Day 65

Psalm 23:5 ~ “You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.” (The Message)

I have been in more situations than I care to admit where people have betrayed my trust. It hurts, especially when the person is close to you. After the “I can’t believe they did that to me, I would never do that to them” spiel, anger sets in and you begin to think of ways to get them back. You want to hurt them like they hurt you, but that is not how God intends for us to act. I want to remind you today that there is no need to waste time and energy on your enemies, you can’t stop them from doing what they do. You need to be focused even more on the purpose God has set for you because they are trying to distract you from it. Don’t let them! Instead of allowing them to make you upset, trust God to handle it. Allow Him to prepare a feast for you in front of them, let them watch as you are abundantly blessed. You just keep your eyes on Him; seek His face, His kingdom and His righteousness. He sees what they’ve done and He will reward them accordingly. But for you, He will welcome you as an honored guest at His table and bless you beyond anything you could ever imagine!

Day 64

Romans 8:38-39 ~ “I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love--not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, ³⁹and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” (CEV)

Take a moment to think about the worst thing you’ve ever done. Do you realize that as horrible as that thing is, God still loves you? I want to remind you today that there is NO THING that can make God stop loving you! When He created the heavens and he earth thousands of years ago, He had you in mind, and He’s loved you ever since. I know it’s hard to imagine a love like that; especially when we don’t deserve it, but it is what it is. He loves you so much that He made a way for you to be with Him for all eternity. The devil may try to trip you up and make you feel guilty, but we all know he’s a liar and a loser. Sure, God may be disappointed in the choices you made, but His love for you in unconditional. No matter what you say or do, He’ll always be there, arms extended.  He will never leave you, He’ll never forsake you, and He will NEVER stop loving you!

Day 63

Proverbs 19:21 ~ “Many plans are in a man's mind, but it is the Lord's purpose for him that will stand.” (Amplified Bible)

I’ve known myself for some time now, 37 years to be exact. I know what I like and don’t like; what I will and won’t do. I’ve had this body for a long time; I think I know what’s best for it. I am the boss of me….and this is where it goes wrong. I want to remind you today that you may think you know what’s best for you, but you don’t. God is the author of your story, not you. You may have all sorts of plans to do all sorts of things, none of that matters if God does not have the same plan. If you’ve been spinning your wheels trying to get something done but getting nowhere, you may want to step back and ask God if it’s really in His will. A lot of times we get these grand ideas and run off to get them accomplished without first consulting (and hearing His answer clearly) God, then we wind up worse off than we were at the start. You don’t know what He knows; you haven’t seen what He’s seen. It may look good to you, but who knows what it turns into farther down the road. Be patient with God, don’t waste time running behind what you think is right, wait on Him to lead you to the purpose He has for you!

Day 62

Psalm 118:18 ~ “The Lord disciplined me severely, but he did not allow me to be killed.” (GWT)

My mom is one of those old school mommas, she used to beat us with whatever she had handy. My most memorable whipping was when I was about 13. I allowed a boy to convince me to walk back to his house with him. Not only was it nighttime, he lived about 15 miles away! Halfway through the journey, we got really tired and hitch hiked the rest of the way. When we made it to his house it was 2am, his mom immediately called my mom and told her. That was the worst whipping of my life, to this day I still can’t look at an extension cord without flinching! I literally thought I was going to die each time that cord struck me, it hurt SO bad. Just as my mom had to “beat some sense into me”, God works in this same way at times. I want to remind you today that although God may chastise you, it won’t kill you. When we go outside of God’s will He has to correct us, but it’s only temporary. It may seem as if He has walked away from you, you may feel like the punishment will never end, but that’s not the case. He loves you and He sees you, keep trusting and believing in Him! His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! (Psalm 30:5)

Day 61

Exodus 3:14 ~ “And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE; and He said, You shall say this to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you!” (Amplified Bible)
 
I’ve often heard God referred to as the “man upstairs”, as if to imply He is merely an occupant on the second level in a two story home.  Giving credit to “the big guy” or a “higher power” is hardly suitable for the creator of the universe. I want to remind you today that God is who He is! He’s The One who delivered Daniel from the lion’s den; He’s The One who gives you the money to pay your bills. He’s The One who gave David the power to slay Goliath; He’s The One who heals and restores you. He’s The One who parted the red sea; He’s The One gives you air to breathe. He’s The One who fed 5,000 men with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread; He’s The One loves you unconditionally. He is who He is and He will be what He will be! He’s a healer, a deliverer, a provider, a comforter, a protector, He's EVERYTHING you need! He is God, and He deserves to be treated as such! Don’t downplay His power and authority, don’t cheapen His status. He is The One who was, who is, and who is to come.  He is The One TRUE God, there is NO ONE like Him…and there never will be!

Day 60

Romans 8:37 ~ “But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us.” (Common English Bible)

How would you play a game if you knew going in that you would win? You wouldn’t second guess your moves; you wouldn’t doubt your responses. You wouldn’t overexert yourself, I mean, you know you’re going to win so what’s the point in getting all worked up? You’re cool, calm and collected throughout the entire game because you have the assurance of victory. This is the same way you should react when troubles arise! I want to remind you today that you are MORE than a conqueror through Jesus Christ! He has already fought and won the battle; there is no need for you to wear yourself out worrying. You are victorious in everything you do, regardless of what it looks like. God’s plan from the beginning was for us to live life in abundance and He is always working to make sure that happens. It may be bad right now, but “trouble don’t last always”! No matter what play the enemy makes, God makes one better. With Him you ALWAYS win!

Day 59

Romans 16:17 ~ “I urge you, my friends: watch out for those who cause divisions and upset people's faith and go against the teaching which you have received. Keep away from them!” (GNT)

It’s sad to say, but not everyone is as pleased with your relationship with Christ as you would think. Misery loves company, and some people, even members of your family, want you to stay low with them. My cousin’s wife invited me to her daughter’s birthday party once; it was on a Sunday at 11am. I told her I wouldn’t be able to make it because I would be at church. She told me, “Aw girl, you can miss one Sunday, it ain’t gonna kill you. You don’t have to go EVERY week.” I want to remind you today to watch out for those who go against what God is telling you to do and keep away from them. Surround yourself with likeminded individuals who will support your choices. If all you get is negativity, strife and confusion from that person, it may be best to love them from a distance. Don’t allow anyone or anything to come between you and God, you need Him! You may lose friends; your family members may stop speaking to you, but so what?  If God is for you…who can be against you?! (Romans 8:31)  

Day 58

Exodus 14:14 ~ “The Lord will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still.” (GNT)

Sometimes we like to take matters into our own hands. We say we’re going to “give it to God”, but in all honesty, we don’t. A few years back when we were going through a rough time financially, I found myself trying to figure out how to make some extra money. I started out by looking through the classifieds trying to find a part time job. Then, once I realized that wasn’t going to work (two minutes later) I go and look at my 401k and see how much money I have available for withdrawal. Of course, that didn’t make any sense either. I was literally spinning my wheels trying to “help God” by attempting to get what we needed on my own. In some way or another, we’ve all been guilty of this. I want to remind you today that God DOES NOT need your help. Whatever your battle is, He’s fighting it for you, you just need to sit down somewhere and let Him do it! Whether it’s financial, spiritual, relational, or health related, He’s got it taken care of. When you try to help, you actually delay the process, and it tells God that you don’t trust Him to take care of you. He knows what’s best for you. Be still and let Him be God!

Day 57

Psalm 51:10 ~ “Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a faithful spirit within me.” (GWT)

When you know you’re going to have company over, one of the first things you do is make sure your house is cleaned; nobody likes to visit a dirty house. You dust, vacuum, wipe down the walls and spray a little air freshener when you’re done. Just as we take the time to clean our homes in preparation for visitors, we have to take that same time to make sure our hearts are cleaned. I want to remind you today that we must keep our hearts free of clutter because that is the place God lives. We have to clean out jealousy, anger, resentment and doubt. We have to wipe away the sin residue so that Our Father feels comfortable living there. You can’t clean it once and expect it to stay that way, maintaining a clean heart takes work. We have to be in constant communication with God, asking for His forgiveness and trying not to commit those sins again. Sure, it’s hard, but when your heart is clean, it can become a dwelling place for the most important person in the world. (Thank you Patrice!) Ask yourself this question. If God were to look in my heart right now, would He be comfortable spending time there? If your answer is no, I suggest you get to cleaning!

Day 56

James 5:8 ~ “You, too, must be patient. Don’t give up hope. The Lord will soon be here.” (GWT)

Can you imagine what it must have been like to be in Job’s shoes? I often marvel at his predicament, he was tried and tested just because he was a good guy. He lost everything, his children, his animals, his health. His friends and his wife turned against him. The thing that amazes me is that throughout the entire ordeal, he never lost his hope in the Lord. He even went so far as to say, “And though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” I don’t know about you, but Job always makes me look at my situation in a different light. I want to remind you today to be patient with God, don’t give up the hope that He will rescue you. It may seem like you’ve been going through this situation for a long time, but just be patient. Sure, it’s just one thing after another, but I encourage you to not lose hope. If you can endure to the end, God will restore everything that was lost, and then some! Just look at what He did for Job. Continue to lift your eyes to the hills, your help is on the way!

Day 55

Malachi 3:6 ~ “For I am the Lord, I do not change; that is why you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Amplified Bible)

Gas prices, weight, hair color, clothing trends, friendships, careers; the world is in a constant state of change. One minute you’re up, the next minute you’re down. One day they love you, the next day they leave you. You buy a cell phone today, next month they put out an even better version. I want to remind you my friends that God is the only one who remains the same, He NEVER changes. He doesn’t go back on His promises, He does not lie, nor does He forget. You can trust Him to do what He said He would do, He always keeps His word. He is the God that created the heavens and the earth, The One who spoke to Moses from a burning bush. He’s the God of Abraham, who made a covenant with him long ago to make of him a great nation. He said Abraham’s name would be great; he would be blessed as well as his descendants. We are those descendants! God made a promise thousands of years ago to bless you, He hasn’t changed His mind, and He never will! Don’t put your hope in things that are temporary, instead, hope in The One who was, who is, and who is to come!

Day 54

Ephesians 6:12 ~ “This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world.” (GWT)

I’m going to get straight to the point today and remind you that the closer you get to God, the more the enemy tries to distract you. Your spouse, your children, your best friend, anyone you hold close to your heart, those are the ones he chooses to use against you. He knows who to use and how best to use them to hurt you. Instead of allowing that person to upset you, rebuke the devil and keep it moving. It’s not them; it’s the spirit within them. You have to pray for those who despitefully use you, ESPECIALLY when it is your family. Don’t harbor ill feelings towards them; don’t try to cut them off, instead love on them even more. James 4:7 says, “If you resist the devil, he will flee”. You have to stand firmly on God’s word and declare that NO weapon formed against you will prosper! Satan knows all that God has in store for you, and he does not want to you have it. He desperately wants to take you out of the will of God, don’t let him!  

Day 53

1 Peter 4:8 ~ “Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.” (MSG)

It’s easy to love people you like; especially the ones who love you back. The love you share makes you want to spend time with them, care for them, maybe even provide for them. You have a special place for them in your heart; they often drift into your thoughts during the day. Whether it’s your spouse, your children, or a close friend, you find loving them effortless. Do you know why? Because you feel they “deserve” it. They are worthy of your love, they’ve earned it. But, what about the person who lied on you at work? What about the person who, no matter what you do, acts as if they hate you? Or the complete stranger that’s mean to you for no apparent reason? I want to remind you today that we need to love each other, under any circumstance. We can’t pick and choose who we give it to, EVERYONE deserves it! Love makes up for anything, there’s nothing it can’t fix. Before you start to say how hard it is, think about this. What if God only loved those who loved Him? What would the world become if He only had room in His heart for the ones who had room for Him? There is someone right now that needs love from you, don’t hold it hostage…their life may depend on it!

Day 52

Psalm 23:4 “Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.” (Amplified Bible)

It’s hard not to be afraid sometimes. Even as Christians, there are times when fear creeps up on us. My husband’s line of work causes him to work late hours and every now and then he has meetings that run long. He gets so wrapped up in what he’s doing that he loses track of time and before you know it, it’s the middle of the night. Being the light sleeper that I am, any little noise wakes me up and once I realize he’s not home yet, I check my phone. If there’s no text from him, I instantly assume that he’s on the side of the road somewhere dead. (SMH!) And don’t let him not answer the phone when I try to call, my imagination instantly kicks into overdrive, any minute I’m expecting the doorbell to ring and it is the police telling me, “There’s been an accident.” Death scares me, I have no idea why, but it does. I know full well that it is inevitable, EVERYBODY dies, but every now and then this fear rises up. I have to remember that God is bigger than death; He conquered it, and there is no reason for me to fear it. I want to remind you today that when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you don’t have to be afraid. When uncertain and unfavorable times come, don’t worry, God is near. He will protect you and comfort you through ANY situation. We may lose people, we may lose things, but we will never lose Him. He’ll always be there to protect you from harm, to comfort you, and guide you to safety!

Day 51

Psalm 23:2 ~ “He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.” (Amplified Bible)

Have you ever been with a group of people, you all want to go to a place but only one person knows how to get there? You all decide to follow that person, so you hop into your vehicles to get in line behind them so they can lead you to your destination. I’ve had a few situations like this that didn’t go as smoothly as we expected it to. One time, the lead driver got lost. He took the wrong exit on the highway and we ended up driving 10 miles out of the way before we realized it was wrong. Another time, the lead driver left us. She wasn’t used to having people follow her; she drove too fast and darted in and out of traffic. We ended up losing a car in the group because they weren’t able to keep up. We have to be careful who we choose to follow, not everyone is equipped to get us where we need to go, but The One you CAN trust is God. I want to remind you today that He won’t steer you wrong. As much as we THINK we know the way, without Him in front, we’re forever lost. God wants the best for you, He has green pastures waiting on you; won’t you allow Him to lead you beside the still and restful waters of life? He’s already been where you’re going; it only makes sense to follow His lead!

Day 50

Psalm 23:1 ~ “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (NKJV)

A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards a flock of sheep. He watches over them while they graze, guides them when it’s time to migrate, and makes sure they’re sheared when the time is right. He tells them when and where to go and they follow him because they trust him as their guide. They can eat freely and relax because the shepherd protects them from the wolves. All a sheep has to do is live; the shepherd provides everything they need. Just as God has made provision for this animal to have all it needs to survive, He has made the same provision for us. I want to remind you today that the Lord, not just some random dude, is our shepherd, we shouldn’t want for anything! He’s omnipotent, He’s omnipresent, He never slumbers nor does He sleep. He makes sure we have enough to eat; (physically and spiritually) we’ll never go hungry. When we lose our way, He’s right there to help us get back on track. We are precious to Him; as long as we follow Him, all of our needs will be met. Don’t spend another moment wondering how or if you’ll make it, The One who is in charge of us created the heavens and the earth, surely He can (and will!) take care of you!

Day 49

Acts 20:24 ~ “But nothing, not even my life, is more important than my completing my mission. This is nothing other than the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus: to testify about the good news of God’s grace.” (CEB)

I pride myself on the fact that I am always at church, I mean, I hate missing service. Out of the 104 opportunities (Sundays and Wednesdays) we get every year, I typically get in at least 100. Special events, church meetings, seminars and conferences, I’m there. If awards for church attendance were to be given out, I would surely be a recipient. I am focused on being the best ME that I can be. I want to be as close as possible to Him, to have Him say to ME, “servant well done”. How selfish is that?! I spend a lot of time reading, praying and studying, but none of those things matter if I can't account for having brought one soul to Him. I want to remind us today that there is nothing more important than the ministry God left for us to do. We HAVE to be about our Father’s business. (Luke 2:49) Just because you are safe and secure in your position does not give you the right to stop there. Everyone deserves a chance to hear how good God is, whether or not they choose to accept Him is on them. Don’t deny someone the opportunity to experience the grace and mercy that you so graciously receive….tell someone about Christ today!