Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are about working with the Lord to stay away from evil. The bible teaches us that God will deliver us from evil; all we have to do is ask. However, we must be open to Him, in order to honestly be delivered from evil. One of today’s scriptures says: The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matt. 26:41) We’re taught that Jesus offers us freedom, but what exactly are we being freed from? We’re being freed from the penalties and bondage of sin. The flesh is a major part of that bondage, and before we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, we’re a slave to it–our every waking moment is spent trying to please the flesh. There are plenty of Christians who are still slaves to their flesh–it’s like the gate has been opened to allow them to roam free, but they stay in the cage.

I think the Apostle Paul said it best when he wrote: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Gal. 5:16 NIV) So you see if we allow the Spirit to lead us, then we’ll be able to easily overcome the temptations of the flesh. However, if we’re trying to keep up with what’s hip and happening, and do what the world does, we’ll fall short every time, because “worldly” people, live by the flesh. If we’re seeking pleasure all the time, then we’ll allow the flesh to lead.

Jesus once said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24) What do you think He meant when He said “let him deny himself”? If we want to follow Christ, we can’t very well give into our flesh, it’s a conflict of interest, or an oxymoron (we can’t have a “Holy flesh”). Jesus said we must turn away from our “flesh pleasing” way of life, take up our cross and follow Him. See when Jesus took up His cross, He was going to Calvary to give up His life for us. So we must take up our cross, and be prepared to give up our “worldly” life for Him. It’s not a death sentence for us, but it’s actually a life sentence. When we make a commitment to follow the Lord, and focus on what He has for us, then we’ll go on to live in victory. Jesus is the better choice, because pleasing the flesh often leaves us hung over and empty. However, denying ourselves and following Him, gives us fulfillment, peace, joy, and happiness, all the days of our life. Hallelujah!

If we want God’s best in our life, then we must allow Him to deliver us from evil. Some of us pray that every day in the Lord’s Prayer, but we don’t know how to surrender to Him. We must understand that being a Christian is not just a title, but it’s a way of life. We must be aware of His presence and seek His guidance with each step. It’s very important to surround ourselves with positivity, and the Word of God, so we can stay in touch with Him. We can’t expect to grow in our Spirit, and never pray, read the bible, listen to gospel music, or watch any TV or online ministries. These are ways to ensure that we’re always feeding our Spirit. You better believe that when we’re listening to secular music, or watching something raunchy on TV, we’re feeding our flesh, and those desires become stronger, and more attractive. The law “you reap what you sow” applies to everything.

I’m a strong advocate in the fact that life is what you make it–you get out of it, exactly what you put into it. Jesus never promised to wave a magic wand and make it all better, but He challenged us to take up our cross and follow Him. Being delivered from evil has to be something that we really want, and following Jesus frees us from evil’s reign over our life. We cannot serve man and God; it just doesn’t work that way. If you’re a Christian, but truly feel like you’re a slave to the flesh, then you haven’t taken up your cross yet. Start by learning who Jesus was as a man, and who He is as our Lord and Savior. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you’ll need to start by inviting Him into your life. Once you do that, you can pray and ask God for deliverance, in Jesus’ Name, and He’ll give you freedom. For more information, please take a few minutes to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verses today are: Two things I request of You (Deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches—feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30-7-9)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you’re enjoying the beginning of the workweek (for some). I’m doing well, and feeling great, after a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Most people got to enjoy a 3-day weekend in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He was a great Civil Rights Activist, as well as father, Pastor, and Disciple of Christ. He fought for equality among the human race, and was an advocate of peace on earth. Dr. King took on the title “Christian”, with new meaning, and He definitely strived to be like Christ, in so many ways. He helps me be proud to be an American, but most importantly a “Black American”. Dr. King, and others who followed him, helped pave the way for the African-American race, and the freedom we take advantage of. I urge you to take a moment and reflect on your life, and how different things could be if it wasn’t for the unselfishness of Dr. King. This man left a legacy so great, that he will always be remembered. He was called to accomplish this great task by God, and he followed God’s will to the end of his life. If we don’t take anything else from his life, we should take the importance of following the will of God. Our job may not be on as grand of a scale as Dr. King’s, but we matter just as much. Never forget that you were destined for greatness, whether big or small live by these simple rules, love God and love each other. Enjoy the remainder of your day, and be blessed family!

Today’s scriptures are about being saved from the pits of life. Our salvation is so multifaceted, that it’s hard to know exactly what we’re being saved from—well not really hard to know what, but I think we sometimes forget. There are many pits in our life, there are pitfalls, there are days that we feel down and out (referred to as “the pits”), there are pit stops, and then there are the pits of hell. Jesus came to save us from every type of pit that we will every face in life. None of us want to fall into the pits of life, but it’s a reality for us all. The only pit that is optional for us are the Pits of Hell. Hell is a real place, and Satan is real. It’s been said that he was an angel in heaven, but was cast out, for wanting to be more powerful than God. There isn’t a lot written about that in the bible, but there are some scriptures that mention it. Nevertheless, hell is a true and absolute fate for those who don’t believe in Jesus Christ.
Before Christ, salvation was nearly impossible, because we (humans) were required to live righteously on our own, and if we couldn’t, we were required to make the different sacrifices found in the book of Leviticus. I for one am grateful that that era is no longer, because I don’t know what I would do. Jesus came in and laid down His life, to save me from the pits. I no longer have to worry about hell, or the attacks from the enemy, because the blood of the Lamb protects me and keeps me near and dear to the heart of God. This is the same promise, for anyone who believes in Jesus Christ. If you confess to God that you’re a sinner and you need Him, and then ask Jesus to be Lord of your life, then you too can be saved from the pits.
When we trust God with every aspect of our life, we have this continuous light that guides us, which makes it more difficult to fall into the pits. When we trust in man, or in our own ability, it’s as Jesus said: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:39-40) If we follow the instructions of Christ carefully, we’ll be able to live a peaceful life, however, when we stray, and fall into the traps of the enemy, we’ll feel that uneasiness in our heart. I think we’ve all felt like this psalmist, when we make terrible mistakes: I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength. I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. (Psalm 88:3-5) The good news is that when we feel this way, we don’t have to stay in that place. We’ve been delivered by the Love of God! There’s times when we feel like there’s no place to go, be we can always go to the Lord, Hallelujah!
It’s written: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:3-8) James gave us some great advice and instructions, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. All of these things are the base of knowing how to avoid the pit falls of life. Jesus did the hard part; He gave up His life, so that we can live with God for all eternity. However, all of the days of our life will be a Spiritual challenge. The enemy will never stop trying to bring us down, so we must have patience, and keep faith in God’s promises. If we don’t know how to do that, then all we need to do is ask for wisdom in any area that we feel that we lack. We also need to be confident in who we are in the Lord; never doubt your place in His Kingdom, and the devil will never win.
If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you’re lost, and will go to the pits of hell, as well as fall in many pits in life. You’ll feel the way they Psalmist felt on the inside, many times in life, and there’s nothing that can change that. The only hope in your situation is the blood of Jesus Christ, which is offered to everyone, by the grace of God. Don’t spend any more time looking for the answers to life, because they can only be found in Jesus Christ. Pray and ask Him to be Lord of your life, and ask Him to forgive you of your sins, and He will. If you want more information, please take a few minutes to take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verse today is: I waited patiently for the Lord. He brought me up ... out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. (Psalms 40:1-2)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today’s scriptures are the suffering and deliverance. This is a very fitting subject for this time of year, because although this is “the season to be jolly”, it’s also the season of depression, and record numbers of suicides. This is just one example of how the flesh rules mankind. The people of the world have convinced us, and our children, that we have to go into debt to give extravagant gifts, because it’s Christmas. The enemy doesn’t just manipulate us at Christmas time, but we live as slaves to our flesh all throughout the year.

I had a discussion with a few of my close friends today about the “Christmas Spirit” [or lack thereof] this season. We had realized that even we aren’t in the spirit, but we’re trying hard to experience the holiday cheer. When I mentioned the idea of writing my “blessings” list, they shared with me that they had been keeping a “thankful journal” for years. I’m going to follow their lead, so that I never forget how much Jesus Christ has blessed me, and become consumed with the pleasing the flesh.

I grew up in a “low income” neighborhood, so programs like Angel Tree helped us through some tough Christmases—God always gave my mom a way to make sure that our tree overflowed with gifts. However, there were friends and other family members who weren’t as fortunate, and I’ve seen and felt much despair over the years. There was a time that I lived life without Jesus, and I never want to imagine living like that again. It was a life full of strife and unrest. I felt as if there was a huge hole in my heart. I was full of love deep down inside, but didn’t know how to let it out. Finding Jesus was the best thing that has ever happened to me, and because of Him, my light shines bright for the world to see. I love without fail, because He first filled me with His love.

We need to encourage and pray for the people who are less fortunate than us, because Jesus will make a way for all those who believe, and our prayers will work miracles. I want you to always remember that Jesus is real, and this holiday is all about that. Don’t worry so much about how much you can give or receive, just give your love abundantly, and help where you can. After all, that’s what Jesus spent His life teaching. There’s no shame in not having the latest toys, games, phones or IPods, though the world will make you feel like there is.

God gave us the ultimate gift, the gift of a baby boy, born to the Virgin Mary, who was Named Jesus. Jesus lived His human life with poise and grace, but He too suffered. He grew from birth, in the flesh, experiencing life as the average person. He had to learn how to walk and talk, and how to hone His crafts just like us. He loved His family, but when the time came, He had to venture out on His own to follow God’s will for His life. We know that He suffered ridicule, beatings, imprisonment, hatred, and many other things that we haven’t had a chance to read about. Throughout all of His trials, He praised and glorified His Father in Heaven. He wasn’t above the temptations and strife of the world, but He handled it with the strength that God instilled in Him.

God allowed Jesus to experience this type of life for a reason, and He does the same for us. However, we’ve been freed from the bondage of the flesh, by the Blood of Christ. Jesus suffered unnecessarily for the sins of all mankind, but we suffer for our own sins. We go through a refinement process, to make us stronger and more faithful Christians. When we become followers of Christ, our “Righteous Spirit” is born, and we begin to grow and evolve into who we were created to be.

We will face many trials, as we learn from the life of Christ. Peter, one of Jesus’ Disciples wrote: And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:13) This is true wisdom! We all will suffer, some sufferings allowed by God to promote growth, and others self-inflicted. As we grow, we’ll become better at discerning between the two. The times that we don’t understand why we suffer, will be revealed to us, and work together for our good, so embrace everything life brings you.

Take a few moments to think about where you are in life, right now. Would you say that you’re suffering, or have suffered a lot? Well you are not alone, and even Jesus can raise His hand to that question. The key to living a peaceful and joyous life is to be able to rely on God for strength when you feel like you can’t go on, and to praise Him upon deliverance. There’s nothing more gratifying then to see the rainbow after the storm, and as child of God, there’s a guaranteed rainbow through Christ—God promised never to leave nor forsake you. If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, then you don’t have a rainbow. If you want to find out how to always see a rainbow, take the God Quiz today! My favorite verse today is: These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb… (Revelations 7:14)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying this beautiful "hump day". I'm doing well, and appreciating the beautiful weather we're having toward the end of the summer season. I was thinking about cooking and food as a whole today. I was wondering how my fire went out, and why I haven't had the desire to create lately. When I first graduated from culinary school, I was on fire, and ready to cook every day, now not so much. I know it's one of my gifts, and a part of my life’s calling, because I still light up when I'm around food. I wonder why something, that was once a strong light in our life, dies out. Have you ever had that happen to you? If so, how do you light the fire again? My guess would be to evaluate past events and try to discover where the disconnection happened, to better reconnect. I would also suggest surrounding yourself with the things you love, and take things one step at a time. I hadn't really given it much thought, until a certain question was posed to me earlier today. Life happens, and God has reasons for everything, but the enemy also has a hand in distracting us. One of his main objectives is to steal our joy! I've decided, right here and right now, that I'm not going to let that happen! Please keep me in your prayers, because I'd like to rekindle the lost flame of an old love. I challenge you, if you feel like something's missing in your life, to actively seek that missing link, and rekindle the old flames, that brought positive light into your life. Never stop dreaming! Enjoy the remainder of your day family, and be blessed family!

Today's scriptures are about Jesus bringing us up out of the pit. I love the Lord! I'm rejoicing because of what’s been revealed to me through these verses of scripture. I'm so grateful for the Love of Christ, because it cannot be compared to the love of anyone else. Jesus loved us despite our flaws, faults, or anything that we've done in the past. Not only does He love us through them, but He pulls us up during the lowest points of our life, and gives us victory! I have so many testimonies, and I'm happy to share them with anyone who's willing to listen. There's nothing wrong with being human and making mistakes, and as long as God understands and forgives us, that's all that matters. He has promised to pull us out of the pits of life, and when we fall down, He'll pick us up and dust us off, and I trust Him to do just that.

Life is this series of ups and downs, good and bad, highs and lows, and there's nothing much we could do about it. It's been that way from the beginning of time, because of sin and corruption. Mankind has been its own worst enemy, and because of it, many have been destroyed. Until the selfless act of Jesus Christ! He's changed the face of sin, forgiveness, and salvation forever. He's freed us from destruction, because we are unable to free ourselves. God is righteousness, and He wants us to be righteous. We fear Him, because He's our Heavenly Father, and He will do whatever it takes to makes sure that we have all that He's meant to give us in this life. At the same time, when we continually disobey Him, we will experience His wrath. He created us for Himself, so He won't stand for our wickedness and total disobedience.
Thank God for Jesus Christ, because closer to the beginning of time, people were destroyed when they utterly disobeyed Him. At one time, God got so fed up with mankind, that He destroyed all flesh, except the one in whom He took favor. It's written: Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Gen 6:5-8) Things were so bad, and people sinned against God so much, that He decided to wipe the slate clean and start all over. He gave man a choice from the start, yet everything that He gave to them out of love, they turned it into evil. Even though a man as righteous as Noah was saved, and procreated, which ultimately replenished the earth, the enemy still runs rampart, promoting sin, by controlling all who allows him.
After this unfortunate event, God was so grieved by the great lost of His creation, that He made a covenant. It's written: "Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Gen. 9:11) He has kept that covenant until this day, and we have proof of that from the rainbows we often see, after the rain. It's written: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. (Gen. 9:13) Here we are, over 2000 years later, He's not only kept His promise, but He’s offered us a way out of sin, and a life of wickedness and deceit forever. He freed us from the bondage of the enemy, which was responsible for keeping us in the pit for so long.
It irritates me when people use the devil as an excuse to freely disobey God. You know the famous quote "The devil made me do it"? I have to be honest with you, or my writing would be in vain. You now have a choice! The enemy can persuade you to stray, but it's written: You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4) We have more power than we give ourselves credit for, but it's important for us not to allow our flesh to dictate our walk with God. I'll be the first to admit that it's easy to get the lines crossed, because the enemy romanticizes the dark road, to make it seem like the better choice. Jesus has made it possible for us to never have to walk on that dark road again. I for one choose Him each day, because I've been down that dark road. It's scary, confusing, lonely, and painful, and I don't want to go there ever again. Thanks to Jesus Christ, I never have to; a person will only go down that road if they choose to.
If you've accepted Jesus Christ as Lord, you have the Holy Spirit's guidance, so don't fret. If you read some of the stories in the Old Testament of the Bible, you'll learn that the wrath of God is something that you don't want to ever experience. He only wants what's best for us, so He took on the sin of the world, by sacrificing His own Son. He loves you that much! The New Testament better shows us His loving side, which starts with the birth of His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus relayed a message of peace, joy, happiness, forgiveness, salvation and most importantly freedom. If you don't know Jesus as Lord, then I urge you to make the right decision today. God is waiting on you! My favorite verses today are: But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

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Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

God is so good, and I’m finally getting to a point in my faith walk, where I’m learning to completely listen to Him. The thing that I was missing was to see Him in everything. Nothing is by chance, and there are plenty of times where we say, “Oh, it’s a coincidence that I was just thinking about this, and here it is”, some people call that Déjà vu, which is French for already seen. However, I know its God, because He speaks to us in so many different ways. We must slow down and intently listen for His voice, and watch for signs and visions.
Today, a friend and I were discussing Job chapter 7, and I wrote a rather large e-mail about how I interpreted Jobs frustration, and how it was necessary for him to go to God and voice his aggravation. After I’d proof read the e-mail, I thought, this looks like a sermon, or could be today’s devotional, but I sent it, and thought nothing more of it. Then, after I was done with my work, I attempted to access bible.com to get the scriptures for today, and the website was down. As well as, two other friends contacted me, and in both conversations we ended up discussing great loss, and how much it affects and weighs us down, and it brought me right back to my earlier discussion about Job 7. Do you think all of this is coincidence or Déjà vu? Well I doubt it very seriously, so I’m going to share my discussion with you, in an unfamiliar format, but hopefully it helps answer some questions you may have.

Read Job 7
I often feel like Job felt in this chapter of scripture; he was truly fed up! From the way I read it, Job got to a "wait a minute!" point in his life. I'm sure He was thinking, "I've done nothing but try my best to do right, so why am I being punished like this?"... I think we all have or will get to points like these in our Faith walk. God allows us to be tested and tried for some of the same reasons He tested Job, and just like Job, it's okay to question Him. It's okay to ask God, "What's going on?" because that's a sign of our love for Him. We should always come to Him seeking wisdom, and wanting to learn life's lessons.
I was touched most by verses 17-19: "What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention, that you examine him every morning and test him every moment? Will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant?" I can remember times when I felt exactly like this, but we need God's attention, because even His affliction is meant to work together for our good. So we should be grateful that he examines us every morning, and test us every moment, but it's the times where it feels like He isn't there that we should worry. It's all refinement, and allows us to build up our trust in Him, helps us rely on Him to sustain us, and show us a new way to righteousness. Remember, we just learned yesterday, that Jesus said we should take up our cross “daily”, and follow Him.
I found a few of my answer in the following chapters: “Behold, this is the joy of His way, And out of the earth others will grow. Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, Nor will He uphold the evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.” (Job 8:19-22) Trouble don't last always, and when you feel like you're down and can't get back up, know that God can and will use your situation to help others grow. Rejoice through your sorrow, because eventually He'll fill your mouth with laughing. Eventually you'll see the light, but as always, when going through trials you never foresee the end, until God gives reveals the small light at the end of the tunnel.
In my opinion, Job couldn't hold it anymore, and he couldn't take the pain, nor rejoice in it any longer. He needed answers, so instead of him turning his back on God, and surrendering to the enemy's attacks, he confronted God about it. I admire him for that, and ultimately learned that when I'm stressed out, instead of doing evil or succumbing to evil, it's best to just make my supplications known to God. He'd rather us do that, than the alternative. The answers aren’t found in drugs, alcohol, sex, empty relationships, food, violence, or any of the like.
If you don’t know Jesus as Lord and Savior, that’s the only place to start. See, unlike Job, we have the saving grace of Jesus Christ to see us through. With Jesus comes God’s Holy Spirit, so we can stay connected with Him at all times. I urge you to start building a bond with God through Christ, and allow Him to fill you with so much joy, that when you are being tested you’ll have the strength to get you through, still praising God! Pray and ask Jesus to be Lord of your life today!

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