Daily Devotion

Through His Eyes

"You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." 1Peter 3:4 NLT

Hey everybody! I know its super late...but this weighed heavy on my heart tonight. If you don't love anyone else, please love yourself. It really hurts my heart to witness how poorly many people view themselves. I know how it feels to have a poor view of myself. Its only by the grace of God that I was delivered from that. When you have an unhealthy view of yourself, you inadvertently negatively affect those around you. Your pessimist view of self can't stay bottled within, and of course like toxic waste it infects its surroundings. Like foul air that swiftly permeates its surroundings, the lie that you believe about yourself will spread and infect other areas of your life as long as you allow it. You have to view yourself the way God sees you. You are truly precious, so valuable that God wanted to save you from eternal damnation by receiving a pure sacrifice.

I've noticed that many black people here in Charleston have the crabs in a bucket mentality and still heavily believe in the dark skin versus lighter skin paradigm. I personally recognize myself as brown because that's all I am, a shade of brown. Beauty is more than the reflective surface of your skin; on the contrary, the most beautiful person may not be the most attractive outwardly but have a heart of love for all. I'll never forget this day...when I was still taking heavy doses of steroids and had gained quite a lot of weight, I absolutely hated how I looked. I nitpicked about everything I could, my skin, my stomach, my everything. I felt like I was being held prisoner in my own body and God knows I prayed every single day to not feel that way and for deliverance. You see, I had some negative experiences during my childhood and associated beauty with being skinny and having long hair. Luckily my prized hair had not fallen out like most people with a lupus diagnosis (I told yall I didn't have lupus! Lol). But everything else was foreign to me. I cried every single day over the changes I had no control over. I couldn't control how the medicines made me feel or look and I wanted it to go away. But thank God for the angelic child He had cross my path one day at K-Mart.

I don't really even remember what I was looking for, but the little boy had stopped and dropped his hand from his moms and stared at me. She came back and told him to come on, then he said "she's pretty" about me. It made me cry because I didn't see what he saw. I saw the scarred body from uncontrolled weight gain, the rashes and acne scars from the varied medicines I now had to take, and the broken heart because for once there was something I could not fix. I learned that day that he saw what I could not see and God opened my eyes. Since then I have come leaps and bounds and I love myself for who I am, scars and all. I get a little sad from time to time, but I know that God saw something in me worth saving.

So sorry its so long...and I actually had to wait to finish this. Getting the spirit mentioned above is no easy process. You must submit to God every single thing that is bothering you or weighing you down. Stop merely looking at life through your physical eyes and look beyond the things that hinder us from truly seeing each other. Once you love yourself unconditionally, you can truly love others.

"And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Matthew 22:39 NIV
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Daily Devotion

Pressure

"Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."  Genesis 40:11

My sister in ministry (and in life) sent me a message a little over a week ago mentioning depression.  I felt the need to write about this, as I have been graciously favored by God to be delivered from depression a few times now.  Clinically defined, depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for a long period of time.

Its funny to me how one word can have so many meanings and interpretations.  Look at the root word here--press.  To my surprise press has many means, as both a noun, a transitive and an intransitive verb.  To press as mentioned above implies pressure applied to something.  Press also means to distress or trouble. To press can also mean to keep pushing, have courage, and to persevere.  The prefix de which can mean down, away from, off, entirely, or reverse the action of.  The suffix ion means the act or condition or result of.  Combining these gives us de-press-ion which means the condition of being troubled entirely--or in whole, as a depression negatively affects your mind, body, and spirit man.

Pressure and time are the two ingredients needed to create some of the most beautiful precious jewels ever seen by the human eye.  Diamonds are nothing but carbon, which makes up common coal, pressurized over time.  The same process creates rubies, emeralds, sapphires and alexandrite, some of which have values that are out of this world.  But the great jewel is what you become when you endure depressing situations and circumstances with God as your anchor.  As said in 1 Peter 1:7, "These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  Keep pressing!!  I love you as always!


"We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair." 2 Corinthians 4:8 NLT

Daily Devotion #2

Don't 'Do You'

 

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!"  Isaiah 26:3 NLT

 

 My whole life seems to go off kilter when I'm out of sync with God.  When I don't spend time praying or reading or even singing, I feel terribly off balance.  I can even tell on days when I have not prayed yet that I seem to be extremely snippy at people or just inclined to be mean (I know, I'm not mean :D).

 

For example, today started off GREAT!!! But lets go back to my Saturday...ugh.  I was Misses Grinch.  I don't recall what time I initially woke up, but I only got up to eat and went right back to bed.  I did not even say "Thank You Lord" for waking me up, didn't pray didn't do anything.  And of course I was in a particularly rotten mood all day.  Every time I would wake up, I would simply think about all the things bothering me and I would focus on those things.  I don't know when it was...but I finally had enough of moping around.  Somehow I mustered enough energy to get out of the bed and eat a little.  But I think and I know that I did not give God His due reverence because I dwelt on everything but His word.  I know I have had crappy days that I did not even pray that morning but I caught myself and prayed that the day restart with God in mind. 

 

When we place the due focus on God, we realign our plans and wills to His plan and will for us.  We take ourselves out of the driver's seat and get over out of God's way.  The greatest blessing though is having God's peace reign over our decisions and actions.  Having our steps ordered by Him is the best feeling ever.  When I went to get my new car this year, I had been praying and putting the issue before God.  He allowed every single thing to fall into place pertaining the car.  I did not feel pressured or a single amount of stress in making the purchase.  He blew my mind every step of the way.  And only God can do that when we focus on His will.  Stop doing you and do God!

 

"Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:7 NLT

Daily Devotion

God's Trying to Tell You Something

 

"'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt."  Ezekiel 36:33

 

One of my all-time favorite movies is "The Color Purple".  As an adult I have grown to appreciate it much more, as the title is filled with so much imagery.  The color purple has long be a symbol of royalty and power.  Rich purple hues range from infantile lilac and lavender to deep, passionate indigo and symbolize one's growth, from infantry to adulthood.  But of all the things I love about the movie, from reciting many of the lines and singing along, is the repentant, remorse-filled song "God's Trying to Tell You Something" sung by Shug Avery.  Every time as I watch the part when she returns from her wayward lifestyle to the church that her father pastors, I begin to cry.  Not so much that I can relate, but God's Spirit touches my heart with the words of that song.  "Speak Lord, speak to me" she croons and it makes me want to beg God's forgiveness of all my life's wrongs and clear away anything that is obstructing His dialogue with me.

 

My pastor this past Sunday said something along these lines in his sermon.  God is really trying to tell each and every one of us something.  Whether He's trying to encourage you to keep pushing and fighting through your pain to the healing you desire for your broken heart or broken physical body, or He is trying to reign you back from a place that separates you from Him, He is most definitely trying to tell you something.  Christ did not die to simply be a martyr, but to save our souls!  His death was the stitch that closed the wound inflicted with the first sin.  During this Valentine's holiday, I was suffering in every way imaginable, and I really felt I had cause to be sad.  Pain in my physical body and uneasiness about the ultrasound I had to get done of my thyroid gland, pain in my heart over my mother's heartbreak at missing my dad on their 25th anniversary and my own pain over what I will not have with my dad, pain over how my family is one year later...but in the same breath God saw fit to bless me in so many ways.  Even though I still endure health challenges, God allowed my brother to call me and tell me how glad he was to give me a kidney and save my life.  To hear my brother, my unofficial twin, lol, tell me how much he loves me was the greatest gift I could have gotten.  Even though I had been hurt by some close to me, I was blessed and still happy to spend the day with my mom.  Seeing her smile and hug me took every ounce of willpower I had to not cry.  Furthermore, I got the encouraging push I needed to go forward even in the midst of defeat. 

 

God is willing to speak volumes to us if we are willing to listen.  God loves us so much, and sometimes life strives to tell us otherwise.  But how else can the enemy discourage and discount the work God performed through Christ if we don't have difficulties? The Christian life is not easy, and especially not so if you are trying to be obedient.  I read a book on how the enemy's minions work overtime to keep us from God...and even more when you are already down.  But God!  He tries so hard to talk to us and if we get distracted by the hustle and bustle of life we can never hear Him.  We then feel alone and discouraged in this place and it just makes life more difficult.  God will speak...it is the fact that we must be willing to hear, and thus, clear away the noise to hear His still, quiet voice.

 

"This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west. I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God."  Zechariah 8:7-8 NLT

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
http://lifeinspiredbygod.blogspot.com

Daily Devotion 2

Scoot Over

 

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."  Matthew 6:34 MSG

 

Oh Em GEEE!! Lol, more than anything, I can't stand back seat or "passenger drivers."  I have a friend that is NOTORIOUS for that...and it used to get on my everlasting nerves lol.  Because regardless of whatever that person said, I was gonna do things the way I wanted to do them, and drive the way I was comfortable with...I mean really, I value my life!  But the sad revelation I got from this today is that we do that to God.  Once we give our lives to Him, we are supposed to get in the passenger seat or the backseat and let Him drive!  But does that happen?? Like the devotion I sent out earlier today, we often try to fix our situations before we consult God.  We then get ourselves into even worse messes than we were initially in.

 

I read a devotion a few days ago that felt like it had been taken from a page in my journal...or at least the last summer of my life and if I find an electronic or hard copy I will be sure to send it out.  I tried to do everything I could to help myself heal from my daddy's death and everything that happened during that time in my life.  I joined a few group programs, started seeing a counselor, and went to church more fervently than ever.  I would feel great after leaving the groups because they were Christian-based.  And the counselor helped for a while, but then I began to feel deprived and like something was empty.  She continued to dig into my past and when I would leave I would be sad and depressed.  Now this was my doing, because instead of praying and seeking God on who I should have went to for help and healing, I tried to do it alone...again my self-sufficiency issue surfacing.  I would even say to myself, I need to stop going to her because its not helping me anymore--out loud!  Gotta start listening to the Holy Spirit, haha!  I have read that passage (Matthew 6:25-34) many times before in relation to my former habit of worrying.  But God laid on my heart to read The Message translation...and look at the last part of the scripture above: "God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."  I took it upon myself to try to deal with my pain alone--albeit a good attempt, it was not until I earnestly realized that I could not do it alone, at least not without God.  It was only through prayers and my continual search for understanding that I now understand why some of what happened did happen.  I was able to build that bridge and get over it, only when I let God direct what and who He wanted me to listen to.

 

Ask God to open your eyes to whatever it is you are hoarding control over in your life, whatever area that you are preventing Him from working in.  Many women and men alike don't like the word submission...but it is so essential to our lives being successful here on Earth.  Not from a financial perspective, but for God to operate in our life.  We must learn to let God drive.  Let God lead us.  Even if you hear oodles of advice to the contrary, whatever it is that God has placed on your heart to do, follow His lead.  He promises to never leave us or forsake us, He promises to be there always, so why would He not help us through those hard times when they come?

 

"Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22 
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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
http://lifeinspiredbygod.blogspot.com

Daily Devotion

T.R.U.S.T. God--Transferring Rights Upward and Submitting Troubles to God

"A psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?"  Psalm 27:1

 

Many people know that I have a lot of tattoos, lol.  But one of the most meaningful ones is on the top of my back and has the KJV translation of this scripture written in a scroll on a cross.  When I picked this scripture, I thought long and hard about it.  Sometimes I have to remind myself what it means.  When I go to bed at night, I turn off the lights.  If I need to get up during the night, I walk the path I've learned, or if I don't trust it, I turn on the light for guidance, to illuminate that path for me.  It often saves me from stubbing my toe or bumping into something.  Life with God in control is much like this, we travel the path that He has laid before us.  If it is familiar, we rely on the internal instincts He has given us.  When it is strange and new, we are to turn to Him for guidance, leading and direction.  If we don't turn to Him or follow that path, we often venture off that road and end up in sometimes self-imposed difficulties.

 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding."  Proverbs 3:5

 

When I got that tattoo, I had just endured and survived the lowest point in my life.  I had never been sick a single day of my life, then in two weeks my life was completely changed.  From never having to take anything other than occasional cough syrup to taking more than 10 pills a day, from coming and going freely to being stifled by the steroid-induced weight gain, from being chipper to depressed...my life was completely different.  Looking back now, that was the one prayer that I think God said no to.  But that point alone took me from self-sufficiency to trusting in Him.  Little by little as things went from bad to worse and to better, I had to learn to transfer what I thought was my right to control my life to Him.  I had to learn to submit this problem and the ones that ensued before His feet and believe that He would do with me as He did Joseph in Genesis 50:20.  I had to live that tattoo.  I had to remember that even though my road seemed to be in the midst of a hurricane, that God was lighting the way ahead.  Even now as I prepare for more tests and examinations this coming Monday, I trust God.  He has delivered me from far less and far more, so why not stand strong in Him?

 

I encourage you today to TRUST God.  Transfer your rights upward to whatever situation is binding you from walking completely in His grace.  Submit every trouble to Him and patiently await His reply.  I believe that you can try God on His word.  Why would He say something that He doesn't mean?  Besides, you will get worn out from carrying around whatever it is...we were not made to carry these burdens.

 

 

"You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield."  Psalm 115:11

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"No weapon formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of God and their righteousness is of me," says the Lord.  Isaiah 54:17
http://lifeinspiredbygod.blogspot.com

Daily Devotion

In the Nick of Time

"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."  Romans 5:6 NASB

You know, I never knew where the saying above came from.  So of course nerdy me :D, I looked it up.  In the 1580s, the phrase in the nick meant a precise moment in time.  Now it is interpreted to mean at the last minute.  So knowing the true meaning of this phrase, it now seems appropriate in describing how God works on our behalf. 

Well, I had been procrastinating on writing my essay for school.  I kept having writer's block and couldn't find the words to finish it.  I sat and looked at what I had written everyday for about two weeks.  It wasn't until I could clear away everything that had tried to distract me that I was able to remove that block.  Furthermore, I had to pray!  I felt helpless because I knew I needed to finish the essay; my very future depends on it.  You see, when God tells us or weighs on us to do something, we cannot expect to get rested until we obey.  So, I prayed that God anoint my creativity and give me the words to say. I submitted my essay at 4:59pm today...in the nick of time!  But it was the right time...for me, because I had to accept what God wants from me.

The scripture above says that while we were still helpless, AT THE RIGHT TIME Christ died.  My essay experience may be menial...but I was truly helpless.  I allowed everything going on at work, at home, and in my head to distract me from my assignment.  But God opened the door that the deadline was extended past the original deadline. 

Christ died for us to live.  Not just in the physical realm, but to live forever, eternally, with Him and God the Father.  He did not die too late, too early, but at the right time.  Don't allow the complexities of your life to keep you from being obedient.  Because unlike God, we can do things at the wrong times; date the wrong person at the right time and end up hurt, buy something we don't really need and cause ourselves an unnecessary bind, or going forward in something that you should maybe wait on.  God's time is the right time.

"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 NASB

Please Read

Please read!!! I think this was an excellent, excellent devotion!!! Hope it helps to put things into perspective for you!

http://www.streamingfaith.com/index.php/prayer/devotionals/when-jesus-comes/