The Daily Devotional Blog

Do you know David encouraged himself in the Lord? Yes, in  Psalm 34 :1-10,  David did just that and he blessed the Lord although his troubles and challenges were piling up. We can take a cue from David, that no matter what we're going through, no matter what we've done, and no matter what was done to us, we can decide to look high and go high. We can go on despite life’s issues and circumstances. And we can rest in knowing that God is with us and He will never forsake us. David knew that and in Psalm 34:1-10   he said: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The an

There's something about a name, isn't it? Especially the name of Jesus. Why is it that people speak in His name? Well, that's easy to understand. It's because there's power in that name. Proverbs 18 :10 says, "the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Why wouldn't anyone want to be safe? How sad, the ones who don't know Him. I used to be of them. There was a time when I had nobody to run to during anytime in my life. Now I know God’s power for sure and I have something to be thankful for. Now I know I am safe with the Lord. Any of us can know Him when we open our hearts to Him and ask Him to come inside. Any of us can find safety in His arms. His arms are always open.

Do you know you have joy and victory? Yes, it's in you and it doesn't matter what is coming at you either, continue to know that you already have the joy and the victory.   Psalm 3 was David's prayer to the Lord when it seemed all was lost, when those who were the closest to him were trying to defeat him. But God -- ohhhhh God -- was there when no one else was. God was there for David and David turned to Him when the chips were truly down and he was running for his life against his own son, as well as, others who hated him. Yet God helped him. God looked out for him, and God kept His promise to him. God is and will continue to do the same for you. Don't you worry one bit. Just keep your eyes on Him and keep looking towards heaven. Don't you ever give up.  Psalm 3 "Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory. The One who lifts my head hi

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so. But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish." That's Psalm 1 and it means to walk in the way of the Lord, which means walk right. It doesn't mean walk perfectly. It just means walk in the counsel of God, not of man, which means God's “ok and well-done” are better and will last longer than what anybody else says. Remember that. Walk right. 

Psalm 150 is a reminder that no matter what is or isn't happening in our lives, we can still praise the Lord. We can still put Him first. And we can still give Him the glory. The reason for all of those things is simply, because He died so we wouldn't have to; He made us in His loving image, which means we can do and be anything, He's our source and as long as we keep our eyes on Him, we will make it -- we will succeed -- we will have the victory. So today I've come to tell you to concentrate on God and keep your daily focus on Him. In other words, keep your relationship with Him in the center of your life and communicate with Him often. Psalm 150  "Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instrumen

I like what  Ephesians 1 :3-10  says, because it's a reminder of God's love and blessings for us. And it's a reminder of   all the great things He has in store for us even before we were born. Yes  Jeremiah 1 :5  says  "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  That means we have power that the Lord has given us. Power to make change. If we really knew who we were in Christ, we would be amazed by how much God has placed in us. He has a purpose for us, He really does. Ephesians 1:3-10 says: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the prai

Like David, in  Psalm 150  , w e too, can be just as thankful, enthusiastic, and excited about the true God and all He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. Jesus is Risen ( Matthew 2 8:6) , so   don't think for a minute that He has forgotten about you, because He hasn't and never will. Today, let's praise the Lord and His holy name forever and ever, amen. Psalm 150: "Praise the Lord.. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,  praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." We are blessed to extend praise and worship to Jesus Christ today. He above all, is the holy among holy and that in itself is something

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" ( Mark 11 :24).  Do you believe it? Do you believe that when you ask God for what it is you want, He will give it to you? No, that will not come without continuous faith and works, yet, when we believe God has more for our lives, we will receive all He has for us. That's the bottom line, so we have to start asking and praying for what it is we want and we need to make it happen. It's about praying and believing. It's about faith. But, some people have it and some people don't. Yet, it's the difference between victory and defeat. God gives us the ability to choose. What is it for you? You have to know that for yourself.  Just know that God gives us the ability to do things naturally and He comes in and does the supernatural. But we have to believe it, because that's how He operates. We have to keep going no matter what -- even when

The following comes from Psalm 16 , which was a song/prayer of David. I love how faithful David was to the Lord and how much he loved the Lord. Like all of us, David wasn’t perfect and made some bad decisions. Nevertheless, he was a blessed man and God never left him. Psalm 16: “Preserve me, O God, for in you I put my trust. O my soul, you have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord. My goodness is nothing apart from you.” As for the saints who are on the earth, “they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god; their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take up their names on my lips. O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup. You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand

Today I want to encourage you again, to keep moving forward and to keep going forward. The Lord God is with you and although we all have probably had that feeling when we wanted to give up, let me tell you that God has much in store for those who run their race. Oh yes, as long as we know that the race isn't for the swift, it's for the diligent, we will make it. Believe it. So today in the name of encouragement I've come to tell you to be encouraged in the Lord, because God is with you and He's telling us the same thing He told Joshua in  Joshua 1 :6/7 , which says,  "Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go"  and   in  Joshua 1:9  God said,  "Have I not

"Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high.  My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. “Do not keep talking so proudly  or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.  Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more.  She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Has anyone told you lately that better days are coming for you? If so, let this message be confirmation and if not, then I have some new news for you today. Either way, get ready, better days are coming for you. Yes, you. Believe it. If you've been coming to my blog or listening to my podcast, you should know that believing is crucial to receiving, so walk into that blessing God has for you. Keep your faith high, because as we know, without faith it is impossible to please God ( Hebrews 11 :6) , so get and keep your faith up.  In other words, we can't worry about yesterday, right? So, why not just focus on tomorrow, because better days are still in store for you and I. And we have lots to rejoice about. So, we have to at least think we deserve more, because God certainly thinks that. I refuse to get down with living in regret and disappointment. I used to live there years ago and no mas. What about you? Let

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. According to Merriam-Webster, strive means to “devote serious effort or energy (endeavor)” or “to struggle in opposition” (contend).  No matter what, we must continue to strive for the great things God has for us. It doesn't matter how challenging things get, we have to continue on. I know the grind gets discouraging sometimes, because we work so hard and it seems our time will never come, but it will. God will bless us with everything we want. Just keep in mind though, that God's everything is different from our everything, yet His everything is magnificent. Galatians 6 :9 says, 'we must not get weary or tired of doing things to the best of our ability.' When we work smart, more joy will come. It's a promise of God, but we have to push through and know better days and more opportunities are coming. I will always believe that. I just know God has more for me, for you, for us. Even when I get impat

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 wo

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Have you ever seen a super athlete under extreme pressure, but before and during the athletic challenge, he will say "no pressure, I got this"? Even though the pressure and stress are clear and present, that athlete will not give it any energy or attention. He will block it out and focus his energy on the positive and he will remain in his peace. Yes and when he eventually wins, because he will, simply because he finished and he completed the challenge without giving up, he will recognize that although the pressure was high and heavy, it would never do him in. It would never get the best of him, and it would never overwhelm him, because he did not let it. That's right. He spoke the win into existence. In the beginning, he said, "no pressure, I got this." And let me tell you, it's just that simple to start it. Now, was everything easy for him? Of course not. He had to put in the work and he had to

Yes, God did it again. He made a way when I didn't know what would happen. He made away when I didn’t know how I’d come out of the storm. He made a way when just about everybody turned their backs on me. And He made a way when there was no natural way I was going to come through. Yes, my God of everything — the God all things, did it again. And guess what? He will do it again and again and again. That’s why He’s God. And that’s why   we can never doubt Him. Quite clearly, He's the God of all-things-are-possible-for-those-who-believe. That's why He's God all by himself. So, just in case you may be thinking, God won't make a way out of no way, think again. He can and will bring you out of and through anything .  I remember a time when my nights were long and depressing and I felt alone, but God moved in my life. He brought me out of that darkness and He will do it for you too. If you are in that place right now, know this: God is awesome and God will com

Zechariah 4    is a reminder that with the Lord God, we can get over anything that is in our way. Do you have anything standing in the way of progress or greatness that God has promised you? What are your needs? What are your wants? What are your desires? God will ensure any mountain in front of you, is moved out the way. When we focus on Him and what He wants for us, His plans will be established for us. When there's a mountain in our way, He wants us to rely on Him.   So, if you're on to something great that you want to get done in your life, continue on and don't get discouraged even if you have to start small.  Zechariah 4:10  says  "whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice."  In other words, it doesn't matter the level we are on and how difficult it is to get over that mountain, great things will happen as long as we stay with it. Don't compare, don't judge, and don't get in a particular mind space if it seems others

Isn't it great to never hunger or thirst?  That's the awesome assurance we get from God. It's an awesome guarantee that Jesus tells us in  John 6:35  when He declares,  " I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." So, no matter what you’re going through today, God says you will be filled in Him. No matter who turned their backs on you, God says you will be filled in Him. Yes, you can walk in confidence that with Jesus you will never go wrong. It doesn't mean any of us will live a perfect  life, it simply means our life will always be one of having endless peace because we have God. Never being hungry or thirsty means having an endless supply of grace, favor, and mercy at our fingertips, simply because we are God's off-spring and He can shower us with any of those things whenever He so chooses. We are blessed with His goodness even though we don't come anywhere close to d

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything." ( Acts 9 :3-9) And later on in verses 17-19, Ananias who God told to speak to Saul, said,   “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Paul is at it again in speaking to the saints about how Jesus was there for them in spite of themselves. In Ephesians 2 :1-6 Paul said the following: "It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah." That should be enough to empower us to do mighty and awesome things,

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. "It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who tru

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Ephesians 1 :3-12 is proof, you're not an accident; proof, you're here for a reason, and proof, God has blessed you from the beginning. I say all of that to say, you're going to make it, because God predestined you for greatness. The following is the proof: "How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.  Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments ch

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 knock us off of our solid place, because it's taken us

Regarding what the Lord God says about you, you are valuable. Yes it's true. You are worth something, because He made you in Hos own image. Therefore, His love for you — 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 and worthy in His eyes for many reasons. Isn’t it 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 valuable, 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 ho

"...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.  .