; no one likes accepting fault and taking responsibility in bad situations.  But as my second father said last night and my own little variation:  when you point the finger at someone else, you have three pointing directly back at you.

 

The infamous Pharisees and Sadduccees were always trying to find something wrong with Jesus.  They hated that He always answered their tricky questions and embarrassed them.  They were judgmental of His eating and socializing with sinners, healing people, and preaching.  But they themselves did not always live by the Law.  They obeyed what they wanted and broke laws that they felt did not apply to them.(Matt 16:1-11, Luke 5:33, John 7:32, Mark 2:18)  Haven't you met people like that, always finding something wrong with you or blaming others for their problems?  Yet their solutions often bend the rules or involve them vindicating themselves.  I recently had the experience with a stranger and also some very close to me, where they are questioning their faith because of the difficulties or trauma in their lives.  But I ask the question, if you are living according to your own plan, how can you doubt God when your own plans have failed or caused you great pain?  Isn't your present state evidence enough of His existence and greatness?  Isn't His power and how He has worked for you in the past evidence that things can truly change?

 

Look at me.  I was disobedient and chose to stay in my major when I have known my entire life that I was supposed to be doing something related to counseling. Even when I figured it out my junior year, I still did not change my major.  I said to myself, "Self, we are gonna stay in this major and make lots of money.  We love math so its just as close.  Plus we can always go back to school later."  Well little did I know how close I would come several times to not seeing that later!  I have had so many close brushes with death that it reminds me just how much favor I have and that God has a great plan for my life that He wants me to finish.  Once I got my plan in line with His(and this is a DAILY process), which was not until recently, and only then did I get peace.  I had some terrible things to happen that I opened myself up to by not yielding to Him, by being disobedient, and I found everyone and everything I could to place the blame.  Until I was walking in God's will and accepted as the priority above my own, He would keep doing and allowing what He needed in my life to get me into the fold.  I had to stop blaming others for everything that happened in my life--the kidney failure, the personal difficulties, even now with my feelings about my living situation and work.  I was not living blamelessly, so how could I truly expect to not feel the consequences, good and bad, of my choices?(Phil 2:15)  And yes God has already made some of the side effects work out for my good--new kidney from my brother, peace because I am sharing what He tells me with others, and just happiness.(Romans 8:28)  And I definitely have no doubt that things will continue to do so.

 

Quit blaming everyone and everything.  I always ask my mentee what did she do in a situation to cause it escalate when she gets in trouble, because when things go wrong most times we have always contributed to it.  Yes there are circumstances where things happen just because of the world we live in.  We cannot control the evils of others.  But always look at yourself first.  Do you have unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart--how can you expect to truly progress?  You already have boulders dragging you down, slowing your progress.  Did something not turn out the way you thought it would?  Did you even ask for help?  I try to say this everyday:  "Life is not meant to be easy.  Some things will not turn out how I plan, but pain is temporary.  But I ask you Lord to direct my steps and lead me in Your will.  God loves me unconditionally."  God's will does not fail; He will keep you from falling!(Jude 1:24)

 

I want to share this with you.  Romans 1:25 tells us that the truth of God has been exchanged for a lie.  We do that when we point the finger or get angry and upset with God because we do not understand.  God's ways are not our ways; we do not always immediately understand.(Isa 55:8, Proverbs 3:5)  But as long as we yield to His way, life will be easier.  Look at Jonah; his life fell apart when he disobeyed God.  It's hard when you are going against everything you know, everything you see, everything you feel.  But remember regardless of whatever way that finger is pointed--up at God, or around you at something or someone, you still point at least three back at yourself.  Be encouraged today!

 

"If someone obeys all of God's laws except one, that person is guilty of breaking all of them."  James 2:10

"For this reason, my brothers, take all the more care to make your selection and approval certain; for if you do these things you will never have a fall:"  2 Peter 1:10

Daily Devotion

Lurking in the Shadows

“The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. As a result, they don't see the light of the Good News about Christ's glory. It is Christ who is God's image.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

“He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate. He lurks in a hiding place as a lion in his lair; He lurks to catch the afflicted; He catches the afflicted when he draws him into his net.” Psalm 10:8-9

I have had an interesting day so far. I’m not sure if you have heard and read the Shaniya Davis story—the tragic situation that happened lately with the beautiful 5yr old little girl that was being sold for sexual favors by her mother. She was raped then brutally killed. She had been living with her father and her mother supposedly had gotten her life together so he allowed her to go stay with the mom. So this morning my best friend’s brother posted a question to God of why He would allow this to happen. Because this is so ironic that I was talking about something similar last night, I could not resist.

Back when Adam bit the apple—actually the moment he decided to follow his wife, and I assume it went like this: “Honey, here have some of this apple. It’s from the forbidden tree, and I don’t feel any different. I was talking to the snake and his words made me curious…so here, you try it. Maybe God was just pulling our legs…” and the rest is history. Once that decision in Adam’s mind was made to disobey the DIRECT order HE received from God, as it is said in Genesis 3:6-7, “6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Immediately after Adam ate the fruit, their eyes were opened. As you’ll also notice, God had noticeably more angry towards the snake and the man, resulting in curses upon them.(Gen 3:14-19) When Adam disobeyed God, it was almost immediate that trouble started happening. After Eve gave birth to Cain and Abel, Cain kills his brother.(Gen 4:8) God at this time, still had a direct connection with them, and spoke directly to them. But as the days went by, people gave more and more power to the devil, who became lord of the earth when the apple was bitten.

What most people do not realize is that once man fell, we were reborn into sin. When God created Adam and Eve, they knew no sin. That’s why when you accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you are born again. But because we are naturally predisposed to sin, we do it. It is easier to sin and follow the natural tendencies of your flesh than it is to do what is right. But back to the debate—the question was why would God allow such a thing to happen if He is God—my reply was multi-faceted of course. Satan lurks in the shadows, in the back of our minds, planting and harvesting negative and evil word seeds in the minds of all. If a person yields to their self-centered, sinful nature—perfect example, when babies are of an age to make decisions for themselves, i.e. if you tell a child not to touch something, what do they do? They go and touch it—the natural desire to be disobedient or as explained away by atheistic believers “curiosity”. Curiosity killed the cat, didn’t it? Of course, that is not looked at as sinful, but the older they get, the more they try to push the boundaries and that is why you have to discipline. But that’s for another day lol. I do not know the background of the mother, but I do know that hurting people hurt those they love. I also know that the devil will use anyone he can to get to you, including your family, friends, loved ones, co-workers, strangers, anybody.

We have to understand that God owes us no explanation for the things that happen in this world. We also have to understand that God gave us free will—hence Adam choosing to disobey God. We furthermore have to realize that those that get hurt are those often without a voice—children and others seen as weak. The devil wants to kill us all and will do it in whatever way he can. I do not condone the situation; I have just grown to realize that we can allow ourselves to be used by the devil and to fall victim to his attempts to trap us and that it is a constant battle. It’s like a lion that stalks its prey. Lions are said to pay attention to the feeding/sleeping/grazing habits of its food. Then it stalks it slowly to find the most opportune occasion to pounce and kill. Same for the devil! He waits until you get to your lowest point, when you doubt God—job loss, child loss, other family or friend loss, argument, whatever—and then he launches another attack on you. Our weaponry in this case is the Word of God.

This goes back to fortifying your mind, keeping God’s word in front of you at all times because one thought that is given attention is all it takes. One of the people that commented said that he did not believe in God. Instantly, I was moved with anger, but then I felt compassion. Because how can you not believe in God? What do you think will happen to you? Of course, I messaged him and told him I would share my story with him of how I know God exists. But all I know of the situation is that people allow Satan to pounce on them and become his puppets, like the mother in this situation and a beautiful little girl is gone. At this point we cannot bring her back, but I rejoice at knowing that God has used that opportunity to take her back to himself. Don’t be anyone’s dummy? Who is your ventriloquist? The key to being able to fight Satan is in keeping an arsenal of spiritual weaponry in your corner at all times. Find scriptures for forgiveness and bitterness.(Mark 11:25, Matthew 6:14-15) Speak healing-Jeremiah 30:17, deliverance-Jeremiah 30:11 and Jeremiah 1:8, and financial elevation (Jeremiah 30:18) scriptures over your situations. When you are weak, recite “Greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world” and “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me” out loud.(1 John 4:4, Phil 4:13) And when you feel the enemy is near, when he hovers around or over you in your home, tell him to get the heck out! As I learned last night, sweep that trashy, good for nothing idiot right on out. Anoint your house so that God only dwells there and gives you the power to rid the devil from hiding in your shadows! Seek the light. Hahaha “Come into the light, Carol Anne, come into the light.!”

“You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'” Acts 26:18

Daily Devotion # 2

Just like Tricks are For Kids, Pity Parties are Too

“Insults have broken my heart, and I am sick. I looked for sympathy, but there was none. I looked for people to comfort me, but I found no one.” Psalm 69:20

Ask yourself: in the midst of your situation, of all your self-pitying and loathing of the world, have you CRIED out to God? Have you tried laying your grievances at His feet and stepped back? Have you sought mature religious counsel and ACTUALLY listened to what they have said? Have you encouraged yourself? Have you reaffirmed your faith with scriptures specifically tailored to your circumstances? Have you gotten on your knees and prayed? Have you had one of those good ole, soul-purging cries that allows you to be filled by the presence of the Holy Spirit, warming your body until you feel like it’s 100 degrees and its only 50 around you—well everybody may not get that feeling lol. But if you have answered no to at least one of the above questions, it may be that you are wallowing in self-pity and making yourself the only guest of a pity party.

Wake up and realize that the only people that are allowed to do this are little kids. Even then its not cute nor is it healthy. When I was in the hospital when I first got sick and immediately after, I was in a major pity party. I had reason and it took me a long time to come to terms with what had happened to me. But by the grace of God I am glad to be gone from that place. You submit yourself to unnecessary mental anguish when you allow yourself to live in pittance alone; you allow nothing that anyone says to you to cheer you up and you ignore the blessings that you have. You begin to doubt your faith and ignore the promises God gives. The Psalmist above suffered from insults and could find no human to comfort him. They poisoned his food and gave him vinegar to drink—what a way to treat someone, but what he did in verse 24 was implored God to seek His wrath on them.(Psalm 69:24) We can do the same—ask God to change our situations, to avenge our hurts and wrongs, and to change things for us. It does us no good to remain in self-pity, because this is only a situation where we continue to hurt ourselves. We allow whatever caused us to get in that state to keep opening the wound by deciding to live in it and hold onto it. Job received no comfort from his so-called friends and instead became the butt of false accusations as to his downward turn. But the most glorifying thing in that whole situation came when He called upon God and repented for pitying himself. Don’t you know that God changed it all for him, and that God delivered him and restored EVERYTHING Job lost!(Job 42) That is, of course, after He corrected him. Several times throughout the Bible God tells us to give Him our burdens and to ask Him for our needs. But how can He do what He needs to do if you don’t let him? You cannot move if you do not first lift your foot to take a step FORWARD. Think about it…where would we be if Jesus had chosen to have a pity party for being the sacrifice for ungrateful and undeserving people? So quit being stubborn and stop feeling sorry for yourself. You will spend a lot of time by yourself and miss out on boundless blessings that way…

“You greatly rejoice in this, even though you have to suffer various kinds of trial for a little while, The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honor to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ appears again.” 1 Peter 1:6-7(ISV, GWT)

Daily Devotion

Run Away from the “Team of Me” Mentality

“Don't act out of selfish ambition or be conceited. Instead, humbly think of others as being better than yourselves” Philippians 2:3

I don’t know if you saw the movie “Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins” but it was good and actually subliminally educational. How can anyone truly expect happiness and fulfillment when the only person they feel they can depend on is themselves? I am a recovering “Team of Me” participant. Now don’t get me wrong, I still do not truly rely on others—but I have since learned to go before God with my needs and desires. That way I will not live selfishly and believe that I am the reason for my success. That is a selfish way to live—sadly many people live like this and do things for self-gratification. But I know that ever more clearly now—God and my very own brother are the reason that I am still living right now!(1 Corinthians 4:7)

When you get in those situations where you have done everything that you can to succeed and humility comes to knock you off that high horse, that is your best opportunity for growth. God can use you in those situations to bless others and in turn, turn your situation around and prove that the devil is a liar. Maybe you grew up like Roscoe did, where no one encouraged him or believed in him and it proved that you only had yourself, your will power, and your inner reserve to get you through. You may even become very successful, but be sure the day of reckoning is swift to put things in proper perspective for you. Life has its way of doing that, but once you learn that it is untrue, you must back away from pride and humble yourself. Letting yourself live in such a delusional state allows you to be victim to confusion and miss out on God’s presence.(1 Corinthians 14:33) Letting go of our pride allows us to become more like Jesus—who willingly gives us His lighter burdens to carry.(Matthew 11:29) We have no reason for pride because faith tells us that God will give us what we ask for. Romans 3:27 says “What reason, then, is there for pride? It is shut out. By what sort of law? of works? No, but by a law of faith.” And let me clarify: pride in this case is not the pride you have for a brother, sister, son or daughter, but this is the pride elevator that puts other people down in the basement and makes your own view of yourself overly exaggerated…run away if you are suffering from this ailment…run away QUICKLY!

“See then that God is good but his rules are fixed: to those who were put away he was hard, but to you he has been good, on the condition that you keep in his mercy; if not, you will be cut off as they were.” Romans 11:22

Daily Devotion

Moment of Clarity

 

"A person's steps are directed by the LORD, and the LORD delights in his way."  Psalm 37:23 GWT

 

Have you ever felt like you have been in a tornado or hurricane, with thoughts flying all around you?  Confusion abounds and you just don't know what to do?  I've been there, and it is not a pleasant feeling.  It sometimes gets so heavy that it overwhelms me, making me feel alone and with nowhere to turn.  Problems come to make you lose direction sometimes and it is not an easy thing to deal with.  If you get to that place where it appears that nothing is going right, and that there are choices in front of you with no clear answer, the blessing we have is that we can always turn to God.

 

"Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually."

"Search for the LORD and his strength. Always seek his presence."

"Let your search be for the Lord and for his strength; let your hearts ever be turned to him."

1 Chronicles 16:11 or Psalm 105:4---exact same verse!

 

Jeremiah 10:23 says that "I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps."  So we should not rely on our own abilities to solve our problems either.  As soon as I finished my purging crying last week, and really decided I would let God deal with everything, I felt lighter.  I felt like I could think straight and breathe clearer.  Sometimes we spend so much time worrying about things that the answer goes right before our eyes and we miss it altogether.  Trying to sort out a million thoughts or tackle any issue without seeking God first will leave us worse than when we began.  We know that God promises to give us the desires of our hearts, but He also promises to direct our paths and leave us with peace.(Isaiah 26:7, Psalm 25:4, 2 Thess 3:16, John 14:27)  So stop complaining about it, get out of that storm!  Let God direct you and give you peace.  Then in an instant, before  you know it, you will have clarity.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 NIV

Daily Devotion

Love is...

 

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

I wonder how people assumed that love does not hurt.  It is not listed in any of the verses above.  Walking in God's love is sometimes painful, because in the process of refinement, we get scraped, scratched, and sometimes gouged to get rid of the impurities.  Sometimes the negative thoughts we think must be strained away from the clear waters of our mind to have a place for God's will to lay on our hearts.  If you aren't willing to be hurt or experience pain in the name of God, you may not allow yourself to go through some necessary cleaning. 

 

Moses experienced hurt at the hands of the Children of Israel, because he would repeatedly go before God asking for His mercy on them.  Can't you imagine how that would hurt?  Somebody constantly being faith-less and disobedient, but you believing in them and going before God on their behalf?  Any parents experience that?  Jesus even asked how much longer would He have to be with the people that would not believe or have faith in what He would tell them.(Matthew 8:26, Matthew 17:14-20, Luke 9:38-42)  The disciples, chosen by Jesus, did not believe in their ability to cast out demons, and the man did not believe that the demon was gone from his son in the latter verses. 

 

Love is in the fact that God did something--allowing a part of Himself to die for us; inflicting pain upon Himself for our ultimate elevation.  Sometimes when a person does not believe but looks to what the world is giving them as how their life is going to go, you must keep loving them, having faith in God for them, and simply trusting in God's word for them until they know for themselves.  No, this does not mean stay in an abusive relationship, that's just crazy.  That does not mean you have to condone someone living destructively or inflicting pain on you, your family, or themselves.  No, you are supposed to love your brothers and sisters to the point of willing to die for them.  No, you are supposed to love God even when you do not love yourself--actually I take that back, we are made in the likeness of God, who loves us and created us in His very image--or you feel that no one loves you.  Love bears all things---meaning the good and the bad, stress and strife, even when you are at the lowest point and cannot see above you to go up.  Love hopes for and endures all things; you must endure the difficulties that life gives you and continue to seek God's face in the midst.  You must not doubt God's love because it is there for us all.  God has no favorites.  So I pray that you allow yourself to walk in the love of God and do not dare be afraid to experience everything it has to offer, even if it hurts a little.

 

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  Ephesians 3:17-19

Daily Devotion

Fairy Tales are Real

 

"Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces," Esther 1:1

 

I bet you wonder why I said that, right?  Well, a typical fairy tale consists of a protagonist, the hero, an antagonist, the villian, and a damsel in distress, the prize to be won.  Well, the people of Israel have always been God's favored people.  But they have always either turned their backs on God or victimized in some way.  They are the damsel in distress, but with a twist--they were often disobedient, more like the Prodigal Son.  The different prophets, like Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah, were their fairy "godfathers", warning them of what would happen if they were disobedient.  God sends Jesus, our hero, and He dies to save us.  Isn't that what fairy tales consist of?

 

One of my favorite books of the bible is Esther.  Now when I was little, you could find me reading anything.  I had to have read every single book in the John P. Thomas and Gibbes libraries while I was in school.  But nothing was like Esther was.  She was beautiful, chosen by King Ahasuerus (aka Xerxes), to be his new queen.  Unknown to her, Haman, an evil Agagite, secretly plots to have all Jews killed.  Because the King trusted him, he did not know what Haman was planning.  Esther's uncle helped her inform the king, and Haman was put to death instead.  Without Esther, there would not be many Jews--for as history tells it, it was not until after Xerxes that the Temple in Jerusalem was officially completed.  All of the Jews would have been killed.  God put a story like this in the Bible to inspire us--that although we sometimes face great dangers, He will be sure to rescue us and make a way for us.  Although you may face difficulties, you may even face death at times, God will make His righteous prevail.  And even if you die, we have already won because of His sacrifice with Jesus.  Good night!

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God loves you...He blesses you with another day so make the most of it!


Marquita B. Priester

Daily Devotion

Wash it ALL away

 

"Turn your burdens over to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will never let the righteous person stumble."  Psalm 55:22

 

Ahh!  I have a work holiday today, and its been raining since last night. But its quiet so I'm very happy!!  Even though the evil woman upstairs always parks in my space, her stinky dogs have fleas which have somehow migrated into my apartment and bite me all up, they stomp and walk hard all day, and with a hurt foot I could really use the parking space back, I'm okay--no complaints, things could be much worse.  I do not know about you, but I cry a lot.  Not always because something bad is going on, but because it helps me release my frustrations.  My tears, much like this rain, helps to wash away my worries and cares.  Being an independent-minded individual, I usually hold everything to myself and have found it very hard to turn my burdens over to God.  But then I realize the only person I am hurting is myself, carrying something I was not made or created to carry. 

 

In Luke 10:41-42, Jesus tells Martha, Lazarus' sister, that she is worried and upset about many things.  Mainly because she was cooking and serving everyone while Mary, her sister, was sitting and listening intently to Jesus.  Had she simply took time to spend with Him, maybe some other idea would have come about so she did not have to do anything.  Sometimes things in life get us so riled up that we worry and fret and stress over them without first considering God.  I suspect that we should first go to Him with any troubles that may arise and then if He tells us to do something about them, do it!  Spend time in His presence to gain the clarity and peace that only He can give.  If you try to do it yourself, you can be led to make bad decisions and mistakes--"Do not fret--it leads only to evil." Psalm 37:8

 

I guess that was why my heart was so heavy; I was too busy being angry and worried about things.  Thanks to one of my bffs yesterday giving me good news and me talking to God I feel much better.(Proverbs 12:25)  Worrying is not a hard thing to do, considering going to the doctor and getting bad reports on things.  But resting in God and bringing it all to Him in prayer has lightened my load, and washed them all away.  So I'm going to enjoy this day at home and get as much rest and "work" done as I can...gonna work on school applications and looking up different programs.  Be blessed and don't get wet if you're out in this mess!

 

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7

Daily Devotion

Trusting in and Appreciating the Gifts You were Given

 

"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"  Romans 8:32

 

Hi!

 

I wish the sun would have been out today; would have helped to brighten my mood.  I hope you had a good day!  My foot still hurts and it actually feels worse when I elevate it, kinda weird huh? 

 

Anyway, after yesterday's devotion, I wanted to elaborate more on Joseph.  Joseph was the first-born son of Isaac through Rebekah, his treasured and hard-earned wife, and born during his old age.  So Joseph held special favor with his father.  Joseph was also born with a gift of dreaming and interpreting the dreams.  After dreaming that his brothers would bow to him, plus their dad loving him more than all of them, they hated him and plotted to kill him.(Genesis 37:1-20)

All this hatred and opposition did not stop Joseph from trusting in God and the gifts He gave him.  Because one of his brothers was trying to save him, Joseph was not killed, and instead, his jealous brothers sold him into slavery.  Joseph eventually works in Potiphar's house, is blessed with success by the Lord, and then is blackmailed by Potiphar's wife.  Joseph is jailed, then uses the gifts that God gave him, and is elevated by Pharaoh.(Genesis 39, 40, 41)

 

After all of the trouble that Joseph went through with his own family--dream killers--God still favored Joseph and blessed him.  Even when those closest to him betrayed him, God delivered him and gave him favor.  "Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work--this is a gift of God.  He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart."  Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

 

God blessed Joseph; he delivered him and prospered him because Joseph continued to trust in God.  He put God first and trusted in his gifts and talents.  He used his gifts whenever they were needed and always gave glory to God in doing it.  He could have easily succumbed to doubt and fear after his own flesh and blood betrayed him.  He could have committed to quitting after being wrongly accused by his master's wife.  He even stayed in jail an additional two years after the butler forgot about him.  But because he trusted in the gifts God gave him and put them to use, Joseph was favored by God.

 

Remember, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17  And Psalm 21:2 promises that God will grant us the desires of our hearts and will not withhold the requests of our lips...So trust in everything about God: His Word, His promises, His Son, and His love.

 

Be blessed!

Re: Daily Devotion

Another point to add,

 

Just like all people that hurt others have been hurt themselves in the past, dream killers are only people whose own dreams may have been killed in their past.  Break the cycle!  Be encouraged!

 

"I have said all these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble: but take heart! I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

Daily Devotion

Stop Letting Dream Killers stop you

 

"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other.  Genesis 37:19

 

Hey y'all...  Today my heart is very heavy and for what I really haven't figured out yet.  I want to say something to my fellow dreamers:  stop letting the ignorance (Yes that is what they suffer from) of dream killers kill your dreams!  Believe in yourself, even when no one else does.  When you don't get the feedback and encouragement that you desire, keep going.  Keep fighting for that dream because once you give up on it, no one can get it back for you but you.

 

The only thing I wanted to do when I was younger is, quite honestly, was sing and dance and be a psychiatrist.  I ALWAYS danced, and I had a karaoke machine and was singing too.  I was also a Little Miss Dr. Phil too, trying to solve all the relationship problems in my family.  Now I don't claim to be the best of either and I am working on pursuing the correct variation of the latter, but when you may not have been encouraged to do that thing why would you pursue it?  All I heard all day long at school was you should be a doctor, you're so smart.  I really didn't know that being a dreamer and following my heart is the way we should go.  God put desires, talents, and gifts within each of us.  God knows His plans for us, and it's our responsibility NOT to allow anyone to change or deter them.(Jeremiah 29:11)  We should not question the things of our hearts, because that is where God resides.(Luke 24:38)  If anything is pure and true, it is what He put in our hearts.  Discouragement comes in some of the most unforeseen places, like from parents, friends, mentors, loved ones, anyone that you may hold close to your heart.  But that's where discernment comes in. "I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart." Psalm 40:8

 

Now there is a difference between dreams, delusions, and hallucinations.  The good thing is you can pray for clarity on a thing, or even explore the Word for the validity of a dream.  Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery and tried to kill him because of his dreams.(Genesis 37-50)  Some people are intimidated by your dreams and the power that God has placed within them.  People called by God with great purposes will be targeted from every angle to kill the dreams.  They will even try to kill you to stop your dreams from coming to fruition. That is when you need to amp up your pursuit of your dreams and lean on God to guide you.

 

Stop your dream killers and go hard! lol  Be blessed!

Daily Devotion

Breaking Away from Tradition and Seeking God

'He answered them, "Why do you break the commandment of God because of your traditions?"' Matthew 15:3(GWT)

Afternoon people! I listened to so much stuff before my hour of lucidity this morning, that quite frankly I do not remember where this was inspired from. Lol I woke up like three times: at 5:40am and the radio was on with a sermon that I cannot recall, around 6:20 for the regular alarm and late alarms, then at about 7:50ish lol when I actually got out of the bed. Christ tells us that He will make us fishers of men(Matthew 4:19), that we are to preach the Good News and bring others to Him(2 Timothy 1:8); I guess He wanted me to go fishing early--I really gotta stop going to bed so late.

Traditionally, only men are pastors and ministers. In some religions, a person can only be considered a member if they convert or traditionally through the lineage and belief of one of the parents. In modern day traditions, there are denominations in churches. Traditionally, there is only one type of Christian music. In the world, traditionally only women are nurses, men are politicians, and sadly, traditionally in order to be successful as black people, you have to be an athlete or an entertainer.

I have always wondered why there is so much opposition to change. There has been problems with breaking "traditions" since forever, and including before Jesus came. Here at work I am certain much of the difficulty I am having with my supervisor is because traditionally, this is a white older male industry, in a traditionally white town where historically the black population was enslaved, ignorant, or very poor (So yes imagine the discomfort I have each day I am here in Charleston). But didn't God send many saints and prophets to change traditional thinking and to simply be obedient, i.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and John the Baptist to name a few. Before and after Jesus came, many were persecuted in His name and for preaching to the world to change and break away from their sin.(2 Timothy 3:12-13) Everybody wants to live their way, the same way they have lived for the last unknown number of years. Some things get brushed under the rug, hidden in the closet or ignored altogether because of tradition and refusal to go against it.

I have a new found respect for musical pioneers like Kirk Franklin to some recent talent like Canton Jones and Mary Mary. Reach me how God wants you to! Don't make me conform to a traditional way of thinking. Our purpose is to share God's word and the salvation given by Jesus Christ; not to put God in a box called Methodist or in a container called Gospel.(2 Timothy 4:2) Think about it, were there such stiff traditions as we have today in the New Testament? Yes there were, hence the Pharisees plot to kill Jesus; they didn't like the change He was bringing and the light He shed on their evil ways. But Jesus preached from boats, in people's homes, the temples and synagogues, wherever the Father had him go.(Luke 5:1, Luke 5:3, Luke 5:17, Luke 6:6) The only way to know what God wants you to know is by reading His word, interpreting it and discussing it with mature Christians. Don't accept someones way of thinking, be influenced in a negative way because of a tradition or let it define how you view God: seek Him yourself, because He desires an intimate relationship with each of us. I think that was one of the best things about me going to Clark; my school was Methodist, I grew up Baptist, I ended up attending a nondenominational church and seeking God from many different backgrounds. I seek my own personal understanding.

The whole new testament in its entirety is a break away from tradition. Many people did not accept Jesus, hence His crucifixion for our sins! I'm glad that God saw fit to break away from man-made tradition to save me, don't you?(Romans 5:6) Because if tradition still stood, we would not know Christ; salvation was not originally entitled to the Gentiles.(Ephesians 2:13) Ask yourself, why would God create so many different people from diverse backgrounds if He did not want to save us all?(1 Timothy 2:3-4, Romans 10:12-13) We are all justified to seek Him!(Romans 5:9)

Be blessed and think outside of the world's box and on the glory of God!