The Daily Devotional Blog

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you know that when life is coming at us fast, we can still rise and shine like a diamond? And there will be honor for us if we do not grow weary and give up.  Isaiah 61 :7 "Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land and everlasting joy will be   yours." So, it's about rising and shining like a diamond. It is. So just in case you're heart is heavy today, I've come to encourage you to not let what happened or didn't happen stop your flow. Don't let the enemy win. He has wreaked enough havoc in the lives of God's people and he shall harm no more. God is still mighty and He's still on the throne. He will give us the strength we need when we ask Him. We have to go Him. He wants us to shine. He wants us to have the glow of God on us. Remember in  E...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Are you a heavy-weight for God? If so, that means you are unqualified to do what you're doing. Why? Because 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 says, "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God."  So, there you have it. If you are doing the will of the Lord, then you are really unqualified to do everything you're doing and will do. And that is just fine, that's the way the Lord would have it, because when He calls those to do amazing things, He is with those He calls. That's how it goes -- He qualifies those He calls. So don't worry about the fact that you started low or you might even be lower than you want to be right now. The Lord is going to lift you up. He...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Let your eyes look directly forward and your gaze be straight before you ( Proverbs 4 :25). That scripture means to stay focused on continuously getting what the Lord says is yours and not accepting anything less. There was a time in my life when I accepted the crumbs -- I didn't get all God had for me, but not anymore. I can't concern myself with what anyone says or does or doesn't do. I have to keep my eyes gazed on what's ahead of me, not behind. That means looking towards the light and not having anything to do with the darkness. It means to take the road of goodness, not the road of bad and evil. It means walking with more power despite challenges. Proverbs 4:12  says that when we walk in the way of wisdom; our steps will not be hampered and when we run we will not stumble. So, today is about looking forward as we keep our eyes gazed on the Lord God by staying in tune with what He has to say an...

Do you know wisdom is a shield that will help us? When we tap into all the things of God, we tap into some amazing things. We can start with His word, the bible. His word is where we find knowledge, which turns into wisdom when applied to life circumstances. We can tap into His spirit too. His spirit is His breath of life. His existence is what we must use to guide our lives. No we can't see Him, but let me tell you, we can indeed sense and feel His presence. So yes, He is a shield to us and all His splendor.  Following His plan for our lives involves getting knowledge and wisdom. That's how we will be at the top of our game, spiritually, then naturally. Thus, wisdom, will open many opportunities of being in the right place at the right time and accordingly, we will know what to say and what to do. " For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, gu...

Do you know God is the ultimate protector? It gets no better than that. So just in case you may be thinking even for one minute, that there are limits on God, there's not. He's the infinite God who loves and protects. He is the Resource and the Source, so how can He ever run out of resources and ways to cover us? He will protect us against the things that try to come against us. You see, He's always aware of what's happening in darkness and He brings it to the light in order to help us. So we need not worry, because when God is going to use us, which is the case for everyone who wants the be used, He puts a hedge of protection around us. Nothing is stronger than God and His plans for our lives. Remember that. So, don't get down, don't grow weary, and don't you dare give up. God is out in front and on each side of us in protective mode. Romans 8 :31/32 says, "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up ...

Don't give up on God, ok? I promise you, God won't give up on you. This faith walk for God is an awesome one and at the same time, it's not for the faint-hearted. It's not for the easy-to-give-up people. It's for the ones who are going to stay in the race, which isn't for the swift. It's for the person who is going to carry out the mandates of God no matter how many tests and trials come our way or no matter how long it takes. Peace and comfort come from trusting and believing God as the ruler over our lives, so we must continue on despite it all.  "As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded" ( 2 Chronicles 15 :7).  You are still blessed, because God's spirit is still on you. So stay with the Lord and follow Him. He only leads us to the good things that will help us to glorify Him and when we do that, our lives will be pleasing to Him. That doesn't mean we will always do things right and get things pe...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you need help getting over anything today? If so, God will help you win your battles. That's what he did for David in 1 Samuel 30 :8 when David consulted God regarding an impending battle he needed direction in. One such time was when David wanted to know if he should pursue the enemies who set fire to his camp and kidnapped he and his army's wives and children. David asked the Lord if he should pursue them and if he would overtake them. God told him to pursue and that he would indeed overtake them and succeed in rescuing all their families. David followed the Lord's orders and of course he won. He called upon the Lord for direction, particularly when he was needed direction about going into battle and he came out victorious. He got everything back plus some. That's what happens when we seek God, He will ensure we win.  Don't we all need help for certain battles and challenges in our lives? W...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. I think many of us have heard the scripture, "faith without works is dead", right? That verse comes from James 2:14 and it means that when we move, when we do what it is we're supposed to do regarding what we want God to do, we have to put some work behind what we believe. And when we move, God moves. Just like that. Because faith without works is dead  ( James 2:14-16 ) . We have to put some elbow grease behind our words, behind scripture. Yes, speaking it the atmosphere is great, but there must be more that comes with it.  Hebrews 11 :1  says that  faith is the assurance of things we want to happen that we have not seen yet. In other words if we "see" it and believe it, then the proof will be in the actions we put behind it. We have to put action behind what we want to happen in our lives or our words are just empty, worthless, cheap talk.    James 2:14-17 says, 'What good is it if someone...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. "If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?" ( Psalm 130 :3). What if God kept a record of our misbehavior? What if He kept tabs on us when we said or did something wrong? Oh boy, we would be in a world of trouble wouldn't we? I thank God for His grace and mercy. I thank God for His forgiveness of the things that come out of the mouths of His children and some of the things we do -- at least I will speak for myself and say, yes I still get it wrong sometimes. Yet, God doesn't hold any of it against me or you. He's that forgiving, He’s that awesome in grace and mercy. Why wouldn't we thank Him every chance we got, which is often? We have a chance every single day to thank God for forgiving us for something we did or didn't do or something we're going to do or not going to do. It’s gratifying for the love His showers us with -- His abundance of grace that He covers us...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him" ( James 1 :12) What that means is that we have to stand no matter what. And we have to persevere, which means we have to carry on and keep on keeping on no matter what. We have to continue on despite any struggles and any hard times we've gone through or are going through now. Do you know challenges are to strengthen us? Yes, the Lord uses our pain for gain. So we cannot, will not, and must not give up. We have to push on and stay the course, because brighter days are coming, which gives us reason to be glad and rejoice in today. The good news is that we have a choice to look towards the light, Jesus. We can draw on His energy and He will recharge us continuously. When we draw on Him, there's nothing He can't do for us and ...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you believe and pray for what God has for you? If so, there's power in that. In Mark 11 :24 Jesus said, "therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Belief and prayer equals power. Let's talk about power, which according to Google, means: "the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality" and "the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events." Now, when we put God in that, let me tell you, we are an absolute powerhouse, right? Because when God is in it, there's power in it. It doesn't matter what it is and people will see it all over us. Remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood? It was in Luke 8:43-48 .  Jesus told her, her faith had made her well. Well, that's the deal with us too -- our faith has made ...

"...and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided" ( Exodus 14 :21). Another miracle from God -- the parting of the Red Sea -- the opening of a blessing the Lord poured out to His people. Won't He do it? We can’t dare underestimate God. We will only be disappointed if we do, because He makes ways out of no ways. He makes crooked places straight. He defies what man said could not be done. And if He did it before He will do it again and again. He's the magnificent God who loves to show doubting people who He is. He is The Great I Am , just in case anyone has forgotten, which means He can perform any feat He wants to. That’s because He’s a miraculous God.  Consequently, we should absolutely believe in miracles. God has and will continue to, work in our lives especially when we believe in Him. Thus, His power is truly mighty and He can do anything, anywhere at anytime.  . ...

"I run to you, God; I run for dear life" ( Psalm 31 :1).  Those were David's words when he was going through a rough time. Sometimes we can feel like David felt, can't we? When the chips are down and when the challenges are coming fast and furious, but still we rise. We rise when we have the Lord. We rise when we have the Father we can run to anytime, any day. Yes, we can run to our God, our Lord, our Savior no matter what. We can run to our Lord whenever we need Him. We can run to Him when we think we got this, but when we really don't. We can run to Him any and every time we need to. He is our comfort, our safety net, our landing place, our everything. Yes we run to Him. Yes, we need Him. What would life be without Him? I hate to imagine. Where would we go? Who would we commune with? How would we function? Nobody else can take His place. He is The Rock. The strong tower. The breath of life. I run to God and I pray all do the same.  "Love God, all ...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. "But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" ( James 1 :6). That scripture is pretty cut and dry, right? We ask God for what we want and need and we stand on those petitions. We don't waver, we don't toss, and we don't turn. We stand firm. It doesn't matter how long it takes, just believe He will do it and He will do what He said He would do. How do we know what He said? Well, reading the bible until something resonates with you, is something that you can stand on and there's no denying it for you. You have to find that scripture that works for you, stand on it, and continue to. And that's speaking the Word over your life. That's when you know it was God and when it comes true -- what you want comes to fruition -- then you know it was God and nobody can tell you otherwise. He has differ...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post.   "...do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand ( Isaiah 41 :10). Another amazing verse about God's strength and help for us. And today I'm coming to you to tell you that whatever is on your mind or weighing heavily on you, let go and let God. Release it to Him. Give it to Him for good, because He will carry our burdens for us. Yes, He is God and He will do anything at anytime for us. Believe that. He will make a way out of no way. He is the most powerful spirit in the universe and our problems, issues, and circumstances are small to Him. They are nothing to Him. Don't get me wrong, He knows what we're going through and He cares what we're going through, but they're not too big for Him to cover us, to help us, and to strengthen us. He's got us covered in the city and in the...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. 2 Corinthians 5 :17 says,   "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."  When we know who we   are in Christ, then we know who we are. We no longer look back at who we used to be, we look at who we are now and where God is taking us. We can walk in confidence in knowing that, I'm telling you.  When we know ourselves, we don't have to convince others to like us, we don't have to convince others to love us, and we don't have to beg anybody to do anything for us or with us. I'm not saying we don't need people, because we all need people sometimes. I'm just saying that when we know who we are, we know how to operate from a loving, godly, and a peaceful place of confidence. No bragging, no boasting, no arrogance, and no pride, we just  know, because we believe what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says about us. That's it. And nobody can kno...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you know Jesus is a forgiving God?  That's right, He will forgive us for anything we've done and I mean  anything .  He's not concerned with our past. He's not concerned with our mistakes. He's not concerned with the people who judge others and look upon them with scorn because of their sins. Jesus proved this once again when He forgave the sinful woman people didn't want anything to do with. When she encountered Jesus at one of the judgmental holier than thou  Pharisee’s house, she kissed Jesus' feet and anointed them with perfume. What a gesture of utter love and dedication. Luke 7 :37 says   "a woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume."  It was obvious she didn't care who was looking at her either. That's what happens when you want to get to Jesus, you don...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Is your footing secure? Is your foundation built solid like a rock -- on a precious stone? Matthew 7:24-27 says, "everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand", says the Lord. In other words, we have to consider our foundation. Anything built on sand won't stand, because the foundation will be unstable and unsafe. It has to be built on a solid reliable foundation. If it isn't, when we fall we will have difficulty getting back up. It's so much easier for us when we have a steady foundation, because that means it's a foundation built on God. Solid! The Rock! Which makes the foundation more durable, which make us able to withstand any pressure that comes our way. Psalm 18 :2 says, "the Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salv...

When we tap into all the things of God, we tap into some amazing things. Faith in Him comes with wisdom if we believe Him at His word and we’re willing to put works behind that faith.  We can start with His word, the bible, and I can really stop right there. His word is  where we find knowledge, which turns into wisdom when applied. We can tap into His spirit too. His spirit is His breath of life, His existence is what we must use to guide our lives. No we can't see Him, but let me tell you, we can indeed sense and feel His presence. That's for sure. So yes, He is a shield to us in all His splendor. Following His plan for our lives involves getting wisdom and knowledge. That's how we will be at the top of our game, spiritually. In other words, we can indeed be all He wants for us in order to be fruitful and multiply.  "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;  he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield t...

Regarding what the Lord God says about you, you rock and you're awesome. Yes it's true. His love for us transcends the test of time and it never runs out. I hope you feel about yourself the way He feels about you. You are wonderful in His eyes for many reasons, namely that He made us all in His own image. Isn't that great? To be made in the same exact image of the Holy One Himself?  Genesis 1 :27  is proof to that fact and says,  "s o God created man in his own image,   in the image of God he created him;     male and female he created them."  That's a great image to behold. Simply remarkable. It's a blessing really, but we don't often give it much thought, do we?     Nevertheless, you're awesome, because of the God in you -- The God who made us all to  "b e fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it..." (Genesis 1:28).  He continually blesses us to do just that, as well.  Wow.  I hope you are rejo...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Have you ever heard that, “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones?” ( Proverbs 17 :22).  When we have a cheerful, happy, and exuberant heart, it's like getting good medicine from God without having to down one single pill. Isn't that awesome? All we have to do is get into the presence of the Lord and just like that -- automatically, our entire countenance can change in an instant. Our spirit can be rejuvenated that quickly, like great medicine. Considering that, I rather be spiritually medicated on the Lord than anything else, wouldn't you? When we continuously develop and refine our relationship with Him, we can't help but be in better spirits and have a better and stronger heart. There can be chaos going on all around us and we can be the only one with a calm and joyous heart. That's because we know where our strength lies and when we know that we have a spiri...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post.  Do you know God will part the sea for you? He will open doors that no man can shut and He will make the crooked places straight. That's right, God will do it. If He did it before He can do it again. In  Exodus 14   He did it for the Israelites when they were fleeing the evil Egyptian Pharaoh and He will do it for you too. The circumstances may be different, but just as the Lord opened the opportunity for His people way back then, He still does that today. Don't think He won't do it. He's proven Himself time and time in my life. So I know what I'm talking about here. He will make a way out of no way. Believe that. In  Exodus 14: 14 "Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.   The Lord  will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Keep serving God....

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you know that just as the air is flowing through the atmosphere, God is with you? He will never leave you or forsake you. Sometimes we feel all alone, we may feel like nobody gets us, and we may feel like God has forgotten about us, but know this: we're not alone, somebody else is feeling exactly the same way we are, and God remembers us. You see, God knows the exact plans He has for each of us. He is keeping us safe and ensuring we're not put in any harm. He is putting things in place for our prosperity and He is giving us a hope and a future. How do I know? Because  Jeremiah 29:11  tells me so. Jeremiah 29:11 says,  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  God's words have many purposes. Maybe just maybe He has you listening to this podcast and reading this blog post at this very time for suc...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Have you ever had to do something that you dreaded and afterwards you thought, 'wow, that wasn't so bad?' I know I have -- many times. In fact, I tried to go around and around doing certain things, because of the discomfort and impending pain I convinced myself of, only to realize, "it always seems impossible until it's done"   (Nelson Mandela). One of those challenging times I dreaded involved a time when I was overcome by fear of getting over a wall. Yes, I was afraid of climbing over, literally, a wall -- a huge wall. Years ago when I went through Air Force basic training, there was a wall that was so intimidating that I thought, how am I going to get over that thing. I was only 21 years old and not nearly as confident as I am now, so my thinking was, 'this is utterly impossible, it's not going to happen.' I had tried countless times to get over it with a rope that hung...

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. I think by now, most of us have heard the phrase, "just do it." Well, how many of us have overthought things so much that we ended up not doing it? I have. I'm just getting to the point in my life where I'm thinking new-level thinking and doing new-level things. And if creative and innovative things in life have to be done, why can't it be you to do them? Why can't it be I? It can be us, because anything is possible for those who believe, Jesus said in Mark 9 :23. Do you believe you can do what you were called to do? It starts with belief. Sometimes we can overthink things and end up not doing anything if we're not careful. That was me for many years. I walked around in fear of doing certain things, because I had a fear of failure and a fear of success. Now I don't let those mindsets hold me back. I just do whatever is in my power to do and the rest...well, I leave that to God to wor...

"Grace means to get something that you do not deserve; unmerited favor." 1 That's a true statement, because God gives us so much more than we deserve, doesn't He? Many of us don't take the time to thank Him though. And when we really think over a few things that happened or didn't happen just this week, we may realize how much God was in those things. In  2 Corinthians 12 :9a  Paul talks to the Lord about his challenges and the Lord tells him this:  "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  God is always there when we need Him and even when we think we don't need Him. He's there no matter what we may be going through.  Paul was struggling with some challenges and he sought the Lord, which was a great thing. God set him straight and encouraged him when he was weak. After the Lord told Paul that His grace was sufficient, Paul said,  "therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that...