Day 182: Back to Our Roots

Mark 4:14-20

The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.  Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Many of us are living on the prayers of our mothers and grandmothers. There is someone out there praying for us and making sure we follow the right path and praying for us to find that path again when we stray off of it. Not all of us grew up in church, but for those of us who did, there was a seed planted in us at an early age to know that God is the way to go. We knew from a very young age that we have to pray, we have to read our bibles we have to go to church. If you’re like me, none of that resonated with you until you were older, but you always had that seed of faith inside of you. If not knowing God completely, knowing of God atleast. Our parents and grandparents planted the seed in us, but they couldn’t water it too.

1 Corinthians 3:6

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Sometimes we have to water our own plants, we know who to go to, our parents/guardians, or elders have planted a seed within us, now it’s time to water it so those roots can grow. When we have no roots it’s easy for us to be plucked up out of the dirt, but when we are rooted on good soil and our roots have grown all the way down, then it’s going to take a lot of effort for us to be plucked up. That’s where we have to be with our faith, sometimes we have to go back to our roots and remember where they’re planted. When we are firmly planted in Christ we cannot be easily moved. We have to remember the seed that was planted in us years ago when we were little babies, when our parents dedicated us back to the Lord, or when we somebody was praying for us. Even if you didn’t grow up in church, somewhere or sometime in your life someone planted that seed in you.

I love plants and I love the whole idea or analogy of roots growing. Before the plant grows, the flower blossoms, or the tree grows, first the roots grow down into the earth, It may look like nothing is happening but there is work to be done underground before the flower can blossom. The roots have to grow down and create a connection with the earth so that when the tree does grow, or the flower blossoms, it’s won’t topple. It won’t fall over because it is firmly planted in the ground. There are four major functions of the root, according to wikipedia.

1) Absorption of water and inorganic nutrients,

2) Anchoring of the plant body to the ground, and supporting it,

3) Storage of food and nutrients,

4) Vegetative reproduction and competition with other plants.

The roots not only stabilize the plant, but it gives it water and nutrients, it gives it everything it needs. Without the roots the plant would not be able to survive.

We cannot survive if our roots are not planted in God’s word, it is the good soil we need to be planted in in order for our roots to be strong and healthy, It is through Christ that we are able to have a relationship with God, and he is feeding us, and stabilizing us, and making sure our spirits are healthy and growing. That is when we start to grow in Christ. We get everything we need from Him.

Reflection

1. Where are your roots planted?

Prayer Time

Allow your answer to the above question guide your prayer today. Talk to God about being rooted in Him.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening, be sure to come back tomorrow for Day 183!

Day 181: Don't Trade Your Integrity

Integrity -  adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

And integrity according to oxford dictionary means

-The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

Proverbs 11:3

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

As you’ve probably concluded by now, to day we are talking about integrity. So let’s start this off with a question;

Is whatever you want worth trading your integrity for?

Now I will answer that question. No. No it’s not, it is definitely not worth it. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it. Nothing should be worth throwing away your morals and beliefs, we have to stand for something. We have to hold on to something. The scripture says, the integrity of the upright guides them, now if we give that up we will not have any guidance. We all have a set of beliefs whether we are Christian or not, we all have something we believe in that we are not willing to give up. We are not willing to sacrifice or put on the line for anything or anyone. For many of us reading this devotional, that thing is our relationship with God. For me it is exactly that, there are many things I’m willing compromise on, one of those things is not my relationship with God, it’s not my morals. I live by my own morals and it makes me who I am, they influence the choices I make and where I go in my life. I am not willing to give that up or sacrifice it for anything. As an actor this is a subject that comes up for me a lot, whether I’m talking to my friends about it or checking myself on it. I love acting with every part of me, there’s is nothing else I see myself doing, I’ve been acting my whole life. However there are things more important to me than acting. As much as I love what I do, I love God more, I love my family more. I believe that’s what makes me a better actor is that, yes this is very high on my list of priorities, but it’s great to know that something in my life is higher. There will always be a reason as to why I act. I refuse to trade my integrity for acting, because I stand for something bigger and that allows me to be a better artist.

One of the shows I recently binge-watched is, ‘Jane the Virgin’, a show centered around a young woman, Jane (the amazing Gina Rodriguez), who has made a vow not to have sex until she is married. Many of us in the church have taken this vow and knows what it’s like. However, there are times throughout the show when she decides she’s just gonna do it, and every time something comes in the way of it, even on her wedding night. But when she has sex for the first she is married, and later on she talks about how happy she is that she waited until she was married.

Now I’m not here to talk about sex, and waiting for marriage. I wanted to use that as an example that holding on to your integrity and your beliefs is so worth it in the end. There is nothing more rewarding than standing for what you believe in. I know we all want so much out of our lives, and we all want to get to “that place”. Whatever that “that place” is for you, you know what I’m talking about, it’s different for everyone. What I’m saying is, getting to the top doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice or trade in your integrity, just to get there a bit quicker. We can do that to get to where we are going quick but as fast as we go up we’ll come down even quicker. There is something beautiful about holding on to your beliefs, even if it means it takes a bit longer, and it’s a little harder. But you know that once you get there, wherever ‘there’ is, once you’re there, you’ll know that you didn’t have to trade anything or compromise at any point. God works in mysterious ways and He shows favor to His people. Hold on to that, you’d be surprised at what He does in your life. He is looking for people who will remain committed to Him, even when fighting temptation feels like pulling a ton of bricks. Hold on to your faith, hold on to your morals, hold on to your integrity because it will be so rewarding in the long run.

This can be with anything, of course our relationship with God comes first, but after that whatever personal morals or vows you’ve made to yourself. Don’t trade them in. Stick it out, it’ll be so worth the wait.

Reflection

1. What are some of the beliefs and morals you hold dear?
2. Are you willing to sacrifice them?
3. Based on your answer to the above question, why or why not?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about holding on to your integrity and standing firm on your beliefs. Have a conversation Him.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 182!

Day 180: Gotta Have Faith

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Mark 11:24

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours.

Matthew 21:22

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it."

Sometimes the only thing we can do is have faith, sometimes our faith is all we have to lean on. As christians our entire “belief system’ is set up by faith, we choose to believe in what we cannot see. We choose to believe in a God that never fails and a God that remains faithful. It is through faith that we are able to connect with and have a relationship with God. It is through faith when we pray that we receive what it is we are asking for. Our faith is what moves God, we cannot pray empty prayers, when we pray we must believe in who we are praying to, and believe that everything we pray for God will answer. We can pray but if we don’t have faith then what’s the use. The bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains (matthew 17:20). I don’t know if you’ve seen a mustard seed before, but it’s tiny, it’s like the size of a chia seed. Jesus isn’t asking for a lot, I believe that Jesus is telling us, you don’t have to have all the faith in the world but just have some faith. Have a little bit of faith, that’s all you need and I’ll take it from there.

I truly believe that in order for our faith to grow we must exercise it. We have to take a chance on God and trust that He is who He says He is and watch how everything unfolds. We just have to believe, we have to step out say ‘God I don’t know what you’re doing but I have faith in you, I trust you.’ Because He is the one true God. I’ve experienced God’s faithfulness and I know it to be true, but I couldn’t experience God’s faithfulness if I didn’t choose to have faith in Him and His word. Each time I put my faith in God He has come through, every single time. He has never failed me. The more I put my faith in Him, the more my faith grew. I’ve also learned not to use my faith as a last resort. I’ve learned to have faith from the very beginning, to go in with faith. Not waiting until I’m all out of strength and at my wits end, and then go to God. No God has taught me to have faith in Him in every season of my life, not just when I need Him to really come through for me. Now don’t get me wrong, there will be times in our life where we have to exercise our faith more, but don’t ever lose it. Have faith in God even when things are going good. Faith isn’t just for the moments when we’ve lost all hope. Faith in God is what gives us hope.

All this to say, sometimes you just gotta have faith. Many times it’s the only answer. There have been many times in my life when the only way I can explain things that have happened is by saying that I have faith in God. You just, gotta have faith.

Reflection

1. Do you have faith in God?
2. At what times in your life do you find yourself exercises your faith the most?
3. Has God ever failed you? Explain.
4. If your answer to the above question is yes, I want you to know that God never fails, Even when it feels like it, even when it feels like He has turned His back. He will never leave nor forsake you, and God does not fail. Everything He does, He does for a reason. Give Him another chance.

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Talk to God about faith and ask Him to help you strengthen your faith.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 181!

Day 179: #LoveYourself Part 2

Mark 12:31

The second is this: ‘You should love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Ephesians 5:29

For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah does the church.

Psalms 139:14

I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.

Today we are taking it all the way back to the beginning, 171 days ago, but who's counting. On day seven of the devotional we started a little series on self love and this specific day was about loving yourself. I’m going to bring that theme back today and talk about loving the person you are from the inside, but also loving who you are on the outside. Being comfortable in your own skin and loving the person you are and not trying to shape and mould yourself into something or someone you think you should be. The goal of today is for us to be comfortable with who we are, and see that we are beautifully and wonderfully made.

“You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.”

– Diane Von Furstenberg

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in my twenty four years of living is to love myself and be comfortable with who I am. I spent so much time trying to change who I was an hating myself and not being comfortable in my own skin that I didn’t know what it meant to actually love myself. I didn’t know how to appreciate the body, the hair, the skin tone, the looks, the personality, or the gifts that God gave me. This as a result of me being bullied and blaming myself for being bullied. I hated who I was at a very young age, so I grew up very insecure, I hated my appearance, I hated my skin color, my hair, my height, everything about me I hated. But I loved acting because it gave me a chance to be someone else, that I could possibly fall in love with. Over the years as I’ve grown closer to God and closer to myself (I know that sounds weird but bear with me), I’ve learned that God made me who I am on purpose, He gave me this beautiful dark skin on purpose, this kinky-curly hair, that was on purpose too. My short stature, He gave that to me too. He created me in His image, in His hands, and I thank Him for that. I thank Him for showing me how to love who I am.

I believe that as people we are meant to love ourselves, if we don’t we cannot learn to love anyone else. As we pointed out in Day 7, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourself. Now call me crazy but i think that there is a demand in there to love ourselves. Jesus doesn’t say things on accident, and we tend to overlook the part that says “...As yourself”. But once we truly love ourselves we will be able to spread that love and pour it onto others. My mom used to always say, “hurt people, hurt people” meaning we tend to throw our own insecurities and our own heartache and pain on others. We project ourselves onto other people. How we treat ourselves is often how we treat others. So just imagine, if we are loving ourselves and feeling confident and beautiful, and good about the skin we are in. Thankful for who we are, and the life we live. How do you think we are going to treat others?

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” and Mark Twain said, “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

We call the shots, we are responsible for our own happiness, we are responsible for loving ourselves. I am going to say that loving yourself is a human responsibility. We are not always going to get compliments but that doesn’t mean we are not beautiful and handsome. One of things I pray is that God will help me to do is, be comfortable in my own skin. He has given us freedom and a life to live abundantly, the only one who can limit that is us. We have to learn to accept and love every part about us, the weird parts, the crazy parts, the parts that others will hate. Life is about freedom, live freely and be yourself. I truly believe that God gave us all different personalities, He gave us all different looks, shapes, and sizes and He loves it. We are all a melting pot of diversity, we don’t look the same, or act the same. How boring would that be. So let’s love ourselves, Be comfortable with who we are and who God made us to be.

Reflection

1. Are you comfortable in your own skin?
2. Do you love yourself?
3. List everything you love about yourself, and remind yourself everyday that you are beautiful or you are handsome, and you are who God made you to be.

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Ask God to help you learn to love yourself or continue to love yourself.

If this is a area you struggle in or have a hard time with, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. I will answer them and talk to you and share with you.

I love you, know that your are beautiful on the inside and out. You are gorgeous, Make sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 180!

Day 178: The Bright Side

1 Timothy 6:6-7

But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it.

Philippians 4:12-13

For I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this in Him who gives me strength.

The past six years of my life have been anything but a breeze, from losing my father, to struggling financially and not knowing where I was going to lay my head at night, to having people walk out of my life and getting my heart broken into pieces. Fighting every battle to get into college and having to leave that same college due to financial issues. Then getting into another school and fighting with every loan place and financial aid to stay in school and graduate. These past six years have been some of the hardest years of my life. It’s hard not to fall into a pity party and feel bad for myself. Because I’ve been at points where i literally felt like I couldn’t get any lower. I’ve been in a place where my family and I were so broke we couldn’t afford a twenty-five cent roll of tissue. I feel Paul on a personal level when he says he knows what it’s like to have plenty and be in need. But I have learned to look to God in both my darkest and highest moments.  I learned to find my strength in Him to get through all of the Christ that life has handed to me on a platter. God has taught me to be content even when I don’t have money, or the things that I desire or wish to have. I chose to thank God for what I do have and where I am in my life. I’ve chosen to thank God for bringing me further than where I was. I’ve learned to look on the bright side of things and not let my joy be stolen by my circumstances.

I think as humans it’s hard to see the good in a bad situation, it’s hard to look on the bright side when everything in front of us is so dark. It’s hard not to feel bad for ourselves, but it feels so much better to get get up and thank God for giving us another day. To thank God for the little things, to thank Him even for the battles, because it’s those moment that mould us and shape us into the person we are. Diamonds are made when a crazy amount of pressure is applied to coal. If we continue to look on the brighter side one day we will get up and the darkness will no longer hover over us, one day the clouds will clear up, the rain will stop. But in the meantime while it’s raining, learn to dance in it, while it’s cloudy enjoy your shadow. Because these are also moments we will never get back, choose to live. Even if that means we aren’t okay, or we’re sad, one day we’ll wake up and it’ll all be fine.

Another reason I have learned to be content is that I have realized that all this is temporary and that there is something out there much bigger than me. Yes I want so much more out of my life and I will get so much more out of my life, but if I am not content with where I am and what I have right now, I don’t think that’s going to change when I get everything I’ve always wanted. I can’t take anything with me when I leave this earth, I can’t take the money, the clothes, the luxuries, the degree, none of it. I can leave a legacy behind, but that’s it. This does not mean that we give up on our dreams or on anything we want out of life. It means we change our perspective, we learn to live for God first. I chose to devote my life to God because that is where eternity lies, and in Him I will have everything I ever needed and wanted, and I’m not just speaking about spiritual things. I mean everything. But first I had to learn to be content with where I am, even when my situation is less than wonderful.

Reflection

1. What do you want out of life?
2. Are you able to look on the bright side even when there’s darkness in front of you?
3. Are you content with where you are?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about being content with where you are but also looking forward to where you are going.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for day 179!

Day 177: Recap

This has been an amazing week as we have gone through the series and as it's coming to an end I want to leave it off where we began, talking about kindness and just being nice people in general. This week we talked about quite a few things plaguing our communities today and how it is affecting people. So this recap I want you to do yourself. Take your time to go over the devotional that stood out to you the most this week and pray through it. Take the time to choose a cause to support and support it in any way possible. I truly believe the as Christian we can make this world a better place, and we can spark a fire from where we are. Use the platform God has given you, no matter how big or small and try to make this world a better place. Continue to pray for the people in your community and pray for those who are affected by the things of this world. Have an amazing day.

I love you and I hope you have a great day and evening, make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 178!

Day 176: One Heart, One Soul, One Love- Day 6

Deuteronomy 7:21

You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.

Recently there was a terrorist attack at the venue where Ariana Grande was having her concert. The attack claimed the lives of many people including an eight year old. THe attack was the deadliest UK attack since 2005. It devastated and scared a nation, and was devastating all over the world. However what Ariana Grande did to give back to this country was nothing less than beautiful. Although one performance seemed to take the cake, and that is Justin Bieber’s performance. Where he reassured the people of this country that God is always in the midst. He stood on the stage of a stadium and declared that even in all this havoc and trouble, he won't let go of God. And i quote,

“God is good in the midst of the darkness. God is good in the midst of the evil. God is in the midst, no matter what’s happening in the world. God is in the midst and He loves you. He’s here for you.”

-Justin Bieber

In all the craziness that goes on in the world we should be reminded that God is in the midst. Even when darkness seems to take over, God is the light that breaks it up. There is a hope in Jesus that we must hold on to. We can’t let go of hope because sometimes it’s the only thing getting us out of bed in the morning. I know things are crazy and people are suffering all over the world. One of the most conflicting questions I get is, “If God is so good why do bad things happen?” or “Why are there children starving all over the world.” “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It’s conflicting because sometimes I honestly have the same questions, but I know that God is good I know that even though bad things happen God is in the midst. I know that He has a plan. I know that all the bad in the world is a result of the fall, when sin entered the world through man. With that being said, bad things happen, and they happen to good people. But, whatever happens God is in the midst. I am reminded of Jesus and the disciples and how they suffered for the gospel. How they were martyrs and find hope because there is satisfaction and peace in eternity with Christ. So all we have to do is survive the world all we have to do is thrive here now through the good, bad, and the ugly and eternity will be more peaceful and fulfilling than we could ever imagine. We must have faith in that, and find comfort in knowing that even though the world can be evil and corrupt, we serve a good and incorruptible God.

Response/Prayer Time

Respond however you feel led, and pray through that response. Talk to God about what we discussed today. Take the time to open your heart to Him and talk to Him. As this series comes to a close, pray for the world, pray for humanity and pray for yourself.

I love you and I want you to have an amazing day or evening. Keep me in your prayers and I will pray for you. I love you. Make sure you come back tomorrow for Day 177!

Day 175: One Heart, One Soul, One Love- Day 4

Proverbs 31:8-9

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

Psalms 82: 3

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

The whole idea of being selfless is being willing to put someone else’s needs above your own, or putting someone else above yourself. It is the opposite of being selfish, meaning our main focus is other people, and we are not worried about what we will get out of something or how it will benefit us. We are looking to benefit someone else and be totally fine with walking away empty handed. I think one of the biggest problems with the world and why there seems to be so much discord and violence and injustice, is that we are so concerned with ourselves. The world is a selfish place, and we live in it, but can we dare to be selfless in a place that is so consumed by self? I know our generation gets told a lot that we are selfish, but let’s combat that and show them what it means to be selfless. I truly believe that our generation is very selfless as we stand up for what we believe in, but also speak up so that others who are oppressed or being beat down are given a voice. We fight against injustice, and oppression and give a voice to the mute. I believe that as people of God we are called to speak up and stand up for His people, not just for ourselves. When our brother and sister is hurt or falling we are there to help them and pick them up.

I bring this up because with so much going on in the world we have no time to be selfish. With people hurting and oppressed, people facing injustice everyday, people being killed for the lifestyle they lead and the choices they make, we have no time to be selfish. If anything we have to be the ones to stand up and say  this isn’t right, to come to the defense of our brothers and sisters. We know what’s right and we know what’s wrong, let’s not sit back and let our world fall into a path of unrighteousness. People deserve to live freely, people deserve basic human rights, people deserve a place of refuge. I know some of us are going to say, “It’s not my responsibility”. If it’s not our responsibility then whose is it. The same way Jesus took on the responsibility of saving humanity, and the disciples took on the responsibility of spreading the word of God, the same way the church took on the responsibility of selling all their possessions to take care of one another, we have a similar responsibility to stand up and stand in the gap for God’s people. We are equipped with the Holy Spirit and the word of God. We have a duty to right the wrongs and correct the injustices. If Jesus, The disciple/apostles, paul, and all the many men and women of God in the bible had not stepped up to the plate and taken responsibility then we wouldn’t be here today. So yes, it is our responsibility to help our brothers and sisters in need to stand up for those being oppressed by the justice system, those being denied access to freedom and health, and those being denied basic human rights. It is not our job to evaluate whether or not they are worthy of our help, because Jesus did not do that to us. If He evaluated how worthy we were before coming down from heaven to save us, we would not be saved. We are not here to judge or decide who deserves a helping hand, no we give a helping hand with heart full of love and leave the judgements to God.

Reflection

1. Do you believe your responsible to stand up and be there for those who are suffering and oppressed?

Prayer Time

Allow your answer to the above question guide part of your prayer. Talk to God about what it means to be selfless and ask Him to teach you and help you lead a selfless lifestyle. Pray for the people of our nation, pray for those without a voice who have been silenced, pray for those who are oppressed. Pray for the things that have become normalized that continues to plague humanity.

One of the biggest thing I want to pray for today is, rape culture, and the treatment of sexual assault towards both men and women. It is something that has been normalized that continues to plague the world. The attitude towards these issues are too casual and it is a very serious and sensitive situation. People’s lives are ruined and forever scarred due to rape and sexual assault and many times the government and it’s citizens brush it off. I can’t stress enough how important this is, that we talk about it. Pray that the whole idea of rape culture ceases and pray for those who have been affected by it.

I love you, I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 176!