"But I the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve." -Jeremiah 17:10
Some people think that it is okay to use, abuse, put down and mistreat others. They think it's within their rights to plot against others, to embarass others and at times to press others so hard that they break their spirit and self worth. I know that we've all met people like these at some point in life. There are those who hurt others and really don't intend to do so but then there are those who intentionally go out each day with the goal of making someone's life as miserable as theirs. Because words and actions can be so damaging to others, I pray everyday that I am forgiven for the sins that I knowingly commit as well as those that I don't even know I am committing.
There was a time in my life when I was very cut an dry and my words hurt people. I would shrug it off when others confronted me about my harsh words or actions. It wasn't until God allowed me to be broken down to nearly nothing that I became more sensitive to people and more careful with my actions. I was one who didn't hurt people intentionally but I certainly didn't apologize for my behavior either. God dealt with me and trust me if it had not been for hours and days of constatnt repentance and prayer, I would not be here today. The world says "People who hurt people are hurting people." This is mostly true but we all have to take responsibility for what we do to others and not lean on excuses or past hurts as a reason to go after others who likely had no part in your past pain.
This scripture says it straight, God searches all hearts and examines all motives. It doesn't say that He examines all motives and allows you to mistreat others because you were mistreated in your past! The last line of the scripture says "I give all people their due rewards according to what their actions deserve." That's pretty powerful! We all need to start thinking more about how we act toward others. God is surely watching and you may be smiling for a time but you will be given what you deserve in God's perfect timing! "God is not a man that he would lie.'" Start treating others just as you would want to be treated because God always keeps his word!
Song to listen to: "I Believe God" - Martha Munizzi
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
"Hope, Confidence and Trust"
“…But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” –Jeremiah 17:7
With life being so busy it’s very difficult to make time for reading the bible, meditating on the word and praying. Throughout everyday I’m in communication with God. Internally, I’m talking to him all day, when things get hairy at work, I silently pray to God; when my spirits are just not high, I silently ask God for a lift. For me it has become a natural routine to communicate with God.
Just recently, I disciplined myself a bit more by getting up 20 minutes earlier each morning and reading and praying before I start my day. With Thanksgiving last week and all the busyness of the holiday, this week I found myself off track with my routine. I wasn’t taking my first 20 minutes for study and prayer and I noticed the change in me. This morning I woke up with a heavy heart about a few things. As I drove to work, I decided to turn off the radio and take some time with God. I began to pray out loud about the things that were burdening me and the moment I said “In Jesus’ name, Amen,” I felt a relief come over me. Immediately I felt lighter. After getting to my desk I thought about the scripture that says, all of the answers to our prayers are “Yes and Amen.” That to me means, once my prayer is submitted there should be no doubt or worry because God has said “Yes and Amen” so it is done. I know that because of that particular scripture I no longer have to carry around those burdens; I no longer have to wonder how to fix things because once I give them over to God in prayer, he will work them out! The scripture above says that those who trust in the Lord are blessed. Even though I get weary and off track, I trust God with my life and everything in it. I will continue to submit my cares and prayers to God daily and I will continue to remind myself that there is nothing too hard for God. As long as I trust God and know that he has my best interest at heart, I am blessed and cannot be cursed! It’s great to live with that confidence in one who will never fail me!
Song to listen to: “What a Mighty God We Serve” – Pastor Hezekiah Walker
Monday, November 28, 2011
"Relax and Trust"
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5
Sometimes I wonder why things are the way they are. For example, at times when I’m at my job I wonder, why I’m in this position or when I think about my personal life, I wonder, why I don’t have children and a husband yet. I often wonder why my life has followed a different path than some of my friends and acquaintances. The human part of me sometimes pulls me down because a lot of times I focus on what others have and what I don’t have. In the past, things like that would take me so low that it would take a few days for me to pull myself back up. I’d often get mad, mad at God mostly because I always had a sense that God was in control because that’s what I was taught growing up but I couldn’t figure out why this God that was supposed to love me so much, would not allow me to have the things that I wanted, right when I wanted them. Now that I’ve grown in age and knowledge of God and how He works I try, “try” being the key word, to remember scriptures like Proverbs 3:5. I’ve realized that if I become fixated on what I can physically see and what I think I understand, I will stay on the emotional rollercoaster of allowing things to pull me down, taking my attention off of enjoying the life and blessings I have before me. These days I have to remind myself every single day to trust in the Lord. I know now that I’m not always going to understand why things are the way they are; I’m not always going to have exactly what I want, right when I want it. I know now that, not having doesn’t mean that God loves me less than someone else who does have. I know now that even though it’s not always comfortable, I am right where God wants me to be. There’s a bigger plan and purpose for my life that I’m choosing to allow God to guide. We all have free will so we can take the reigns and make most things happen but I’ve lived long enough to know that being outside of God’s will leads to a lot more heartache, disappointment and despair than does choosing to wait and trust in God’s timing and His will. God loves us more than we can humanly imagine and he wants better for us than we want for ourselves. Sometimes that means it takes a bit longer to get to where we want to be but I’m beginning to sit back and enjoy the journey more often than not, this way when the time arrives I’ll be perfectly prepared for the blessing(s) God has in store!
Song to listen to: "Be Still" -Yolanda Adams
Thursday, November 17, 2011
"Are you really ready for more?"
"If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses?" -Jeremiah 12:5 (NLT)
Everyone I know, including me is always talking about what they want. Whether we're talking to friends, talking to colleagues, or talking to God in prayer, we're always talking about what we want to happen. No matter where you are in your finances, career or relationships we all have the desire for things to get better, for growth to occur and for situations to somehow become easier to handle. We talk about winning the lotto so that we never have to work again; we talk about saving up enough money to buy bigger homes, we talk about getting married and having a house full of children, we talk about owning our own businesses so that we don't have to work for ungrateful employers. All of the things we want so badly all come with a price. Have you ever really taken the time to think about what these big blessings will require of us? Just recently, I began to think about this more. If I hate getting up each morning to be to work by 9:00 a.m., how on earth will I handle owning my own business where I'll have to get up even earlier most days to plan and prepare for a busy and productive day? If I complain about cleaning up my one bedroom apartment, how will I manage cleaning a house with up to 6 or 7 rooms? If I can't stand being around noisey kids on the subway train, how will I be able to tolerate a full house of noisey kids, that don't go home? The scripture says it plainly, if you're tired and complaining about the common life you have, how would you handle a more abundant life? God blesses those who show him that they appreciate the small blessings already provided. Why would God bless you to become a millionaire, if you can't budget the money you make right now? Common sense would tell anyone, if you can't budget a little bit, you definitely can't budget alot more! It seems like you and I have alot of work to do to prepare for those prayers we've petitioned and those blessings we've spoken into the atmosphere. They can and will likely come to pass someday but only when God feels that we are ready to receive them. I want mine, what about you? Start getting ready to receive!
Song to listen to: "Hide Me" - Kirk Franklin
Everyone I know, including me is always talking about what they want. Whether we're talking to friends, talking to colleagues, or talking to God in prayer, we're always talking about what we want to happen. No matter where you are in your finances, career or relationships we all have the desire for things to get better, for growth to occur and for situations to somehow become easier to handle. We talk about winning the lotto so that we never have to work again; we talk about saving up enough money to buy bigger homes, we talk about getting married and having a house full of children, we talk about owning our own businesses so that we don't have to work for ungrateful employers. All of the things we want so badly all come with a price. Have you ever really taken the time to think about what these big blessings will require of us? Just recently, I began to think about this more. If I hate getting up each morning to be to work by 9:00 a.m., how on earth will I handle owning my own business where I'll have to get up even earlier most days to plan and prepare for a busy and productive day? If I complain about cleaning up my one bedroom apartment, how will I manage cleaning a house with up to 6 or 7 rooms? If I can't stand being around noisey kids on the subway train, how will I be able to tolerate a full house of noisey kids, that don't go home? The scripture says it plainly, if you're tired and complaining about the common life you have, how would you handle a more abundant life? God blesses those who show him that they appreciate the small blessings already provided. Why would God bless you to become a millionaire, if you can't budget the money you make right now? Common sense would tell anyone, if you can't budget a little bit, you definitely can't budget alot more! It seems like you and I have alot of work to do to prepare for those prayers we've petitioned and those blessings we've spoken into the atmosphere. They can and will likely come to pass someday but only when God feels that we are ready to receive them. I want mine, what about you? Start getting ready to receive!
Song to listen to: "Hide Me" - Kirk Franklin
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
"God is For You!"
"...if God is for us, who can be against us?" -Romans 8:31, NIV
God has been whispering this scripture to me for a couple of weeks now. At first, it was just a fleeting thought that brought a smile to my face, then as the days passed, the scripture began to guide me through some events that if not for that word, I may not have made it through! Every single day we encounter people and situations that cause us to be fearful, or that cause us to be conflicted or out of balance with who we are and where our lives are headed. For me, many times I can be having a pretty good day, where nothing in particular has gone wrong but my spirit is just not at peace and I wonder what is wrong with me and why am I feeling this way? I think that as human beings we have the innate desire to be in control; in control of our lives and every element that forms our future. We do play a part in forming where we end up but we have to remember that God is the author and the finisher of all things, He knows the beginning and the end! He even knew each one of us before we breathed in our first breathe of life. God didn't create us to be against us! Ask yourself, why would you take the time to create something, just to destroy it? When God created you and me, he had a plan and purpose in mind. At times, we don't have a plan and don't know our purpose, but that doesn't change what God knows. In the last week, I had some issues with co-workers and for about one minute I became fearful and thought, how am I going to make it through this, with my job in tact and with the respect of my colleagues? Right after that question, God whispered this scripture to me again and I immediately had a peace. If God is for me, who can be against me? I like to add "and succeed!" People can and will come against you but the key to remember is that they will not succeed! You may look like David and the problem or person looks like Goliath, but just as that story ends, David defeated Goliath because he had God in his corner and on his side and he held on to that confidence! Next time you face a Goliath, be calm, don't sweat it, just call on God and know that you will have the victory. He is and will always be For You!
Song to listen to - "Nobody Greater", Vashawn Mitchell
***I will post devotionals on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Please join the group and comment whenever you feel moved! :-)
God has been whispering this scripture to me for a couple of weeks now. At first, it was just a fleeting thought that brought a smile to my face, then as the days passed, the scripture began to guide me through some events that if not for that word, I may not have made it through! Every single day we encounter people and situations that cause us to be fearful, or that cause us to be conflicted or out of balance with who we are and where our lives are headed. For me, many times I can be having a pretty good day, where nothing in particular has gone wrong but my spirit is just not at peace and I wonder what is wrong with me and why am I feeling this way? I think that as human beings we have the innate desire to be in control; in control of our lives and every element that forms our future. We do play a part in forming where we end up but we have to remember that God is the author and the finisher of all things, He knows the beginning and the end! He even knew each one of us before we breathed in our first breathe of life. God didn't create us to be against us! Ask yourself, why would you take the time to create something, just to destroy it? When God created you and me, he had a plan and purpose in mind. At times, we don't have a plan and don't know our purpose, but that doesn't change what God knows. In the last week, I had some issues with co-workers and for about one minute I became fearful and thought, how am I going to make it through this, with my job in tact and with the respect of my colleagues? Right after that question, God whispered this scripture to me again and I immediately had a peace. If God is for me, who can be against me? I like to add "and succeed!" People can and will come against you but the key to remember is that they will not succeed! You may look like David and the problem or person looks like Goliath, but just as that story ends, David defeated Goliath because he had God in his corner and on his side and he held on to that confidence! Next time you face a Goliath, be calm, don't sweat it, just call on God and know that you will have the victory. He is and will always be For You!
Song to listen to - "Nobody Greater", Vashawn Mitchell
***I will post devotionals on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Please join the group and comment whenever you feel moved! :-)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
What Are You Showing Others?
1 Peter 2:9 "You can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
What does it look like to "show others the goodness of God?" I am not one to walk around with an everlasting smile on my face all day long, I've never been that type, but he older I get, the more I learn about human needs and the trials of this life. Because of this awareness, I try to be very sensitive to people because you just never know what's going on in someone's life. This scripture talks about God calling us out of darkness and into the light. Once you truly experience "darkness" and "God's light" you'll never doubt what God's power and love can do, in and for you. Making sure that others see God through you is as easy as simple as keeping a smile on your face, even when you don't have much to smile about; uttering a kind work, even when you want to use some choice curse words; or just sharing a kind gesture, even when life is not being so kind to you! Life will never be perfect for any of us but we have to hold on to our faith that God will always be there to see us through. While he's working things out in your life, start walking and talking in faith, showing others how much you trust and believe. When people see you, they'll see God's light, and they'll want some of it in their lives too!
Song to listen to: "The Last Jesus" by Kirk Franklin
What does it look like to "show others the goodness of God?" I am not one to walk around with an everlasting smile on my face all day long, I've never been that type, but he older I get, the more I learn about human needs and the trials of this life. Because of this awareness, I try to be very sensitive to people because you just never know what's going on in someone's life. This scripture talks about God calling us out of darkness and into the light. Once you truly experience "darkness" and "God's light" you'll never doubt what God's power and love can do, in and for you. Making sure that others see God through you is as easy as simple as keeping a smile on your face, even when you don't have much to smile about; uttering a kind work, even when you want to use some choice curse words; or just sharing a kind gesture, even when life is not being so kind to you! Life will never be perfect for any of us but we have to hold on to our faith that God will always be there to see us through. While he's working things out in your life, start walking and talking in faith, showing others how much you trust and believe. When people see you, they'll see God's light, and they'll want some of it in their lives too!
Song to listen to: "The Last Jesus" by Kirk Franklin
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
"Abundant Life!"
John 10:10- "I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly."
From day to day I find myself more focused on what will happen in my future, rather than on what is happening in my life today. It's hard to remember the last time I thought of the joys of each moment rather than when my dreams, goals and aspirations will finally appear. John 10:10 says that Jesus came to this earth so that we would have life and have it in abundance! As I reflected on this scripture, I realized that abundant life is not found only in answered prayers or attained goals but instead, abundant life is found in the seconds, minutes and hours of each and everyday! We have to make a conscious effort each day to appreciate the small happenings that bring smiles to our faces. Things like the cool fall breeze that flows through a window and brushes across your cheeks, like the sight of little kids tickling each other and laughing so hard they cry, like the sound of birds chirping outside at the start of a new day. All these things seem so simple and usually they all get ignored as we rush through the day, thinking about tomorrow but you and me need to look at today as it is "the present," also known as "the gift" that God sent his son to give us all. Let's start right now, living more joyful, more grateful and more abundantly!
Song to listen to: Jeff Majors (featuring Kelly Price) - "God's Gift"
From day to day I find myself more focused on what will happen in my future, rather than on what is happening in my life today. It's hard to remember the last time I thought of the joys of each moment rather than when my dreams, goals and aspirations will finally appear. John 10:10 says that Jesus came to this earth so that we would have life and have it in abundance! As I reflected on this scripture, I realized that abundant life is not found only in answered prayers or attained goals but instead, abundant life is found in the seconds, minutes and hours of each and everyday! We have to make a conscious effort each day to appreciate the small happenings that bring smiles to our faces. Things like the cool fall breeze that flows through a window and brushes across your cheeks, like the sight of little kids tickling each other and laughing so hard they cry, like the sound of birds chirping outside at the start of a new day. All these things seem so simple and usually they all get ignored as we rush through the day, thinking about tomorrow but you and me need to look at today as it is "the present," also known as "the gift" that God sent his son to give us all. Let's start right now, living more joyful, more grateful and more abundantly!
Song to listen to: Jeff Majors (featuring Kelly Price) - "God's Gift"
Monday, October 31, 2011
"I will take care of you."
Jeremiah 1:19- "They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you and I will take care of you."
A fear comes over me when people come against me in words or actions. Especially when it's someone who I feel has some level of authority over me, like a supervisor or someone who could potentially make life more difficult for me. I always ask myself why? Why am I allowing this human being to cause me feelings of fear? When I read Jeremiah 1:19, it confirmed that God is always in control of people,places and things! God has promised in his word that "they will fail." So no matter what happens this week, remember this and keep on smiling and keep on laughing because you will have the victory!
Song to listen to: "Victory" by Yolanda Adams
A fear comes over me when people come against me in words or actions. Especially when it's someone who I feel has some level of authority over me, like a supervisor or someone who could potentially make life more difficult for me. I always ask myself why? Why am I allowing this human being to cause me feelings of fear? When I read Jeremiah 1:19, it confirmed that God is always in control of people,places and things! God has promised in his word that "they will fail." So no matter what happens this week, remember this and keep on smiling and keep on laughing because you will have the victory!
Song to listen to: "Victory" by Yolanda Adams
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