Daily Devotional: You Lack Nothing

Philippians 4:19

19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Even in my suffering, my own "first world problems", I reach out for the comfort of Christ.  I am, by no stretch of the imagination, perfect. I stumble.  I fall. But I also know how to get back to my feet.  If there is an experience of lack in my mind, it is only a temporary vapor, dissipating in an instant.  

There is truly nothing that we lack.  As the Bible says, even as God supplies the animals with all they need, how much more will he do for us, his most cherished and beloved on this planet?  In our problems, it is hard to see the forest for the trees therein, and we get caught up in the future of what could happen instead of being concerned about the very moment.  

The Bible instructs us to not be concerned about the issues of tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough issues of its own.  We should not be worried about what will happen, but more concerned about what is going within us and within the moment.  

Have you ever sat down to meditate on God, in complete solitude?  Did you notice how peaceful it is to feel the moment and live within it?  Reading the Word will do this if you allow it.  Everything that you need is there; all the answers you seek are at your fingertips.  He will give you all that you need, if you just come to him and ask.

Praise God for his love and mercy. 

Be blessed. 

Much Illumination

Starting over has been...challenging. Seems I've come full circle.

Much illumination comes with frustrating circumstances. When the lights are turned on, they often reveal things we aren't ready to see, things that we never even knew were there in the first place.  Surprises.

I shake my head at it.  Seems insurmountable sometimes.  Still, I do not lose heart.  Even as the doors are slammed in my face, I look for the lesson in it all.  I placed myself here, believing in what God can do when you rely and believe in Him.  Therefore, I have no choice but to trust in His plan and let him guide my steps.

My last interview was at NORC, the National Opinion Research Center.  I interviewed for one of their service desk positions.  They declined to offer me a job because I didn't have enough Active Directory experience.  Fair enough.  But it was a great interview, nonetheless.

God bless the downtrodden.

We May Fail, but God Does Not!

Psalm 73:25-26


A psalm of Asaph.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.(NIV)


Other than self, we have nothing but God to rely upon. We alone are responsible for what we do here, on Earth, so no one else can be held accountable once we have been saved by declaring Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

In this verse, we read that though our flesh and heart may fail, we must look to God to strengthen our hearts. Truly we are weak beings, given to lapses in judgement and other moral failings that lead to sin. We must be prayerful and attempt to lead better lives for our own sake. In this way God is glorified, for we serve Him first.

We do these things even as we don't know the outcome, for we have faith in what God will do in the future.

Equity

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” ~Luke 22:31-32


Here, Jesus is having a conversation with Simon Peter about Satan's proposal to do him harm within his life. Jesus says that he will pray for Simon so that he will not fail. This would normally set one at ease, but Jesus then says "and when you have turned back...". This means that he knows that Simon will fail, but in that failure, he must bring strength to his brothers so that they may not fail.

In our experiences, we are meant to learn. In learning we can give instruction to those who may encounter that which we have already witnessed. Jesus is asking Simon Peter to become a witness to others, so that God is glorified even in the failure.

Many people feel that they should make known all of their accomplishments to show how good God is, but it is in our weaknesses that God shows his strength. It is in our failures that God is given glory, for we can say that we are better than we were. We have gleaned the equity from the situation and can convey the beauty of the lesson to those who would come after us.

The Standing

Something darker than this I've seen
warped bits of a dream

a black man now shamed
once thought of as kings
these days glorified thugs and thieves
like we trying to steal
what was stolen 400 years past

Darker dreams that still persist
where a black family can't be just that
Love and care; all that were wished
Inflated thoughts that have fallen flat

Being a man I am black, so I feel so beside myself
I can't turn back pages lost,
pages burned,
can't read the words to tell you
what I've learned.

Something darker than this I've seen

Oh, now he's a man. "what do you mean?"
I don't know if I do enough, still in between
a woman I love, a promise, a ring
Still can't give you everything.

I fight for a day to be understood
that though I'm black, I certainly ain't hood
I want a love, a life afforded all that I should
but if I didn't fall down how would I know that I stood?

The Battle in the Mind

“He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails.” (NIV) -1 Samuel 2:9

I appear to be a strong man. I left weights every day. I push my body to endure things normal men wouldn’t. I am physically stronger than the average man my age and height. Yet, there are times I feel immensely weak. There are days I feel like you could knock me over with a feather.

Yesterday I felt impossibly confused and somewhat angry as to what God intends for me. I see things change these days and I wonder what lies ahead, after all I have done. Yet it appears I have not done enough in God’s eyes. So I will take my mind away from this situation and place it on Him so that He will strengthen my resolve, calm me and take away my fears.

I firmly believe the victory is first obtained in the mind. By keeping God close and the faith in him paramount, it pushes the physical capabilities even further. What we contend with these days are not just physical problems but spiritual and mental. We must continue to strengthen our minds against those who would intend to harm the faith that we hold dear. One of my favorite quotes is “the mind is the sword.” Truly, it is the most powerful weapon we have, yet we misuse it every day, wasting our thoughts on miniscule matters that will have no consequence in the betterment of our lives and others.

Thank you, Lord, for today. It is especially awesome that you have come to my aid in the days I have thought I would falter. You have given me mental strength in the midst of my own shortcomings, though I don’t utilize the full force of it enough to have an impact. Thank you for your forgiveness.
So once again, I hope to honor you with these words that flow from my heart like water through a sieve. Praise be unto the Most High, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. In His name, I pray…

My God, my pen, ‘til this world ends.

Therapy, Part...Fin?

Half-way through the year, the Cancer entry for Free-Will Astrology in the week of June 19th, reads: “…I’m hoping you’ll look back six months from now and make the following declaration: This year I discovered everything that’s important to know about what I don’t need and who I don’t want to be. That’s one of the important reasons why (hallelujah!) I’ve learned to avoid the suffering that comes from wishing my life were different from how it actually is. I’m more at peace with my soul’s idiosyncratic destiny than I’ve ever been.” This sums up the lessons I have received succinctly. I could not have said it better.

I have had five therapy sessions, and really, I felt I was done when I finished my third. I have come to understand things now in a way that I cannot say I would have if all this had not occurred. I am fortunate now to know that I cannot change anything about anyone and I will fail at feeling sorry for myself when my life has not taken on the appearance of those whom I admire. So what. My destiny is with God and only He knows what tomorrow holds. All I can do is embrace the fear that comes when uncertainty rears, and react accordingly.

It is fair to say that I am doing exceptionally well, so much in fact that I haven’t felt this much peace is months. The doc says that we can cut back on the sessions, but I may discontinue them altogether. God has been with me all this time, and I have learned to rely on Him for guidance. I have sought patience, and He gives me plenty opportunity to exercise patience in my life. With customers, acquaintances, family members and others. I am glad that my life is all that it is, and I will not question God’s design. He has deemed me fit to be the Captain of my soul, and I accept the title with honor and dignity.

In the next six months I will continue to catalog my experiences and follow along with my life in a manner congruent with God’s own plan. I will trust Him and have patience. I will honor myself and others as well. I will grow within the Body of Christ and continue towards an admirable goal. I will become the man I need to be. Thank God for that.