The Daily Devotional Blog

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” ( John 8 :12).  I just want to encourage you to keep looking up, keep following the light, and to keep the plans God has for your life, front and centered. Continue to look up towards heaven no matter what you're going through. If you're not going through anything, then that's good, just continue to ensure your gaze is still on the Lord. No matter where we are in life we have to keep God as the center of our lives and not get too busy for the He, the Father. We must remember that what He did for us and the blood He shed for each one of us to be here today is something to be worthy, something to be praised, and something to appreciate and be grateful for. Looking up ensures we are looking towards the light, because Jesus is the Light and He sits on high. That

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. “Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will

"So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt” ( Genesis 41 :41). Where is it, you want God to take you? Do you know He will give you the desires of your heart? But...you have to be willing to put some work -- lots of work -- behind your faith, because nothing worthwhile will come easy. Oh no. We have to put some perseverance, determination, stamina, and intensity, in order to go where it is He has for us to go. And guess what? We can indeed get there. Don't think we can't. It's about staying on the word " go"  and continuing on. Don't you dare give up on doing what you were born to do. There is something inside of you that God has gifted you with and God never makes a mistake. We do, but He never does, so don't think your life is an accident, because it isn't. It was a deliberate act of God who wants you do mighty things in this world. Do you believe it?  Believe it.  Take Joseph for instance. In Gene

Today I have more great news for you and that is, you’re going to make it. So just in case there was any doubt, I’ve come to remind you that God never gives us more than we can handle. We can get through anything with Him.  John 16 :33  says,  “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Are you going through anything particularly challenging today? Whatever you're going through or the challenges that may be in front of you, you can get through them and you will make it. I am confident of that very thing, because those who believe in the Lord’s resurrecting power, know that He is able to do far more exceedingly than we can ever imagine. We just have to trust Him when it seems our back is against the wall; when it seems all the chips are down; and when it seems our life has been turned upside down. I know from experience that you will get through everything that has been a strug

Do you know you’re in a league by yourself? It’s true, because there’s only one you and since there’s only one you, you’re the only one who can do what you do. It doesn’t matter who is doing the same thing, the fact is, nobody is you and you’re not anybody else. Did you get that? Ok, I’ll put it this way, what is for you, is for you and you only, so don't bother comparing yourself to people who seem to be further along than you, because you'll feel like you don't measure up. And remember, no one started where they are now. And don't waste a minute comparing yourself to anyone who doesn't appear to be as far along as you, because then you may get a false sense of where you are.  The best thing to do is to just focus on what you're doing and keep doing that. It's about staying in our lane and since God is a huge God, He blesses according to His mandates (purpose), for our lives. When we do what He told us to do, the way we do it, then we don’t have to f

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. 1 Thessalonians 4   speaks to living a life for God, which can indeed be a full joyous life. Verses 1/2 say,  "Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus."  Let's not make living for the Lord difficult. Let's do what it is He wants us to do in spirit and in truth. Living a life pleasing to God doesn't mean we will get everything right though. No, we will surely stumble and fall short for sure. Living a life pleasing to God means living a life of praise, love, worship, and faith towards Him. It means knowing He is the ruler and guider over our lives at all times. Isn't it great to have a great protector and a great watcher over our lives that we can praise and worshi

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with Blog Post. Are you an eagle? Do you know, eagles fly above the storm and they wait for the winds to carry them to greater heights?  That's right, as the storm is raging below, they are soaring above it all. They don't escape the storm, mind you. They simply use the storm to lift themselves to higher magnitudes. It's a though they know the storm is temporary; that they will indeed rise above it; and that they are riding the storm. I find all of that fascinating, because we can take the model of the eagle and do the same. Why can't we? We can imitate the eagle's intelligence, push-through, and perseverance to weather any storm -- the storms of life that will come. If we will just know that God will never give us more than we can handle, then we will come out victorious.  As you going through anything today? Are you worried about anything in particular? Just know, you can rise above it all. Nothing is too big f

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you know you are more than a conqueror through Christ? That's right. That means you're more than a winner, you're more than a victor, and you're more than a champion. So, we have to continue having faith that God will bring us through anything we may be going through. We can overcome any situation, because of the God we serve -- the God who lives in us -- and the God who loves us. He will always be there for us. In other words, we have already won the battle, we have already won the victory, yet this is the thing though: we can't give up that faith to the enemy. We can't give up and just run away from what is in front of us. We have to go forward, because God has got us covered. Romans 8 :37-39 says: "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you know you are valuable, precious, and substantial to God? That clearly means you're royalty because you are a descendant of kings  and  of  The King . And royalty gets the best God has, it doesn't get sloppy seconds or the left-overs.  Yes, when you’re a child of God, you inherit the great things He has for you. That means we are royalty simply because we are children of the Most High. Being in the kingdom of God has its advantages, doesn't it? So, we should act like we're just that special to Him. I'm not saying walk around with a proud, haughty, arrogant, and prideful way about you. God despises such an attitude  (Proverbs 29:23; Isaiah 2:11/12).  What I'm saying, is we have a right to walk in a godly confidence that we are God's off-spring and we should expect to be treated like the kings and queens we are, right? We should be able to change the atmosphere when we walk into places -

Today I'm looking ahead; walking ahead, and talking ahead. You know what that means? It means my sights are towards tomorrow -- towards the future. “Why”, you may ask? Well that's simple. My philosophy is this: As long as we keep walking towards the Light -- towards the positive, we will get where God has for us to go, so why not keep walking forward, right? Why not look forward to tomorrow? Tomorrow is not today and it's not yesterday, so let's at least have the mindset that it offers beautiful and splendid things. If we're not there yet, at a minimum, we have to have the attitude that things will get even better than they are now or have been. If your life is just the way you'd have it to be today that's awesome for you. I love it. Just keep praising, worshiping, and thanking the Lord for it.  Proverbs 4 :10-12 says, "Hear, my son [and daughter], and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom;

Follow along with blog post/transcript below. 'Besides protection, fasting unleashes power upon your life. Those who will take the call to fasting and do it in secret will fast-forward their misfit-to-kingship process. God seems to accelerate what He is doing in one's life when a person is fasting' (Casto, page 190). My church started a fast last week and we were fasting for a  week -- Monday through  Friday. It was the "Daniel" fast in that we ate only fruits, vegetables, and we drank water. I participated to a certain extent though. Anyway, I participated to a limited degree, especially after reading this chapter. I haven't always been disciplined in the area of fasting I have to admit, but that's changing since I have come into new revelation of the biblical concept of fasting. On page 188 Casto says, "you can search high and low in the volumes of history and you will not find a man or woman God used mightily who did not practice the bibl

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” ( Psalm 34 :18). That's another way of saying the Lord will revive our heart when needed. He is in the heart mending business just in case we need a heart change or a heart transplant. He's a miraculous God who will rejuvenate us in a heartbeat. Do you need Him for anything? Do you need help with a downcast heart? If so, today I've come to encourage you to stay in the race, to keep looking up, to continue to be optimistic, and to be faithful about your life. Some of us have been through more than the next person and some of us haven't. Yet we may all still hurt, because pain is pain and pain is painful. Some of us hurt deeper and longer, because the wounds went in pretty deep. Yet, the Lord is near us. The Lord saves us. That means the Lord God will revive your spirit and bring you back to life. Wake up mighty men. Wake up mighty women. Your blessing is coming and I'm not just sa

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Proverbs 27 :17 says, "iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."  What that means is that the people who are around us are the people who make us better and we make them better. Or at least it should be that way, right? I Googled some iron synonyms and some of the words were: uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, unbending, resolute, resolved, determined, firm, steadfast, and unwavering. Wow, those words to me convey that if a person is like iron, they are fixed, gazed, and purposeful in what they want and nothing will stop them. So I ask again, are you like iron? Do you stand on the promises of the Lord? When we're honest with ourselves, we can answer those questions with a definitive yes or no.  And if you answer yes to both of those questions than you are indeed like iron. Yes you are. And more than likely, you are already doing positive and encouraging things. You are already sharpening thos

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Psalm 37 :5/6  says, "Commit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday."  Don't give up when you're so close. W e have to roll during the good and the challenging times -- the sweet and the bitter. That's life and only the fittest survive to the fullest. We have to want more than living a mediocre ho-hum life, right? We should desire a great optimal life, because God promises us the desires of our heart.  Psalm 37:4  says that when we delight in Him, He will delight in us. So, it's up to us how we live and how much we are blessed with. When we aim high we will go high as long as we're willing to climb. It's a decision God has given us to make.  He's directing our lives when we let Him (free-will). He will not forsake His saints. He knows what He's doing. When we let Him orchestrat

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Strive: to devote serious effort or energy,   endeavor, to struggle in opposition,  contend (merriam-webster.com). Does any part of that definition fit you? Are you striving? If the Lord has you here, that means striving means you must go on.  All of us, b ecause a godly life offers so much. God wants us to go out of our way to connect with Him. I don't mean pray only when things get tough. I'm talking about praying without ceasing during the good and the not so good, which means on-going communication with God. Yes we can all make the time to strive to open ourselves up to the Lord. It's something each one of us can dedicate our lives to. Jesus said,   “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" ( Matthew 22 :37).  We can all strive to do that no matter what is going on in our lives, right?  Right. 

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." ( 1 John 1 :5-7). God is where goodness and mercy endures forever. When we walk with Him, we walk in, we are forgiven. In other words, " If we claim   His glorious light. And when we walk with Him to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8/9).  1 John 1  is a great reminder that we are to look no further when it comes to knowing where our love and the glorious light is, which shines so b

Daily Devotional Podcast. Follow along with blog post. Do you know you were born on purpose for a purpose? Oh yes and do you know because of that, better days are coming for you? God is aware of what He is still going to have you to do in this life. And He is aware that no weapon that is plotted, connived, schemed, or conspired against you, will ever harm you. He is aware that all you've gone through and all you may be going through, is a divine set-up to get you to the point where you will come out victorious with something to talk about. Yes and amen. You will have something to say and something to do. Your created life was done deliberately for you to encourage and uplift those who need you. So, God is going to use you and use you in a mighty way.  Better days are coming. They have to come, because God's magnificent plan over your life is filled with abundance. So, just in case you're down, lift your head up. Just in case you're down, raise your eyes to th

Do you know that it doesn't matter what comes our way, we will prevail? Yes, because when we know the promises the Lord God has made over our lives, we will make it. We can’t concern ourselves with nonsense, negativity, or vindictiveness. We have to stay focused on truth, positivity, and forgiveness. Jesus stood for those great things, because He was love and walked in love ( 1 John 4 ) . And Isaiah 43 :2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”  So believe that you will prevail and you will, as you continue to fight for your right to do so. We have to rise and stand. Past, present, and future circumstances don’t matter. What matters is that God is in control of the things we can’t control. And when we do all we can do to stand on God’s Word, on His love, He will come through for us. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  Those verses come from  1 Corinthians 13 :4-7. Do you know we have an advantage when it comes to love? Yes, when we are in Christ, we can love with the love of Him that's in us. What's in us comes out of us. If love is in us, we will give love, receive love, and walk in love. And when we walk in love, we will be able to impact people with lasting change. I'm not saying we will never get frustrated or discouraged, because those are human emotions. Those things are part of life. I'm just saying we will have the ability to not let those emotions get the best of us, because our foundation of love will win out. Why? Because of the verses I

"Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel" ( Matthew 15 :29-31). What do you need from the Lord today? Whatever it is, do you know He can heal whatever ails you? It doesn't matter if it's emotional, mental, or physical, Jesus can do it. He did it for the lame, the blind, the mute, the maimed and many others and He can do it for you too. Yes, He did for those people when they probably written off -- when people may have looked at their situation as dire and beyond repair -- when people more than likely underestimated the power and the spirit of the Lord. Don't you know that God will d

Proverbs 16 :3  says,  "commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."  You know what that means, right? It means great things for you and I. It means that when our focus in on God, He will ensure we do what it is we were birthed to do. And get this, when we're doing what we were meant to do, then even when things do not go well, as long as God is in it, it will not fail and cannot fail. Why would God establish plans that fail? Wouldn't that be contradictory to who He is? " God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19).  So there you have it, God will establish your plans. Have you made any plans? Do you have a vision for your life? If you do, then great, keep seeking Him for direction and details. And if you do not, that's ok, seek Him and He will establish them for you. There are special things He has f

One of the many awesome things of God is that He gives us waves of His goodness and many blessings.  He's not a respecter of persons, which means He will use anyone He chooses to do His will, so He can get the glory from your story. Your life means something, remember that. And be reminded that when it seems any of us are down to nothing, God is always up to something. He is always with us during the highs and lows of life. That's why we can never give up. It doesn't matter our past or present circumstances, God is in control. My point? God can make anything happen for anyone at anytime, because He's that awesome. It doesn't matter who and what, He knows the plans He has for each one of us. Remember the Samaritan Woman in John 4 ? Well, God looked after her, He didn't judge her past, He and blessed her. So, who are we to judge how God's plan looks and how God will have us impact people, right? His awesome waves of goodness can happen to anyone at

I have some great news for you.  But it's only if you haven't had a perfect life. It's only if your life has been less than stellar. And it's only if you're willing to acknowledge that you have gone through rough some things. Now, if you won't shame the devil and admit the challenges and tough situations you've gone through, then I'm sorry to say this news -- this message -- isn't for you.    This news is for the people similar to myself; the misfits like me who God didn't overlook; the people who were so low they didn't know how they were going to get out of their valleys. Yes, I have some great news for all of you, my people. And here it is:  "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" ( Isaiah 61 :7).   That's great news exclusively for you. And oh yea

Proverbs 23 :7  tells us that we are as we think we are, so we have to think well of ourselves in order to be the best selves we can be. Don't let anyone convince you that you are not God's finest. Don't let anyone convince you that you weren't created on purpose for a purpose. And please don't think that the way any of us was conceived matters, because it doesn't. You see, man makes mistakes, but God doesn't. There are no accidents when it comes to God's magnificent creations. He has a plan for your life -- for all of our lives. So think well of yourself, because you are somebody and the world is a better place because of  you, yes because of you . God was deliberate when He created you.  Jeremiah 1:5  is the proof of that. It says,  “before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  That means you are valuable, precious, and substantial to God and to people too. So

Do you know that when we walk with God, we’re walking powerfully? Although our walk with God is not for the faint-hearted and sometimes a challenging walk, it's so worth it in ways beyond our scope of imagination. Faith is a large part of it, because faith is believing and trusting God as God and that He will do what He said He would do. Faith should not be a struggle if we really trust God.  None of us will ever fully understand God's ways, but we must know His ways are better than our ways. And it's ok to not understand why God allows certain things and certain events, but I can assure you that it always works out the best for our good.  2 Corinthians 5 :7 says, "For we live by faith, not by sight." Knowing that is important to our walk with God, because God is at work on our behalf, always. And life is so much easier when we walk like that. Not perfect, just easier. So keep walking with God. Your faith waking equals power walking.