Day 48

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ~ “¹Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven: ²a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time pull out what was planted, ³a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up ⁴a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance ⁵a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,^[a] a time to hug and a time to stop hugging, ⁶a time to start looking and a time to stop looking, a time to keep and a time to throw away, ⁷a time to tear apart and a time to sew together, a time to keep quiet and a time to speak out, ⁸a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (GNT)

We’ve been through a lot this year. We’ve had some victories, and we’ve had some failures; God has seen us through it all. I would like to remind you today, during the time when we reflect on our past the most, that EVERYTHING that has happened to you in the past 12 months happened because it was time. Good or bad, happy or sad; it’s all a part of the wonderful, perfect and flawless plan He has for our lives!

Day 47

1 John 2:6 ~ “Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.” (Amplified Bible)

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to talk with a woman who had been in church her whole life, she was in her 80s. I was amazed at the fact that she had grown up knowing the Lord, since I hadn’t met Him until I was already an adult. I expected to get good old Godly wisdom from her, but instead, she told me all sorts of things about people of the church. Who was sleeping with who, who was stealing from who, she seemed to know everyone’s business…and she wasn’t afraid to tell it. Being new to the church myself, I was floored. These were “church people”; surely these things couldn’t be true! Unfortunately, the longer I stayed at that church, the more truth was revealed. I often wondered, “If this is how the people of God act, in His house nonetheless, what is the benefit of living this life”? I realized that being brought up in church means nothing if you’re not willing to change your ways to that of Christ. I want to remind you today that as Christians, we are set apart. We are born again creatures, not of this world and therefore we can not act as the rest of the world acts. What kind of example are we setting for the Kingdom if we do the things unbelievers do? How will we draw someone away from their sinful ways if we’re committing the sins with them? Did Jesus gossip? Did He curse, get drunk, lie, cheat, or steal? Of course not! We are representatives of the Most High God; let us always conduct ourselves as such!

Day 46

Psalm 119:105 ~ “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” (GWT)

As we prepare to enter 2012, we reflect on the things that have happened (or didn’t happen) this past year and we begin to make our resolutions. We review our mistakes and vow to never make them again. We plan to eat right, exercise more, spend more time with family members, live more, and laugh often. It’s a new year for the new you. While you’re preparing for your transformation, I want to remind not to forget your guide.  We can’t effectively change without God’s help. The more time you spend reading and studying His Word, the easier the transition will be. The Word will give you wisdom to make the right choices; you won’t make the same mistakes you did in the past. It will give you power to look past the unfavorable circumstances and see that you are victorious. It will give you the strength to endure and the faith to move whatever mountain stands in your way. Every answer to every problem is in the bible, there isn’t a thing under the sun that it can’t solve. When you travel the road of life, with His word as your guide, you’ll never get lost!

Day 45

1 Corinthians 2:9 ~ “But as Scripture says: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” (GWT)

I dream a lot. I think about the days that are coming when things are better, I wonder what it’s going to be like when I get to the “place called there”. There are so many things I want to be, things I want to do, places I want to go. It’s hard to imagine the possibility of those things now; the current situation is so thick it’s hard to see through it. This verse gives me comfort and reminds me (and hopefully you!) of how BIG God really is. He has prepared things for us that have never been seen or heard of. If you think about it, He’s already given us a clue that He has something huge in store for us. He’s going to “open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing we won’t have room to receive”…now, that’s major! God loves you, He has something amazing lined up for you; don’t get discouraged about what things look like today. Peace that surpasses all understanding, unspeakable joy, an overabundance of blessings, are all headed in your direction…imagine that!

Day 44

1 Samuel 16:7 ~ “But the LORD told him, "Samuel, don't think Eliab is the one just because he's tall and handsome. He isn't the one I've chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts." (CEV)

I’ve always had low self esteem, it’s not as bad now as it was when I was younger, but there are still times when I don’t feel like I’m good enough. There’s a little corner in my mind where inadequacy sits and wait for situations to arise so it can tell me all kinds of negative things about myself. I don’t measure up to a lot of people, I haven‘t been to college, don’t have a lot money. Given the choice between myself and someone more educated, I would assume I would not be chosen. The standards that people set are high and it’s hard to try and live up to them, but I want to remind you today that God is not like man. He’s not interested in how you dress, what you drive or where you live. He is only concerned with what’s in your heart. Just because you don’t have a college degree doesn’t mean He won’t make you the owner a thriving business. You have favor because He loves you, not because of the clothes you wear. The car you drive does not determine the amount of peace He gives. All of the things that man would use to elevate your status in the world mean nothing to Him. His judgment comes from what's inside. Just think of His reward when He searches your heart and finds Himself there!

Day 43

Matthew 9:23-24 ~ “Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!" (MSG)

Have you ever prayed and wanted to ask God for something and you said, “God, if you can”? I know I have. As if to imply that The One who created the heavens and the earth wouldn’t be able to comply with my feeble request for finances to pay my mortgage. Hello? He owns the cattle on a thousand hills; surely He can afford my mortgage! Why do we doubt God? He’s never failed us, He always keeps His promises. Sure, He may not do things when and how we would like them done, but He always come through. Why does He have to keep proving Himself to us? I want to remind you today that there are no “ifs” with God, He CAN do it! If you are in line with His will, then whatever you ask for in Jesus’ name will be given to you. That goes for anything; I’m not just talking monetary items. If doubt tries to creep in, and it will because we are human, shake it off and ask God to help you to believe even more. Think back over the things He’s brought you through. The God who delivered you the last time, is The One who will deliver you EVERY time!

Day 42

Isaiah 55:8 ~ "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways,” declares the Lord."

I have heard people question God many times, “why me Lord”? It’s been asked, “If God is so good, why does He allow bad things to happen to good people?” The answer I always give is, "God lets it rain on the just and the unjust, He is no respect of persons." It may not seem fair, it may not make sense, but it’s all a part of His plan. Instead of trying to rationalize God and the reason for the things He allows, I want to remind you today that we are not like Him. We don't think like Him, we don't know what He knows. Instead of trying to "figure Him out" the best thing for us to do is just trust Him. He created this earth and everything in it. He had our lives planned out before we were even thought of. Every thing that happens is a necessary part of your life and because He loves you, He’s already given you what you need to survive it. Things may not go the way YOU plan, but you should take comfort in the fact that you’re a part of HIS plan…..and His plans never fall through!

Day 41

Matthew 6:34 ~ “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.” (MSG)

I’ve always like the phrase “carpe diem” (seize the day), it’s just so empowering! From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, endless opportunities await you. Goodness and mercy are waiting for you to get out of bed so they can follow you around all day. You can see, you can hear, and you can breathe. God has given you another chance, seize it! Instead of wasting the day worrying, which by the way changes NOTHING, I want to remind you to focus on all of the good around you. No matter how jacked up the situation is, if you look hard enough, you can see God in it. God is awesome, He’s amazing, and He’s magnificent. He is doing some wonderful things in your life right now; if you’re not careful, you’ll get distracted and miss them. I want to challenge you to purposely have a great day. Cast your cares on Him and be free today. Don’t worry about the bills, the kids, or anything else. God has the solution to every problem…seize it!

Day 40

Psalm 40:1 ~ “I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry for help.” (GNT)

I’ve never been a fan of things that take a long time to happen, especially spiritually, I like instant gratification. I don’t want long drawn out trials and tribulations. When things come up, I want to be able to pray about it and have it fixed when I wake up the next day. I don’t want to be struggling for years and praying the same old prayers. Lord, please just deliver me now and get it over with! If not, I might get weary, I might doubt. Anxiety may set in; my hope may begin to fade. I’ll start to think, “Does He hear me? Does He see this mess I’m in?” Then the temptation comes for me to try and fix it myself, which only exacerbates the situation. Now that I’ve made the hole bigger, my hands go up in disgust…I’ve had it! Why keep going if things aren’t changing? I want to remind you today that whatever it is you’re going through in your life, as hard as it may be to deal with, don’t give up. God is preparing your deliverance at this very moment, be patient. He’s making a way out for you, be patient. He’s restoring your relationships, be patient. He’s opening up the windows of heaven to pour out a blessing that you won’t have room to receive, be patient. It may seem like it’s taking forever for God to come to your aid, but be patient…your help is on the way!

Day 39

John 16:33 ~ “I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." (MSG)

Have you ever had “one of those days”? It just seems like it’s always something. You get over one issue and here comes another one. God told us that He gives us both good days and bad, (Ecclesiastes 7:14) so we know that it’s not always going to be sweet and rosy, but when does it end? It would be so nice to wake up in the morning and have everything in order, but instead you wake up to the same problems you went to sleep on. I would like to remind you today that because we live in this world, trials are inevitable. BUT, God has already conquered the world so we need not be discouraged. I know it’s hard to remember this when it seems the world around you in shambles. The bills keep coming, the kids keep acting out, and your job gets on your nerves. Take heart, trouble don’t last always! Don’t allow the enemy to convince you that God has forgotten you or that He won’t come through, you know better than that! Stand firm and trust God. Be steadfast and unmovable for this too shall pass!

Day 38

Matthew 16:25 ~ “Then Jesus went to work on his disciples.”Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.” (MSG)

My sisters (and my bff) call my bossy, I beg to differ, my ideas are simply better. I like to be in control of things. I’m organized, I’m timely, and I’m responsible. When things need to get done, I find a way to make it happen. Who wouldn’t want me to be in charge?  I’ll tell you who, God! One of the most important lessons I’ve learned since I’ve been a Christian is that I am not in control. God calls the shots, not me. I want to remind you all today that if we are to be and do all that God has for us, we must surrender to Him…completely! He is in the driver’s seat; He knows the route so you don’t have to help with directions. He’s already been where you’re going and He knows how long it will take. You don’t have to try to find short cuts along the way. Trust God, and trust Him for real. Let Him lead you, even if you come to a less than favorable situation, follow Him. He will take you along the safest roads, the ones that lead to victory!

Day 37

Matthew 4:4 ~ "Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God".

I love food, especially fried chicken. There’s nothing like a two piece spicy chicken with cajun rice and a biscuit from Popeye’s, I used to eat it every Tuesday. Pizza, chocolate cake, ice cream, all things I ate on a weekly basis. I would say, “you gotta eat to live” when people would question the things I ate. The truth in the matter is that I was living to eat. I was so focused on feeding my body, but my soul was starving. I used to have my meals planned out for the next day, but I wouldn’t plan time to read God’s word. I want to remind you all today that spiritual food is just as, if not more, important that physical food. The only way we will survive this world is if we are filled with His word. The solution to every problem we have is in the bible, but if we never go look for it, we’ll always lose. Yes, we have to nourish our bodies to live, but to live as God has intended, we have to stuff ourselves full of the Truth. When you don’t ingest enough of the Word, your soul becomes malnourished and weak. You become vulnerable for an attack from the enemy.  But blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled! (Matthew 5:6) Make sure that you take the time to “pig out” on the word of God; I guarantee you it’s the best meal you’ll ever eat!

Day 36

James 1:19-20 ~ “Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry. Human anger does not achieve God's righteous purpose.” (GNT)

Anger is dangerous. It isolates you; it lies to you, tries to justify its existence. Anger distorts, it confuses. It takes you out of character, makes you forget who you are. It will blind you, make you say and do things that you will regret. Anger is vicious and malicious and means only to do harm. It knows you, knows what things will set you off and it searches for opportunities to rise up within you. Anger wants to keep you as far away from the purpose God has for you as possible. I want to remind you today that you can not achieve what God has planned for you to do with a quick temper. When you’re in a situation and someone upsets you, there are no laws that say you HAVE to respond. Don’t allow anger to take you out of character and away from God. He is love, He is peace, He is joy. If we are made in His likeness and in His image, we dare not allow anything make us look any different!

Day 35

Psalm 35:28 ~ “Then I will shout all day, "Praise the LORD God! He did what was right." (CEV)

I went through a lot when I was younger. I grew up with a stepdad who hated me, and he made it no secret. I dealt with mental, physical, and sexual abuse for 10 of the most crucial and impressionable years of my life. During my teenage years, I tried to commit suicide several times. I took a bottle of sleeping pills one night, laid down and prayed to die. I’ve been beaten up, almost shot, and had a couple of other near death experiences. There were so many times when I shouldn’t have made it, but I’m still here. As I sit here with tears in my eyes, reflecting on all that I’ve been through, I want to remind you today that regardless of what has happened in your life; God still deserves your praise! He did right by what He has allowed you to go through, it was to develop you into the person you are now. Nobody knows like you know how good God has been; praise Him for being alive to tell the story. Praise Him because you made it through it. Praise Him for loving you enough to save you from the hands of evil. There is an awesome worship song that goes, “For every mountain, you’ve brought me over. For every trial, you’ve seen me through. For every blessing, hallelujah. For this I give you praise!” We must praise Him at all times and in EVERY circumstance; He deserves it!

Day 34

Lamentations 3:22-24 ~ “God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.” (MSG)

Friends leave. Family disappoints. Relationships end. Finances run out. One minute you’re living high on the hog, the next day you’re planning a funeral. Today you celebrate your wedding, five years down the line, your divorce is final. You’ve been at your job 25 years and you’ve just heard that the first round of layoffs begin next week. All things, us included, in this world are temporary. With so much uncertainty in our lives, I want to remind you today to stick with God, He’s a for sure thing. He is unchanging, you can bet on Him. His mercy endures and His love is everlasting, it won’t ever run out. He is faithful to see us through the temporary setbacks we encounter on this journey called life. He is everything that we need, and the only thing that will last throughout eternity. No matter how dark it gets, stick with Him, His love will ALWAYS come shining through!

Day 33

James 1:2-3 ~ “My friends, consider yourselves fortunate when all kinds of trials come your way, for you know that when your faith succeeds in facing such trials, the result is the ability to endure.” (GNT)

I used to wonder why Christians go through so much. It’s as if the minute you decide to live your life for Him, you’re immediately put under fire. Trials and tribulations appear to be at every turn. Why would such a sovereign God keep us in such peril? We love Him, we serve Him, shouldn’t we have special privileges over those who don’t know Him? Must we suffer the same fate? I want to remind you today that reason behind all of the “madness” is that God loves you. He has a wonderful plan for your life, but He can’t fulfill those plans in the state you‘re currently in. He has to take you through some things so that when you’re in your purpose later on down the road, you’ll be better equipped to handle it. Everything you’re going through is a part of the process that God has set in place for you to become the person He destined you to be. It’s not a punishment. Quite the contrary, you should consider yourself blessed! He could just let you exist until He came back, living life as ordinary as the rest, but He wants you to have life in abundance! Peace, love, good health, happiness, wealth, every good and perfect gift is what He plans for you to have. Are you willing to pay the price to receive it?

Day 32

Matthew 5:5 ~ “You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.” (MSG)

There have been times when I’ve caught myself being envious of others. Before I lost weight, I was envious of ladies who were thinner than I was. Before I decided to wear my hair natural, seeing my sister flat iron her hair, I would wish that I had been the one with the “good hair”. Because of my family’s current financial situation, we’re not able to do a lot of things like shop, eat out, or take trips. I have to admit that I do envy those who are financially stable, at times. Today’s reminder is one I have to revisit often, blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Sure, the finances aren’t where you would like them to be, but you’re managing with what you have. You may not look the way other people look or have what they have, but you’re blessed! Be content with the fact that you are God’s child; don’t waste another minute thinking about how you don’t measure up. He has promised that we are the head and not the tail, lenders and not borrowers. Be happy with where you are on your journey right now, for you are merely passing through. Once you stop worrying about what you don’t have, and focus on WHO you do have, you will have peace that no amount of money can buy!

Day 31

Philippians 4:4 ~ “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (NIV)

Yesterday, two of my friends lost someone very close to them. Another person lost their job, while yet another didn’t get the job she was hoping for. One man received unfavorable test results, the other an eviction notice. This week there have been overdrawn bank accounts, family members fighting, inability to provide medical care for a child, and countless other issues. The people I know have been going through a lot. I want to remind you all today that no matter what the situation is, God is still good! He’s good when your loved ones die. He’s good when you lose your job. He’s good when you and your spouse aren’t getting along. He’s good when you’re living paycheck to paycheck. He’s good when you have cancer. God is good! Yes, the situation may be bad, but if you take a moment to look around you, you’ll see that there is also some good. God never said it would be easy, but we can rejoice in the fact that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice. The best is yet to come!

Day 30

Matthew 5:44 ~ “But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you.” (CEV)

I have what my Pastor calls a “cut off spirit”. When people mistreat me, my first instinct is to cut them off and cut them out of my life. This defense mechanism, if you will, has been in place since I was young, a result of how poorly I was treated as a child. After being hurt over and over again, this became my way of escaping the pain; remove you from my life and pretend you don't exist. This is harsh I admit, but it’s how I deal, and I’m working daily to fix that. I’ve gotten better as I’ve grown in my Christianity, but I do not claim to have arrived, I am still pressing forward toward the mark! Today’s reminder is a big pill to swallow, but a necessary one. God wants us to love and pray for those who have mistreated us.  He wants us to love them through the misunderstandings. He wants us to pray for them when they hurt our feelings. He wants us to love them when they hate us. He wants us to pray for them when they plot against us. No matter what has been done, no matter who did it, we have to be obedient to God’s word.  Don’t withhold your goodness, even if you feel they don’t deserve it. Remember, blessed are those who are merciful, for they shall receive mercy! (Matthew 5:7)