Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about how to recognize true blessings. You’ve probably heard the saying, “everything that looks good, isn’t good for you”; this is so true in so many ways. Recognizing true blessings, which come from God, is something that you learn as you mature in your faith walk. It takes really knowing God, and understanding what’s most important to Him. We’ll only grow spiritually by studying the Word of God, spending time with Him, and being in tuned with our Holy Spirit. I can’t quote these scriptures enough: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1Thes. 5:16-18) When we’re doing all of these things, we’ll be blessed tremendously. At the same time, we’re always going to be tempted and tried—the enemy dangles, and even offers us the “forbidden fruit”, and makes it seem like it’s the most delicious and nutritious fruit that has ever been created. However, we learned valuable lessons from Adam and Eve, as well as the artificial blessings he offered to Jesus, when he tempted Him in the wilderness. If he tried to win the heart of the only begotten Son of God, what stops him from trying to win our heart?

The enemy is very crafty, and uses so many things to lead us into pitfalls. He’s a master of illusion and disguise, and can easily convince the non-believer, or even a Christian with wavering faith, that what he can give us is far better than what God offers. He works in subtle ways, and if we aren’t wise in the ways of the Lord, we’ll fall for his artificial blessings. The Apostle Paul wrote: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (Eph 6:12) The enemy preys on the weak, and offers temporary pleasure, through people and things, which will leave us feeling empty inside. He has the world thinking that anything that make us feel good, or fulfils the need of our vanity, are blessings. As believers we are above the world, so the Holy Spirit will always let us know what’s real. Rule of thumb, if it doesn’t feel good, it probably isn’t.

Money is so controversial to people in the Christian faith; how much to give, how much to keep, what to buy, etc. It’s a cause of great division in the church (well it could cause division in any relationship). This verse may be the most misquoted and misunderstood verse in the bible: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil…” Some people turn this into “money is evil”, which is far from the truth. They not only leave out the key part, “the LOVE of…” they also omit the remainder of this verse, “…for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1 Tim 6:10) Money is one of the devil’s primary tools, used to pull believers away from God. However, God will always bless us with exactly what we need, as well as what we are wise enough to handle—nothing more nothing less. Nevertheless, if we aren’t careful, we’ll find ourselves doing what Paul mentions, in the sometimes forgotten part of, the aforementioned verse. A true blessing from God is for us to be at peace with or without an abundance of money. He wants us to be grateful, as well as faithful with every dime that He blesses us with. He requires us to be faithful tithers, and always willing to give to those in need.

Life is full of ups and downs, but God blesses us in every circumstance. Actually, there’s not a day that goes by that we aren’t blessed. I’m a pretty adventurous person, and there are some things that I’m willing to do, go, or try, that others may not. I know God, and I refuse to allow fear to rule my life. I understand that He created this earth, and will bless me with everything I want and desire while I’m here, because I try my best to live for Him. I understand who I am in Christ, so I know what I’m worth; I’m no longer as susceptible to the things that the enemy tries to pass off as blessings in my life. Most of the time I can spot him from a mile away, but he slithers like a snake, and can sometimes slide by undetected. He knows that patience is one of my biggest challenges, so he tries to offer me the “cliff notes” version of what I originally asked God for, but it’s up to me to recognize the prototype, and never take anything less than what God has promised me. I know that God loves me, so His blessings will never cause me any ill will, or unnecessary pain in my life.

The most important blessing to all mankind is the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Anyone can ask for it, and they will receive it. When we study the Word of God, and learn the ways of Jesus Christ [whom we’re striving to be like], we learn that God is far above the ways of the world. Money, fame, and prestige aren’t the only, or most important, blessings we receive. Salvation, peace, joy, forgiveness, fellowship, love, companionship, children, good health, a warm bed on cold nights, food when you hunger, water when you thirst, etc. are just few—it’s the simple things that matter most. Remember, when you count your blessings you find gratitude, and gratitude leads to repentance, and repentance leads to freedom. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, please take a few minutes to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 10:22)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about a heart of thanksgiving. A man who complains is a man who’s lost sight of his blessings. There’s nothing more irritating than an ungrateful person. Have you ever worked really hard to please someone, and they’re never satisfied. How about those teenagers who always have their hand out, but never want to do their chores—or the spouse who always expects the best treatment from their husband or wife, but fail to show gratitude, or to give their best in return. How about that parent who’s never satisfied with their child, because they don’t live up to their expectations, but the child is doing their best to make them proud. We’ve all experienced things like this, where we’ve done our best to please someone that we love, but no matter what we do, it just isn’t good enough, and they never say thank you. How do you think it makes God feel when we do the same to Him?

We are blessed to be breathing right now, because God didn’t have to allow us another day on earth. We’re blessed to be able to read and write about Him freely. Just to have a computer, and internet access, is a major blessing, just asked more than half of the people in rural countries around the world. Do you know how many people there are on this earth that would kill to have just a fraction of what we have? Think of the child who didn’t eat today, or the people in war stricken countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, who can’t walk down the street without fear of being blown up. Are you starting to feel a little more thankful now? Well these examples might be a bit extreme, but did you go to work today and complain about the job you do? Well our country’s unemployment rate is still over 9%, so think about the people who are searching for employment daily, and can’t find anything. There are thousands of parents who can’t feed their children, even though they desperately want too. The truth is, these things could happen to any of us at anytime, if God allows it, so I beg you to count your blessings, and thank God for every last one of them.

Most of us don’t know what a blessing is, because we’ve allowed the world to define that for us, instead of looking to what the bible says about it. It’s written: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. (Psalm 3:21) Blessed is he who considers the poor; the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. (Psalm 41:1) Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD. (Psalm 118:26) Blessed is he who waits… (Dan 12:12) Jesus said: “And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matt. 11:6) There are also the revelations given to John, who started off the book with the answer to life: Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Rev. 1:3)

These are just a few of descriptions of blessings, according to God’s written Word. Did you notice that nowhere does it say “blessed are those who have the biggest house or nicest car”? I haven’t read anywhere in the bible, “blessed is he who has the most money in his bank account”. We are blessed just to be able to call on the Name of the Lord. We’re blessed to be able to share the Gospel of Christ. We’re blessed to have the privilege to give to those less fortunate, no matter how big or small. We’re blessed to be someone our friends come to when they need to talk. We’re blessed with the Holy Bible, which is our instruction book, to help us to live righteously. Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt. 6:25). God clothes the lilies of the field, and gives even the birds a home, so He’ll surely give those things to those who love Him. I don’t know about you, but this is all the more reason to give thanks and praises to God! When we can identify what our true blessings are, we can better thank Him. I implore you to please never lose sight that everyday you’re given is a blessing, so never stop thanking God! Thank Him for the good, the bad, and the ugly, because He’s promised that even those things are meant for our good.

If you want victory in life, live by these most popular verses: Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4: 6-7) Peace is another invaluable blessing from God, so be sure to thank Him for it. Remember, the next time you fix your lips to complain about something, always know that you’re blessed no matter what the world tells you! If you’ve accepted Jesus as Lord, then you’re a redeemed child of God, so take a moment, right here where you are and thank Him! If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, but would like to surrender your life to Him, then thank God, because you can do that anytime, He’s been waiting on you. Take a few moments to take the God Quiz right now! My favorite verses today are: Every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1Timothy 4:4-5)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about serving the Lord with humility of mind. I didn’t read today’s passage, before I wrote the opening paragraph. Isn’t it awesome how the Holy Spirit works?! This leads me right into what we’re discussing today, serving God with humility of mind. What does this mean in the life of the believer? It means for us to know that it’s not us, but God who’s doing all of the work in our lives. God grows everything in our life at its proper time—there’s a time to sow, and a time to reap what has been sown. We must keep that in mind in our day to day life. There’s nothing by chance, and God is always in control. When there’s a calling on your life, take heed, because He won’t stop until He gets what He needs from you. He’ll bless you with as much “stuff” as you need to successfully achieve what He’s set out for you. He’ll also remove as many things from your life as necessary.

We have a bad habit of thinking that our life is in our hands, and the positive things, and growth that happens in our life, strictly comes from our hard work and determination. Unfortunately, that is a horrible way of thinking, and I urge you to stop right here, and turn that around. Praise God, because He didn’t have to allow you to be where you are. At the same time, when doors are closed, and things just don’t seem to go the way you planned, praise God, because He has something better for you. He’s setting you up to receive a great amount of wisdom, through your circumstance, and He’s never through with you. You should worry if He isn’t chastising you, because that means He’s put you up on a shelf. When that happens, it’s up to you to find your way back to that close relationship, through repentance and lots of one on one time with Him.

We often tell people who become successful in life, not to “forget where you came from”, because your past has made you who you are. There are so many people who were great Servants of God, and when blessed with an abundance of earthly gifts, they forget who they came from. There are many leaders who have hardened their heart, because either their role became a bit overwhelming and stressful, or they forget to give it all to God. When that happens, they start relaying on their natural self to solve problems. That can happen to anyone, especially the ones who think that it’ll never happen to them. People say that you can tell when someone comes from “new money”, maybe by winning the lottery, or gaining fame and fortune seemingly overnight. Those are the people who don’t know how to act, because they’re newly rich. Well there are some Christians who have just grown into the “teenage” stage of their faith walk. You know how we get to a certain age and think we know it all, but we don’t. We walk around all “holier than thou”, and think that we’re the best Christian walking. We start to judge other people, because we think that we have it all together. I remember that stage, and it happened not too long ago. God quickly shut me down every time. I can remember convicting someone for what they were doing, and God tested me with the same exact situation, and I failed each time. He truly taught (and is still teaching) me humility. I must say, I’m so grateful for those lessons.

The most important lesson in living in humility is to know that everything isn’t for everybody. We understand that we need to stop comparing ourselves to the growth of our brothers and sisters, asking God why we aren’t where they are. We must learn how to stop asking “why me”, and ask “why not me”. I don’t know how many people say “I’m 30 years old so I need to be here, or I’m almost 40 and I need to be at this point in my life”. It’s okay to set goals, but you have to remember that everything works in God’s perfect timing. We must stay in the mind frame of Jesus, when He prayed, “Not my will, but your will be done”. It’s only by Him that you live and breathe, and He’s behind all things. As long as you’re doing your best to live right, and walk according to His Word, He blesses you with everything you need. It’s written: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Cor. 12:4-6). (I love what Paul teaches in this passage entitled “Concerning Spiritual Gifts”.)

Do you know Jesus, I mean really know Jesus? If you answered no, or not really, then spend some time with Him. You’ll find that Jesus was the most humble man you’ll know. He lived the life of a common servant, but had the mind and attitude of a King. Keep that in mind when you’re trying to find your way through life. You are a lowly servant of God, and serving Him is all that matters, everything else is vanity. However, you are joint heir to the throne of God, so you are royalty, and everyone who looks at you will know it, without really knowing it. If you want to learn more about becoming an heir to the throne, take a few moments to take the God Quiz today. My favorite verse today is: When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you’re enjoying the beginning of another workweek (for most). My brother Demitrius is in the following documentary, done on his middle school Washington Jesuit Academy. Here’s the link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/november-12-2010/washington-jesuit-academy/7470/. WJA is a wonderful middle school; I thank God for it, and other schools like it. They truly educate these boys, so they can become men for others. Both my brother and nephew are alumni, and WJA has changed their life, for the better. Everything that they’re saying in the video is true–the staff is very supportive and loving–and on top of that, religion is a priority. The teachers are awesome, and they truly care about the future of each boy that comes to the school. Please pray for the continued success of WJA, and other schools like it around the country, they’re much appreciated and needed. They further inspire me to want to teach, so I could make a positive impact on young women and men, in organizations like these. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today’s scriptures are about fellowship with God and Jesus Christ. Jesus once said: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me.” (John 6:44-45 NIV) In order to get to the Father, we must go to and/or through the Son. It’s not as complicated as it seems, but we must know who Jesus is, and the role He plays in our life. To fellowship with Him takes on a whole new meaning, because it requires interaction, communication, and sharing love with Him. Unlike just believing in Him, which can be done by anyone, fellowship requires effort. Being a believer is just the first step. I want you to ask yourself a fairly easy question, but you need to be completely honest with your answer–How often do you interact with God, through Jesus Christ?

Faith is one of the most important parts of being a Christian. The Apostle Paul wrote: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (11:1KJV) What did Paul mean by that? Well the New International Version (NIV) of the bible translates it: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. From the beginning of time people preached about the love of God, even though most of them had never seen Him, but they were confident in Who He was, and what He taught. Most believers gained their confidence in Him, by building a strong and relationship with Him. They fellowshipped, worshiped, and praised Him, which helped build a bond, that assured them of His love.

Jesus’ coming was prophesied for years before He was even born, so people already expected the Messiah [the Son of God] to come. When He came they already believed in Him, because they believed in the Father that sent Him. He lived, died, and was resurrected, which changed the life of every human being, then, now, and forever. I don’t think a lot of people can grasp the complete truth in this, because it seems so unreal. There are people who suffer from internal pain–heart wrenching pain that they can’t seem to shake–and they can’t imagine anything other than that. They refuse to open up their heart to have faith in Him, because that comes with the risk of being hurt again. If you’re one of those people [like I used to be], then I need you to understand there is no one in this world who can love you like Jesus Christ. God loved you so much that He gave us His Son Jesus Christ, who reigns over us, and takes care of every aspect of our life, now and throughout all eternity. Jesus was created to give you life, so you can lay down your burdens and be free.

To have faith in God is to trust in Jesus Christ, and to trust in Jesus is to be obedient, and keep His commandments. It’s written: Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:21-25) Faith in the “implanted Word”, who is Jesus Christ, is the only way to save your soul.

I can promise you that when you experience the love of God, through Christ, you’ll truly understand what life is all about. Jesus is freedom, and through Jesus, God lives in our heart. He’s there to lead and guide us, shape and mold us, into the person He truly created us to be. All He asks us to do is have faith in Him, and through that faith we love Him with all our heart. I don’t care what else goes on in life, we can always depend on Jesus to be who He is, and He’ll always be there for us. God made sure that we will never have to be apart from Him again. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you don’t know God as Father–to have faith in the Son, is to have faith in the Father. Remember faith can move mountains, and the first step of your faith walk is to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (1John 4:15)

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